The Words of the Week - Jan. 19

‘Caucus’

Caucus spiked in lookups last week, after the state of Iowa held one of these, as part of the process for the nomination of the Republican candidate for the presidency.

Iowa caucus highlights: Trump wins, DeSantis takes second in weather-impacted 2024 Republican contest
— (headline) NBC, 15 Jan. 2024

A caucus, used in this sense, is “a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy.” A caucus is very similar to a primary (especially when both are used in political contexts), but there are some differences between these words. While caucus typically refers to a meeting of members of a political group to choose a candidate (or candidates) for an election, primary usually refers to an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election.

‘EGOT’

Last weekend Elton John received an Emmy for Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium, causing lookups for EGOT to spike.

Elton John joins elite EGOT ranks with Emmy win
— (headline) Reuters, 16 Jan. 2024

EGOT is an acronym, with the meaning “the accomplishment of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award in one's lifetime.” The word has been in use since 1984; John is only the 19th person to have achieved EGOT status (Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis, and Mel Brooks are some of the others).

‘Theory’

A viral video on a social media site has brought the word theory a degree of prominence it does not usually have.

TikTok orange peel theory is the latest way to test your relationship
— (headline) Mashable, 17 Jan. 2024

There are many senses of this word; the one most applicable here is “a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action.” Usually when theory is the subject of some public scrutiny it is because there has been a (potentially intentional) misunderstanding of its sense “a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena.” This sense is often used in scientific contexts, and should not be confused with another common meaning of theory, which is “an unproven assumption; conjecture.” 

‘Polyamorous’

Multiple news outlets have been running multiple news stories about polyamorous folk recently, causing that word’s lookups to increase dramatically.

How a Polyamorous Mom Had ‘a Big Sexual Adventure’ and Found Herself
— (headline) The New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024

We define polyamorous as “involving, having, or characterized by more than one open romantic relationship at a time,” and polyamory as “the state or practice of having more than one open romantic relationship at a time.” The former word has been in use since 1969, and the latter since 1992.

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Unclubbable’

This week’s word worth knowing is unclubbable, defined as “having or showing a disinclination for social activity.” The word is often thought to have originated with 18th century lexicographer Samuel Johnson, who appears to have intended it to mean something along the lines of “not suitable for entry or membership in a club.”

When voting for a member of a club the electors vote on social grounds, with reference to the qualification of the individual as what Dr Johnson called a clubbable man; and on anti-Ballot principles they should vote openly, so as to be responsible to public opinion if they bring unclubbable men into the club.
— Examiner (London), 4 Aug. 1866