First, there was “bussy,” a portmanteau of “boy” and “pussy”. It was added to Urban Dictionary in 2007, and that entry claims it’s been around in LGBTQ communities since the 90s. In 2022, though, the suffix became common in almost every conceivable context online. While there were some other words and phrases under consideration this year, including “quiet quitting” and “Slava Ukraini” — a solidarity slogan — “-ussy” won the vast majority of votes: more than four times the runner-up. — َ (@svpermcn) December 18, 2021 The chair of the American Dialect Society New Words Committee told Rolling Stone, From the “frisson of naughtiness” of using this word to its ties to the LGBTQ community, its equalizing power, and its creativity, supporters had many reasons for voting for it. As Rolling Stone put it, For more on this story, check out Rolling Stone. Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
