What's The Word?

Sports has enriched the language with terms from knockout to screwball to jeter, a new word for brush-off derived from Yankee Derek Jeter's reported cold shoulder to Mariah Carey at a party (page 100). Here's a lineup of neologisms that might catch on.

A-rod (?-rahd) v. To excel. "He didn't just play well—he A-rodded."

borasholic (bor-as-HAHL-ic) adj. Aggressive in financial dealings. "Scott demanded a $10 million signing bonus? How borasholic."

clippery (KLIP-e-r?) adj. Dreadful, nauseating. "Even for an Adam Sandler movie, it was clippery."

deion (D?-ahn) n. An element, atomic number 21, notable for its versatility. "Pure deion is faster than mercury and stickier than glue."

dudley (DUD-l?) adv. So inaccurate as to be useless. "When the officer shot his pistol dudley, a pigeon fell from the sky and the thief escaped."

ew (?) v. To support from afar. "Laid low by injury, the aging center sat on the sidelines, ewing."

favre (fahrv) adj. Terrible at film acting. "I liked the special effects, but Keanu's acting was totally favre."

hasek (HA-shik) n. An impenetrable barrier. "He fired, but the bullet ricocheted off the hasek protecting the display of rare sabres."

kournikova (kor-na-K?-va) n. A Russian dessert; a cheesecake or cupcake. "I'd love to, but that kournikova looks a little too rich for me."