Words That Shaped the Week: "Hollywood Issue," "Super Bowl," and "The National Anthem"

Words That Shaped the Week: "Hollywood Issue," "Super Bowl," and "The National Anthem"
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

By Juli Weiner, Vanity Fair

2012-09-24-WordsThatShapedtheWeekiPhone547PercentandRobsten.jpeg

For your edification, a look back at the phrases, nouns, and neologisms that have, for better or for worse, shaped the week's national discourse.

Oscar nominations [oz-kur nahm-ih-nayshuns], noun: The annual short-list--and unofficial, corresponding snubbed list--of the year's best actors, actresses, and movies, according to members of the (not infallible) Academy.

In memoriam: Ed Koch.

Hollywood Issue [hahl-ee wud ish-oo], noun: Vanity Fair's annual celebration of the film industry's most compelling players, exceptional talents, and, for the first time this year, photogenic animal costumes.

Super Bowl [soop-uhr bowl], noun: A thing to do on Sunday, we guess?

Katry [kay-tree], noun: The celebrity-couple portmanteau for the Katie Couric and Larry King relationship that almost was.

Betty Halbreich [bet-ee hahl-brych], noun: The octogenarian personal shopper, stylist, and memoirist whose book, All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go, was optioned by HBO and entrusted to Girls architects Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner.

The national anthem [thuh nat-shun-uhl ayn-thum], noun: A patriotic classic that's quickly become a Beyoncé standard.

Love [luv], noun: The act of impersonating a fictitious female cancer victim in order to woo a heterosexual national football star, obviously.

Chuck Hagel [chuck hey-gul], noun: President Obama's pick for Secretary of Defense whose confirmation process is expected to be significantly rockier than that of new Secretary of State John Kerry.

Chinese hackers [chy-neez hack-urs], noun: The New York Times's alleged public enemy No. 1* (*not counting the economy, the Internet, technological innovation, and many pieces in its own Style section.)

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot