Most women know the experience of a bloke explaining something to her as if she’s totally stupid…. You got that, sweet’eart? Well, there’s a word for that!
It’s official. Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary has declared the new word, ‘mansplain’, the winner of its 2014 ‘word of the year’ competition.
The eminent members of the Word of the Year Committee (see below) chose mansplain from a strong field of official ‘newly coined words’ (or ‘neologisms’), saying, “they felt that it was a much needed word and […] a clever coinage which captured neatly the concept of the patronising explanation offered only too frequently by some men to women.”
Their definition goes like this:
mansplain
verb (t) Colloquial (humorous) (of a man) to explain (something) to a woman, in a way that is patronising because it assumes that a woman will be ignorant of the subject matter.
[MAN + (EX)PLAIN with s inserted to create a pronunciation link with explain]
The judges’ comments don’t mention the noun form of the word which is ‘mansplanation’ but it is definitely in use as a Google search will quickly confirm. In Wiktionary.org they provide two definitions of mansplanation: 1) the act of mansplaining (eg. he was giving an appalling mansplanation) or 2) the result of mansplaining (eg. it was evident from his mansplanation that he had only limited experience with women).
People’s Choice
The People’s Choice Award (where you and I can vote for the word or phrase we think should be ‘word of the year’) goes to share plate.
Hardly a new term you say? Been taking one of those along to morning teas, Christmas parties and book group meetings for decades? Surely ‘share plate’ is the full expression of that particularly Australian custom of ‘bringing a plate’ to the aforementioned kinds of functions. I think yes, but perhaps this is a new – or additional – accepted meaning. The kind to regularly feature on restaurant and bar menus in recent years:
Share plate: (noun) a serving in a restaurant designed as multiple small portions so that several diners can share the same dish.
Runners up – words receiving an honourable mention from the Committee – included:
- lifehacking
noun the application of strategies or shortcuts used to simplify or improve any aspect of one’s life.
[LIFE + HACKING2]
–lifehacker, noun
- binge watching
noun the practice of viewing a favourite television series, seeing many episodes in one extended sitting.
Also, binge viewing.
- bamboo ceiling
noun a barrier created by prejudice which hampers the progress of Asian Australians to positions of leadership in government and business institutions.
[modelled on GLASS CEILING]The Commitee also gave a dishonourable mention to selfie stick for being inescapable!
The Word of the year Committee
Membership of the Word of the Year Committee includes:
- Dr Michael Spence (Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney)
- Professor Stephen Garton (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney)
- Anne Bell (Director of University Libraries, University of Sydney)
- Catriona Menzies-Pike (Arts Editor, The Conversation)
- John Birmingham (Journalist and author of the cult classic He Died with a Falafel in his Hand, and the award-winning history Leviathan, and After America)
- Susan Butler (The Editor, Macquarie Dictionary)
Click on the link here to see the full list of ‘word of the year’ contenders for 2014.
