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Ear to the Ground

Word of the Year: Refudiate

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Posted on Nov 15, 2010
AP / J. Scott Applewhite

This year, Sarah Palin created a very memorable neologism, and now that word has become famous like its politician-turned-reality-star creator! Yes, the word voted in by the good people at the New Oxford American Dictionary is refudiate. But does this mean it’s now legit? Take it away, New York Post.  —KA

New York Post:

“Refudiate” became an instant classic back in July when national media and Palin watchers ridiculed her for using a non-existent word that seemed to be a cross between “refute” and “repudiate.”

“From a strictly lexical interpretation of the different contexts in which Palin has used ‘refudiate,’ we have concluded that neither ‘refute’ nor ‘repudiate’ seems consistently precise, and that ‘refudiate’ more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of ‘reject,’ Oxford University Press said in a press release accompanying the announcement.

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By ocjim, November 16, 2010 at 10:45 pm Link to this comment

Sarah is proving beyond a doubt that ignorance and mediocrity have a place in American society, and can make money when serious contributors cannot.

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By Ed, November 16, 2010 at 11:49 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Palin is a wordsmith? Irrigardless, she’s still a dope.

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By reynolds, November 16, 2010 at 10:32 am Link to this comment

that’s right, forge ahead; never be daunted by so small
an obstacle as unfamiliarity with your native language.
no matter that you’re slightly dull-witted, sell out:
pander to the lowest common denominator and you’ll be a
folk hero, a desperate and ignorant hero to desperate
and ignorant folk.

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Fat Freddy's avatar

By Fat Freddy, November 16, 2010 at 7:17 am Link to this comment

Let’s not forget the other forms of the word refudiate. 

refudiation

refudiationable

refudiationist

refudiated

refudiationer

refudiarian

SP certainly doesn’t seem to have as much of a grasp on the English language as Norm Crosby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oMDNc54eHw


gerard,

It’s the Queen’s English. There is no King of England, currently.

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BarbieQue's avatar

By BarbieQue, November 16, 2010 at 3:30 am Link to this comment

A less popular word for the year could also be “Sucker”.

One thing Barack Hussein Obama has proven is that race is insignificant in politics in 2010.

Because Obama has shown without a shadow of a doubt that a Black man can sell out just as fast and with just as many obfuscations as a white man.

Who (which, what) has caused more harm to the Middle Class in America at this instant in time?

Not Sarah “Refudiate” Palin. Nope. How about the Bush holdovers Zero hand picked?

It’s almost like someone poisoned the water and masses of people have been programmed to walk off a cliff together, chanting “Sarah” “Sarah”

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By Inherit The Wind, November 15, 2010 at 9:54 pm Link to this comment

Refudiate: To be an ignoramus who cannot use the English language, cannot say what one means, and cannot even obfuscate reasonably well. See: Sarah Palin.

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By mdgr, November 15, 2010 at 7:49 pm Link to this comment

Gerard,

Good observations, but that is just a surface reading. Actually, both Palin and Scheer emanate from the planet Mordor ruled by the Emperor Ming.

One of them has a case of amnesia, the other does not, but they are both working for the same side, even as the Dems are said to secretly work for the R’s.

It is true that the Death Ray is set to go off in 2012, courtesy of Sony Pictures, but putting aside the issue of Mr. Scheer’s teeth, all Palin needs is a plurality of voters, not a majority.

Does Mr. Scheer really think that making puerile jokes like this is going to do anything to create viable a viable alternative?

After all, Joe the Plumber was a joke, and—after the advent of Obama—so was America’s electorate.

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By gerard, November 15, 2010 at 6:52 pm Link to this comment

By picking up this article, plus the winking picture, Mr. Scheer is merely trying to repugnify Sarah Palin.  That is because he misconfabulates
Palin as a retrotential candidate in 2012, which really sets his teeth on edge.

He wants us to be sure to remember that she is not only lacking in nonwinkable gravitas, but she is an incontroverbial menace to the King’s English.

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By reynolds, November 15, 2010 at 6:01 pm Link to this comment

does that mean she isn’t a dope?

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By mdgr, November 15, 2010 at 5:42 pm Link to this comment

Another cute and innocuous post hand-selected by Mr. Scheer. It is brought to the community of progressives visa vis the scandal sheet called Truthdig.

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