The Lexicon

It makes sense in our age of extremes that absolutely is a common reply. Absolutely in the affirmative, just the adverb, without the exclamation (yes). Question: Do you believe in social justice? Answer: Absolutely.

Social justice in the extreme, to the letter of the law. But whose law?

Justice for the family of the murdered is the execution of the murderer. That's the law of the Old Testament, but is Allah more merciful? In Sharia law, murderers are executed along with adulterers, apostates, homosexuals, pirates, rapists ...

Now there's a new word in town, a new affirmative: correct. Yet where all of absolutely's four syllables are relished, correct comes out as one syllable: crecked.

What accounts for the rise of this word, a word that brings to mind cops and courtrooms? Judge: Can the court take that as a confirmation -- that you saw the accused at the Wing Sang Building on the night in question? Police Officer: Crecked, Your Honour.

Last year's word fatigue included the word obviously, often used more than once in interviews with media-uneasy hockey players. Next year it might be crecked. So far this year it is absolutely.