sensitivity reader noun [C]
UK /ˌsen.sɪˈtɪv.ə.ti.riː.dəʳ/ US /ˌsen.səˈtɪv.ə.t̬i.riː.dɚ/
someone who reads a book not yet published in order to check the content for anything that may offend certain groups of people

It’s not clear that authors are equally free to ignore the censoriousness of “sensitivity readers”, to whom some American editors are currently sending unpublished work for review.
[The Observer, 19 February 2017]

breath coach noun [C]
UK /ˈbreθˌkəʊtʃ/ US /ˈbreθˌkoʊtʃ/
someone who you pay to give you advice about how to breathe correctly

I am lying on the floor with one hand on my belly, which I am trying to inflate like a balloon as I breathe in. I inhale through my mouth, try to send the air right down to my abdomen, exhale, then repeat. “Now connect each breath, like a wave,” instructs … my breath coach.
[The Times, 4 February 2017]

wine detective noun [C]
/ˈwaɪn.dɪˌtek.tɪv/
someone whose job is to prove that wine is counterfeit

While Mr Moulin’s official job title is “fine wine and authentication manager”, he is in fact BBR’s head wine detective, tasked with preventing any counterfeit bottles entering the facility.
[BBC News, 30 March 2017]

About new words

neo-generalist noun [C]
UK /niː.əʊˈdʒen.ᵊr.ᵊl.ɪst/ US /niː.oʊˈdʒen.ᵊr.ᵊl.ɪst/
an employee who has both general and specialist skills

First know that neo-generalists have always been here. We just have failed to recognize them. In a society that focuses on one skill or talent, all too often we miss those who criss-cross varying degrees of skills and talents in multiple realms.
[www.medium.com, 7 February 2017]

returnship noun [C]
UK /rɪˈtɜːn.ʃɪp/ US /rɪˈtɝːn.ʃɪp/
a period of time during which someone works for a company or organization in order to get experience of returning to employment after taking time off

And her placement wasn’t a graduate traineeship but a “returnship”: a paid position aimed at bringing women like her – who were once senior in the workplace but have taken significant breaks to raise children or care for elderly relatives – back into employment.
[Telegraph, 23 January 2017]

supertasker noun [C]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.tɑːs.kəʳ/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.tæs.kɚ/
someone who is very good at doing more than one thing at the same time

Supertaskers can juggle multiple tasks because their brains are wired for more efficiency. It would be a mistake to think that more brain activity always means better. The more they had to do, the more efficient they became.
[www.bbc.com/future, 13 February 2017]

About new words

roamer noun [C]
UK /ˈrəʊm.əʳ/ US /ˈroʊm.ɚ/
someone who moves from one country to another to live and work

A new breed of traveller is, today, heading abroad to find better careers, more intellectual stimulation or simply more adventure … they’re happy to move from country to country in pursuit of personal or professional goals. Let us introduce you to the roamers.
[easyJet Traveller, February 2017]

champing noun [U]
/ˈtʃæm.pɪŋ/
a type of camping that involves sleeping in a church that is not being used. The word is a mixture of ‘church’ and ‘camping’.

Whereas glamping once reigned supreme, champing is now the latest craze.
[Daily Mail, 7 January 2017]

sight-doing noun [U]
/ˈsaɪt.duː.ɪŋ/
doing activities when on holiday, especially those that involve taking part in local culture

Now sight-doing (cultural immersion through local experiences) is a higher priority than sight-seeing (typically, group tours of historical landmarks), and travel companies are on the case to reflect that.
[Elle, January 2017]

About new words

Chief Happiness Officer noun [C]
UK /tʃiːf.ˈhæp.i.nəsˌɒf.ɪ.səʳ/ US /tʃiːfˈhæp.i.nəsˌɑː.fɪ.sɚ/
someone whose job is to ensure that employees of a particular company are happy and fulfilled

Chief Happiness Officer is perhaps the most controversial job title in business. To some, it’s a sign that employee engagement is finally being taken seriously. To others, it signals an unwelcome move towards employers tinkering with our emotions at work.
[www.engageforsuccess.org, 13.10.2016]

funsultant noun [C]
/fʌnˈsʌl.tᵊnt/
someone who advises employees on how to make the company a more fun place to work

In The Wellness Syndrome … we took a look at the increasing fascination with happiness at work. We found a growing industry of “funsultants” offering advice on how to make workforces more positive.
[The Guardian, 12.12.2016]

vibe manager noun [C]
UK /ˈvaɪb.mæn.ɪ.dʒəʳ/ US /ˈvaɪb.mæn.ɪ.dʒɚ/
someone whose job is to create a good atmosphere in the workplace

Kerry Robinson has worked extensively in the start-up world – at Airbnb, Crowdsurfing, Soundcloud and Headspace – as a self-styled ‘vibe manager’. That means she uses any tool she can – from food and yoga to parties and funky settings – to maintain a positive mindset inside the organisation and make sure people are enjoying their time at work.
[www.worktechacademy.com, 16.09.2016]

About new words

heartfulness noun [U]
UK /ˈhɑːt.fᵊl.nəs/ US /ˈhɑːrt.fᵊl.nəs/
a type of meditation that involves being aware of your heart, thought to create a feeling of calm

Heartfulness is a simple and effective way to integrate meditation into our daily life. The heartfulness technique shows us to gently turn our attention towards our heart and experience that inner presence for ourselves.
[www.active.com, 03.01.2017]

gratitude journal noun [C]
UK /ˈgræt.ɪ.tʃuːdˌdʒɜː.nᵊl/ US /ˈgræt̬.ə.tuːdˌdʒɝː.nᵊl/
a written record of good things that have happened each day

This isn’t an ordinary diary, but my gratitude journal. I don’t record the seasons or churn through my feelings for profound conclusions. Each night, just before bed, I simply write a list of the three most wonderful things that have happened in the last 24 hours.
[Sunday Telegraph, 21.01.2017]

Buddha diet noun [U]
UK /ˈbʊd.əˌdaɪ.ət/ US /ˈbʊd.əˌdaɪ.ət/
a type of eating plan in which someone eats only during a nine-hour period each day and not at any other time, in order to lose body weight

A new concept from California based on ancient principles in which monks confined eating to a nine-hour window, the Buddha diet is supposed to help you get back in tune with your natural hunger cycle, rather than succumb to constant snacking.
[Metro, 19.01.2017]

About new words

Ikea effect noun [U]
UK /aɪ.ˈkiːə.ɪˌfekt/ US /aɪ.ˈkiːə.əˌfekt/
the tendency to like something more if you have built or created it yourself

There’s a phenomenon in psychology known as the “Ikea effect”. Putting together Ikea furniture makes people like it more, and what holds true for … Swedish furniture can also be applied to our lives more broadly. When we devote ourselves to difficult but worthwhile tasks, our lives feel more significant.
[Red magazine, February 2017]

catio noun [C]
UK /ˈkæt.i.əʊ/ US /ˈkæt̬.i.əʊ/
an enclosed area outside a house for pet cats

What, cynics may ask, distinguishes a “catio” from a “screened-in porch”? They clearly haven’t seen the catwalks that wind around Dan Reeder’s Seattle house and yard … with, as he wrote on his blog, “everything a cat could want in that place, including a catnip plant.”
[Washington Post, 31.08.2016]

twodio noun [C]
UK /ˈtjuː.di.əʊ/ US /ˈtuː.di.oʊ/
a small apartment with one large room for sleeping and living in, a bathroom, and a kitchen that is shared with another apartment

You will have heard of studio apartments, but you might not have heard of the twodios. The contemporary-looking accommodation is set up like part flat, part university halls … the residents get a private room and en-suite bathroom, no bills and a cleaner. The kitchen is shared between two.
[Metro, 02.05.2016]

About new words

woonerf noun [C]
UK /ˈvəʊn.ɜːf/ US /ˈvoʊn.ɝːf/
a road in which drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and local residents share the same space, and where measures designed to slow traffic have been implemented

Woonerf originated in Holland as a term to describe areas where walking, cycling, playing, and socializing occurred between houses and traffic oriented streets. Woonerfs have since been adapted to more commercialized settings in North America.
[www.urbansystems.ca, 11 January 2017]

pork-chop island noun [C] UK /ˌpɔːk.tʃɒp ‘aɪ.lənd/ US /ˌpɔːrk.tʃɑːp ‘aɪ.lənd/
a triangle-shaped area at an intersection between two roads

The idea behind the design is to allow pedestrians to use the north-, south-, and east-leg crosswalks without interrupting traffic making a westbound right turn. Once pedestrians reach the pork-chop island, they will be able to press a light signal that will make incoming traffic stop for a set amount of time.
[www.independent.com, 15 July 2016]

iceberg basement noun [C] UK /ˈaɪs.bɜːg ˌbeɪs.mənt/ US /ˈaɪs.bɝːg ˌbeɪs.mənt/
a part of a building consisting of several storeys built below ground level

Claridge’s, the luxury hotel, has submitted plans for a five-storey iceberg basement including a swimming pool, gym and wine store. 
[The Telegraph, 07 September 2016]

About new words

knafeh noun [U] /næ.ˈfiː/
a dish, originally from the Middle East, consisting of layers of pastry and soft cheese, soaked in sugar syrup

London is going crazy for knafeh – a Middle Eastern sweet treat with layers of cheesy pastry soaked in sugar syrup. Try it sprinkled with pistachios at The Barbary or at Arabica Bar and Kitchen.
[Sainsbury’s Magazine, January 2017]

raindrop cake noun [C] UK /ˈreɪn.drɒp ˌkeɪk/ US /ˈreɪn.drɑːp ˌkeɪk/
a translucent Japanese dessert made from mineral water and a type of gelatine

It’s translucent, delicate and fresh-tasting. Meet the raindrop cake, a calorie-free, mineral water-based gastronomic oddity that our friends on the other side of the Atlantic can’t get enough of.
[www.en.vogue.fr, 20.04.2016]

seitan noun [U] /ˈseɪ.tæn/
a substance made of wheat that is used in cooking instead of meat

Also referred to as ‘wheat meat’ or ‘gluten meat’, seitan is high in protein and has a look and texture similar to meat when cooked. This means it makes a better ‘mock meat’ than soybean based alternatives like tofu, and you’ll find it in restaurants as a veggie version of chicken wings.
[www.bbc.goodfood.com, December 2016]

About new words

beditate verb [I] /ˈbed.ɪ.teɪt/
to meditate in bed

Beditating on waking allows the fight-or-flight response to calm down, thus widening the perceptual field. It’s a kind of turbo rest, and one that you’re not going to get by reaching for your phone, drinking coffee or alcohol, watching television, or even reading.
[The Sunday Times, 08 January 2017]

heli-yoga noun [U] UK /ˈhel.ɪ.jəʊ.gə/ US ˈhel.ə.joʊ.gə
the activity of taking a helicopter to an isolated outdoor location and doing a yoga session there

Sin City is the jumping-off point for heli-yoga, the zen practise [sic] of taking a helicopter flight to an Insta-worthy location, to unfurl your yoga mat and knock out a few sun salutations.
[Telegraph, 26 November 2016]

lagom noun [U] UK /lɑ:ˈgɒm/ US /lɑ:ˈgɑ:m/
a Swedish word meaning ‘just enough’, especially when relating to one’s lifestyle

There’s a new Scandi buzzword in town and its name is lagom – living in moderation, sustainably and heeding the importance of ‘just enough’ … While we’re not ready to give up our hygge-tastic faux fur throw just yet we also like the sound of some lagom-style equilibrium in our lives.
[Metro, 12 January 2017]

About new words

cruffin noun [C] /ˈkrʌf.ɪn/
a kind of small cake that is shaped like a muffin but made of pastry layers like a croissant

The cruffin is a droolworthy hybrid rolled in sugar and filled with everything from coffee crème to passion-fruit curd.
[www.popsugar.com 14 October 2016]

piecaken noun [C/U] /paɪ.’keɪk.ən/
a pie baked inside a cake

When you just can’t choose between serving a pie or cake, satisfy your cravings for both with a piecaken! Whip up your favorite cake batter and throw in a pre-baked pie, and you’ll feel like a confectionery wizard in no time. 
[www.foodnetwork.ca 15 September 2016]

poke noun [U] UK /pəʊ.’keɪ/ US /poʊ.’keɪ/
a salad made with raw fish

If you live in any major U.S. city, you’ve probably caught wind of the nation’s new favorite food — the poke bowl. While it may seem like a new trend, this simple and addictive Hawaiian dish has been around for centuries.
[www.huffingtonpost.com 25 May 2016]

About new words