The Collins English Dictionary has welcomed into its fray the now-real word: Meh. According to Radar, the word originated in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons, when Homer suggested Bart and Lisa do something other than watch TV and they couldn’t bring themselves to employ a real word, let alone eye contact or complete sentences. (I would have erroneously pegged "meh" to South Park, because "meh" sounds exactly like what Cartman tends to lisp instead of "me" or "my.") Anyway, please vote (for anything but "McDreamy," for the love of god) in our new-word poll, below. And check out the inspiration for our somewhat blurry image to your left, the amusingly vegetative compilation of "Every Simpsons Couch," on YouTube.
.
Comments (1-30) of 39 Add your comment
‘OMFG’ was not originated by Gossip Girl.
“OMFG” has been around at least as long as instant messaging. Lame.
I voted for McDreamy just to be contrary.
umm, “frick” on “Scrubs” is way better than “frak.”
I have to admit that use some nonsense words created by The Simpsons. I say ‘boo-urns’ on a daily basis.
Gossip Girl popularized the term OMFG and is actually the only show I am aware of that uses the term out loud. Sure we see it in chat rooms but who cares about that? We’re talking about TV shows that make certain words or expressions popular. And The Simpsons are just awesome for popularizing “meh”. I’ve been using that since 2001.
Yeah, some 19 year old twit writer prolly wrote this article, and they think the world began when Gossip Girl hit the airwaves. I clearly remember OMG and OMFG being around since the early days of the Internet ca 1994.
Kim, something doesnt necessarily have to be popularized on TV to make it relevant to pop-culture. Besides, OMFG was popular way before Gossip Girl. Stop trying to justify your belief that Gossip Girl is on the cutting edge of pop-culture, because it was in their words, “sooooo 2007″.
I nominate “boink” (a verb meaning “to you-know-what”), which originated in a “Cheers” episode back in the 1980s.
Meh was used on The Simpsons waaaaaaay before 2001
Also, on a side note, what is EW’s obsession with bandwagonning certain shows, movies, and music? Ie. Twilight, Harry Potter, Lost, Gossip Girl, Entourage, Buffy, etc? I thought EW was an entertainment related magazine, not a “Watch this because we say so” magazine. How about a little more diversity across your reporting and writing. Finally, what genius picked Stephen King and Diablo Cody to be the voice of a generation? What generation would that be, baby boomers? 60’s hippies? 70’s disco freaks? They seem like they’re more around for nostalgia than having anything applicable to say regarding entertainment in 2008.
I have also added the Simpsonism “cromulent” to my vocab.
As much as I love me some Blurgh, I say Frak wayyyyyyyy more often
It’s not “blurg”. It’s “blёrg”. See picture: http://images1. fanpop.com/images /image_uploads /Blerg-30-rock-1152868_625_350.jpg
OMFG predates Gossip Girl by at least 4 or 5 years. Seriously EW writers, is there some sort minimal-research-ability test you have to fail before they hire you?
I’m a big fan of “frick.” “Shiny,” from Firefly, which I know was already a word, but you know. And – this is a weird one – “scrumtrulescent” from Will Ferrell’s James Lipton impersonation.
And I voted for “frak,” because BSG is . . . scrumtrulescent.
Hey EW… you forgot to mention TRUTHINESS (Colbert Report).
well at least there is no word from “twilight” in this poll.
The EW people are slipping
Wasn’t it in 30 Rock also that Liz referred to throwing up as “blorching”? I like that even better than “blurg”. But maybe that had been around before and I hadn’t caught it…
Is “Scrumtrulescent” in the dictionary yet? Because I definitely vote for that!
We should just chuck out the old Webster’s dictionary and start using the Simpsons as a dictionary. Seriously, I use “Avoision” (thank you Kent Brockman) all the time. And to whoever mentioned “cromulent”: oh yes, that word definitely embiggens the vocabulary.
Best use of a pop culture phrase was an ep of Buffy where she told Giles not to “Scully” her referring to the X-files more pragmatic charecter.
Mike, I’m with you on the OMFG thing. I was using that for a long time before it was co-opted by the Gossip Girl crowd. I don’t watch GG, so this pisses me off.
Sorry, a few other of you mentioned the OMFG as well. Shows how ticked I am. I mean, really, OMFG!
Looks like this whole ‘meh’ thing is a big marketing campaign for Fox and HarperCollins. I posted about it here – http://www.wallstreetfighter.com/2008/11/the-meh-conspiracy-theory.html
I’m in agreement with kb. “Frick” definitely outshines “Frack”, especially when delivered by Elliot on “Scrubs”!
Frak!
That word has been a part of my vocabulary since I was about 8, thanks to the original Battlestar Galactica. It definitely belongs in the dictionary.
Stop the press! Kim invented Meh, not lisa and bart… sorry kim, let me grab you a OMFG throne. Oh wait a minute, I think Weird Al used that phrase in a video before Gossip Girl aired, so let me grab you a Weird Al seat cushion to on that throne.
This doesn’t make sense. People used the expression “Meh” long before 2001.
and OMFG for Gossip Girl? AYFC?
(R U F’n Crazy?)
But how about the term ’smackdown?’ Dwane “The Rock” Johnson invented that word back in his wrestling glory days (circa 1998) and was the first and only one using it for a little while before it caught on in other media.
I vote for the episode of Buffy in which she calls Spike “shirty.”