The 13 Most Fun Buzzwords of 2006

Ever done any blamestorming? How about prairie-dogging? Do you work with any BMWs? Or has your career been plutoed?

Those four buzzwords are among the 13 Most Fun Buzzwords of 2006 as selected by the readers of BuzzWhack.com, home of The Buzzword Dictionary: 1,000 Pompous Translated From Pompous to English, (Marion Street Press $12.95).

“Not all buzzwords make you cringe. Some are delightfully colorful, funny and sum up life in today’s workplace,” says John Walston, author of The Buzzword Dictionary and creator of BuzzWhack.com. “And given the way the world’s been going lately, we definitely need something to laugh about.”

Here’s the complete list:

1. blamestorming: A group process where participants analyze a failed project and look for scapegoats other than themselves.

2. Death by Tweakage: When a product or project fails due to unnecessary tinkering or too many last-minute revisions.

3. BMWs: Bitchers, Moaners and Whiners.

4. clockroaches: Employees who spend most of their day watching the clock - instead of doing their jobs

5. plutoed: To be unceremoniously dumped or relegated to a lower position without an adequate reason or explanation.

6. prairie dogging: A modern office phenomenon. Occurs when workers simultaneously pop their heads up out of their cubicles to see what's going on.

7. carbon-based error: Error caused by a human, not a computer (which we assume would be a silicon-based error).

8. menoporsche: Male menopause. Symptoms include a sudden lack of energy, crankiness and the overpowering urge to buy a Porsche.

9. adminisphere: The upper levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made.

10. deja poo: The feeling that you've stepped in this bull before.

11. bobbleheading: The mass nod of agreement by participants in a meeting to comments made by the boss even though most have no idea what he/she just said.

12. ringtone rage: The violent response by cube mates after hearing your annoying cell phone ringtone for the 15th time.

13. muffin top: The unsightly roll of flesh that spills over the waist of a pair of too-tight low-hanging pants, much like a muffin bursting out of the pan.


About the author: John Walston's journalism career includes stints as deputy managing editor of USA Today, editorial director of United Press International, and executive editor of The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware. He operates the BuzzWhack.com website at http://www.buzzwhack.com and can be reached at johnwalston@johnwalston.com

About the book: The Buzzword Dictionary: 1,000 Phrases Translated From Pompous to English (ISBN 1933338075, $12.95, 220 pages, paperback), was published September 2006 by Marion Street Press, Inc. The book was named a "Nifty Gifty" by William Safire in his column in the December 3, 2006 New York Times magazine. The Buzzword Dictionary is available through all major booksellers. Cover image and review copies are available by contacting Ed Avis, 708-488-8820, edavis@marionstreetpress.com

About the publisher: Marion Street Press, Inc. is an independent publisher in Forest Park, Illinois that specializes in books for word lovers, writers, and journalists. The company's list is available at http://www.marionstreetpress.com