The word oscillate has appeared in 18 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Feb. 5 in "On the Luge, Safety Built Into Swerves" by John Branch:

Besides the three uphill portions, the track has several unusual variations within its 17 curves. While most of the world's tracks are similarly serpentine, individual curves usually are consistent from start to finish. Athletes might enter a corner going downhill at a 12 percent grade, and usually exit the corner at the same 12 percent drop.

... One severe right-hand U-turn, Curve 10, has the world’s only triple wave, meaning the path of the sleds will arc visibly up and down through the turn, a crowd-pleasing function of pressure and gravity.

"The guy who oscillates the least, who makes the straightest line through there, will be the fastest rider," said John Daly, an American skeleton athlete.