“Dictionary.com word of year”

Wordsmiths of the world, rejoice. Or lament. On Monday, Dictionary Wordsmiths of the world, rejoice. Or lament. On Monday, Dictionary.com has named "xenophobia" its 2016 Word of the Year. Its definition: "Fear or hatred of foreigners.” "This particular year saw fear rising to the surface of cultural discourse," the online dictionary said in a statement. The single most dramatic spike in searches for "xenophobia" came on June 24 — one day after the UK's Brexit referendum returned a shocking "yes" vote. That day, searches surged 938%. Another spike in searches came after President Obama used the word in a speech on June 29 in relation to the "populist" rhetoric of then-US Republican nominee Donald Trump. Dictionary.com offers two definitions for xenophobia: "fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers," and "fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different from oneself.” "(Xenophobia) divides us. It invites harassment and bullying. Or worse, it turns us from tolerance and empathy to disrespect and hate," Reich said. "It is not a word to be celebrated. It's a sentiment to be fought."

In Other News Donald Trump has vowed to kick off his presidency by swiftly kicking out one segment of the immigrant population: criminals. But that's exactly what the Obama administration says it's been doing for eight years. More than 2.4 million people have been deported under President Barack Obama, earning him the scathing nickname of "deporter in chief" among some immigrant advocacy groups. Nearly half of those removals were immigrants with criminal convictions, an explicit priority of the administration. Though Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of his campaign, critics question whether he'll be able to accelerate deportations much. Some experts say there are bottlenecks in the system that prevented Obama from deporting more immigrants. The smash Broadway show "Hamilton" had the most successful week ever for a Broadway show, despite President-elect Trump calling it "highly overrrated.” The record breaking Thanksgiving week began just three days after Trump attacked the show and its cast for lecturing incoming vice president Mike Pence, who attended the Nov. 18 show. "Hamilton" sold $3.3 million in tickets for the holiday week, a record for Broadway and only the second time a show has cracked the $3 million mark. It set the record thanks to higher ticket prices.