encoded notions

With the relative ease by which you can move large chunks of type back and forth between a source and a destination with keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V I’ve found myself frequently using a new verb mashup to describe the act: copypaste

I most frequently use the term while chatting on IM with two different—potentially time-shifted—people and I am telling a brief story about something that happened, but I don’t want to repeat myself like I would have to in real-life. I’ll just type out my explanation to Person 1 and then copypaste it to Person 2.

Sure you could just say “copy and paste” instead of “copypaste” but that phraseology gives the impression that the action is actually composed of two components. In this context, however, the two actions are never executed in a decoupled manner so the “and” is understood and is therefore redundant information. I classify copypaste’s evolution in the same category as the term “prolly” (which is a pronounciation shortcut for “probably”).

I hope that The Internet decides to start using this new word.

Copypaste.