Some of the words chosen by the American Dialect Society as 2004’s words of the year:—

Word of the Year: red state, blue state, purple state: together, a representation of the American political map.

— Most Useful: phish: to acquire passwords or other private information (of an individual, an account, a web site, etc.) via a digital ruse.

— Most Creative: pajamahadeen: bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media.

— Most Unnecessary: carb-friendly: low in carbohydrates.

— Most Euphemistic: badly sourced: false.

— Most Likely To Succeed: red, blue, and purple states.

— Least Likely To Succeed: FLOHPA: The collective abbreviations of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, states said to have been important in the 2004 American presidential election.