Why Invent a New Word? We’ve Got A Perfectly Good One

A new word recently added to the Oxford Dictionary is binge-watch, which we know means — thanks to Netflix and other streaming-video services — watching multiple episodes of a TV show, such as “Breaking Bad.”

I don’t have a problem with people doing this — heck, I’ve done it, not just with “Breaking Bad” but “Lost” and “Sherlock” and “Parks and Recreation” and “Mary Tyler Moore” and “Scooby-Doo” and “Laugh-in” and “24” and …

But I digress.

The problem I have is with the term binge-watch. It’s completely unnecessary. We already have a word to describe this behavior: binge, which means “an unrestrained indulgence.”

I can even use binge in a sentence: Last night, my wife and I went on a “Breaking Bad” binge: We watched the entire fifth season.

So, stop it, Oxford Dictionary. Stop adding unnecessary words — especially words that include the word we already have that perfectly describes what we’ re doing.

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com