4 ms·

I really hate the so-called term “catfished” it’s a completely contrived word that came from a 2010 movie that probably 50 people actually saw. “Ghosting” is an

I really hate the so-called term “catfished” it’s a completely contrived word that came from a 2010 movie that probably 50 people actually saw. “Ghosting” is another one, but at least you can use context to sort of figure out what people are actually talking about. A bit off topic, but this adulteration of language — from an obscure pop-culture reference, is a bit silly. Obviously the author agrees that most people don’t know what the term means or he wouldn’t feel compelled to explain what the heck catfishing actually means in the second paragraph. Urban dictionary != real dictionary. I guess in another life I must have been a member of the Academie Française. Or maybe just too old to be cool. It’s so fetch apparently that I and a large number of non-Buzzfeed aficionados just don’t get it.

phyzome 9y ago
In the case of this word, it's in "the real dictionary" now, by which I am assuming you mean "people's actual lexicon". Yes, it's a relatively new word, but this is how language works. How about you comment on HN in only Old English from now on, so you can avoid these newfangled spellings people made up?
pavlov 9y ago
MTV's "Catfish" series has had seven seasons so far and is shown around the world. It's not obscure at all.
- netsharc 9y ago
  But how did they get the name? From the movie. I saw the documentary on a flight. I guess I'm part of the 6.57x10^-7 percent!
  - pavlov 9y ago
    It doesn't matter where the name came from. The MTV show could be called "Sea Urchin" and it would still define the phenomenon.
- phyzome 9y ago
  I never even knew this show existed, and was still aware of the word and its meaning. (I mean, not at first. There was a moment when someone had to explain it to me.) But all of this is irrelevant to the main point: Language is dynamic.
chrisbennet 9y ago
The dictionary is not the definition of the language. It's a somewhat out of date "map" of the language that is missing the newest roads. (I just learned this last year.) "Anne, who appeared on Adam Ruins What We Learned in School, explains how grammar rules are not fixed in the English language. Language is constantly evolving and we’re the ones who get to shape it -- not dictionaries! So we can all stop correcting each other and just appreciate our different ways of speaking. On the podcast, Anne and Adam discuss how we should think of the dictionary as a field guide rather than the authority on language, how young people think about language and texting, and how Anne helped choose 2000's word of the millennium! Anne is an English Professor at the University of Michigan where she researches the history of English and lexicography. She is also a member of both the American Heritage Dictionary’s Usage Panel and the American Dialectical Society." http://www.maximumfun.org/adam-ruins-everything/adam-ruins-everything-episode-33-anne-curzan-talks-grammar-and-flexibility-lan http://www.maximumfun.org/adam-ruins-everything/adam-ruins-e...
Arcsech 9y ago
It's literally in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catfish https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catfish > "2 : a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes" Hard to get more "real dictionary" than that. Edit: For that matter, "ghost" is also in the M-W dictionary in the sense of "suddenly cut off all contact with", you just have to scroll down a bit.
Clubber 9y ago
I thought cat fishing was when you asked someone ugly out as a cruel joke.
jiveturkey 9y ago
That's how language works ... enough people agree on the definition (and spelling and pronunciation) of a word, and then it's a word. It's so fetch, your own adulteration of language! Don't speak to me about being cool, who started that? Such a silly thing, cool means one thing and one thing only: the other side of lukewarm. Please don't adulterate the language.
misja111 9y ago
The term catfishing is much older than that 2010 movie: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/01/18/catfish_meaning_and_definition_term_for_online_hoaxes_has_a_surprisingly.html http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/01/18/catfish_meani... By the way the Dutch word is similar: 'katvanger' and is quite old as well.

phyzome 9y ago

In the case of this word, it's in "the real dictionary" now, by which I am assuming you mean "people's actual lexicon". Yes, it's a relatively new word, but this is how language works. How about you comment on HN in only Old English from now on, so you can avoid these newfangled spellings people made up?

pavlov 9y ago

MTV's "Catfish" series has had seven seasons so far and is shown around the world. It's not obscure at all.

netsharc 9y ago
But how did they get the name? From the movie. I saw the documentary on a flight. I guess I'm part of the 6.57x10^-7 percent!
- pavlov 9y ago
  It doesn't matter where the name came from. The MTV show could be called "Sea Urchin" and it would still define the phenomenon.
phyzome 9y ago
I never even knew this show existed, and was still aware of the word and its meaning. (I mean, not at first. There was a moment when someone had to explain it to me.) But all of this is irrelevant to the main point: Language is dynamic.

chrisbennet 9y ago

The dictionary is not the definition of the language. It's a somewhat out of date "map" of the language that is missing the newest roads. (I just learned this last year.) "Anne, who appeared on Adam Ruins What We Learned in School, explains how grammar rules are not fixed in the English language. Language is constantly evolving and we’re the ones who get to shape it -- not dictionaries! So we can all stop correcting each other and just appreciate our different ways of speaking. On the podcast, Anne and Adam discuss how we should think of the dictionary as a field guide rather than the authority on language, how young people think about language and texting, and how Anne helped choose 2000's word of the millennium! Anne is an English Professor at the University of Michigan where she researches the history of English and lexicography. She is also a member of both the American Heritage Dictionary’s Usage Panel and the American Dialectical Society." http://www.maximumfun.org/adam-ruins-everything/adam-ruins-everything-episode-33-anne-curzan-talks-grammar-and-flexibility-lan http://www.maximumfun.org/adam-ruins-everything/adam-ruins-e...

Arcsech 9y ago

It's literally in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catfish https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catfish > "2 : a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes" Hard to get more "real dictionary" than that. Edit: For that matter, "ghost" is also in the M-W dictionary in the sense of "suddenly cut off all contact with", you just have to scroll down a bit.

Clubber 9y ago

I thought cat fishing was when you asked someone ugly out as a cruel joke.

jiveturkey 9y ago

That's how language works ... enough people agree on the definition (and spelling and pronunciation) of a word, and then it's a word. It's so fetch, your own adulteration of language! Don't speak to me about being cool, who started that? Such a silly thing, cool means one thing and one thing only: the other side of lukewarm. Please don't adulterate the language.

misja111 9y ago

The term catfishing is much older than that 2010 movie: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/01/18/catfish_meaning_and_definition_term_for_online_hoaxes_has_a_surprisingly.html http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/01/18/catfish_meani... By the way the Dutch word is similar: 'katvanger' and is quite old as well.