Word Of The Week: ‘Goat’

Do you feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the rapid expansion of the English lexicon? You’re not alone.

A lethal combination of celebrity culture and twitter has given rise to a host of new and at times seemingly unintelligible words. As such, we shall be taking an in-depth look at one word each week, exploring its etymology, meaning and significance in pop culture and beyond. It’ll be just like learning your ABCs again.

Welcome to Word of the Week.

[ɡəʊt]

Adjective.

1. Slang. Acronym for ‘Greatest of all Time’.  

It’s 2017 and while the shit storm that was 2016 is showing no signs of abating, WOTW 2.0 is here to try and make sense of some of the language that continues to muddy the linguistic swamp.

We’re starting with the acronym GOAT, meaning ‘Greatest of all Time’. By definition, this is a term reserved only for the most worthy individuals. To emphasise the point, The ‘Greatest of all Time’ is an accolade that should surely only be accorded to those at the peak of their powers. Since it is non-specific, the term by definition transcends all fields of industry and artistry. As such, you would think only the greatest points scorers, groundbreaking doctors or revolutionary artists and singers for example would be given the title. However, having scanned the Internet, we can see that attitudes haven’t changed since the turn of the year. The same talentless (but highly marketable) ignoramuses dominate. These are the GOATS of 2017. 

Call us traditionalists, but we would usually reserve the ‘GOAT’ title to Nobel prize winners, disease curing scientists, quantum physicists et al. Would you call Einstein a GOAT? He would be turning in his grave. Goats are farmyard animals; they provide cheese, milk and meat for those so inclined. There’s simply no room to maneuver on this one. How is it even possible that we’re having this debate? 

GOAT users, grow up. You’re not Dr. Doolittle, this isn’t Animal Farm nor are we living in the Babe, Pig in the City reality. Stop trying to anthropomorphize animals. We’re not falling for it.