YOLO with it

November 12, 2012 4:47 PM

Oxford Dictionaries' 2012 words of the year have been chosen: for the US, it's "gif" (as a verb); for the UK, "omnishambles." It contended for this crown with the likes of "YOLO," "superstorm," and "nomophobia." Previous Oxford words of the year can be found here (other notable year-end word lists such as those from Merriam-Webster, the American Dialect Society, and the Global Language Monitor, have yet to appear).
posted by BlackLeotardFront (92 comments total)

Why not png instead?
posted by Tashtego at 4:49 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have never heard anyone use "GIF" as a verb. Where in the United States is this a thing?
posted by NoMich at 4:50 PM on November 12, 2012 [18 favorites]

Seriously. Maybe in 1994 when UNISYS was threatening to charge websites $5000 each to use GIF-formatted images. But in 2012? All this shows is how out of touch dictionary editors are with internet culture.
posted by GuyZero at 4:52 PM on November 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Ugh, YOLO. How did that ever catch on?
posted by limeonaire at 4:54 PM on November 12, 2012

PBS Idea Channel on gif and yolo
posted by poe at 4:55 PM on November 12, 2012

Dudes. Tumblr. It's a thing? You should learn about it.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:55 PM on November 12, 2012

Oh, so that's where the phrase Romney Shambles comes from?
posted by octothorpe at 4:55 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

There are three things about this I don't care for:

1. Those Kids and Their Tumblr, which is precariously close to my lawn
2. "GIF" as shorthand for "animated GIF"
3. "GIF" with a hard G.

posted by uncleozzy at 4:56 PM on November 12, 2012 [11 favorites]

Do we have Pete Doherty to thank for 'omnishambles'?
posted by Flashman at 4:57 PM on November 12, 2012

I have never heard anyone use "GIF" as a verb. Where in the United States is this a thing?
posted by NoMich at 4:50 PM on 11/12
[1 favorite +] [!]


LiveGIFfing was a truly terrible political "participatory culture " "fad" that especially Tumblr tried to promote in the 2012 US election campaign. That's where I heard of GIFfing as a verb first
posted by Bwithh at 4:57 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Pronouncing it like the peanut butter is just wrong and not right and I don't even care I will fight you all.
posted by elizardbits at 4:57 PM on November 12, 2012 [52 favorites]

So make "Tumblr" the word of the year then. GIFs are about as novel as, say, novels.
posted by GuyZero at 4:57 PM on November 12, 2012

"Omnishambles"(as a coinage) is a force for good in politics. GIFfing is the devil.
posted by Bwithh at 4:59 PM on November 12, 2012

Seriously. Maybe in 1994 when UNISYS was threatening to charge websites $5000 each to use GIF-formatted images. But in 2012? All this shows is how out of touch dictionary editors are with internet culture.
posted by GuyZero at 4:52 PM on 11/12
[+] [!]


Making and sharing GIFs went through a self-consciously Web 1.0 retro cyberhipster renaissance this past year or two. ( I type out that sentence with the vaguest, uneasy sense of enigmatic shame)
posted by Bwithh at 5:01 PM on November 12, 2012

"GIF" with a hard G.

I'm still kind of upset that we settled on gigabyte with a two hard g's.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:02 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

"GIF" with a hard G.

No way man fuck that it's like the peanut butter the choosy moms choose.
posted by graventy at 5:05 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Ugh, YOLO. How did that ever catch on?

My bet is a chronic misunderstanding of the lyrics of "Still D. R. E.". They thought Snoop was hittin them corners of those YOLO girls.

See what I did there?
posted by Talez at 5:06 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

The G stands for "Graphic" ergo it's pronounced like the first letter of "graphic". Again, it's "JIF" if you're some sort of wannabe latecomer to the interwebz.
posted by GuyZero at 5:07 PM on November 12, 2012 [14 favorites]

GIF also featured in the accent challenge that went around YouTube last year.
posted by zinon at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2012

YOLO is a sure bet to make this year's Banished Words list. Still, I obviously like this shirt.

And having spent my life allergic to peanuts, I'd never go near anything pronounced "JIF".
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:09 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

YOLO is a sure bet to make this year's Banished Words list.

"Swag"
posted by Talez at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Again, it's "JIF" if you're some sort of wannabe latecomer to the interwebz.

Or, you know, the people who invented it.

Choosy perverts choose .GIF.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2012 [5 favorites]

Good choice! Animated GIFs or "cinemagraphs" are the breakout artform of the 21st century. Who would have imagined this is what the future would be like!
posted by Ad hominem at 5:12 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Have never heard of "GIFfing" as a verb nor "Eurogeddon."
posted by Foosnark at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2012

Here's a thought that'll bring out haters from all corners... think of Animated GIFs as "artisinal video".
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2012 [10 favorites]

Or, you know, the people who invented it.

That dude is also King Wrongy McWrongerson of Incorrectland.
posted by elizardbits at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2012 [8 favorites]

The G stands for "Graphic" ergo it's pronounced like the first letter of "graphic".

"Grif"?
posted by mr_roboto at 5:19 PM on November 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

These guys seem happy about it
posted by Flashman at 5:21 PM on November 12, 2012

think of Animated GIFs as "artisinal video".

I actually really like the animated GIF as hyper-curated video. I don't need to see three minutes of a cat struggling to get into a box (actually I do, but maybe some people don't), but there are probably two or three seconds of Must-See in there. The animated GIF does that perfectly, and loops, to boot.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:26 PM on November 12, 2012 [8 favorites]

The G stands for "Graphic" ergo it's pronounced like the first letter of "graphic".

Please explain to me why the programming language whose name is a portmanteau of "scalable" and "language" is so often pronounced "scah-luh". Seriously, I need an explanation, because that drives me bugfuck.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:28 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oops, meant to have a link in there, not that it's super critical:

Previous Oxford words of the year can be found here.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 5:34 PM on November 12, 2012

Nomophobia?? I had to look it up.
UK-centric only, mayhaps?
posted by seawallrunner at 5:34 PM on November 12, 2012

Armando Ianucci needs to be knighted for services to politics. If there is ever one word which historians use to sum up UK politics from 2010-5, it will be "omnishambles".
posted by Jehan at 5:36 PM on November 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Nomophobia?? I had to look it up.
UK-centric only, mayhaps?

Nope, I had to look it up too, never heard of it. No idea why it should be "word of the year" though, as it's so old.
posted by Jehan at 5:38 PM on November 12, 2012

The G stands for "Graphic" ergo it's pronounced like the first letter of "graphic".

How do you pronounce PHP?
posted by oulipian at 5:39 PM on November 12, 2012

"Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. The term, an abbreviation for 'no-mobile-phone phobia'..."
posted by Daddy-O at 5:42 PM on November 12, 2012

How do you pronounce PHP?

It's NOT "foop".
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:42 PM on November 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

How do you pronounce PHP?

I don't know how to transcribe it. I sort of open my mouth to say the letter "P" but then there's this glottal gagging sound and the taste of bile. I spit to clear the taste from my mouth. And then I change the subject.
posted by GuyZero at 5:43 PM on November 12, 2012 [13 favorites]

Has the word gif (as a verb) really broken out of the realm of insider vocabulary? I've seen threads on the internet where someone will offer to make gifs for people, and they always just seem to say "Hey, I'm making gifs" instead of "Hey, I'm giffing" or "Hey, I made that gif!" instead of "Hey, I giffed that".
posted by 23skidoo at 5:44 PM on November 12, 2012

Words of the Year are the Beloit College Mindset List of lexicography.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:59 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Hey, Oxford, the preferred spelling is giffed, not the hideous-for-so-many-reasons GIFed.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:59 PM on November 12, 2012

Every year when Oxford adds their ceremonial buzzword, they should also choose an overused word that is already in the dictionary, and BANISH it. This would keep the dictionary the same size, while providing plenty of opportunities to point and laugh at people when they obliviously use a word that doesn't exist any more.

For this year's banished word, I'd like to suggest "disrupt".
posted by oulipian at 6:02 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

How do you pronounce PHP?

It sounds like I am having an asthma attack.
posted by elizardbits at 6:02 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Again, it's "JIF" if you're some sort of wannabe latecomer to the interwebz.

Or, you know, the people who invented it.

Yup, if you invent something then you get to decide on how it's name is pronounced, same as how you pronounce your kid's name.

GIF=JIF, now and forever.
posted by Cosine at 6:10 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

guess that dude decided to be WRONG then
posted by elizardbits at 6:18 PM on November 12, 2012 [8 favorites]

Tiff off, Gif.
posted by blaneyphoto at 6:29 PM on November 12, 2012

The G stands for "Graphic" ergo it's pronounced like the first letter of "graphic"

Right! Just like like how you pronounce SCUBA like "scuh-buh" and LASER like "lah-seer". No wait, nobody does that.
posted by zsazsa at 6:46 PM on November 12, 2012 [8 favorites]

BTW, when I saw this on the frontpage I just knew this thread would turn into a GIF pronunciation battle.
posted by zsazsa at 6:47 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

"GIF" as a verb is everyday-speak common on tumblr. I don't think of it as odd anymore.

"Did you see Damian Lewis doing Gangnam Style on Jonathan Ross last night? Please tell me someone giffed that!"

(someone did)
posted by tzikeh at 6:47 PM on November 12, 2012

This is the gif they'll use to illustrate the concept.
posted by maxwelton at 6:55 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm still kind of upset that we settled on gigabyte with a two hard g's.

Yes, the version with two soft g's even had a celebrity endorsement: Zsa Zsa Gabyte.
posted by anothermug at 6:58 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wait, we get gif, and they get omnishambles? Clearly, they still hate us for whatever reason.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:12 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Hate all ya want, but I'll take "Giffing" over "yiffing" any day of the week.

And thank you CSI for introducing me to the scary details of yet another weird thing.
posted by bpm140 at 7:15 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Have never heard of "GIFfing" as a verb nor "Eurogeddon."

Wait till you hear about "shipping" !
posted by dave99 at 7:27 PM on November 12, 2012

"Romneyshambles (coined in the UK to describe US presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s doubts that London had what it took to host a successful Olympic Games)"

Ah, so that's where that came from. Nice.
posted by homunculus at 7:32 PM on November 12, 2012

The people who erroneously think there is a J in GIF probably also pronounce URLs "earls".
posted by stp123 at 7:34 PM on November 12, 2012

If anyone can settle the pronunciation debate, surely it'd be the OED, right?

Pronunciation: /jif, gif/

So it goes.
posted by JohnFredra at 7:36 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

How do you pronounce PHP?

gar•bage [gahr-bij]
posted by Mikey-San at 7:55 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Am I too old to not know what YOLO means?

Seriously, I have no clue.

Well, one clue: "You Obviously Like Owls", but I think that is misdirection.
Which is pretty much the only context I have read it in until this past week or so.
I think it denotes mirth of some sort, but... I don't get it.
posted by Mezentian at 8:01 PM on November 12, 2012

YOLO, you only live once. The reason yolo is so popular is because, and this is the best part, #YOLO.
posted by MetalFingerz at 8:06 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wow. I am so out of touch.
posted by Mezentian at 8:09 PM on November 12, 2012

For your consideration.
posted by MetalFingerz at 8:18 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I would never say "jif", and I would giggle if I ever heard it pronounced that way, but I sure can't refute this argument as to why that's the "correct" pronunciation.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 8:19 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have been making animated .gifs for ...lots and lots of years and I have never heard it used as a verb.



Since I have never heard used .gif as a verb until seriously you guys just right now, I had no idea how much it annoyed me.


And it does. Oh how it does. SO AWFUL.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:28 PM on November 12, 2012

Yup, if you invent something then you get to decide on how it's name is pronounced, same as how you pronounce your kid's name.

Right. You can still fit a lot of jifs on your old sexy hard drive
posted by iotic at 8:29 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yolo is a perfectly good Latin verb.* Yolemus!

*Not actually a Latin verb.
posted by mayhap at 8:35 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

For your consideration.

Man, Degrassi has changed a lot.
posted by Mezentian at 8:37 PM on November 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yolo is a perfectly good Latin verb.

"Yolaverunt" is astonishingly fun to say.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:24 PM on November 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Gif, hard g, like git, girl, gibbon, give. Why is this particularly offensive?
posted by alasdair at 11:21 PM on November 12, 2012

Omnishambles sounds a bit like a polite and educated clusterfuck.

Also, gif has a hard g, as in gift, and I don't give a fig how its frigging inventors pronounced it in an earlier century.
posted by pracowity at 12:45 AM on November 13, 2012

Exactly. Now jet off my lawn.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:39 AM on November 13, 2012

Hey, I giffed that

And this is why you have to pronounce it with a hard g trather than a J, cause misunderstandings are easy otherwise and we don't need more synonyms for male orgams.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:10 AM on November 13, 2012

Just like like how you pronounce SCUBA like "scuh-buh" and LASER like "lah-seer"

Anybody who thinks "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus" gets you "scuh-buh" fails at English forever.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:16 AM on November 13, 2012

gar•bage [gahr-bij]

As someone learning Dutch, I find this confusing.
posted by humboldt32 at 2:25 AM on November 13, 2012

How do you pronounce PHP?

Perp.
posted by ninebelow at 2:56 AM on November 13, 2012

Oh, and if GIF is magically pronounced jif just because the idiot who came up with the acronym says it is then how is JIF pronounced? Yif? In which case, how is YIF pronounced? (Turtles all the way down.)
posted by ninebelow at 2:56 AM on November 13, 2012

If we're making our own Abe Simpson-like lists of "words we never want to see on the Internet," can I add the word Tumblr itself (as in "check out my Tumblr")?

If I recall, Tumblr the web service started as a way to create something called a tumblelog. When did the name of the service become the name of the thing it produces?
posted by anthom at 3:23 AM on November 13, 2012

Yup, if you invent something then you get to decide on how it's name is pronounced, same as how you pronounce your kid's name.

Tell it to Robert Moog.
posted by rory at 5:10 AM on November 13, 2012 [2 favorites]

I'm still hanging onto 'Truthiness' and am still waiting on it's creator to be elected into some sort of political office or another.

Also, with regards to pronouncing internet abbreviations: don't. These are words that should never be spoken aloud. There is no reason in the world that you have to refer to something as a gif/jif when it is, in fact, a picture. As in: "Hey, did you see that picture that maxwelton linked to? That stuff is cray, right?!?"

Fact: there is no correct human pronunciation.

See also: pwned, wtf, yolo, etc.
posted by Blue_Villain at 5:14 AM on November 13, 2012

And this is why you have to pronounce it with a hard g trather than a J, cause misunderstandings are easy otherwise and we don't need more synonyms for male orgams.

Don't think a hard g will prevent euphemisms.

"GIF" as a verb is everyday-speak common on tumblr. I don't think of it as odd anymore.

That's the thing, though, right? I guess it's important to define (perhaps on urban dictionary), but for the love of god it should never be spoken aloud.
posted by graventy at 6:47 AM on November 13, 2012

Surveyed all our web developers and the design/Photoshop guy. None of them has ever heard the pronunciation "JIFF" or heard anyone use "gif" as a verb. *shrug*
posted by freecellwizard at 7:19 AM on November 13, 2012

Am I too old to not know what YOLO means?

It's "carpe diem" for morons.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:53 AM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yup, if you invent something then you get to decide on how it's name is pronounced

It's Fr-onk-en-steen.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:20 AM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

My question for once was sincere and not facetious. Did Armando Ianucci coin 'omnishambles' as a play on 'Babyshambles', or was there some earlier form of '___shambles'?
THE BARD?
posted by Flashman at 9:02 AM on November 13, 2012

I would never say "jif", and I would giggle if I ever heard it pronounced that way

My mind automatically converted that to "I would jiggle", which made a much more interesting mental picture.
posted by randomnity at 10:13 AM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Tell it to Robert Moog.

Heh. Yeah. I recently watched a video -- I'm pretty sure it was commissioned by Moog -- where Geddy Lee gushed on and on about the Moog Taurus pedal synth, mispronouncing "Moog" every single time he said it, which was often. And this is a guy who's been using Moog products for 40 years.

TBH, though, I have to consciously remind myself every time I read that name.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:23 AM on November 13, 2012

Second year in a row these clueless dorks and ponces suck.
posted by joeclark at 12:10 PM on November 13, 2012

If you honestly believe that one pronunciation of GIF is Good And Right and the other is Bad And Wrong, you are a fucking moron who doesn't understand how language works. I'm sorry, but there it is.
posted by moss at 4:22 PM on November 13, 2012

(That may have been a bit harsh. I don't mean you personally, of course, but people like you.)
posted by moss at 4:23 PM on November 13, 2012

Did Armando Ianucci coin 'omnishambles' as a play on 'Babyshambles'

No.
posted by Summer at 2:53 AM on November 14, 2012

Did Armando Ianucci coin 'omnishambles' as a play on 'Babyshambles'

No.

Yes.
posted by Flashman at 4:03 PM on November 16, 2012

Huffington Post: YOLO: Worst "Word" Of The Year
posted by the man of twists and turns at 6:42 AM on December 12, 2012