Here’s a thought that will push the random-meter needle into the red: It’s a shame you can’t buy stock, even virtual stock, in words. Some political moments create vast new demand for certain words. Who among us doesn’t wish he’d sunk some savings on the penny stock word “chad” before the Florida recount? Under Bill Clinton “parse” came back into vogue. These days, the obscure academic term “corporatism” is rallying and, were I betting man, I would wager that mentions of the word monopsony will skyrocket in LexisNexis over the next few years. Guessing which out-of-use words will come roaring back is a neat little gimmick for trying to anticipate trend lines.

Heck, if I could have bet everying I own on the renewed relevance of the @ symbol before the invention of email, I’d be rich now. Again, if such things were possible.