The Irish Times - Saturday, January 14, 2012

Word on the street Amazeballs

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KEVIN COURTNEY

What it means: Some things are just so awesome no superlative is sufficient. Bieber’s Jesus tattoo. Kim Kardashian’s new hairdo. Jedward on Celebrity Big Brother. These moments require the invention of a super-trendy word to encapsulate their total fabulousness. And in 2009 some genius came up with the perfect word, amazeballs. Since it was coined in 2009, the word has become part of the twitterverse, used by celebrities, fashionistas and anyone who wants to sound like a hyperactive teenage girl. Katy Perry tweeted it. Gwyneth Paltrow said it on Glee. And it was voted word of the year on the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show.

Where it comes from : Although celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton is credited with getting the ball rolling, the provenance of amazeballs is in dispute. Soon after it became a Twitter trending topic, US comedy duo Jessica and Hunter posted a tearful clip on YouTube, accusing Hilton of stealing the word from them. “We have been using that word forevs,” sobbed Hunter. “Amazeballs is our word!” While this feud rages, the A-word continues its rise to the top of the buzzword heap. There’s only one word to describe this lexicographical phenomenon: amazeballs.

How to use it: “So, you just make up a stupid word, put it on your blog, and then the whole world starts saying it? Amazeballs.”