Top 10 Buzzwords (Time magazine)

Popular in Internet and Online Advertising, buzzword is used to describe any trendy or newly made-up word or phrase that is used more to impress consumers than explain the product or technology.

#1. Cougar
An older woman who romantically pursues younger men. Example: Demi Moore, 45, snagging hubby Ashton Kutcher, 29. Although an offensive term to some, others consider it a positive sign of society's increasing acceptance of older women's sex appeal. This summer's reality show Age of Love went so far as to pit a team of Cougars, in or near their 40s, against a team of Kittens, all in their 20s, in a competition for the affections of a hunky 30-year-old. (Alas, a Kitten won.)
#2. Surge
Influx of 20,000 U.S. troops to Iraq aimed at, among other things, quelling sectarian violence. Even if you don't know the specific details, the word itself has by now been drilled relentlessly into your head. "Is the surge working?" "Is the surge failing?" "What does Gen. Petraeus think about the surge?" Surge, surge, surge! President Bush's call for additional troops, which was announced in January, incited more heated discourse this year than almost any other issue save immigration.
#3. Previvor
A person who does not have cancer, but has precancerous cells or a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of developing it: a pre-survivor. With the rise in genetic testing and groups like FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) that encourage women to find out whether they're likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer, some previvors are taking such drastic measures as getting preemptive mastectomies or hysterectomies.
#4. Popcorn Lung
A rare, life-threatening lung disease that can be caused by inhaling diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavoring. It's normally not a problem if a) you don't work in a microwave-popcorn factory or b)you're not Colorado resident Wayne Watson, who ate approximately two bags of microwave popcorn a day for 10 years and became the first-known consumer to develop the disease. In September, as word of Watson's condition prompted the FDA to investigate diacetyl, ConAgra — the nation's largest microwave-popcorn produce — vowed to remove the food additive from its products.
#5. Colbert Bump
Similar to the Oprah effect on book sales, the boost in popularity ratings a political candidate gets after appearing on The Colbert Report, such as Ron Paul's stunning 100% increase in horse-race polls from 1% to 2% in June. The fact that the term was coined by satirical genius and Report host Stephen Colbert — who originated TIME.com's No. 1 buzzword last year, "truthiness" — speaks to his continued impact on American political culture. Fingers are crossed that the writers' strike ends in time to bring Colbert back for the primaries.
#6. Grass Station
As Webster New World Dictionary's Word of the Year, the term does not describe an outpost for smoking marijuana, but rather a theoretical alternative to today's fossil fuel–based gas station. As Americans become increasingly eco-conscious and as more consumers look for alternatives to rising prices at the pump, the idea of using ethanol and other biofuels — some of which are made from, you guessed it, grass — to power automobiles might gain a wider appeal. Until then, stick with your Prius.
#7. Locavore
Another dictionary, another semi-green term. The New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year, this term refers to the trend of eating fresh, locally grown ingredients. It was coined by a group of San Francisco women promoting a diet consisting solely of food harvested within a 100-mile radius of practitioners' homes, which would reduce not only the fossil fuels used for shipping, but the variety of foods adherents get to eat.
#8. Bacn
Similar to Internet spam, this term covers news alerts and other email that individuals signed up to receive but may never get around to actually reading. Much like the pork product it is named after, bacn is something we desire even though it clogs our (electronic) arteries. And like many techy terms, it is willfully misspelled. Bacn was coined in August at a gathering of new media experts dubbed PodCamp Pittsburgh. That's right — something hip started in Pittsburgh.
#9. Vajayjay
How can we possibly write about this in a dignified way? Well, it's funny, foolish slang for "vagina." Yes, we can print that. The term, popularized in 2006 by Grey's Anatomy and more recently by Oprah Winfrey, is fairly indicative of where we are linguistically as a nation. Borne out of a network's fear of mentioning an anatomically correct word too frequently during a primetime medical drama, "vajayjay" demonstrates that in some ways, Americans are still immature about many things, including penayays.
#10. Freegan
A combination of the words "free" and "vegan," the term describes an anti-consumer who shuns mainstream materialism and only makes purchases as a last resort. The most sensational and often discussed practice of freeganism involves Dumpster-diving for food, clothing or other essentials, which freegans refer to as "waste reclamation." Many freegans are vegans and thus refrain from eating any animal products, but there are some "meagans" who consume meat that would otherwise remain unused.

Top 10 Quotes

#1. "I really am not the kind of guy that sits here and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm worried about my legacy.'"
— President GEORGE W. BUSH, when asked about his falling approval numbers and mounting criticism of the Iraq War during an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes (Jan. 14, 2007)
#2. "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country."
— MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, president of Iran, responding to a question about the treatment of gays and lesbians in Iran during a visit to Columbia University in New York City (Sept. 24, 2007)
#3. "This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period.
— San Francisco Giants slugger BARRY BONDS, after breaking Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball all-time home-run record with his 756th career homer amid rampant speculation that he has used steroids. Bonds has always denied that he ever "knowingly" used performance-enhancing substances, but he was indicted in November for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury about using them (Aug. 7, 2007)
#4. "If you didn't like Darfur, you're going to hate Baghdad."
— Gen. DAVID H. PETRAEUS, warning of the consequences of an early troop withdrawal from Iraq (Aug. 14, 2007)
#5. "This is it. This is where it all ends. End of the road. What a life it was. Some life."
— Virginia Tech gunman CHO SEUNG-HUI, in a chilling video he made and sent to NBC News before killing 32 people and committing suicide in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history (Apr. 16, 2007)
#6. "I don't think they're piling on because I'm a woman. I think they're piling on because I'm winning."
— HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, on intensifying criticism by rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination (Nov. 2, 2007)
#7. "The planet is in distress and all of the attention is on Paris Hilton. We have to ask ourselves what is going on here?"
— AL GORE, in an interview with the British paper The Sun, before adding that he believes in 10 years it will be too late to save the planet (June 18, 2007)
#8. "I spent the better part of the past three months enduring criticism that is normally leveled at some kind of genocidal tyrant."
— RUPERT MURDOCH, News Corp. owner, on the outcry over his purchase of the Wall Street Journal (Aug. 8, 2007)
#9. "Hello, Condoleezza Rice? You have me to deal with now."
— A MASKED HAMAS GUNMAN, joking into the telephone of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after taking control of his government compound (June 15, 2007)
#10. "Why don't you just shut up?"
— KING JUAN CARLOS, of Spain, to Hugo Chávez at a summit in Chile after the Venezuelan President called former Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar a fascist (Nov. 10, 2007)