The word zit — a pimple — entered the language around 1966 (the Oxford English Dictionary lists its etymology as "origin unknown") and has been going strong ever since. Most new dictionaries have an entry for it, and it pops up even in the most august publications (for example, it has made appearances in The New York Times and The Washington Post this year). It's a homely little word, but perhaps that's the secret of its success: it just feels like the right word for what it describes (unlike, say, the euphemistic blemish).
gligo
