New words – 29 September 2025

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lawnmower poetry noun [U]
UK /ˈlɔːnˌməʊ.ə ˌpəʊ.ɪ.tri/ US /ˈlɑːnˌmoʊ.ɚ ˌpoʊ.ə.tri/
a type of poetry that uses the image of the lawnmower and the act of mowing the lawn to explore a variety of themes

British poets including Philip Larkin and Andrew Motion have driven a “lawnmower poetry” microgenre, using the machine to explore childhood, masculinity, violence, addiction, mortality and much more, new research shows. “Lawnmower poetry had its highpoint in the late 20th century but now would be a good moment for a revival,” says the study’s author, Francesca Gardner, from Cambridge’s English Faculty and St Catharine’s College.
[cam.ac.uk, 17 May 2025]

mood reading noun [U]
/ˈmuːd ˌriː.dɪŋ/
a method of choosing books to read based on the way you feel at the time, rather than reading books in a fixed order

I wrote about this recently when talking about tackling my TBR pile, but mood reading has a lot going for it. Only you know what you feel like reading, what aligns with your emotions. Don’t force a book on yourself, pick according to whatever mood you’re in. If that’s classic 80’s horror or a romance novel with werewolves, so be it.
[bookshelfdiscovery.com, 20 July 2025]

booktivist noun [C]
UK /ˈbʊk.tɪ.vɪst/ US /ˈbʊk.tə.vɪst/
a person who uses what they read in books to help them try to bring about political or social change

Guides invent 72 new “empowering” badges that reflect their lives. Among them is a badge called … “booktivist”, a portmanteau of “book” and “activist” that aims to help girls discover what empowers them through reading.
[thetimes.com, 21 July 2025]

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