super listener noun [C]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.ˌlɪs.ənəʳ/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.ˌlɪs.ənɚ/
someone who listens to a large number of podcasts and helps to make them well known or popular by recommending them or promoting them, especially on social media

As the report explains, super listeners are the most active slice of the podcast pie, and while they don’t fully represent every kind of podcast fan, they end up being the most supportive and participatory when it comes to podcasts. These listeners place a great deal of trust in podcasts as news and entertainment sources.
[Adweek, 16 November 2017]

vaguebooking noun [U]
/ˈveɪg.ˌbʊk.ɪŋ/
the activity of wording posts on social media sites in a deliberately vague but worrying way in order to prompt the people who read them to express concern about the poster

Why do social media users feel the need to post such inane drivel? I appreciate that we’re all different but surely, if something affects you emotionally to such a degree that you feel the need to partake in vaguebooking, you need to get off social media, pick up the phone and talk to a real friend. Better still, do it in person, over a coffee … with real – not virtual – hugs/rants/tears/joy.
[www.taobusinesssolutions.co.uk, 11 October 2017]

kidfluencer noun [C]
UK /ˈkɪd.flu.ən.səʳ/ US /ˈkɪd.flu.ən.səʳ/
a child who encourages people to buy a product by recommending it on social media

The toy industry used to be fronted by an elderly enthusiast manning the desk of an overcluttered shop. Now, thanks to the internet, the children are taking over. Despite the web’s role in gradually ousting the high street toy store, it also might be its saviour — in the form of “kidfluencers”.
[The Times, 7 October 2017]

About new words

cat cuddler noun [C]
UK /ˈkæt.kʌd.ləʳ/ US /ˈkæt.kʌd.lɚ/
someone whose job is to take care of cats at an animal rescue centre or veterinary clinic by grooming them and playing with them

Do you love cats? Would you like to spend all day petting cats – and being paid for it? If the answer to both questions is yes, you might be interested in the fact that a Dublin-based veterinary practice is looking to hire a ‘cat cuddler’. As in, they literally want to pay someone to play with kitties all day.
[www.metro.co.uk, 24 May 2017]

scare actor noun [C]
UK /ˈskeər.æk.təʳ/ US /ˈsker.æk.tɚ/
someone whose job is to scare people at tourist attractions, for example by dressing up as a monster and jumping out at them

A professional scare actor, Miss Yeung, 28, has been spending her weekend nights haunting people as Malice – one of the seven “Sinisters” – at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) at Universal Studios Singapore … “I hide in dark recesses and corners to jump and scare the guests, mostly screaming at them and giving the illusion that I am trying to kill them,” Miss Yeung said.
[www.tnp.sg, 16 October 2017]

tasker noun [C]
UK /ˈtæsk.əʳ/ US /ˈtæsk.ɚ/
someone who finds work by using an online marketplace where people list tasks they need done and people who want the job bid for it by stating the fee or hourly rate they are happy to work for

He says no one is forced to work at a particular time, do a job they don’t want to do, or work for a fee they’re not happy with. “It’s a fallacy that it’s a race to the bottom,” he says. “Less than 39% of tasks are actually assigned to the tasker who quotes the lowest price.”
[The Guardian, 10 March 2018]

About new words

jackpotting noun [U]
UK /ˈdʒæk.pɒt.ɪŋ/ US /ˈdʒæk.pɑːt.ɪŋ/
the crime of hacking into a cash machine in order to obtain money

Jackpotting has been rising worldwide in recent years, though it is unclear how much cash has been stolen because victims and police often do not disclose details. Hackers require physical access to the cash machine using specialised electronics and malware to take control, including an endoscope.
[The Guardian, 29 January 2018]

transaction laundering noun [U]
UK /trænˈzæk.ʃᵊn. ˌlɔːn.də.rɪŋ/ US /trænˈzæk.ʃᵊn.ˌlɑːn.dɚ.ɪŋ/
the crime of using a company’s payment system to process a payment for illegal products and services

Scammers were recently caught using fake Airbnb listings to launder money. Because there are so many listings on the site and no way to manually monitor all transactions, criminals can pay each other or cash out stolen credit cards in seconds. This electronic money laundering, also called transaction laundering, is a growing problem for regulators and law enforcement. According to our estimates, as much as $200 billion is laundered via ecommerce payments every year.
[www.linkedin.com/company/evercompliant, 28 February 2018]

cryptojacking noun [U]
UK /ˈkrɪp.təʊ.ˌdʒæk.ɪŋ/ US /ˈkrɪp.toʊ.ˌdʒæk.ɪŋ/
the illegal activity of secretly using someone’s computer to obtain new cryptocurrency (digital currency produced by a public network rather than by a government)

Cryptojacking doesn’t require a download, starts instantly, and works efficiently. Making it even more insidious, hackers can sneak a mining component onto unsuspecting websites and pilfer cryptocurrency off of the legitimate site’s traffic.
[www.wired.com, 29 December 2017]

About new words

hotumn noun [C]
UK /ˈhɔː.təm/ US /ˈhɑː.tᵊm/
an autumn where the temperatures are warmer than usual for the season, thought to be at least partly caused by climate change

100-degree October temperatures? Welcome to ‘hotumn.’ We’re in the middle of a new, climate-changed kind of fall — one where you ask for that pumpkin spice latte iced, please … Scientists caution against attributing this year’s sweltering Sweatember and Hottober temps to climate change alone, but the long-term trend is clear: This certainly won’t be our last hotumn.
[grist.org, 25 October 2017]

bombogenesis noun [U]
UK /ˌbɒmb.əʊ.ˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/ US /ˌbɑːmb.oʊ.ˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/
the process by which a storm very quickly becomes more severe because of a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure

The eastern coast has experienced bombogenesis in the past, like the Superstorm of 1993, which is best known for a snowfall that covered parts of Alabama and went all the way to Maine. The NWS ranked it as “among the deadliest and most costly weather events of the 20th Century”.
[www.euronews.com, 3 January 2018]

supercell noun [C]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.sel/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.sel/
a type of severe thunderstorm in which a column of rotating air is sucked upwards, and is usually accompanied by extreme weather conditions such as very heavy rain or hailstones

A frightening picture taken in Newcastle during the huge storms in June 2012 showed what was believed to be the North East’s first taste of a supercell. The freak storm caused flash flooding across the city, closed the Tyne Tunnel and left over 23,000 homes without power. Now five years later, it is feared one could strike again in our region.
[www.chroniclelive.co.uk, 21 June 2017]

About new words