年终盘点：2012年度最差英语词汇

Every year is chock-full of words, and we have feelings about those words. We live with them, we love them, we let them roll around in our mouths, and we express them. We think about them and spit them out, vehemently, when we are angry. We grow tired of them, we dislike some on sight, and we drop them, eventually, and move on to hate others. Many times, we use the same words year after year, and sometimes, we rail on those words (see our continued excoriation of poor old moist. What did moist ever do to any of us?). There are words, phrases, and coinages that end up marking each year—some old, some new. There are the long-existing words that have shifted in meaning, or become popularized because of a public usage, like malarkey, as invoked by Joe Biden in his vice presidential debate with Paul Ryan in the fall. And there are the ones we create, like Romneyshambles, or mansplain. Or maybe the coinage enters our consciousness because of a news story, event, or person (fiscal cliff, Kony). However we meet them, we use them in all sorts of ways, and there are also all sorts of ways in which we can dislike them: their sound, what they remind us of, what they make us think, their actual meaning, their overuse, their descent into meaninglessness, and so on.

每年都被各种词汇填满，而我们对这些词汇并非无动于衷。我们与它们一起生活，喜爱它们，说着它们，演绎着它们。我们思考这些词汇并在生气时激动地脱口而出。我们逐渐对这些词汇生厌，即使看到都嫌烦，我们最终抛弃它们，继续憎恶另外一些。年复一年，我们常常用着相同的字眼，有时却对它们多加奚落（看看我们对又老又可怜的“潮湿”的苛责吧，它可曾对我们做过什么坏事吗？）正是词汇、短句、潮语为每一年写下注脚——有些旧，有些新。有些已经存在很久的词语变了意思，或因为一些公共使用而变得普及，例如“胡扯”，乔·拜登在秋季与保罗·瑞恩进行副总统辩论时就用过。还有那些我们新造的，例如“罗姆尼大乱”或“吹水佬”。或因为新闻、大事或人物（例如，“财政悬崖”, “科尼”）而引起我们注意的热词。我们通过各种各样的方式遇见它们，使用它们，我们也有各式各样的原因去讨厌它们：发音、联想、暗示、潜台词、滥用、无意义化等等。

But, look, the list that follows, comprising our year in worst words, isn't just about word-hating. There were also words and phrases and silly and serious expressions we loved! Fine, they're not on the list, but we'll briefly recognize a few of them here: Like, for instance, malarkey. Snor'eastercane (in name if not in deed). "Très Brooklyn," maybe it was très terrible, but it was fun, too, no? Oui! And underbrag, a word with a special place in my heart, even if it did arise on these very pages, which may make this statement an unfortunate brag-brag (I promise, I wrote it while covered in Doritos crumbs after a brutal night at a holiday party).

可是，你瞧，下面这张表列出了我们今年最糟糕的词汇，可是它并不只是关于对词汇的厌恶。也有一些词汇、短语和或愚钝或严肃的表达深得我们的喜爱。好吧，它们不在表上，但我们会先简单地回顾一下这些可爱的词语：例如，“胡扯”、“复活节横扫飓风”。“超布鲁克林”，也许这个词“超”糟糕，可是也很有趣不是吗？是！还有“炫惨”，这个词在我心里有特殊的地位，就算它在这里的出现可能会让这句话惨变自夸之词（我保证，我是在一个惨烈的假日派对之夜后埋在玉米片堆里写这句话的）。

Of course, you may hate any and all of those words and others; that is your prerogative. But agree with me on this: There is no better way for a semantic-minded person to remember the year than with a list of the words we used and saw and heard, those words we'd just as soon never write or see or hear spoken again.

当然，你可以讨厌这其中任何一个或所有词，或者别的什么词，那是你的特权。但请允许我这么说：对于一个满脑子语义学的人来说，没有什么办法比用一堆词语来记住过去的一年更好，那些我们用过的，见过的，读过的词语，那些我们很快就会不再用，不再见，不再读的词语。

Note: We mean no offense to these words, even when we call them despicable. One woman's worst word might be another's best. Bad words are a matter of opinion, and each is entitled to his own. And sometimes by hating a word, you—strangely—grow to love it. Here, with the help of some friends, is our semantic walk through 2012.

注：我们对这些词语并无恶意，就算我们损它们。一个女人眼中最糟糕的词语可能是另一个人眼中最棒的。糟糕的词语只是一种观点，因此可以见仁见智。有时还会恨反生爱。在朋友们的帮助下，我们来一次2012词汇巡礼吧。