Listen to the author reading this blog post:
Two weeks ago, I published a blog post on the language of describing similarities, including words such as identikit and analogous. This week I’m looking at idioms and phrases in this area. Continue reading “Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)”
unexpected red theory noun [U]
UK /ˌʌn.ɪk.spek.tɪd ˈred ˌθɪə.ri/ US /ʌn.ɪkˌspek.tɪd ˈred ˌθɪr.i/
an interior design trend based on the idea that any room will look more attractive if you add one red item or feature to it, especially if the red looks strange or wrong with the other colours in the room
Unexpected red theory: the viral decorating trend everyone’s talking about. According to TikTok, the newly coined “unexpected red theory” is the secret to making any space look better. Essentially, it’s adding anything that’s red – be it big or small – to a room where it doesn’t match at all, transforming the space in one fell swoop.
[housebeautiful.com, 27 February 2024]
blue card noun [C]
UK /ˌbluː ˈkɑːd/ US /ˌbluː ˈkɑːrd/
a small blue card shown by the referee to a football player who has not obeyed a rule and who is therefore going to be sent to the sin bin
The prospect of sin bins in football has moved a step closer, with it being reported that the International Football Association Board [IFAB] is planning to make an announcement to trial sin bins in the professional game. It is also being reported that officials would carry a blue card to signify a player had been sent to the sin bin. A spell of 10 minutes in the sin bin would follow a blue card.
[tntsports.co.uk, 8 February 2024]
greenstalling noun [U]
UK /ˈgriːn.stɔː.lɪŋ/ US /ˈgriːn.stɑː.lɪŋ/
the act, of a business, of delaying taking action to reduce carbon emissions because of a worry about being criticized for doing the wrong thing or not doing enough
Greenstalling is an approach whereby businesses intend to do the right thing by drastically ramping up decarbonisation efforts, but ultimately get stuck in “analysis paralysis” where they can’t find the right approach to doing it for fear of criticism. It is likely to be a major barrier for businesses just starting out on their net-zero journeys.
[edie.net, 22 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
Today’s post is about words we use for fastening and unfastening things.
The verbs fasten and attach are very general. It doesn’t matter what you use to join the parts together: it could be glue, buttons, string – anything! Secure is also general and emphasizes how strongly the things are joined. Continue reading “Binding, nailing, and gluing: talking about fastening things together”
popcorn brain noun [U]
UK /ˈpɒp.kɔːn ˌbreɪn/ US /ˈpɑːp.kɔːrn ˌbreɪn/
a psychological condition where someone cannot keep their mind and attention fixed on anything, thought to be caused by spending too much time on social media
A psychologist has warned against scrolling on your phone and ending up with “popcorn brain”. Yup, popcorn brain. You may already feel like your head is filled with soup – it only having taken two months of 2024 to burn you out – but now you should also worry about your brain popping like pieces of corn according to one psychologist.
[unilad.com, 20 February 2024]
VEXAS noun [U]
/ˈvek.səs/
an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the body and mostly affects men
VEXAS was first identified only two years ago, when it was believed to be a rare inflammatory disease. At the time the condition was discovered and named only 25 men – and no women – were found to be affected. That same year, COVID-19 was spreading across the world claiming thousands – and later millions – of victims. It’s no surprise that VEXAS, with its very limited impact on the population, didn’t make many headlines at the time.
[euronews.com/health, 2 February 2024]
Alaskapox noun [U]
UK /əˈlæs.kəˌpɒks/ US /əˈlæs.kəˌpɑːks/
a virus, discovered in Alaska, that is passed between mammals and occasionally affects humans
An elderly man from Alaska has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox – a recently discovered viral disease. Alaskapox, or AKPV, is a double-stranded DNA virus with officials saying it appears to be zoonotic, primarily circulating across Alaska’s state mammals with occasional transmission to humans.
[news.sky.com, 14 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
This week, I’m looking at the language we use to say that things or people are similar, either in appearance or character. There are a tremendous lot of interesting words and phrases in this area so this post will be in two parts. Continue reading “Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)”
bookshelf wealth noun [U]
/ˌbʊk.ʃelf ˈwelθ/
an interior design trend where someone has bookshelves in their home that are filled with books and other objects they genuinely love, rather than displaying these things in order to look clever or stylish
There’s a brand new trend popping up on TikTok known as “bookshelf wealth” – but according to design professionals, it’s not a trend at all. Many interior design experts have suggested that “bookshelf wealth” actually encourages the opposite of trend-led behaviour. Bookshelf wealth is all about playing the long game when it comes to filling your home up with beautiful pieces that you really treasure, that mean something to you, and that you’ve collected over the years.
[idealhome.co.uk, 29 January 2024]
beautility noun [U]
UK /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.ti/ US /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.t̬i/
a way of decorating and furnishing your home so that everything in it looks practical and useful as well as beautiful, with no extra or unnecessary decoration
Beautility, aka “beautiful utility”, is precisely what the (house) doctor ordered for 2024. Forget adding a floral flounce to the couch and scrap the scalloped edges on everything from lampshades to rugs, because beautility is the functional, absolutely no-frills aesthetic we all need right now.
[The Sunday Times, 31 December 2023]
loud luxury noun [U]
UK /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃᵊr.i/ US /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃɚ.i/
a style of dressing or decorating your home where your clothes, furniture etc. attract a lot of attention and look very expensive
The meat of loud luxury is in the details and has been all over the Spring 2024 runways. It’s in the bright colors of the Chanel show. It’s in the crazy intense silhouettes from the Rahul Mishra show. It’s in the metals and golds, and jewels in the Ronald van der Kemp collection. Loud luxury is everywhere you look.
[scadmanor.com, 7 February 2024]
See also quiet luxury
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
Here in the UK we are well into our spring season, which made me think about the words and phrases we use to describe the plants that are now growing or coming back to life after the long winter. Continue reading “Shoots, blooms and blossom: talking about plants”
tipflation noun [U]
/ˌtɪpˈfleɪ.ʃən/
the increase in the amount of money that people are expected to give as a tip
An increase in tipping has come as part of a post covid world, and gratitude is not the only reason for the rise. A change in the way we live (and hygiene concerns) has played its part in forming tipflation. Human interaction in the hospitality sector reduced massively and now we have mostly moved to ordering, paying and tipping for food digitally.
[kiplinger.com, 11 May 2023]
doom spending noun [U]
/ˈduːm ˌspen.dɪŋ/
the activity of spending money on luxury items to distract yourself from worrying about the economy and world events
All signs point to “doom spending” being a reckless and unwise decision, but it does feel fun to self-soothe via unnecessary purchases. And it’s a problem many Americans have. Despite inflation and high interest rates, the National Retail Federation reported that holiday shopping reached record highs last year, at a cool $964.4bn.
[theguardian.com, 31 January 2024]
loud budgeting noun [U]
/ˌlaʊd ˈbʌdʒ.ɪ.tɪŋ/
the practice of being open and honest with other people about wanting to save money and not spending it if you do not want to
The loud budgeting movement exploded on TikTok earlier this year, and it’s easy to see why. Loud budgeting is all about setting financial boundaries and making your money goals loud and clear when facing pressure to spend. Loud budgeting is a financial strategy that puts your money aspirations front and center for friends and family to see. It involves clearly vocalizing why you might choose not to spend money — even if you have it.
[cnet.com, 17 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
Today we’re looking at idioms from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. We do this every couple of months in order to provide you with up-to-date, frequently used idioms. Continue reading “Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)”
snackification noun [U]
UK /ˌsnæk.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /ˌsnæk.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
the shift from eating proper meals every day to eating several snacks instead
Snackable lifestyles are popular amongst gen Z and millennials. But how is snackification changing eating habits for these young consumers? Half of U.S. consumers eat three or more snacks a day according to market research firm Circana Group. Snack sales reached $181 billion last year: an 11% increase from the year before.
[vml.com, 26 June 2023]
OMAD noun [S]
UK /ˈəʊ.mæd/ US /ˈoʊ.mæd/
abbreviation for “one meal a day”: a diet based on eating only one meal every day
OMAD is an extreme fasting diet. As the name suggests, it involves eating just one big meal a day, with fasting or very minimal eating in between. The key focus of this kind of diet is weight control and simplicity. But while fasting itself isn’t new, the research on its health impacts is still in its infancy and there are very few studies on OMAD and the evidence supporting other more periodic types of fasting can’t necessarily be extrapolated into extreme fasting.
[sciencefocus.com, 25 May 2023]
Atlantic diet noun [S]
UK /ətˈlæn.tɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/ US /ətˈlæn.t̬ɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/
a way of eating based on the foods typically eaten in the northwest of Spain and in Portugal
The “Atlantic diet” — what some experts are calling a variation on Mediterranean eating — is getting some buzz after a study found adherents to the diet had a significantly lower risk of chronic health problems. One of the main differences between the Atlantic diet and the Mediterranean diet is that the Atlantic version incorporates more brassicas, which is a family of vegetables that includes turnip greens, turnips, kale, cabbage and cauliflower.
[washingtonpost.com, 19 February 2024]