podium (verb?) and other Olympic words
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:53 am
I wasn't paying total attention, but I'm pretty sure I heard one of the Olympic athletes (probably one of those nutty snowboarders) use "podium" as a verb. Something along the lines of, "My goal was to podium, and now I've done it."
They've used "medal" as a verb for as long as I can remember ("And with that performance, Jacque Itsch has medaled for the third straight Olympics!"), so "to podium" is a reasonable leap.
Of course, that got me to thinking about all the other wonderful words that we would never hear if not for the Olympics. I, for one, can't tell my lutz from my sow-cow, and I've never slalomed nor fakied, but the competition is compelling enough for me to keep my eyes on the skis (or something like that).
They've used "medal" as a verb for as long as I can remember ("And with that performance, Jacque Itsch has medaled for the third straight Olympics!"), so "to podium" is a reasonable leap.
Of course, that got me to thinking about all the other wonderful words that we would never hear if not for the Olympics. I, for one, can't tell my lutz from my sow-cow, and I've never slalomed nor fakied, but the competition is compelling enough for me to keep my eyes on the skis (or something like that).
MattFrom Merriam-Webster Online
Main Entry: po·di·um
Pronunciation: 'pO-dE-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural podiums or po·dia /-dE-&/
Etymology: Latin -- more at PEW
1 : a low wall serving as a foundation or terrace wall: as a : one around the arena of an ancient amphitheater serving as a base for the tiers of seats b : the masonry under the stylobate of a temple
2 a : a dais especially for an orchestral conductor b : LECTERN