neobank noun [C]
UK /ˈniː.əʊˌbæŋk/ US /ˈniː.oʊˌbæŋk/
a type of bank that provides only online banking services and has no physical branches

Neobanks work similarly to traditional banks and offer the same types of services, yet they perform all available functions online or through a mobile app. Neobanks may also partner with chartered banks to offer their customers FDIC insurance and additional benefits, but those considering a neobank should check to make sure.
cnn.com, 4 March 2024

time bank noun [C]
/ˈtaɪm ˌbæŋk/
a system where the unit of currency is one hour of someone’s time, with the people using the bank exchanging services and skills

A time bank functions much like traditional currency but with a unique twist: it’s measured in hours, not dollars. Every hour spent helping others earns one credit – every hour holds equal value, irrespective of the service provided. It’s a system that stitches communities together by recognizing and honoring the contributions of all participants.
[givingtuesday.org, 5 November 2023]

multibank noun [C]
/ˈmʌl.tiˌbæŋk/
a place where essential items such as food, clothing, toiletries and household goods are given to people who don’t have enough money to buy them

First established 14 months ago in Scotland and since March in Manchester, four new multibanks are set to launch in 2024 including in London, the Midlands and Wales, with the idea that there will be multibanks in different parts of the country by the end of next year.
[standard.co.uk, 19 December 2023]

About new words

WFB noun [U]
ABBREVIATION FOR working from boat: used to refer to a person doing their job while living on a boat rather than travelling to an office, etc. in order to do it

As the trend of working remotely continues, more and more people are evolving Working From Home (WFH) into Working From Boat (WFB). For some, WFB is done intermittently, alternating living and working onshore with occasional cruises on their boat.
[sailworldcruising.com, 18 Nov 2022 ]

See also WFH

wanderpreneur noun [C]
UK /ˌwɒn.də.prəˈnɜːʳ/ US /ˌwɑːn.dɚ.prəˈnɝː/
someone who does not have a permanent office or home and spends time living with their family and working in different towns or countries

I’m here with three kids in tow, making me part of a growing trend for “wanderpreneurs”: digital nomads but all grown-up. Have kids, will travel. For wanderpreneurs, this is a nomadic life but with structure: children are occupied during the day so adults can earn money.
[Sunday Times, 24 March 2024]

See also digital nomad

tethered nomad noun [C]
UK /ˌteð.əd ˈnəʊ.mæd/ US / ˌteð.ɚd ˈnoʊ.mæd/
someone who spends part of their time living and working in a single location and the rest of their time travelling so that they can live and work in different places

So here is the “tethered nomad”—not entirely untethered from traditional work but not anchored firmly to an office space either. This breed of workers seeks to marry the structure of conventional employment with the autonomy of remote working. They’re crafting a hybrid existence, leveraging technology and flexible work policies to work part-time in offices and part-time in settings of their choosing.
[mbopartners.com, 12 January 2024]

See also digital nomad

About new words

kitschen noun [C or U]
/ˈkɪtʃ.ᵊn/
a trend for decorating kitchens in an unusual and interesting way, using bright colours and a mixture of objects of different styles

If you needed any more proof that minimalism was on the way out, look no further than the eclectic “kitschen” trend sweeping social media. But what exactly is “kitschen”, and how can you pull off this quirky, eccentric look in your own home? A mash-up of kitsch and kitchen, “kitschens” are all about embracing a quirky style and creating a unique, characterful kitchen – think vintage finds and a vibrant use of colour.
[housebeautiful.com, 13 February 2024]

See also kitsch

Narnia pantry noun [C]
UK /ˈnɑː.niː.ə ˌpæn.tri/ US /ˈnɑːr.niː.ə ˌpæn.tri/
a small room accessed through a door in a kitchen, used to store food, appliances etc.

But the real status symbol of the invisible kitchen is the “Narnia pantry”, where “you open a cabinet door”, explains Bune Strandh, “and it leads to a hidden utility room – for storage, extra sinks, the dishwasher – where you can get rid of everything if you’re entertaining”.
[telegraph.co.uk, 14 February 2024]

invisible kitchen noun [C]
/ɪnˌvɪz.ə.bᵊl ˈkɪtʃ.ᵊn/
a style of kitchen where appliances, accessories and other objects are hidden away inside large cupboards, making the room more spacious

Invisible kitchens are a minimalist kitchen trend, whereby conventional parts of a kitchen are housed out of sight, often in full-height cabinets. These cabinets open up to reveal kitchen pantries and breakfast bars alike, maximising your kitchen storage ideas. But, when closed, you’d be none the wiser.
[idealhome.co.uk, 6 February 2024]

About new words

unexpected red theory noun [U]
UK /ˌʌn.ɪk.spek.tɪd ˈred ˌθɪə.ri/ US /ʌn.ɪkˌspek.tɪd ˈred ˌθɪr.i/
an interior design trend based on the idea that any room will look more attractive if you add one red item or feature to it, especially if the red looks strange or wrong with the other colours in the room

Unexpected red theory: the viral decorating trend everyone’s talking about. According to TikTok, the newly coined “unexpected red theory” is the secret to making any space look better. Essentially, it’s adding anything that’s red – be it big or small – to a room where it doesn’t match at all, transforming the space in one fell swoop.
[housebeautiful.com, 27 February 2024]

blue card noun [C]
UK /ˌbluː ˈkɑːd/ US /ˌbluː ˈkɑːrd/
a small blue card shown by the referee to a football player who has not obeyed a rule and who is therefore going to be sent to the sin bin

The prospect of sin bins in football has moved a step closer, with it being reported that the International Football Association Board [IFAB] is planning to make an announcement to trial sin bins in the professional game. It is also being reported that officials would carry a blue card to signify a player had been sent to the sin bin. A spell of 10 minutes in the sin bin would follow a blue card.
[tntsports.co.uk, 8 February 2024]

greenstalling noun [U]
UK /ˈgriːn.stɔː.lɪŋ/ US /ˈgriːn.stɑː.lɪŋ/
the act, of a business, of delaying taking action to reduce carbon emissions because of a worry about being criticized for doing the wrong thing or not doing enough

Greenstalling is an approach whereby businesses intend to do the right thing by drastically ramping up decarbonisation efforts, but ultimately get stuck in “analysis paralysis” where they can’t find the right approach to doing it for fear of criticism. It is likely to be a major barrier for businesses just starting out on their net-zero journeys.
[edie.net, 22 February 2024]

About new words

popcorn brain noun [U]
UK /ˈpɒp.kɔːn ˌbreɪn/ US /ˈpɑːp.kɔːrn ˌbreɪn/
a psychological condition where someone cannot keep their mind and attention fixed on anything, thought to be caused by spending too much time on social media

A psychologist has warned against scrolling on your phone and ending up with “popcorn brain”. Yup, popcorn brain. You may already feel like your head is filled with soup – it only having taken two months of 2024 to burn you out – but now you should also worry about your brain popping like pieces of corn according to one psychologist.
[unilad.com, 20 February 2024]

VEXAS noun [U]
/ˈvek.səs/
an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the body and mostly affects men

VEXAS was first identified only two years ago, when it was believed to be a rare inflammatory disease. At the time the condition was discovered and named only 25 men – and no women – were found to be affected. That same year, COVID-19 was spreading across the world claiming thousands – and later millions – of victims. It’s no surprise that VEXAS, with its very limited impact on the population, didn’t make many headlines at the time.
[euronews.com/health, 2 February 2024]

Alaskapox noun [U]
UK /əˈlæs.kəˌpɒks/ US /əˈlæs.kəˌpɑːks/
a virus, discovered in Alaska, that is passed between mammals and occasionally affects humans

An elderly man from Alaska has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox – a recently discovered viral disease. Alaskapox, or AKPV, is a double-stranded DNA virus with officials saying it appears to be zoonotic, primarily circulating across Alaska’s state mammals with occasional transmission to humans.
[news.sky.com, 14 February 2024]

About new words

bookshelf wealth noun [U]
/ˌbʊk.ʃelf ˈwelθ/
an interior design trend where someone has bookshelves in their home that are filled with books and other objects they genuinely love, rather than displaying these things in order to look clever or stylish

There’s a brand new trend popping up on TikTok known as “bookshelf wealth” – but according to design professionals, it’s not a trend at all. Many interior design experts have suggested that “bookshelf wealth” actually encourages the opposite of trend-led behaviour. Bookshelf wealth is all about playing the long game when it comes to filling your home up with beautiful pieces that you really treasure, that mean something to you, and that you’ve collected over the years.
[idealhome.co.uk, 29 January 2024]

beautility noun [U]
UK /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.ti/ US /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.t̬i/
a way of decorating and furnishing your home so that everything in it looks practical and useful as well as beautiful, with no extra or unnecessary decoration

Beautility, aka “beautiful utility”, is precisely what the (house) doctor ordered for 2024. Forget adding a floral flounce to the couch and scrap the scalloped edges on everything from lampshades to rugs, because beautility is the functional, absolutely no-frills aesthetic we all need right now.
[The Sunday Times, 31 December 2023]

loud luxury noun [U]
UK /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃᵊr.i/ US /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃɚ.i/
a style of dressing or decorating your home where your clothes, furniture etc. attract a lot of attention and look very expensive

The meat of loud luxury is in the details and has been all over the Spring 2024 runways. It’s in the bright colors of the Chanel show. It’s in the crazy intense silhouettes from the Rahul Mishra show. It’s in the metals and golds, and jewels in the Ronald van der Kemp collection. Loud luxury is everywhere you look.
[scadmanor.com, 7 February 2024]

See also quiet luxury

About new words

snackification noun [U]
UK /ˌsnæk.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /ˌsnæk.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
the shift from eating proper meals every day to eating several snacks instead

Snackable lifestyles are popular amongst gen Z and millennials. But how is snackification changing eating habits for these young consumers? Half of U.S. consumers eat three or more snacks a day according to market research firm Circana Group. Snack sales reached $181 billion last year: an 11% increase from the year before.
[vml.com, 26 June 2023]

OMAD noun [S]
UK /ˈəʊ.mæd/ US /ˈoʊ.mæd/
abbreviation for “one meal a day”: a diet based on eating only one meal every day

OMAD is an extreme fasting diet. As the name suggests, it involves eating just one big meal a day, with fasting or very minimal eating in between. The key focus of this kind of diet is weight control and simplicity. But while fasting itself isn’t new, the research on its health impacts is still in its infancy and there are very few studies on OMAD and the evidence supporting other more periodic types of fasting can’t necessarily be extrapolated into extreme fasting.
[sciencefocus.com, 25 May 2023]

Atlantic diet noun [S]
UK /ətˈlæn.tɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/ US /ətˈlæn.t̬ɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/
a way of eating based on the foods typically eaten in the northwest of Spain and in Portugal

The “Atlantic diet” — what some experts are calling a variation on Mediterranean eating — is getting some buzz after a study found adherents to the diet had a significantly lower risk of chronic health problems. One of the main differences between the Atlantic diet and the Mediterranean diet is that the Atlantic version incorporates more brassicas, which is a family of vegetables that includes turnip greens, turnips, kale, cabbage and cauliflower.
[washingtonpost.com, 19 February 2024]

About new words

skin streaming noun [U]
/ˈskɪn ˌstriː.mɪŋ/
the practice of using very few skincare products on your face

What if you could pack three effective, holistic, dermatologist-recommended products, and slip those right into your makeup bag … This is where skin streaming comes into play—finally a TikTok trend that influences you to buy less, and more effective, stuff.
[coveteur.com, 25 September 2023]

traptox noun [U]
UK /ˈtræp.tɒks/ US /ˈtræp.tɑːks/
a type of Botox injected into the trapezius muscle

The first time I saw a before and after pic of a traptox treatment, I immediately ran to the mirror to assess my shoulders. (For the uninitiated, traptox involves injecting a neurotoxin into your trapezius muscle to help relieve tension and possibly elongate your neck and slim your shoulders.) Over the next few weeks, I continued feeling hyper-aware and self-conscious about my shoulders as I saw an influx of traptox content on my Instagram feed.
[cosmopolitan.com, 1 January 2024]

looksmaxxing noun [U]
/ˈlʊks.mæk.sɪŋ/
the activity, for a man, of making himself as attractive as possible, often through cosmetic surgery

Looksmaxxing has existed for at least a decade, but has exploded in recent months from obscure forums and Reddit pages into mainstream social media – and TikTok in particular. Impossibly chiselled jaws, pouty lips and cheekbones as high as the Egyptian pyramids are prized, along with “hunter” eyes (those angled slightly downwards towards the nose – a positive canthal tilt).
[theguardian.com, 15 February 2024]

About new words

inverse vaccine noun [C]
UK /ˌɪn.vɜːs ˈvæk.siːn/ US /ɪnˌvɝːs vækˈsiːn/
a type of vaccine that stops the body from attacking and damaging its own healthy cells and tissues

It will take time before inverse vaccines are available for patients, but initial trials have already been conducted on people with coeliac disease, with encouraging results … If inverse vaccines could be developed for all autoimmune illnesses, it would be a real revolution, as we have said, because we would be able to switch off inappropriate reactions in a highly specific and definitive way.
[ibsafoundation.org, 28 September 2023]

zero-dose adjective
UK /ˌzɪə.rəʊˈdəʊs/ US /ˌzɪr.oʊˈdoʊs/
a zero-dose child is one who has never received any of the routine vaccinations that most children are given

Since 2019, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of zero-dose children globally due to COVID-19 disruptions, increased economic crises and conflict, and declines in vaccine confidence … To turn the tide on this unprecedented increase in zero-dose children, it is essential to know who and where these children are so we can reach every child with life-saving vaccinations.
[data.unicef.org, April 2023]

tarmac-to-arm adjective
UK /ˌtɑː.mæk.tuˈɑːm/ US /ˌtɑːr.mæk.tuˈɑːm/
tarmac-to-arm refers to the process involved in getting vaccines and other medicines delivered to the place where they are needed and given to the people who need them

According to assessments by the charity CARE, the average “tarmac-to-arm” delivery costs for a single vaccine dose is $9.97 in South Sudan, equivalent to 40% of the country’s per capita pre-pandemic expenditure on healthcare.
[pharmaceutical-technology.com, 22 June 2022]

About new words