The Year in Buzzwords 2006

By Carolyn Sayre

What's the word on the street? With the help of Paul McFedries of Word Spy.com and Aaron Peckham of Urban Dictionary, we drew up a list of neologisms that got people talking in 2006.

BROKEBACK MARRIAGE n. Thanks to Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and their celebrated screen tragedy, there's now a term to describe a union between a gay man and a straight woman or a gay married man having an affair.

CELEBUTARD n. A celebrity widely perceived as unintelligent. We're not naming any names, Paris Hilton.

CIVIL WAR n. Not a new term, but Iraq's deteriorating "sectarian violence"--to use President George W. Bush's preferred phrase--had people asking, Is it or isn't it?

FED-EX n. So long, K-Fed. The tabloids found a new name for Kevin Federline after his breakup with Britney Spears.

LIQUID TERROR n. After terrorists plotted to board planes in London with liquid explosives, this term was coined for the latest suspected terrorist tactic.

MACACA n. A racial slur? A kind of monkey? Virginia Senator George Allen, who used it at a campaign rally when he spotted an Indian-American volunteer from his opponent's camp, might define it as "the end of my re-election campaign."

MCSTEAMY n. He's no McDreamy, but Grey's Anatomy's newest character, Dr. Mark Sloan, usually known by his nickname, had fans buzzing.

SEASON CREEP n. Spring seemed to come early this year--and summer lasted a bit longer. What's to blame? Most scientists say global warming.

THE DECIDER n. A self-coined sobriquet for Bush, who bestowed the label on himself when explaining his initial rejection of calls for Donald Rumsfeld to step down as Secretary of Defense.

WIKIALITY n. Wikipedia + reality = truth based on consensus rather than fact. The growing popularity of the online encyclopedia, for which the public writes and edits entries, gave rise to the term.