Pesky sniffling and coughing has left me
sitting on the sofa a lot in the last few days, giving me time to peruse papers
and magazines more closely than usual. I’ve noticed some new words being used and I
thought I’d pass them on for interest because we writers tend to be unusually interested in these things. However, I'd avoid actually using them in work unless you're writing about a newsroom or magazine set in January 2020. Please share any new words you’ve recently read or heard. I'd love to hear!
Affluenza –As life gets easier it seems to get harder, but only because we
have more time to fret about it. EG: Lucky people moaning nonetheless.
Breadcrumbing – Putting out flirting signals. Something from Love Island, I believe (she said, sniffing).
GOAT – Greatest of all time. This
is not my GOAT blog, but hey, I’m ill.
Hot
take – An instant response to a current event, of
the type found on Twitter or rolling news channels. Could be described as uninformed shouting, possibly!
Locavore – Someone who tries to get all their food from local sources such
as a farmers’ market. We should all try
to be more Locavore, I guess, but it’s a word that’s definitely easier said
than done.
Nudge...Nudge Theory is the art of using clever unnoticeable ways to
influence the choice someone makes. The idea of nudging even won someone a Nobel Prize for economic theory. We can expect to be nudged regularly, apparently.
Prolier-than-thou – Overstating your working class credentials Monty Python-style
(“We lived in a shoebox.” “Well we lived in a hole in the road”). Currently being used by the press to poke fun at some of the Labour
Party candidates, and because the journalists seem incredibly pleased with themselves for thinking of it.
Sadfishing – Influencers and celebrities overstating their mental health
issues or bad life experiences for personal gain –trying to sell an
autobiography or promote a movie, for example. There's a lot of it
WOAT – Worst of all time. “My WOAT Christmas present was an ironing
board.”
There’s no guarantee these words will make
it through 2020. At the bottom you'll find a BBC Lost for Words link - a hilarious list of words we don’t
use any more. Enjoy!
Wishing you a happy year.
MB
Moira has a number of narrative non-fiction books coming out in 2020, for Big Picture, Nosy Crow and Quarto. She has just been nominated on the longlist for the 2020 US Green Earth Book Award.
www.moirabutterfield.com.
Wishing you a happy year.
MB
Moira has a number of narrative non-fiction books coming out in 2020, for Big Picture, Nosy Crow and Quarto. She has just been nominated on the longlist for the 2020 US Green Earth Book Award.
www.moirabutterfield.com.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2xL1gH6FcyCtYH2NM6zYhTK/lost-for-words-14-expressions-that-have-vanished?ns_mchannel=social&ns_linkname=radio_and_music&ns_campaign=bbc_radio_4&ns_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3624JdsTBbhIt0MeZUeu69I2pZkmB8-KRxqdXO4eMFx6Asrg9ZZ09loOE
4 comments:
Hope you feel well soon, Moira! This blog made me smile. Lovely to learn new words.
Love these new words and the "construction" of them so thanks for this post.
The word "humblebrag" feels as if its linked emotionally to "sadfishing": opposite ends of the social media spectrum?
Wishing you better health soon, Moira!
Yes, that's a good one, Penny! "Oh silly me. I tripped up and dropped my amazing award!" I tried to think of some and it's pretty hard to do a really good humblebrag. Definitely social media ninja level!
Not exactly a new word, but have you noticed how often politicians say 'In the coming days...'? I think Theresa May started it. It sounds very portentous to me, as if we're living in an epic.
Post a Comment