Words That Shaped the Week: "<em>Mad Men</em>," "Chained C.P.I.", and "<em>Arrested Development</em>"

Words That Shaped the Week: "," "Chained C.P.I.", and ""
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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.

In memoriam: Roger Ebert.

Mad Men [mad mehn], noun: AMC's highly anticipated, two-hour-long Television Event, which, by law, is going to be the focus of every blog post on every Web site come Monday morning.

Chained C.P.I. [chaynd see-pee-ahy], noun: The President Obama-approved formula for cutting Social Security benefits--a presidential plan that's probably intended as a means of grandstanding more so than actual policy-proposing.

Morning-after pill [morn-ng aft-uhf pill], noun: A form of emergency contraception that, according to at least one federal judge, the American Medical Association, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, should be available without a prescription to anyone, of any age, who seeks it.

Earl of Gingrich [earl ov ging-rich], noun: What Newt Gingrich makes his friends call him during his weekly Downton Abbey-watching tea parties.

Gestational gams [ges-tay-shun-uhl gamz], noun: Legs whose circumference during pregnancy appears to be identical to the pre-pregnancy average--c.f., Middleton, Kate.

Arrested Development [uh-rest-ted dih-vel-up-mint], noun: The Netflix-produced cult-hit sitcom scheduled to absolutely debilitate the American workforce on May 26.

Secretary's Day [sek-ruh-ter-eez day], noun: What we are really hoping is the title for Hillary Clinton's forthcoming foreign-policy book.

Mally [mahl-ee], noun: Tween idol Justin Bieber's airport-security-apprehended baby monkey, obviously.

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