10.04.2008

Yarn Harlot Makes Kinnear a Verb...

It is Too a Real World

Yep, our much-beloved Yarn Harlot coins a neologism, as well as launches a new National Pastime in which Greg Kinnear himself happily participates. Yarnbloggers (including said Harlot) are mentioned by Kinnear on Conan, and Kinnear shares photos he kinneared himself, including Alan Alda's ankle and Tina Fey's sandwich. It was really something to see.

Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself, after the second commercial break.

I might also add that I mistakenly read the title of the Yarn Harlot's post as "It is Too a Real World" -- also pretty apt. You can't make this stuff up.

And now from Wikipedia, the definition of kinnear (I will omit the four carefully linked references for the sake of convenience, but you can find the original reference here). Wikipedia says:

to kinnear

"Kinnear" has also made it into "buzzwords" for 2007. First coined by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot blog, the word made it into the Urban Dictionary:

1. kinnear (1) To take a picture of someone/something without looking through the viewfinder; usually done on the sly. (2) To secretly take a photo of the unsuspecting in a sneaky manner. (3) A method of photography developed by the Yarn Harlot: I saw this woman wearing the world's worst sweater, so I decided to kinnear her to show my friends. 2. kinnear To surreptitiously photograph a celebrity or person of interest because you are too nervous or respectful of their privacy to ask for a photo. Coined by The Yarn Harlot. I saw Tiger Woods at the airport and I knew you wouldn't believe me so I kinneared him for photographic proof.

And then made it into the New York Times, Words in Review, 2007.

kinnear v. To take a candid photograph surreptitiously, especially by holding the camera low and out of the line of sight. Coined in August by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot blog when she attempted to take a photograph during an encounter with the actor Greg Kinnear at an airport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And remember: Contest Contest Contest!


4 comments:

Chris said...

Ok, that Alan Alda's ankle thing has me nearly hysterical...

Puss-in-Boots said...

Tell me, O'K, does Greg Kinmear have any idea at all that his name is taken in vain like that??? He may want royalties...

Alan Alda's ankle????

Obsidian Kitten said...

Greg Kinnear seemed truly delighted with the whole idea, as he happily related the whole tale to talk show host Conan O'Brien.

He *said* it was Alan Alda's ankle...but really, how would one know for sure? All I saw was the bottom of a man's trouser leg, a grey bit of sock and a shoe. The sock and calf looked sufficiently Alda-esque, though.

Verb Conjugation and Translation said...

Well it surprised to know that a name can also be a verb. Now I can make a perfect score with my homework for sure. Thanks for the information you gave.