The Year In Buzzwords

Monday, Dec. 20, 2004
    • SECURITY MOMS Former soccer moms were less worried this year about traditional family issues than about whether terrorists would take their children hostage at school. Lots of them voted for Bush.

    UP-ARMORED Humvees with the heaviest armored protection — of which, soldiers told Rumsfeld, there aren't enough in Iraq.

    BACK-DOOR DRAFT John Kerry's term for the military's tactic of extending reservists' service in Iraq. He lost the election, but the problem didn't go away.

    SO FETCH "So cool," to the cool high school crowd in the movie Mean Girls.

    MESS O'POTAMIA That's what Jon Stewart dubbed the Iraq war. Can TV's hottest satirist make the OED too?

    RED STATE/BLUE STATE Four years ago, it was the coinage of TV newscasters and Beltway insiders. Now even Kansas housewives know the ubiquitous symbol of our national divide.

    CHRISMUKKAH The O.C.'s interfaith holiday. But let's give it one more season and see if the greeting cards catch on.

    WARDROBE MALFUNCTION Janet Jackson's breast said hello, a nation reacted in horror, and Justin Timberlake, her partner in crime, came up with an explanation that stand-up comics couldn't have invented.

    TIVO (verb) Only 2.3 million subscribe to this digital recording service — but everyone, it seems, is "TiVoing" favorite shows. And probably still Xeroxing too.