Truthiness, W00t, Rogue... What Comes Next?

A. Admonish
B. Nugatory
C. Emaciated
D. Any of the above
E. None of the above

I don't know about you, but I do feel empathy for students who don't like MCQs. These are tough choices! Let's try to work this out together, shall we? First, we have to figure out the connection among the three terms in the first part of the question. Being a Stephen Colbert fan, I immediately link truthiness to rogue, figuring that a rogue... [fill in the blank: politician/judge/economist] prefers figures and facts that s/he wishes to be true over figures and facts known to be true. But why should this be cause for w00t? Then I remember that Valerie Ervin, former BOE member and current chairwoman of the Education Committee on the County Council, recently called Dr. Weast a rogue superintendent, and I know many people who found cause for celebration in this astute observation. Could I be on to something?

The first choice to complete the list is "admonish." Did Valerie Ervin admonish the superintendent? To me, her comments sounded more like a harsh reprimand, a rebuke, a sharp reproach. There is something too gentle about "admonish" that makes me think that A may not be the correct answer, although I have to admit that this answer does not fit that badly since "admonish" expresses disapproval. How about we put a question mark next to A and move on to the second choice?

Could "nugatory" follow "rogue" in the list? Well, it depends. Having a rogue superintendent at the head of the 16th largest district in the nation and one that gobbles up half the county budget is definitely not a matter of little or no consequence! But then again, if his multi-million dollar "communication" operation allows him to get away with it, who's to say? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? How about we put a question mark next to B as well and move on to the next choice?

Emaciated. No way, no how. Eliminating C is good because we can then cross out D ("any of the above.") So, what say you? A, B, or E? E is tempting because A and B both kind of fit without either of them actually being a good fit, so why not eliminate both A and B and pick E? Of course, there is another option -- that of leaving the answer blank, thereby missing the chance of earning one point, but being assured that no fraction of a point will be deducted. (I am so glad I never had to answer MCQs when I went to school and college in France! Writing papers is so much more rewarding!)

If truth be told, the correct answer is.... D! "Admonish," "nugatory," and "emaciated" are all among the top 2009 Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year list . "Truthiness" made the list in 2006, "w00t" in 2007, and "rogue" in 2008. Interestingly, "rogue" made the list again in 2009, dropping from 8th place to 10th. Uh-oh. Rogue politicians, judges, economists, and others, beware! More and more people are on to you, and they are learning! Vagrant, dishonest or worthless person, mischievous person, horse inclined to shirk or misbehave, or individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior variation -- "rogue" is all of that, and now you know it, too! But don't thank me -- thank Bob Salsberg, of the Associated Press.