I may have discovered the 2007 ?Word of the Year? (one is selected annually by the American Dialect Society). In one day of light reading (May 19) I came across ?iconic? three times ? two of them in the same edition of the Wall Street Journal.
The headline on the May 19 obituary of Charles Lazarus described him as the last family member to run the ?iconic? retail store in Columbus, Ohio.
Same day, Peggy Noonan?s column on Fred Thompson used the word ? she wasn?t describing Thompson, but rather Michael Moore?s ?iconic? dishabille (referring to the wardrobe of the filmmaker Michael Moore, not the John Locke Foundation?s meticulously-dressed Michael Moore).
Finally, a visit to the Eastern Carolina University?s Web site turned up ?East Carolina?s most iconic photograph? (taken in 1908 but otherwise not eye-catching).
Does the word reflect a search for expressing significance or is it just a sign of the enduring effect of Apple computers?
