NEW YORK, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- When Tom Cruise celebrated his new-found love by cavorting on Oprah's sofa like a deranged monkey, he did more than just become fodder for late-night comedians. He also unwittingly spawned a new phrase -- "jump the couch," meaning "to exhibit strange or frenetic behavior." After scouring the soft white underbelly of the English language, from bathroom walls to the Internet, the editors of the Historical Dictionary of American Slang have chosen "jump the couch" as the Slang of the Year for 2005.
"Jump the couch" began popping up just a few weeks after Cruise excitedly professed his love for new flame Katie Holmes by leaping onto the guest couch during the May 23, 2005 Oprah Winfrey Show. The phrase has since appeared in The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, and innumerable blogs around the world.
The term builds on the older slang term "jump the shark," meaning, "to diminish in quality; to outlast public interest or popular support." To "jump the shark" stems from an episode of the 70s TV show Happy Days, in which uber-cool Fonzie flies over a shark on water-skis.
"A new slang term was obviously needed to describe this behavior. Jumping up and down on Oprah's couch, in front of millions, is truly bizarre," noted Grant Barrett, project editor of the Historical Dictionary of American Slang.
