The Perfect Storm is on TV3 tonight, but you can see it in the papers several times a day, every day.

Here is a selection of its use in recent days:

The New York Times, Sunday:

”Park Slope is a perfect storm of stereotypes that provoke derision,” said Steven Johnson, a local writer and a father of three.

The Guardian, Saturday:

Despite the impact over the past year of what some have called the perfect storm for ethical funds, Coates is unfazed.

International Herald Tribune, Saturday:

‘Perfect storm‘ ravages Somalia; Global food crisis meets local chaos

The Irish Times, Saturday:

In the end, though, the stores perished in a perfect storm caused by these difficulties, a dramatic fall-off in business and a dip in business confidence that decimated the line of potential suitors for the franchise.

The New York Times, Saturday

”It’s been a perfect storm,” said Harry Chang, president of marketing for Black Cat fireworks…

The Irish Times, Friday:

There are a lot of talented people out there, but not many of them get that one song. For us, Umbrella is the perfect storm.”

Miami Herald, Friday:

A perfect storm of hype and unmet expectations, the Seinfeld finale - that silly trial scene, remember? - remains a watershed moment in popular culture.

Washington Post, Friday

The perfect storm of events have put more than 1,200,000 homes in foreclosure with an additional 3,000,000 forecast during the next two years.

I could spend the day listing examples. USA Today actually use it twice yesterday, in different articles. It’s a good phrase, that suits many situations, but it has reached the tipping point after which it will slide quickly into becoming a cliche.

To make something a cliche, it takes suitability and ubiquity to come together in a kind of perfect storm.

1. Steve Coogan plays Larry David’s therapist in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

2. If 24 had been made in 1994 (via Gavin’s Blog)

3. The Onion’s new morning show Today Now is incredibly realistic, if not quite as entertaining as TV3’s recent excitement.

4. Some background on Hillary Clinton’s answering of a planted question. As Slate.com puts it: “Good question. Glad I asked it.”

5. How Freakonomics spawned a publishing genre (although, I’d be more inclined to point the finger at The Tipping Point as being the, er, tipping point).

6. The Oxford University Press (USA) Word of the Year: “Locavore.” Yes, locavore. And the definition is almost as boring as the word.

The new Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is out, and it contains 2,500 new, officially-recognised words and phrases.

The following can now be used on Countdown:
- Manbags (”Man’s handbag or shoulderbag”)
- Yummy Mummies
- Wags
- Jaffa Cake (”a sponge biscuit with an orange-flavoured jelly filling and chocolate topping”)
- Get your ya-yas out (”To enjoy yourself uninhibitedly”)
- Heaviosity (”Quality of being serious, intense, or ‘heavy’, esp. in popular music”)

Most interestingly, the OED’s website also confirms the following new words:

(Under tonsil, n.)
tonsil hockey
to play tonsil hockey

(Under star, n)
starfucker

Current book is Towards the Light: The Story of the Struggles for Liberty and Rights That Made the Modern West by AC Grayling. Relevant but potentially dry-as-digestives topic given an impressive lightness of touch.

Wired piece on “Gamer Regret”, that shameful realisation that you’ve wasted an enormous chunk of your life on killing non-existent zombies. (more…)

“Debate” on The Last Word in which David Quinn asks Psychics Live owner Tom Higgins for verifiable proof of astrology. Thrust of the row: “Prove astrology,” says Quinn. “No you prove religion,” says Higgins. “No you prove astrology,” retorts Quinn. “No, you prove religion.” Occassional sensible person texts in to point out that neither is on what you could call solid ground.
Link
(more…)

PaddyC comments:

I found a question that can’t be googled recently. You know that situation when you’re walking down the street, and meet an on-coming pedestrian, and both of you choose the same side to pass the other, then both revise your choice, and again, and you end up dancing on the street with a stranger for a moment? There’s a word for that, but I can’t find it, and Google can’t help… so it’s not invincible yet!!

I’ve not come with a word for you, but The Atlantic has an entertaining column that deals in this particular problem.

Link: Word Fugitives (subs required)

There is also Douglas Adams and John Lloyd’s Meaning of Liff, inspired by “common experiences, feelings, situations and even objects which we all know and recognize, but for which no words exist”.