This year the word is 'vape' – next year how about 'pute?'

I'm always touting the value of being succinct in written or spoken communication, so I should note the recent announcement by the Oxford Dictionaries of its Word of the Year:

vape – verb, to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device; also, a noun describing that activity and even the e-cigarette itself.

Other finalists included –

bae – noun, a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner.

budtender – noun, a person whose job is to serve customers in a cannabis dispensary or shop.

normcore – noun, a trend in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a deliberate fashion statement.

Just look at how you can use these words to communicate paragraphs of material in one sentence:

The budtender, sporting that normcore look, told me and my bae he didn’t have any vapes.

Another year-end tradition – making predictions. Here are a few of my own:

Prediction No. 1

Expanding on his contention that there are no Russian troops in Ukraine, Alexander Putin will deny that he has any army at all. "So some people like to dress up as soldiers and marching around? I don't have say over what they do in spare time. It's like Americans you see in Civil War uniform. Means you have Confederate Army?"

Prediction No. 2

After establishing teams in England, Germany and Croatia, the NFL will apply for membership in NATO, which will lead to counter maneuvers by Putin's non-army.

Prediction No. 3

A finalist for Word of the Year in 2015 will be: pute. Up to now the Latin origin of the word has meant "pure, unadulterated," but it will acquire a new meaning as a verb, "to make statements that fly in the face of reality," and a noun describing such a statement, as in, "There he goes again – another pute."