Word: You-topia Meaning: A self-fulfilling community based around similar desires/interests/pursuits, not so much class/gender/race. Usage: “[The economy of everyone is] a burgeoning workface resembling a denatured you-topia where everyone is talented and has the means (and desire) to tell you so.” — Anupa Mistry on the Toronto Standard You should know it because: Actually, you [...]

Word: Anodyne Meaning: Inoffensive, deliberately bland (adj.); pain or distress-easing medication (n.) Usage: “I see the awful hands of faith, the credulous and worn hands of believers; the humble and beseeching hands of the millions and millions who have only the anodyne of credulity.” — Katherine Anne Porter, a Depression-era writer You should know it because: I [...]

Word: Phantasmagorical Meaning: A series of random, fantastical events occurring as in a dream; kind of like surrealism minus the realism. Usage: “I wanted to be sure I was properly grounded before straying into treacherous territory: the nature of being in our phantasmagorical high-finance, high-tech era.” — a Salon.com review of the new Robert Harris [...]

Word: Diefenbaby Meaning: The possible illegitimate son of John Diefenbaker. Usage: “Diefenbaby believes ex-PM’s brain could yield clues” — actual CBC.ca headline You should know it because: A man named John Dryden, who really does look something like John Diefenbaker, claims that the erstwhile, late prime minster is his birth daddy. He’s been on this [...]

Word: Blondetourage Meaning: A group of blondes. God, even a blonde could figure that out. Kidding, kidding, kidding! Usage: “Farrah and Ashley—known on Rock of Love Bus as the charter members of “The Blondetourage”—are stripping together, as a team.” — “Rock of Love Girls: Where Are They Now?” on Jezebel You should know it because: I [...]

Word: Wackaloon Meaning: Something to be worn, but not to be believed. Usage: “You can tell if something is ‘directional’; if it looks completely wackaloon at first, but then six months later everyone in your 10:30 meeting is wearing it. ” — Wordnik’s Erin McKean to The Fashion Spot. You should know it because: Yesterday [...]

Word: Hysteria Meaning: A common 19th-century medical diagnosis; a nervous condition, or acute outbreak of nerves, that remains inexplicably linked to being female. Usage: “Hysteria is ‘not a disease; rather it is an alternative, physical, verbal, and gestural language, an iconic social communication” — Mark Micale, author of Hysterical Men: The Hidden History of Male [...]

Word: Pedeconference Meaning: To walk and talk, especially through the corridors of power. Usage: “Jed and Leo pedeconference all the way back to the Oval Office—and it’s a long way—as Leo tells him that was impressive.” — a Television Without Pity recap of The West Wing, 2003 You should know it because: Screenwriter and TV [...]