I’ve just discovered this post by Mark over at The Book Depository: apparently ‘locavore’ is the Oxford University Press book of the year, as nominated by the American-based Oxford University Press blog.
“Locavore” was coined two years ago by a group of four women in San Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius. Other regional movements have emerged since then, though some groups refer to themselves as “localvores” rather than “locavores.” However it’s spelled, it’s a word to watch.
This strikes me as a terrible waste of an award. There must be thousands of fantastic neologisms generated every year; why celebrate such a downright ugly word?! My personal favourite of the past year was the invention of a friend, who decided that the unfortunate act of knocking your drinking vessel into your teeth (either before or after consumption of its usually alcoholic contents) was to be known as a ‘kibuttle’.
Ellie
