The Week contest: New Word - August 6, 2010

Create a new word that politicians of any party or philosophy would find useful

Palin campaigns in Iowa before the 2008 elections.
(Image credit: Getty)

Welcome to The Week's "What Next?" contest, an invitation to test your powers of imagination with challenges inspired by current events.

Click here for results of last week's contest: Cover Line

Results: In light of Sarah Palin’s coining of "refudiate," we asked you to come up with a new word that politicians might find useful.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

FIRST PRIZE: Sexplanation

Peggy Mills, San Francisco

SECOND PLACE: Mypartisanship

Russ Morton, Eagle River, AK

THIRD PLACE: Lobbislation

James Gaffney, St. Paul, MN

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Fictorious

Stan Colona, Plano, TX

Obfoxcate

Ira Gunning, Penn Valley, CA

Hollyticians

Jacques Hadida, Carlsbad, CA

Graftsmanship

Kristin Borsenik, Northville, MI

Skimulus

Joe Butterworth, Clarkdale, AZ

Governmentally Ill

John Walsh, Conifer, CO

Cashtigate: To censure a fellow member of Congress for taking bribes you would have taken, if you had the chance

Susan Zivich, Munster, IN

Apolligize: To express regret for an action after seeing approval ratings tank

Jeffrey Contompasis, Ashburn, VA

Prevenge: To get them back before they get you

Ben Curtis, Glendale, CA

Sinnocent: Legally, if not morally, blameless

Patricia Burns, New York City

Campromise: The inability to carry out one’s campaign promises

Roxanne Perez, Twentynine Palms, CA

Promaffle: To promise, then waffle

Alan Stallings, Holladay, UT

Mediacracy: Government of the media, by the media, for the media

Bruce Brobman, Santa Cruz, CA

Misreprehensible: Taking opponents remarks out of context to make them look terrible

Bethany Wheeling, Finksburg, MD

Crimigrant: An undocumented immigrant

Ken M. Radziwanowski, East Windsor, NJ

Conswervative: A Republican who veers far right for political gain

Mary Nemnich, San Bernardino, CA

Telepalmter: The writing of talking points on one’s hand

Ashley Ryan, Catonsville, MD

Selectorate: Specific group of constituents to which a politician is pandering at the moment

Keith R. Patterson, Sanford, ME

.

Dyslethics: Disability that impairs a public office holder’s ability to act ethically

Craig Vivian, Monmouth, IL

Misbedded: To have accidentally cheated on one’s spouse

Russ Witmer, Paris, IL

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.