Dictionary declares "milkshake duck" its word of the year, thus ending the term's usefulness
Despite actually consisting of two perfectly good and separate nouns, Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary has awarded “milkshake duck” its 2017 word of the year. A term coined by Ben Ward, better known as Twitter’s @pixelatedboat, back in 2016, “milkshake duck” has entered the modern lexicon at the perfect time.
Defined as “a person who is initially viewed positively by the media but is then discovered to have something questionable about them which causes a sharp decline in their popularity,” milkshake duck is a perfect way to describe everyone from fallen idols Chewbacca Mom and Ken Bone to faux-woke actors and disappointing politicians.
While it’s a fine choice to represent 2017's hot/cold relationship with celebrity (though, again, it’s two words, Macquarie), not everyone is on board with the dictionary’s decision—mostly because, likely living a full, healthy life only marginally touched by the internet, they’ve never heard of it.