LeBron James was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve and so were football fans. So, what effect did that have on the Dictionary.com trending words of July 27th–August 3rd, 2018? Let’s take a look!
Inviolability
An announcement by Pope Francis sent one word soaring 441% this week: inviolability. The pontiff issued a statement condemning the use of the death penalty, “because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” So, what is inviolability? The term refers to “an inability to be violated or corrupted.”
Searches for inviolability have 🚀 on https://t.co/EoMLt7nGp1 in wake of Pope Francis' comments. Here's what it means: https://t.co/666izFGLCn https://t.co/582y9hPHUh
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) August 2, 2018
Padded
How close are we to the return of football season? Pretty darn close if the 551% spike in searches for padded are any indication. Padded refers to “the presence of a cushionlike mass of soft material used for comfort, protection, or stuffing.” But, what does that have to do with the NFL? Padded practices began for many teams this week!
Pejorative
The judge in the Paul Manafort trial barred prosecutors from using the word oligarch to describe the wealthy Ukrainians who allegedly paid Manafort to work for them as an international political consultant. US District Judge T.S. Ellis III said oligarch has a pejorative meaning, sending folks straight to Dictionary.com to find out just what that means. Searches were up 2,184%, and folks learned that as an adjective, pejorative means “having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force.”
Check out why oligarch trended on the dictionary back in May of 2018!
You’re killin’ me, Smalls
If you weren’t a movie buff in the early ’90s, you probably missed the moment a disgusted Ham Porter lost his cool with new kid Scotty Smalls, giving birth to the iconic line “You’re killin’ me, Smalls” and thousands of memes to boot. Interest in the line, which has become synonymous with exasperation, shot up 716% this past week, no doubt thanks to the actors who played Smalls and Porter.
Said nice shirt to this dude walking by us and he had no idea what we were talking about. Thought I would capture the moment. pic.twitter.com/mrx5mgNzDm
— Patrick Renna (@PatrickRenna) July 25, 2018
“Sandlot” stars Patrick Renna and Tom Guiry were together in New York City when they spotted a man wearing a t-shirt with the movie’s classic catchphrase. The stars posed for a photo with the man’s shirt, and the photo quickly went viral, spurring even more memes and excited fans to trot out the phrase once again.
WATCH: Kids Redefine Nostalgic Words From Your Past
Fat cat
The word fat cat typically refers to a wealthy person from whom large political campaign contributions are expected. But, folks who sent searches for fat cat flying this week seemed to be thinking a bit more literally! A cat in Britain made headlines around the globe for his Garfield-like physique. Named Bronson by his owners, this literal fat cat is on a diet to help him cut back from 33 pounds!
Jitters
A very exited LeBron James showed he’s still got a little bit of kid in him with a tweet July 29 about the opening of his new I Promise school. The basketball star admitted he had a case of the jitters, sending searches for the word up 346%. The jitters, of course, are a case of “nervousness”!
The jitters before the first day of school are real right now!!! Tomorrow is going to be one of the greatest moments (if not the greatest) of my life when we open the #IPROMISE School. This skinny kid from Akron who missed 83 days of school in the 4th grade had big dreams… https://t.co/PwmRaHRfng
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 29, 2018
Collusion
The president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told the world that collusion is not a crime this week, spiking searches for collusion by 1,888%. According to its definition, collusion is “a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally, to defraud another of his or her rights, or to appear as adversaries though in agreement.”
