hashtag dictionary
Does It Make “Sense” To Make Change?
Every year the New Oxford American Dictionary selects its word of the year. To qualify the word must be current and have potential for longevity. The word for 2009 was “unfriend” – to remove someone as a friend on a social network site. Unfriend beat other tech-heavy words like “hashtag” – the symbol (#) used on Twitter posts to make them easier to find; “netbook” – a small portable laptop; and “sexting” – sending sexually explicit texts or photos by mobile phone. If this digital trend in selecting word of the year continues, it may leave people who aren’t digital-savvy speechless.
Then there were the new business buzzwords inspired by the 2009 recession. Although carmakers didn’t make cars Americans wanted to buy, carmakers didn’t fail. They entered “pre-packaged bankruptcies”. Banks didn’t make bad loans. Instead, they discovered they had “toxic assets”. Banks, of course, were considered “too big to fail” – and didn’t have to because of TARP. Tarp used to be short for tarpaulin, a canvass covered with a waterproof compound. Now it stands for “Troubled Asset Relief Program”. It’s the government program that gave financial institutions “bailouts” instead of handouts. Obviously, there was more than one “Cash For Clunkers” program.
Obviously, bacon isn’t just for breakfast anymore. Thanks to Chef Blumenthal of the Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant outside London, bacon is for dessert too. In 2004 Blumenthal’s bacon-and-egg ice cream made news all over the food world. In 2006 two contestants on television’s Top Chef program made bacon ice cream, introducing Americans to bacon desserts. Now there are bacon brownies, bacon bread pudding, bacon truffles, bacon jellybeans and more. In spite of skeptics, pairing sweets with bacon is logical. Sweet/salty flavors are popular in kettle corn, chocolate-covered pretzels and Snickers bars. With bacon desserts, pigging out is explainable.
Those who enjoy pigging out on pizza should know that Domino’s is changing its pizza recipe. As of December 29, 2009 the crust will be garlickier, the tomato sauce spiced differently and the cheese upgraded. It seems when the research firm Brand Keys rated Domino’s for taste, it tied for last with Chuck E. Cheese, with Papa John ranking first. However, Domino’s ranked first for best pizza chain overall, tied with Pizza Hut for top ranking in location and service and was a close second to Pizza Hut in value. In launching its new pizza, Domino’s plans a “tasteful” campaign.
About the Author
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com
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