I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher. Back in the Dark Ages, when I started dating my husband (Mr Word Watcher), things were much simpler. You met someone nice, went out for dinner, and decided if you liked each other enough to do it again.
With Gen Z, the world of dating seems to be much more complicated. Let’s look at a few of the colourful words and expressions that are now being used to describe modern romance. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Dating”
I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher. The heatwaves that dominated the summer months in many parts of the world this year have prompted me to look at some words and terms relating to climate change that haven’t yet made it into the dictionary.
Such heatwaves, along with flooding and wildfires, are making some places feel less like home and more like a place of danger. Many individuals and communities are now being forced to consider climate migration – moving to another area, city, or even country, whether temporarily or permanently. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Climate”
I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher, and this time we’re going backwards, linguistically at least! Let’s explore some interesting “reverse” words and terms that have caught my eye recently. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Reverse”
I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher, and on the menu this time are some new words and terms relating to food and drink. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Food and drink”
I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher, and these are the words I’ve been watching.
What does the word “holiday” make you think of? Sightseeing and souvenir shopping? Lying on a beach? Actually, these days we’re finding all sorts of interesting ways to spend our precious time off. So let’s broaden our horizons in this post and look at some of the new types of holiday that have caught my eye recently. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Holidays”
I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher, and these are the words I’m watching.
We go on holiday to relax and escape the stress of everyday life for a while. But sometimes just getting to our destination can be anything but relaxing.
Social media has become the perfect place to swap horror stories about our fellow travellers, resulting in a number of colourful new terms to describe other people’s annoying habits at the airport and on the plane. Continue reading “The Word Watcher: Airports and air travel”
tasteslop noun [U]
UK /ˈteɪst.slɒp/ US /ˈteɪst.slɑːp/
AI-generated content, such as images of clothes, objects, or interior design, that is designed to look tasteful and stylish but is actually bland and unoriginal
Good taste used to require context. Now it requires the right moodboard. Instagram made taste visible, algorithms made it repeatable, and AI made it scalable. Welcome to the age of tasteslop, where originality may be the last status symbol left.
[theestablished.com, 24 June 2026]
See also slop
vibe hacking noun [U]
UK /ˈvaɪb ˌhæk.ɪŋ/ US /ˈvaɪb ˌhæk.ɪŋ/
cybercrime that is carried out with the help of AI, using natural language to give instructions and letting AI generate the code or other tools
The same large language models (LLMs) that help engineers write code faster now help criminals operate faster. What began as “vibe coding,” a mindset that embraces AI output with minimal review, has evolved into “vibe hacking,” attackers delegating the design, orchestration, and execution of campaigns to AI systems.
[threatlocker.com, 21 April 2026]
See also vibe coding
dead internet theory noun [S]
UK /ˌded ˈɪn.tə.net ˌθɪə.ri/ US /ˌded ˈɪn.t̬ɚ.net ˌθɪr.i/
a theory that a lot of the internet is no longer created by real people but rather by bots and other AI tools
Sam Altman, the chief executive of ChatGPT creators OpenAI, has suggested that there might be some truth in the “dead internet theory”. The idea is a conspiracy theory that the majority of content and apparent people online are actually being automatically generated by computers, and that the internet is for the most part “dead”.
[independent.co.uk, 5 September 2025]
graduation creep noun [U]
/ˌgrædʒ.uˈeɪ.ʃᵊn ˌkriːp/
the trend for graduation ceremonies to be held for pupils and students at lower levels of education and not just for university graduates
Previously, events like these may have involved little more than a sing-along and some remarks from the teacher. Now, however, they’re ticketed occasions, with processions, diplomas, props, and professional photographers. The kids wear miniature caps and gowns, while parents mingle at a reception. Neither the parents nor the teachers I spoke to could point to any one reason for “graduation creep”: gentle parenting, a postpandemic rebound for in-person events, the need for social media documentation—take your pick.
[slate.com, 28 June 2026]
fall curriculum noun [C]
UK /ˌfɔːl kəˈrɪk.jə.ləm/ US /ˌfɑːl kəˈrɪk.jə.ləm/
the trend for adults to assign themselves a number of subjects to study and learn more about during the autumn months
Across TikTok, Gen Zers and millennials are reclaiming study time through a new viral phenomenon known as the “fall curriculum.” The idea is simple but surprisingly effective: instead of scrolling endlessly on their phones, participants set themselves a personal curriculum of three or more subjects to explore during the season. The approach offers structure and the thrill of rediscovering the joy of learning for its own sake.
[newsweek.com, 6 September 2025]
rejection cake noun [C]
/rɪˈdʒek.ʃən ˌkeɪk/
a cake that someone decorates and shares on social media after their application to a university has been rejected, usually as a light-hearted way of showing their disappointment
As videos of emotional college acceptances and elaborate school-themed bed parties fill high schoolers’ social media feeds, some seniors are putting a humorous spin on the emotional let down of getting denied from colleges with rejection cakes … When Co-Founder of Counseling at Expert Admissions Bari Norman saw the rejection cake videos, she thought, “finally, some reality.”
[eu.usatoday.com, 25 April 2025]
engagement pod noun [C]
UK /ɪnˈgeɪdʒ.mənt ˌpɒd/ US /ɪnˈgeɪdʒ.mənt ˌpɑːd/
a group of people who agree to like, share and leave positive comments on each other’s social media posts to make them appear more popular
One specific form of inauthentic engagement is an engagement pod, which is a coordinated group of people that like, comment and share posts to attempt to boost visibility and virality. This form of inauthentic activity erodes trust and is not allowed on LinkedIn.
[news.linkedin.com, 13 March 2026]
dopamine site noun [C]
UK /ˈdəʊ.pə.miːn ˌsaɪt/ US /ˈdoʊ.pə.miːn ˌsaɪt/
a fake shopping site that mimics the experience of browsing and adding items to a cart so users can get the pleasure of shopping without spending money
Online “dopamine sites” trending among young people in South Korea have taken this phenomenon to a whole new level by offering fake consumption experiences. These sites capture the pleasure associated with buying without the financial cost, splitting the emotional experience of anticipation from any real-world consequences.
[psychologytoday.com, 22 June 2026]
clipping economy noun [C]
UK /ˈklɪp.ɪŋ iˌkɒn.ə.mi/ US /ˈklɪp.ɪŋ iˌkɑː.nə.mi/
an online economy based on creating and sharing short video clips to increase views and make money
And this is no longer a niche corner of internet culture. Some estimates now place the clipping economy at roughly a $3 billion industry as of early 2026, spanning creator payouts, clipping agencies, AI editing tools, growth marketplaces, and distributed content networks.
[linkedin.com/pulse, 19 May 2026]
omega block noun [C]
UK /ˈəʊ.mɪ.gə ˌblɒk/ US /oʊˈmeɪ.gə ˌblɑːk/
a weather pattern, resembling the uppercase Greek letter omega, where an area of warmer high pressure is trapped between two areas of cooler low pressure, causing the same weather conditions to last for a long period
Omega blocks usually last between three and ten days, but can go on for longer. With the current omega block, a “surge of hot, dry air from North Africa has become trapped in the atmosphere over parts of Europe,” said Time … In Paris this week, temperatures hit a June record of 105.62 F.
[theweek.com, 26 June 2026]
weather whiplash noun [S]
UK /ˌweð.ə ˈwɪp.læʃ/ US /ˌweð.ɚ ˈwɪp.læʃ/
a quick change from one extreme of weather to another, for example from very cold to very hot, or very dry to very wet
Winter days balmy enough for shirtsleeves, followed by record-setting polar-vortex lows. Day after day of blue skies, followed by torrential rains. Jungle humidity, then air so dry that skin feels like sandpaper. Temperatures spiking past 90 degrees for a day and then falling back to the 50’s and under. There is an informal term for all these weird back-and-forth weather extremes we’re witnessing: weather whiplash.
[clf.org, 27 May 2026]
global weirding noun [U]
UK /ˌgləʊ.bᵊl ˈwɪəd.ɪŋ/ US /ˌgloʊ.bᵊl ˈwɪrd.ɪŋ/
the process by which climate change is causing the weather worldwide to become more extreme and unpredictable
Global weirding speaks to the complex ways climate change is affecting weather globally. It refers to the fact that many extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and/or more severe than they were in the past … Global weirding affects us all, but it doesn’t affect us all equally. Communities that are already marginalised, lacking access to clean water, sufficient food, or reliable housing, are often most vulnerable to these disasters.
[climatewords.org, n.d.]
See also global warming