New words – 7 January 2013

on the bubble idiom at a point where success or failure will be decided

I didn’t dive well. I was on the bubble. I’m 18th so I’m in [the final].

[NBC TV (US interview with diver, David Boudia) 10 Aug 2012]

smack-talk noun slang the use of insults to goad someone in a competitive situation, usually a game

This is how a rape survivor feels when you use rape jokes as smack-talk in video games

[www.newstatesman.com 07 July 2012]

superbowl noun a handbag that is styled like a bowling bag

You can carry your superbowl with your hand through the handles and the bag resting on your hip like Victoria Beckham, but we reckon that could get uncomfortable.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 20 Aug 2012]

underbrag noun a boast which consists of openly admitting to failings in a way that proves you are confident enough not to care what others think of you

‘The underbrag is the new humblebrag,’ Doll writes, ‘because it is the brag that does whatever its braggy little heart desires.’

[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 16 Aug 2012]

About new words

3 thoughts on “New words – 7 January 2013

  1. In the US, the word “Super Bowl” (usually capitalized) refers exclusively to the championship game in the NFL, the league of professional American football teams. The game broadcast is always the most widely viewed television program of the year.

  2. malgaff

    “On the bubble” has been a term in American auto-racing for many years and should not be assigned “new” status. Specifically, the word originated in the United States to describe a racing driver’s attempt to officially qualify their car for the Indianapolis 500 Memorial Day race. During the final hour of race-qualification attempts, the driver whose car has the slowest lap time is “on the bubble”, and may be bumped out of the race if a previously unqualified car makes a successful attempt to earn the 33rd starting place on the raceway’s grid.

  3. Pingback: Clever New Words for 2013: At the End of the Day, I’d Really Like to Ditch the Old Ones | YourWebWriter.com

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