MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S WORD OF THE YEAR
SEMI-STUPID ANSWERS
GO TO YOUR ROOM
YOU'RE GROUNDED
WAIT UNTIL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME
200
For its first word, in 2003, Merriam-Webster chose this, government of the people, by the people & for the people
democracy
200
In 1982 the CG Corporation & the INA Corporation merged their businesses & letters to form this healthcare giant
CIGNA
200
At Kyoto's Katsura Imperial Villa, the ShÅkin-tei Pavilion has hosted these traditional ceremonies since the 17th century
tea ceremonies
200
Steppes & prairies are 2 temperate types of this ecosystem that's defined primarily by its ground vegetation
grasslands
200
His early acts of disobedience as a boy in Porbandar, a town of British India, included stealing money for smokes & eating meat
Gandhi
400
Opposing views during the election in 2012 led to 2 Words of the Year, big spikes in look-ups of socialism & this opposite
capitalism
400
The Dempster brothers of Knoxville, Tennessee patented this type of trash bin in 1937
Dumpster
400
In 2024 tours of Buckingham Palace began to include the seldom-seen Centre Room, which leads onto this often-seen waving spot
the balcony
400
Originally a trademark, it's what John Paul II is kissing as the first pope to visit Scotland
the tarmac
400
This childless Founding Father often butted heads with stepson John Parke Custis over the boy's lackluster grades
George Washington
600
Popularized by Stephen Colbert, this was the word for 2006, something seemingly accurate based on feelings rather than facts
truthiness
600
"A Bore Is Starred" was the Village Voice's take on the 1976 version of this film
A Star is Born
600
For the 50th anniversary of this Kubrick film, the National Air & Space Museum displayed a replica of its iconic hotel room
2001
600
2 popular ground coverings: crushed stone, made of rocks broken down by man, & this, like the pea type, with rocks worn down by nature
gravel
600
A recurring motif in ancient Greek art: a sandal as a whacking device; Aphrodite does it to this son, winged, but apparently no angel
Eros
800
For 2008, it was this: "A rescue from financial distress", like the nearly $200 billion one of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
bailout
800
The Feast of Saint Marinus, September 3, is a national holiday in this republic
San Marino
800
Daily Double
The Germans got a good hard look at themselves, in every sense, while signing 1919's Treaty of Versailles in this opulent room
800
Groundskeepers often apply this ground-up stuff to athletic fields; the calcium carbonate lowers soil acidity & can help turf stay lush
lime
800
More famous for his mom than dad, this painter was expelled in 1854 from West Point (Dad's alma mater)
Whistler
1000
This adjective for a reasonable & practical way of dealing with things was the logical choice for 2011
pragmatic
1000
The first article of this 1789 declaration says, "Men are born & remain free & equal in rights"
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
1000
Seen here in a 2011 photo,
this White House room, actually a complex, recently got a $50 million upgrade
the Situation Room
1000
Held in place by many-celled growths called rhizoids, a lush carpet of these rootless bryophytes can make for a low-maintenance lawn
mosses
1000
As a lad, this future inventor of the kinetoscope burned down a barn, not clear if for science or fun
Edison