Word Routes
Exploring the pathways of our lexicon
When Life Imitates the Movies: From "Gaslighting" to "Catfishing"January 31, 2013By Ben Zimmer
If you've been following the strange saga of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, then you've likely come across the term "catfishing" to describe the type of prank he fell victim to, in which a romantic interest turns out to be nothing more than a fabricated online identity. The term comes from the 2010 documentary "Catfish," but as I describe in my latest Boston Globe column, it's not the first time that a cinematic depiction has spawned a new verb.
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