cash stuffing noun [C]
/ˈkæʃ ˌstʌf.ɪŋ/
the practice of saving cash in a different envelope for each type of bill or purchase

Inspired by Tik Tok influencers, one money trend that seems new, but is actually a throwback to simpler times, is “cash stuffing.” It’s pretty much what it sounds like: dividing up your income into physical envelopes marked for different expense categories and stuffing them with money. “Cash stuffing is a financial strategy that involves saving cash instead of investing it in order to best inflation,” says Harry Turner from an investing and trading education website.
[gobankingrates.com, 16 May 2022]

hypermiling noun [U]
UK /ˈhaɪ.pəˌmaɪ.lɪŋ/ US /ˈhaɪ.pɚˌmaɪ.lɪŋ/
a way of driving that uses various techniques to minimise the amount of fuel used

Some motoring experts have highlighted hypermiling as being one of the key resources in helping to combat the sharp rise in fuel costs. In some instances, using simple hypermiling techniques can help cut petrol and diesel usage by up to 40 percent.
[dailypost.co.uk, 8 June 2022]

frugaller noun [C]
UK /ˈfruː.gəl.əʳ/ US /ˈfruː.gəl.ɚ/
someone who tries very hard to avoid wasting food or other resources and spends as little money as possible

She stores carrots in water so they don’t go bendy, and she puts kitchen roll in the salad bag to stop leaves drooping. She also plans meals, so never buys something she already has. Some extreme frugallers take this one step further by keeping inventory lists. This means they can be confident they have supplies to fall back on if an unexpected bill comes in.
[theguardian.com, 4 June 2022]

About new words

urban mining noun [U]
UK /ˌɜː.bən ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/ US /ˌɝː.bən ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/
removing and recycling metal parts from objects such as batteries and electronic devices that have been thrown away

As well as requiring good collection and recycling systems, urban mining relies upon people handing over products they no longer use. British charity WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) recently estimated that as many as 125 million mobile phones are being hoarded in people’s drawers and cupboards in the UK alone.
[opendemocracy.net, 15 March 2022]

solar skin noun [C]
UK /ˌsəʊ.lə ˈskɪn/ US /ˌsoʊ.lɚ ˈskɪn/
a number of very thin solar panels that completely cover the outside of a building

In West Melbourne, Australia, an eight-story building will be the country’s first office tower with a “solar skin,” marking a watershed moment for the construction industry. The $40-million office tower will be outfitted with 1,182 solar panels the thickness of a regular glass facade. And when complete, the array will provide enough power to meet practically all of the building’s energy needs, with almost no ongoing power costs.
[interestingengineering.com, 6 June 2022]

peecycling noun [U]
/ˌpiːˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/
using human urine as a fertilizer for plants

Peecycling—aka recycling human urine—gives “liquid gold” an entirely new meaning. But while the concept is making waves today, it’s nothing new. Urine has been used as fertilizer since 1867. Before making its way to the United States, it was considered a sustainable farming practice around the world in Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
[brightly.eco, 21 June 2022]

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ripflation noun [U]
/rɪpˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
the situation when companies use inflation as an excuse to increase their prices more than necessary in a way that rips off (= cheats) their customers

Ripflation, my coined term meaning ripoff inflation, is when the economic and supply chain conditions have significantly improved but various players in the supply chain keep prices elevated beyond necessity … In other words, ripflation uses inflation as its convenient cover story. Why are corporate profits objectively soaring in 2022 yet consumers are being hit so hard? Could it be ripflation? Could it be their stinginess and unwillingness to give back to a public that has been traumatized for 3 years?
[medium.datadriveninvestor.com, 31 March 2022]

skimpflation noun [U]
/skɪmpˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
the situation when the price of a product or service stays the same but the quality becomes worse

“Skimpflation is when consumers are getting less for their money,” says Alan Cole … formerly a senior economist at the joint economic committee of the US Congress. “Unlike typical inflation, where they’re paying more for the same goods, skimpflation is when they’re paying the same for something that worsened in quality.”
[theguardian.com, 28 June 2022]

greedflation noun [U]
/griːdˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
the situation when companies use inflation as an excuse to increase their prices more than necessary in order to make as much money as they can

This isn’t inflation. It’s greedflation. This sudden, heart-stopping rise in prices is in large part an effect of corporations jacking up prices. Why? Because they can. They used the pandemic as an excuse to raise prices disproportionately.
[eand.co, 22 April 2022]

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unretirement noun [U, C]
UK /ʌn.rɪˈtaɪə.mənt/ US /ʌn.rɪˈtaɪr.mənt/
the act of going back to work after you have retired

Amid a hot labor market and high inflation, retired workers are returning to work at a rising rate. ‘Unretirements’ are on the rise as workers who previously said they were retired are now taking jobs again. As of March 2022, 3.2% of workers who were retired a year earlier are now employed.
[hiringlab.org, 14 April 2022]

youth transplant noun [C]
UK /ˈjuːθ ˌtræns.plɑːnt / US /ˈjuːθ ˌtræns.plænt/
a way of making people age more slowly by injecting them with chemicals that are the same as those found in the bodies of young people

Science is beginning to discover that “youth transplants” really can slow down the ageing process. The fountain of youth, it seems, is youth itself. Although nobody is suggesting we siphon the bodily fluids of youngsters into our elderly, it opens the door to artificially replicating the cocktail of chemicals found in young people. Young people have more powerful cells which operate more efficiently and could restore vitality to ageing systems.
[telegraph.co.uk, 14 May 2022]

baby bust noun [C]
/ˈbeɪ.bi ˌbʌst/
a large decrease in the number of babies born among a particular group of people during a particular time

A drop in births for just a year would not be a major problem on its own, but this likely baby bust will come after many years of falling birthrates. U.S. annual births fell to 3.75 million in 2019 from 4.3 million in 2007. Together with the Covid baby bust, these trends suggest that our country could see a multiyear reduction in births that approaches — in reverse — the swell in births that led to the baby boom generation born after World War II.
[nytimes.com, 4 March 2021]

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gratification travel noun [U]
UK /ˌgræt.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn ˌtræv.ᵊl/ US /ˌgræt̬.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən ˌtræv.ᵊl/
going on long, expensive holidays, usually to faraway destinations

Identifying the latest trend is Original Travel, which is predicting that ‘gratification travel’ will be the next big thing. The tour operator, which specialises in tailormade tours, reports that it is booking longer, more expensive and more decadent holidays than pre-pandemic, with nearly a quarter (23%) of current bookings being for trips of 15+ days.
[forbes.com, 23 April 2022]

edu-vacation noun [C]
UK /ˌedʒ.ʊ.vəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ US /ˌedʒ.ə.veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
a holiday that includes some educational activities, such as classes, cultural tours etc.

Everyone could benefit from an edu-vacation! Although many edu-vacations are geared toward children—in an attempt to create learning opportunities in new environments, as well as to provide parents with a child-free break—educational retreats exist for adults, too.
[veranda.com, 30 March 2022]

hometel noun [C]
UK /həʊmˈtel/ US /hoʊmˈtel/
a hotel that is designed to make guests feel as though they are living in a comfortable home

The hometel concept combines the freedoms you’d have at home with an Airbnb meets hotel experience, with all the services you’d anticipate when staying away … Lamington Group’s UK-based hometels offer a unique proposition that accommodates a variety of needs while providing its guests with the feeling of living there as opposed to staying for a night.
[theceomagazine.com, 16 December 2021]

About new words

ghost colleague noun [C]
UK /ˈgəʊst ˌkɒl.iːg/ US /ˈgoʊst ˌkɑː.liːg/
an employee of a company who works alone, often at home, and is not in frequent contact with other people who work for the same company

Two years of remote working have taken their toll on work relationships and company culture, giving rise to ‘ghost colleagues’. These are employees who, because they don’t directly work with many others, end up being ‘forgotten’. They tend to feel isolated from others and from the overall direction of the company.
[fluxtrends.com, 5 April 2022]

new collar worker noun [C]
UK /ˌnjuː kɒl.ə ˈwɜːk.əʳ/ US /ˌnuː kɑː.lɚ ˈwɝːk.ɚ/
A new collar worker does a well-paid and challenging job that does not need a university degree.

You know what white-collar and blue-collar jobs are, but what if you never went to college, and still scored an intellectually stimulating and challenging job that paid over $100,000 a year? Well, then, you’d be a “new collar” worker. Companies that want some sort of edge are specifically targeting new collar workers these days. Many firms are forging relationships with colleges and high schools to train new collar workers so that immediately upon graduation, they’re ready to start working.
[theladders.com, 5 October 2021]

office housework noun [U]
UK /ˌɒf.ɪs ˈhaʊs.wɜːk/ US /ˌɑː.fɪs ˈhaʊs.wɝːk/
small tasks someone does at work that are related to the smooth running of the company rather than being part of the job they are paid to do

Over years of research they found that across the public and private sectors, and a wide range of roles, female employees were shouldering the burden of “office housework” and low-value assignments, causing them to miss out on promotions and pay increases.
[theguardian.com, 9 May 2022]

About new words

kniffiti noun [U]
UK /nəˈfiː.ti/ US /nəˈfiː.t̬i/
knitted or sometimes crocheted items that are left in public places as decoration

A new generation of guerrilla knitters are sweeping Britain, “yarnbombing” lampposts, postboxes and fences. Those in Generation Z, roughly aged 15 to 24, are getting behind the trend, which is also known as kniffiti, where a person crochets or knits something and attaches it to public property. Young Britons are “doing kniffiti in a big way”, according to Emma Leith, who runs knitting classes across the UK.
[thetimes.co.uk, 16 April 2022]

coastal grandmother noun [U]
UK /ˌkəʊ.stᵊl ˈgræn.mʌð.əʳ/ US /ˌkoʊ.stᵊl ˈgræn.mʌð.ɚ/
a way of dressing that is inspired by the typical simple, elegant style of rich, older women who live by the sea on the east coast of the United States

Think Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated, or practically every scene in Grace and Frankie. These women have aspirational lives filled with farmers markets, glasses of white wine on the veranda, relaxing walks along the beach with the wind flowing through your linen shirt. This very specific look and feel has a name. The ‘coastal grandmother’.
[metro.co.uk, 4 April 2022]

hural noun [C]
UK /ˈhjʊə.rəl/ US /ˈhjʊr.ᵊl/
wallpaper on one wall of a room that features one large photo or picture

Forget Gwyneth’s 3D wallpaper, the bespoke mural is the ultimate in living room one-upmanship. Popularity of the home mural, aka the hural, has surged, with searches for “wall mural wallpapers” increasing by 132 per cent and “living room murals” by 48 per cent, according to Homes & Gardens magazine.
[Sunday Times, 1 May 2022]

About new words

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]

About new words

flu hunter noun [C]
UK /ˈfluː ˌhʌn.təʳ/ US /ˈfluː ˌhʌn.t̬ɚ/
a scientist who looks for new strains of flu so that an effective vaccine can be developed

Last month, a small group of international scientists met to decide an issue critical to the health of millions of people all over the planet. For once, it wasn’t about coronavirus, although these experts know a lot about that, too … It’s an adversary potentially as much of a threat as Covid. These scientists are the flu hunters – heads of a handful of international institutions who track this old foe as it evolves and disperses in its own fight for survival.
[theguardian.com, 19 March 2022]

treat brain noun [U]
/ˈtriːt ˌbreɪn/
a state of mind where someone constantly wants to buy things because doing so makes them feel good

“Treat brain” is a very real phenomenon … Providing our frazzled minds with distractions was another factor involved in the rise of treat brain. The hit of dopamine from buying something new helped divert our attentions from surging death tolls and shoddy government decisions.
[stylist.co.uk, 10 March 2022]

posture pandemic noun [C]
UK /ˌpɒs.tʃə pænˈdem.ɪk/ US /ˌpɒs.tʃər pænˈdem.ɪk/
the situation where a very large number of people have pain in the shoulders or back, thought to be caused by working at a computer or bending down to look at the screen of a phone or tablet

Dr Craig Mclean … has seen a rapid increase in clients seeking help for postural issues since the move to working from home was first announced. However, Mclean says that phones are actually the biggest culprit of upper body pain. Indeed, the problem is so pronounced that McClean predicts a “posture pandemic” among the younger generation. Figures from the BCA reveal that 68 per cent of chiropractors have seen an increase in children with issues linked to screen time in the last five years.
[telegraph.co.uk, 15 September 2020]

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