The Top 10 Everything of 2008

The term describes those who clicked on Internet links early this year that surreptitiously redirected them to the video for Rick Astley's 1987 pop hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." People visiting the image-sharing site 4chan.org thought that after they clicked a particular link, they would be redirected to a trailer for the new Grand Theft Auto video game; instead, the Astley video came up. The bait-and-switch became so virally infectious that on April Fool's Day, YouTube decided to rickroll every visitor who clicked on any link on its regular list of its "favorite videos." The newfound popularity of "Never Gonna Give You Up" led it to become the New York Mets' new eighth-inning sing-along song, much to some fans' unsubtle dismay. Finally, a popular YouTube video depicted McCain getting "Barackrolled" during the Republican nominee's acceptance speech.

TIME parses the top buzzwords of 2008: