favorite words of the year from NYTimes`

nose bidet n.

A neti pot or nasal irrigator, said to help with allergy symptoms.


boom n.

Left of boom describes the “before” strategy of the United States military, including efforts to root out insurgents and prevent military attacks; right of boom describes the military’s “after” strategy, including efforts to minimize the effect of attacks with battle-hardened equipment and improved medical care.


vegansexual n.

A person who eats no meat, uses no animal-derived goods and prefers not to have sex with non-vegans.


wide stance, to have a v. phr.

To be hypocritical or to express two conflicting points of view. When Senator Larry Craig was arrested in a public restroom and accused of making signals with his foot that the police said meant he was in search of anonymous gay sex, Mr. Craig said it was a misunderstanding and that he just had a wide stance when using the toilet. The incident also popularized the derogatory term “toe-tapper,” meaning a gay man.