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You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll speak -- or maybe you'll just be speechless
when you see the 2013 ELD ward/werd/wird/WORDS/wurds/andsometimeswyrds of the Year 2013!
when you see the 2013 ELD ward/werd/wird/WORDS/wurds/andsometimeswyrds of the Year 2013!
December 1: |
The PeriodOur first entry in our countdown to the "Word of the Year" isn't a word at all -- but a punctuation mark: the period! Especially. When. Used. To. Show. Emphasis.
Some Punctuationologists believe that this use of the period originated with Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Dickinson was known for erratic use of punctuation marks -- which rubbed off on third cousin Emily. Dickinson is also said to have originated the use of a hand-drawn heart of a lower case "i." |
Pictured above:
Emmett Lee Dickinson was the first to use a heart over the letter "i." |
December 2: |
Honorable mention: "Jeal" or "Jeally" for "jealous."
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Totes AdorbsOf course, the internet was invented to post videos and pictures of cats and kittens -- and if you gushed "totes adorbs" (for "totally adorable") when you saw the picture at the left, then you just spoke our second entry in our list of Words of the Year 2013.
A close second to our second entry is "apols," for "my apologies." We'll admit, we at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) are not enamored with these truncated text-talk terms. To be honest, we are appalled with "apols" and "totes adorbs" makes us want to vom! |
December 3: |
Twenty-Sixteen“Twenty-sixteen” (as in “2016”) is one of several numbers to make our countdown of “Words of the Year 2013,” because no politician (and in some cases non-politicians) could move or speak without at least numerous news shows and talking heads speculating about the person’s aspirations for the next presidential election. Fly from Louisiana to address New Hampshire’s GOP: “Twenty-sixteen.” Go pheasant hunting with friends in Iowa: “Twenty-sixteen." Take a break from a reality TV show to address an evangelical group about traditional marriage: “Twenty-sixteen.”
Of course, the numerous news shows and talking heads were always right. |
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December 4: |
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#TOpoliThe top hashtags on Twitter and Instagram this year probably had something to do with being a Belieber and/or traveling in One Direction, but the top hashtag for us was #TOpoli, which stands for "Toronto Politics."
Rob Ford, the current Mayor of Toronto, and his scandals involving substance abuse -- including the use of crack cocaine and drunken stupors -- provided the United States and the world a fresh breath of Canadian air -- and some hilarious airtime! The Twittersphere went wild with reports and opinions using the hasthag #TOpoli -- our fourth entry on our countdown to the Word of the Year 2013. |
December 5: |
PhotobombPhotobombing has been around since George Costanza on the "Seinfeld" show (pictured at the right), but Bill Clinton was responsible for bringing the photobomb into the spotlight in 2013 -- and for landing "photobomb" in our fifth slot on our list of Words of the Year 2013.
Pictured below left to right: Bill Clinton photobombed Kelly Clarkson at Barack Obama's second inauguration; a few weeks later, Kelly Clarkson photobombed Ellen DeGeneres; a month later, Ellen DeGeneres photobombed Pope Francis; then in the summer Pope Francis photobombed Jimmy Fallon. |
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Pictured at the right: The photobombing came full circle this past August when Jimmy Fallon (with Justin Timberlake) photobombed Bill Clinton. |
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December 6: |
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Jodie FosteringJodie Foster's meandering, cryptic speech to accept the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Golden Globes earned the term "Jodie Fostering" a spot on our countdown to the Word of the Year for 2013.
The year before, Clint Eastwood turned his name into a present participle when he ranted at an empty chair. From that point on, the act of an aged, worn curmudgeon delivering a doddering harangue has been known as "Clint Eastwooding." Similarly, now when people deliver rambling, opaque communications, they are "Jodie Fostering." Of course, this practice of turning a name into a present participle began long ago with Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request: "Emmett Lee Dickinsoning" is synonymous with "turning one's back on someone." |
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December 7: |
BangsEarly in Barack Obama's presidency it became quite evident that Michelle Obama had the right to bare arms. This past year she added some bang to her look -- or should we say "bangs" -- and the results were explosive!
Sporting BOTUS -- the "Bangs of the United States" -- Michelle Obama's hairstyle became the "shot heard round the world." As a result, she single-handedly (or single-foreheadedly?) landed "bangs" on our countdown to the Word of the Year 2013. |
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Suddenly, once Michelle Obama was wearing bangs, everyone was wearing bangs -- including Kathy Griffin, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Pope Francis, Snooki, Betty White, and Samuel L. Jackson. |
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December 8: |
MOOCA "MOOC," or Massive Open Online Course, has been around for sometime. As a matter of fact, the New York Times dubbed 2012 "The Year of the MOOC." Still, MOOCs are popping up everywhere now -- including on our list of Words of the Year 2013.
Many people don't realize that MOOCs originated from an idea of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). He convinced the University for Technology Training, Education and Research (UTTER) to join forces with Washerst's Center on Workplace Study (COWS) to offer correspondence courses called MOOS, Massive Open Ordered Study. This early form of distance learning allowed people to earn BS degrees from home (BS originally stood for Basic Scholarship).
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Pictured above: Washerst's Center on Workplace Study Pictured at the left: The University of Technology Training, Education, and Research |
December 9: |
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Tech-Cetera
Okay, we admit that we made up the next word on our countdown to the Word of the Year for 2013: "Tech-Cetera."
In addition to MOOC, our entry above from December 8th, we could have chosen from about a hundred or more tech terms from 2013 -- including Google glasses, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and meme -- so we though we'd lump them all together with a new word, Tech-cetera. |
December 10: |
Before:
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iOS 7We have to admit, we resisted downloading the iPhone software update iOS 7 for quite awhile, and once we did, we were not completely enamored with the new operating system. There were some things we hated about the new system, and then there were other things we hated. Did we mention that we were/are not fond of the update?
Shortly after downloading iOS 7, we received notification of an update, iOS 7.0.3. After downloading that update, we received notification about yet another one, iOS 7.0.4. When will it stop!??! Since we can't seem to escape the onslaught of new updates, iOS 7 landed a secure spot for itself on our list of Words of the Year for 2013. |
After:
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December 11: |
BitcoinWhat is bitcoin? Here's how it is described in Wikipedia: “Bitcoin has been
called a cyrptocurrency because it uses cryptography to secure funds.
Transactions transfer bitcoins, the unit of currency, between Bitcoin addresses
derived from cryptographic public keys. To spend the funds associated with an
address, a user must broadcast a payment message digitally signed with the
associated private key. Transactions are verified by a decentralized network of
computers all over the world."
Is this similar to when I pay for my latte with my Starbucks app -- because when they scan my barcode I do get a bit of coffee? Anyway, "bitcoin" landed on our list of Words of the Year 2013 because more and more often we hear about the use of bitcoin as a method of payment. |
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December 12: |
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TrillionThough recent US news was dominated by a pending debt crisis, the start of the new year oh so many months ago began, instead, with news of a debt crisis. At that time there was no talk about a government shutdown. Instead, the Federal Reserve considered crediting the US Treasury with a single trillion dollar coin.
The idea of the trillion dollar coin prompted rapper Macklemore -- with singer Ray Dalton -- to intone, "Tonight is the night, we’ll fight 'til it’s over, So we put our hands up like the debt ceiling can’t hold us, Like the debt ceiling can’t hold us." Evidently the debt ceiling could not hold us, though, as later Macklemore turned his attention to thrift shopping at "that thrift shop down the road." Could you imagine popping some tags down at the thrift shop with a trillion dollar coin in your pocket? That thought alone landed "trillion" on our list of Words of the Year 2013. By the way, the government did end up issuing a trillion dollar bill -- and guess whose picture is on it? 
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December 13: |
FOMOLast year, a top word of the year was YOLO -- "you only live once" -- and since you only live once, you don't want to miss out on anything! Hence, one of the top words for 2013 is FOMO -- "fear of missing out." If, mid-conversation with a friend or loved one, you pull out your iPhone to check Twitter or to change your Facebook status -- that's FOMO!
Honorable Mention: "Instacurity" An excessive concern with one's social media presence and influence. |
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December 14: |
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Catfishing"Catfishing" is when someone fabricates an online identity to trick people into an emotional and/or romantic relationship, and the Manti Te'o scandal at the start of 2013 landed "catfishing " a secure spot on our countdown of Words of the Year.
Te'o played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He was recognized as an All-American player, and he won many national awards. However, he won additional national recognition when it was revealed that the existence and death of his girlfriend, Stanford University student Lennay Kekua, had been faked. In January, sports blog "Deadspin" published their findings that Kekua never existed, and that Te'o's friend Ronaiah Tuiasosopo had been involved in the hoax. Pictures of Kekua that had been published turned out to be a former high school classmate of Teo's by the name of Diane O'Meara. |
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The Manti Te'o catfishing scandal hit a little too close to home for the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) and the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE) when rumors surfaced that Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) was nothing more than a "catfish."
Pictured at the left: A letter from Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe, the Executive Director of DOPE, addressing the Dickinson "catfishing" scandal. Pictured below: The Huffington Post reported on the DOPE/Dickinson scandal. Click images to enlarge. 
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December 15: |
Nadel? Knaydel? Naydle? Knaidel!What would the year 2013 have been without the word "knaidel," the winning word in the Scripp's National Spelling Bee! With "knaidel," Arvind Mahankali won the competition (he had won third place the year before, and third place the year before that).
Honorable mention for Word of the Year: "Arvind." We love that name! Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) had a great-uncle named Arvind!
Pictured below: All of the winning words from past Scripp's National Spelling Bees.
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December 16: |
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December 17: |
Carlos Danger"Carlos Danger" isn't the only name to make our list of Words of the Year 2013, but it sure is the funniest!
What was more absurd -- that Anthony Weiner was caught in a second sexting scandal, or that he used the alias "Carlos Danger"? We can only hope that Weiner outdoes his 2013 indignities and gives us an even better word for our list of Words of the Year for 2014! By the way -- take a look at Weiner's high school picture below (center). Is it just us -- or did he look a bit like Janis Ian (pictured at the right)?
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December 18: |
FrancisNever has a name occupied the news more completely than when Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) named his daughter "Qwerty" in March of 1831. However, the dominance of a name in the news came close this year when the successor to Pope Benedict XVI chose the name "Francis" (after Arlene Francis, his favorite panelist on the 1950's TV game show "What's My Line").
Honorable mention of other names that made the news in 2013: George (for Prince George of Cambridge), son of Prince William and Kate; and North, daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. To be honest, we at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) were disappointed to learn that Kim and Kanye did not give their daughter North the middle name of "Bynorth."
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December 19: |
DronesWe won't drone on about drones -- the news did that for us this past year. As a result, "drones" landed on our list of Words of the Year 2013. We were a bit surprised, though, from Amazon.com to Domino's Pizza to Incredible Edibles advertised deliveries via drones! Click the images below to enlarge.
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December 20: |
NSAFortunately for the NSA, another NSA eclipsed the NSA scandals this year, so that many don't know of the NSA disgraces as the other NSA's issues took center stage in the news -- and as a result, that NSA (the National Security Agency) landed a spot on our Words of the Year 2013.
What's the story? The National Security Agency has been front and center in the news for brazen data mining (collecting the telephone data of Americans, spying on foreign leaders, and more). As a result, most people don't realize that Mathias Crummles Carton, the president of the National Singles Association, was arrested for brazen "date mining" (spying on singles, sabotaging blind dates, hacking into the eHarmony.com compatibility matching system and more). What's the future of the NSA? A panel of outside advisers offered recommendations that were intended to provide greater public reassurances about privacy protections rather than to result in any wholesale dismantling of the NSA's surveillance powers. Interestingly enough, these recommendations were made for both NSAs. |
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Pictured above: The National Singles Association in Washerst.
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Pictured above: Mathias Crummles Carton, president of the NSA.
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December 21: |
Above: 3D glasses were invented by Nordstrom Dickinson
Above: 3D human ear
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3DFriends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. If not, I'll just print one for myself!
Now listen up: Washerst, PA, has always been a world leader in the progress of 3D technology. For example, Emmett Lee Dickinson's grandson, Nordstrom Dickinson, went into business with Hirum Dorchester and Remington Dubloon. The three opened a factory to manufacture "3-D" glasses for 3D movies. The first 3D movie ever made was a five minute short produced by the Washerst International Film Office. However, the "3-D" in 3-D glasses -- still used in theaters around the world today" -- didn't signify "three dimensional." Instead, it referred to the name of the company: Dorchester, Dickinson, and Dubloon. However, "3D" is not featured on our list of the Words of the Year 2013 because of improvements made to 3D movies and glasses, but because of advances made with 3D printing. At the start of 2013, researchers at Hangzhou Dianzi University in China printed a 3D ear. |
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Many people don't realize, though, that advances in 3D printing stemmed from the research and work begun by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).
Dickinson invented the first 3D printer (pictured at the right), and with it he was able to print a three-dimensional ear of corn. Thanks to the work of Emmett Lee Dickinson, scientists at Hangshou Dianzi Universtiy were able to replicate his work. |
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Pictured below, left to right: Washerst International Film School; Washerst International Film Office; Dorchester, Dickinson, & Dubloon 3D glasses factory; the first 3D ear of corn printed by Emmett Lee Dickinson. Click images to enlarge.
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December 22: |
Of course, the blend of "moustache" and "November" was inspired
by the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum's merger of "February" and "Brew" to celebrate the coffee poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). 
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Movember"Movember" -- a portmanteau of "moustache" and "November" -- has been around since 2004, but it really seemed to gain momentum in 2013. The Movember Foundation sponsors events throughout the month of November to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues.
This past year, even the cast of the "Today" show joined in with "No Shave November." Pictured below: Even Hoda Kotb and Kety Lee Gifford joined in with the NBC "no shave" shenanigans.
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December 23: |
SelfieAlthough "selfie" is not in the OED, the OED has named "selfie" as its Word of the Year. Well, it is a Word of the Year," but it is not the Word of the Year (that will be revealed on December 31st).
Recently, President Obama kept the word "selfie" in the news when he posed with Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer, the stars of NBC's live broadcast of "The Sound of Music" (Obama made a cameo appearance as Rolf's friend "Wilhelm," a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia). Technically, though, Obama's picture (at the right on the top) isn't a "selfie," but a "groupie." A true example of a "selfie" is pictured at the right in the middle where Pope Francis snapped a picture of himself outside the gates of DickinsonLand, the only theme park in America dedicated to the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Honorable mention for our list of Words of the Year: "food porn," photos people take of their meals to post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media. Pictured at the right on the bottom: An example of food porn. Well, almost. We wolfed down our coconut macaroon & cheesecake brownie & the iced coffees at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, before we could snap a pic (we were there to see artworks of and inspired by Emmett Lee Dickinson). |
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December 25: |
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SharknadoDo you know what the longest-running cable television programming event in history is? "Shark Week," aired annually in July or August on the Discovery Channel since 1987. One week devoted to sharks just wasn't big enough for 2013, though, thanks to the SyFy Channel's "Sharknado" -- and like the poster at the left notes, enough said!
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December 25: |
MarriageThe word "marriage" derived from the Middle English mariage, which first appears in 1250–1300 CE. Mariage derived from Old French marier (to marry) and that from the Latin marītāre meaning to provide with a husband or wife.
In 2013, the Oxford English Dictionary updated the meaning of "marriage" as follows: "The relationship between two people who are husband and wife, or a similar relationship between people of the same sex." The second clause was newly added this year, and thus, it landed "marriage" on our list of Words of the Year 2013. 
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December 26: |
Boston StrongDuring the Boston Marathon on April 15, two terrorists used pressure cooker bombs to kill three people and injure over 200 more. The FBI and the Boston Police Department reacted quickly, and within days, they killed one terrorist and caught the other. After the tragedy, the slogan "Boston Strong" swept the nation.
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Pictured at the right: The Washerst Chamber of Commerce hoped that a similar slogan for Washerst would attract more tourists to the historic city, but the initiative failed, so they went back to the to town's well-known motto, "Walk down Dickinson Boulevard and then you too can say, 'I was in Washerst.'" |
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December 27: |
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TwerkingWe are not making this up: Miley Cyrus was one of the final ten contenders for Time's Person of the Year 2013 (listed below alphabetically):
Bashar Assad, President of Syria Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder Ted Cruz, Texas Senator Miley Cyrus, Singer/Twerker Pope Francis, Leader of the Catholic Church Barack Obama, President of the United States Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Edward Snowden, NSA Leaker Edith Windsor, Gay Rights Activist |
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Some think she earned the honor due to her twerking exhibition with Robin Thicke at MTV's Video Music Awards. In truth, though, it was not due to a single incident of twerking, but for a series of twerking events throughout the year.
Pictured below, left to right: Cyrus twerked with Jimmy Kimmel at the presentation of the 2013 Nobel Prizes; twerking with Kathy Griffin at the Vatican at the installation of Francis as Pope; twerking on the set of NBC's Today with Paula Deen; twerking with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. |
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December 28: |
Sequester/SequestrationThe jury is no longer out on the word "sequester" -- it is officially on our list of Words of the Year 2013.
This past year's "sequestration" referred to the automatic spending cuts to the government's budget as a result of an earlier budget act: the Budget Control Act of 2011 called for automatic across-the-board cuts ("sequestrations") if the Joint Select Committee of Deficit Reduction (the "super committee") couldn't agree on legislation that would decrease the deficit by $1.2 trillion over ten years. When the committee failed to act, the sequestration went into effect. |
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December 29: |
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ShutdownFor about three weeks in October, the US government was shutdown due to Congress' failure to act on budget legislation. As a result, approximately 800,000 federal employees were indefinitely furloughed, and another 1.3 million were required to report to work without known pay dates.
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Interestingly enough, the government shutdown boosted admissions at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard): From October 1 to 17, the federal shutdown closed the Federal Institute on Emmett Lee Dickinson; as a result, ticket sales at the ELD Museum broke records.
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Honorable mention: The US Senate's more-dramatic sounding but less-harmful action called the "nuclear option." |
December 30: |
ObamacareWhen the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or "Obamacare") was initiatlly debated, there were townhall meetings across the United States to discuss the matter. At that time, though, it turned out that many of us lived in Crazy Town because there was little to no discussion at all. Instead, some "meetings" were dominated by fanatics who spewed nothing more than a great deal of vitriol.
Things settled down for a while after the 2009 elections -- until this year! With the problem-riddled inauguration of Healthcare.gov and the bizarre speech-athon of Senator Ted Cruz, "Obamacare" dominated the news once again -- and it earned the "runner-up" spot for our Word of the Year 2013. |
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December 31: |
WORD OF THE YEAR: Sorry
We're not sorry at all that "sorry" is the ELD Museum's Word of the Year for 2013 because 2013 was the "Year of the Apology."
From the press (Brent Musberger and 60 Minutes) to the President of the United States, from cocaine users (Florida Congressman Trey Radel) to crack users (Toronto Mayor Rob Ford), from fish frying (Paula Deen) to catfishing (Manti Te’o), 2013 has been the most sorry-full year on record! |
Mea Culpa: Members of the Class of 2013
Brent Musberger
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Lance Armstrong
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60 Minutes
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Justin Bieber
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Paula Deen
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Florida Congressman
Trey Radel |
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
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Anthony Weiner
a.k.a. Carlos Danger |
Manti Te'o
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San Diego Mayor
Bob Filner |
Spaghettios
(See below) |
Alec Baldwin
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Pictured at the left: Even President Barack Obama made amends with the public by saying he was sorry for issues with Healthcare.gov and aspects of the Affordable Care Act.
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Honorable Mentions: |
Honorable Mentions Listed Above:- apols
- Arvind - food porn - George (as in Prince George) - Instacurity - jeal or jeally - North (West) - nuclear option - roll cloud - sorry, not sorry - wordnado (and/or any blend of a word ending with "nado") |
Additional Honorable Mentions:- 404
- bacon (just because bacon makes everything better!) - Benghazi - catawampus (just because we like the word catawampus) - cronut - duck (thanks to a homophobic dynasty) - Fail - first world problem - glassholes - Harlem Shake - hoodie - privacy - ratchet (the word that caused more trouble in middle and high schools than any other word this year) - ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding (that's what the fox says) - said no one ever - white (for two reasons: white smoke at the Vatican, and "white" Christmas a la Megyn Kelly, who must have had a heart attack when the new Miss. America was named) - Yeezus |
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All things Emmett Lee Dickinson (poetry, museum stuff, Washerst facts and figures, etc.) © 2013 & 2014 by Jim Asher