I think that slang or non-standard usage can serve a purpose in bringing together a group of people. Language and dialect is often connected deeply with identity. Usually these terms are more localized, but last winter the internet served as a tool to make "snowpocalypse" significantly more widespread. Sure, it's a silly term, but it also made a large group of people feel like they were somehow connected -- like they survived something together. And in Baltimore, at least, last year's storm was out of the ordinary. The largest in my lifetime, I think. Or at least since the early '90s. While it's not necessary, there's nothing wrong with having a term to distinguish an intensity beyond "blizzard."
Of course, if it starts being used to describe every blizzard, it just becomes a catchphrase and loses its sense of intensity. On the other hand, terms of intensity generally tend to become more mainstream and less intense over time (awesome, amazing, terrible, horrible, etc.).
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2010-12-28 21:05 (UTC)Of course, if it starts being used to describe every blizzard, it just becomes a catchphrase and loses its sense of intensity. On the other hand, terms of intensity generally tend to become more mainstream and less intense over time (awesome, amazing, terrible, horrible, etc.).