EVENING NIGHTCAP: "Dingy Undershirt" 2026 Color of the Year. Most Mispronounced Words Of 2025. WTH? - Kill It With Fire!

 

 

 ► Every year, the snobs at the Color Institute sit around a conference table and flip through color swatches to select the color of the year. For 2026 they selected Cloud Dancer (Govt Name: PQ-11-4201TCX). First, let's examine the name. Cloud Dancer sounds a horse running the 5th at Belmont. Or maybe the committee members are fans of  the movie, Dances With Wolves. IMO, Cloud Dancer has a whiff of American Indian culture appropriation. Now let's talk about the color.  Based on the swatch below, I could describe it as grandpa's dingy undershirt after 17 washes. Or classroom whiteboard, circa 2016.  In the old days, this color was called off-white or eggshell white. A spokesfailedartist for Color Institute (CI) coughed up this eye rolling explanation:   Read More

"At this time of transformation, when we are re-imagining our future and our place in the world,  Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete hue offering a promise of clarity,” Leatrice  Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, said in a press release. “The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.” 

Comment: The explanation sounds like it was written by Walmart Wallis. The only words missing are authentic and brave. I'm also side-eyeing why they selected white. White means surrender. Is this the CI's subtle way of saying they're out of f**ks to give?  

 

► Babbel, the language learning company, disclosed 2025 the most mispronounced words. I think the word "babble" for a company name is eyebrow raising. To me, babble is behavior exhibited by  a drunk college student when stopped by campus security. And yes, I'm talking from personal experience. Anyway, below are the some of the most mispronounced words in 2025.  Read More

•  Zohran Mamdani - pronounced zoh-RAHN mam-DAH-nee (elected as mayor of NYC)
•  Denzel Washington - pronounced Den-ZELLE
• Louvre - pronounced LOOV-ruh
• Acetaminophen - pronounced uh-SEE-tuh-MIH-nuh-fen
• Mounjaro - pronounced Mown-JAHR-OH
• Alexander Skarsgård - pronounced Skarz‑GORD 

Comment:  Speaking of mispronounced words, "Croissant" is a word that I hear being butchered all the time. I cringe when someone mouths it as "cree-sant" or "croy-sah-ant".  Aggggh!  Question for readers: What are other words that irk you when they're mispronounced?

► Miami Art Fest / Art Basel had an art installation that featured robots with the heads of billionaires: Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk. The robots reminded me of the 1978 Invasion of Body Snatcher scene when a pod is kicked next to a homeless man and his dog. It created a hideous monstrosity. Read More

Comment: I would pay good money to jump into that ring and kick the shit out of those robots and take a flame thrower to them. BTW the robot dogs were literally pooping NFT. Ugh.