New words – 20 June 2022

a pair of glasses next to a pile of old books
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dark academia noun [U]
UK /ˌdɑːk æk.əˈdiː.mi.ə/ US /ˌdɑːrk æk.əˈdiː.mi.ə/
a style, especially of dressing, that is inspired by old universities and the people who study and teach there

Well, dark academia is about idealising the experience of learning – think libraries full of cloth-bound books, lush (and perfectly groomed) quadrangles, wire-rimmed spectacles, polished loafers and chalk cursive on blackboards … Dark academia’s ‘foundational text’ is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History – a gothic-style campus drama set in Vermont, it tells the story of an elite classics class.
[graziadaily.co.uk, 13 September 2021]

dark store noun [C]
UK /ˌdɑːk ˈstɔːʳ/ US /ˌdɑːrk ˈstɔːr/
a large shop that is not open to the public but is used to process online orders

Dark stores … look a lot like supermarkets and convenience stores, minus the trolleys and front-of-house customers … “We’ll likely see underperforming convenience outlets change to dedicated dark stores. The margins are similar, but it takes fewer people to operate a dark store than a retail store”.
[thegrocer.co.uk, 28 March 2022]

dark post noun [C]
UK /ˌdɑːk ˈpəʊst/ US /ˌdɑːrk ˈpoʊst/
a message or advertisement on a website or social media platform that cannot be seen by everyone, only by the people who are the intended target

Dark posts were first introduced when targeting capabilities on platforms like Facebook were still in their rudimentary stages … Brands and publishers used these dark posts to create a post that did not live permanently on their pages. Instead, the post would be specifically targeted to a select few members of their target audience or following. In other words, it was a kind of marketing strategy.
[billo.app, 28 October 2021]

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