And that’s not according to me, that’s according to the American Dialect Society, who earlier this month held their 25th Word of the Year awards.
As the Wall Street Journal (via Daily Dot) report, “salty” was named as one of the winners of “Most Likely to Succeed”, a kind of heads-up award for a word that they think will get more useful, and widespread, in the near future.
And they rightly credit the contemporary source for this: while the word itself (which is generally described as meaning to be “exceptionally bitter, angry, or upset”) is decades old, and has its roots in the African-American community of the early 20th century, its resurgence today has been largely down to its use around video games, particularly from the Fighting Game Community.
From video games and esports communities the word’s use has now spread, to sports and other competitive pursuits, to the point where it’s now common to see it used around football and even politics.
Stay salty, salty.
Comments
3 responses to “‘Salty’ Was One Of 2014’s Best Words”
Too salty… article needs some pineapple juice…
I hate using sticky keys.
I think next time I’ll point in the other direction.
Could also be due to the saltybet website
Xbox sucks. You salty?
Jk I have it.
Dont think I have a single LoL game now where ‘salt’ or ‘salty’ isn’t mentioned. That is one of the more pleasant terms used every game though.
In game trash talk really has devolved.
What’s next?
“Dear Sir, I did not appreciate manner in which you concluded my death.”