When a word of phrase suddenly and (sometimes) unexpectedly hits our collective consciousness, you cannot stop hearing or reading it. Lexicon is The Ringer’s running guide to collecting and defining these terms, and sometimes tracing their origins. It’s a never-ending pursuit, but one we’re happy to entertain.
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June 27, 2018
How “Civility” Became a Buzzword—and Lost All Meaning
The term recently has been used to criticize protests of the Trump administration, but these criticisms misunderstand the fundamental concept
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May 10, 2018
Shining a Light on the So-Called “Dark Web”
The term—once reserved for unindexed parts of the internet—has now taken on a second life as shorthand for the naughty parts of online existence. It’s not as scary as it sounds.
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April 24, 2018
Lexicon: Facebook’s Inexorable Tie to Data Brokers
Shadowy companies, digital and analog, have found ways to collect user data for profit for many years. Facebook has made the practice easier than ever while eluding the name the untoward title
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April 13, 2018
Lexicon: Our “Data,” Ourselves
In the wake of the Facebook hearings, there is anxiety in knowing how much information is at the disposal of others—and comfort in knowing how imprecise that data can still be
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November 3, 2017
Lexicon: Why the Far Right Wing Fears Soy
To insult a man on the far-right-wing internet, you can call him a "soy boy." Will it make sense? No.
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October 6, 2017
The Language of Terrorism Is Failing Us
In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, another debate has begun over whether to label mass murder as terrorism
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September 29, 2017
Lexicon: The Political “Dog Whistle” Is Obsolete
Merriam-Webster just added the term to its dictionary, but it’s already losing its meaning
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March 29, 2017
“Having a Moment” Has Had Its Moment
How did this meaningless phrase turn into a headline cliché?
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March 16, 2017
Lexicon Watch: “Ideological Diversity”
After Mark Zuckerberg mentioned the buzzword earlier this week, let’s clarify its definition
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