Bryan Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day
Another reason for a fresh set of eyes

“Refudiate”?

It seems that Sarah Palin has come up with a portmanteau word: refudiate, combining refute and repudiate. I have two reactions:

  1. I won’t use the word myself, and I don’t recommend adopting it. Refute or repudiate work fine.
  2. I won’t dump on Palin for using the word herself. When she uses it, I know instantly what she means. If the listener instantly understands what the speaker is saying, then the speaker has done her job.

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