A man gets hooked on "copium"

I’m a great fan of words, even though they often fail me. So I eventually notice when new words arise and old words pass from usage or evolve in meaning.

I mention this because Merriam-Webster recently announced it has added 1,400 new words to its dictionary. That seems like a lot. If I sat down with a pen and paper I could list and define maybe a couple dozen of them unaided.

“Looksmaxxing,” for example. I always think of the vain and vacuous Pete Hegseth when I hear this word. Everything about this dude – the metallic hair, the seamless suit, the cosmetics, the robotic gestures – tells you that his mirror transcends any military concern. 

I’ve heard the term “Rickroll” quite a bit, but confess I didn’t really know what it meant. Turns out it’s an online joke, where you trick somebody into clicking a link to the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by English singer Rick Astley. Why that song, I have no idea. If I was going to trick somebody into hearing a crappy song, it would be “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Then there’s “copium.” Like so many of the new words, it’s a portmanteau. You combine “cope” and “opium” and you get a word that means using denial as a way to deal with negative feelings. I’ve not used the word yet but may soon. It aptly describes the way I deal with the daily drumbeat of doom involving AI, climate change, and that fucking Trump: by telling myself that maybe everything will be all right.

One more: “Mandela effect.”  That’s where a large number of people share a false memory, remembering an event that never happened. I think that must be what Trump is counting on every time he comes up with a new lie. Like the one about being rescued by those two burly firemen at Ground Zero. 

The list goes on. You should check out the Merriam-Webster site yourself. It’s a cool, informative place, with all kinds of items about words, grammar, wordplay. Unlike most of the Internet these days, it doesn’t stink of AI. And it doesn’t bug you about subscribing. Kind of reminds me of the early promise of the Internet back in 2000.