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by Liz Walter
This week’s post looks at the topic of circular movements. It is quite surprising how many verbs we have to describe different ways of turning round and round or moving things in a circular motion. Continue reading “Twisting, rotating, and spinning: verbs for circular movements”
dexting noun [U]
/ˈdekst.ɪŋ/
exchanging many text messages with someone you have met on a dating app without ever meeting them in person
If you’ve ever found yourself in a back and forth texting marathon with a potential partner only to wind up with no actual in-person date to show for your time, you’ve probably been a victim of dexting. A combination of “dating” and “texting”, dexting is when people form strong bonds over text after meeting on a dating app but never actually arrange a real date.
[glamourmagazine.co.uk, 7 September 2023]
quiet dumping noun [U]
/ˌkwaɪ.ət ˈdʌm.pɪŋ/
gradually ending a romantic relationship with someone by never making more than the minimum amount of effort needed
Have you ever felt like someone’s pulling away from you? Maybe they’re avoiding a conversation, being aloof and non-commital when it comes to making plans? You could be experiencing quiet dumping. Unlike an explosive outburst and a tearing apart, quiet dumping is a slower and, well, a more quiet separation that usually leaves the dumpee feeling confused and understandably quite hurt.
[huffingtonpost.co.uk, 13 October 2023]
delusionship noun [C]
/dɪˈluː.ʒᵊn.ʃɪp/
a situation where a person imagines their romantic relationship with someone to be much more serious and committed than it is
You match with an attractive person on a dating app and exchange a few messages. Then, without warning, a dizzying daydream pops in your head. Walks on the beach together, picnic lunches, moonlit city strolls, all leading up to a whimsical wedding fantasy. Too bad none of that is real. You might, in fact, be in a “delusionship.”
[usatoday.com, 24 May 2023]
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This week, we’re looking at alternatives to the word advice, including single word near-synonyms and phrases. We’ll start by considering the noun ‘advice’ itself because it has some nice collocations. You give advice and you get advice. If you do what someone advises you to do, you take or follow their advice: Continue reading “Hints, hacks and pointers (Words meaning ‘advice’)”
grand-mate noun [C]
/ˈgrænd.meɪt/
a grandparent who shares a home with a grandchild, or a grandchild who shares a home with a grandparent
This new “grand-mates” trend is bringing about some truly heartwarming intergenerational bonding. The New York Times profiled a number of families who are “grand-mates,” and not one of them had complaints about it. The worst thing they could say was that sometimes the grandchildren weren’t as tidy as their grandparents would like. But there’s an easy solution: One grandma said, “I just keep the door to [my granddaughter’s] room closed.”
[aleteia.org, 10 November 2022]
blue zone thinking noun [U]
UK /ˌbluː zəʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/ US /ˌbluː zoʊn ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ/
a way of treating old people that sees them as an important part of society and encourages them to remain healthy and active
The best retirement home I’ve seen wasn’t a retirement home at all — it was an integrated living block in Austria, in which people of all ages lived together, with medical and care centres located on the ground floor, next to the children’s nursery. Homes could be adapted as your needs changed, there were restaurants, shops and clubs for all. This tallies with “blue zone thinking”, in which older people are integrated into society rather than put out to pasture.
[thetimes.co.uk, 24 September 2023]
zombie cell noun [C]
UK /ˈzɒm.bi ˌsel/ US /ˈzɑːm.bi ˌsel/
a cell that is damaged and can no longer multiply but remains in the body and can cause age-related disease
Scientists are working on drugs that kill “zombie cells” to help you live to 200. Zombie cells are a terror-inducing nickname for senescent cells, damaged cells that refuse to die. These damaged cells pile up as we age and lead to inflammation and altered stem cell function.
[honehealth.com, 29 June 2023]
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by Liz Walter
Sustainability is one of the most important goals of our time. With environmentalists meeting in Dubai for the COP28 conference, this post looks at some general vocabulary for speaking about this topic. Continue reading “Innovation and social justice: talking about sustainability”
Brotox noun [U]
UK /ˈbrəʊ.tɒks/ US /ˈbroʊ.tɑːks/
a humorous word for Botox when the procedure is given to a man
The rise of so-called Brotox is being reported in the UK, where the male grooming industry is worth an estimated £500 million a year. Celebrities aren’t immune from this trend. Plastic surgeons say that more and more male stars appeared to be “jumping on the Brotox bandwagon”.
[theweek.com, 12 August 2023]
perception drift noun [U]
UK /pəˈsep.ʃᵊn ˌdrɪft/ US /pɚˈsep.ʃᵊn ˌdrɪft/
someone’s inability to remember how their natural face looks after they have had a number of cosmetic procedures such as Botox
The term perception drift was first coined by a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. It happens when people get a series of procedures or tweakments and forget how they originally/naturally looked prior to aesthetic changes. Perception drift is when a person’s perception of change following an aesthetic treatment is skewed or inaccurate. In most cases, other people notice these changes, but not the ones who underwent the procedure.
[cutislaserclinics.com, 28 April 2023]
prejuvenation noun [U]
/priːˌdʒuː.vᵊnˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/
the act or process of using cosmetic procedures on someone who is still young to prevent them from looking older later
In the world of aesthetics, a new trend has turned into a lifestyle: prejuvenation. Younger patients are more interested in skincare and aesthetics than ever, suggesting that aesthetic enhancements shouldn’t be limited to corrective procedures. Prejuvenation refers to seeking preventative aesthetic procedures that postpone visible signs of aging instead of correcting problems after they occur.
[novaplasticsurgery.com, 27 June 2023]
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It’s been a while since we published a phrasal verb post on this blog, so we’re making amends with this round-up of phrasal verbs relating to a subject that most of us are interested in – eating. Continue reading “Tucking in and pigging out (Eating phrasal verbs)”
V2H noun [U]
/ˌviː.tuːˈeɪtʃ/
abbreviation for vehicle-to-home: a system that allows electric vehicles to transfer the energy stored in their batteries back into the electrical system of a home
The idea is that electric vehicles, when not in use, often have surplus energy stored in their batteries. Rather than letting this energy go to waste, V2H systems enable the vehicle’s stored energy to be fed back into the home’s power grid, powering household appliances and systems. With V2H, EV owners can potentially save on their electricity bills and make more efficient use of their renewable energy resources, while also providing a backup power source for their homes.
[electriccarguide.co.uk, 19 October 2023]
bidirectional charging noun [U]
UK /ˌbaɪ.daɪˈrek.ʃᵊn.ᵊl ˈtʃɑː.dʒɪŋ/ US /ˌbaɪ.dɪˈrek.ʃᵊn.ᵊl ˈtʃɑːr.dʒɪŋ/
a system that allows the electricity put into the battery of an electric vehicle to be transferred out of the vehicle and used to provide electrical power for something else
One of the most talked about features in the EV world works only when your car is parked: Bidirectional charging allows owners to turn their vehicles into four-wheeled batteries, sending power back to their homes, appliances and even to the utility grid. Currently, bidirectional charging is available in only a handful of cars. But its popularity is growing: GM announced that the technology will come standard in all its electric vehicles by model year 2026.
[cnet.com, 4 September 2023]
charge rage noun [U]
UK /ˈtʃɑːdʒ ˌreɪdʒ/ US /ˈtʃɑːrdʒ ˌreɪdʒ/
anger or violence between a driver who is charging their electric vehicle and other drivers who are waiting in a queue to do so
Electric vehicle owners furiously arguing with each other over charging points because there aren’t enough of them available are having to get up in the dead of night to power up their motors. Such is the “charge rage” that marshals are being brought in to police frustrated drivers at motorway service stations.
[dailymail.co.uk, 3 October 2023]
See also road rage
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
We all make judgments every day about what to believe and what not to believe, so it’s not surprising that there are several nice phrases to express this process.
If you have something on good authority, you have been given information about it by someone you trust:
I have it on good authority that she’s considering selling the property. Continue reading “I feel it in my bones: phrases connected with believing or disbelieving”
conversational commerce noun [U]
UK /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃən.əl ˈkɒm.ɜːs/ US /ˌkɑːn.vɚˈseɪ.ʃən.əl ˈkɑː.mɝːs/
the use of chatbots and other machine learning technology to make people feel they are talking to a real person when they buy things, ask for advice etc. online
With conversational commerce, customers can get quick answers to important questions, easily purchase items without having to navigate through entire websites, and receive helpful suggestions based on their previously collected customer data, including personalized product recommendations.
[bloomreach.com, 24 August 2023]
immaculate disinflation noun [U]
/ɪˌmæk.jə.lət dɪs.ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
the situation where inflation falls but this does not lead to a rise in unemployment, which would usually be expected
Economists added yet another term to their lexicon in recent months: immaculate disinflation. While there’s no official definition of immaculate disinflation, the phrase is being used to describe a scenario where inflation cools without causing a spike in unemployment … President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Jared Bernstein, expressed skepticism about the term. “I wouldn’t call this disinflation immaculate,” he said.
[edition.cnn.com, 6 September 2023]
hyperphysical retail noun [U]
UK /haɪ.pəˌfɪz.ɪ.kᵊl ˈriː.teɪl/ US /haɪ.pɚˌfɪz.ɪ.kᵊl ˈriː.teɪl/
the activity of making a shop more visually appealing and creating interesting experiences for the people who go there
With consumers’ growing appetite for engaging shopping experiences, brick-and-mortar stores now have to find more imaginative ways to compete. That’s why some brands are reinventing their retail spaces to make them so spectacular that visiting them is an emotional experience. Adding sensory and emotional attractions to a shop is a new trend called “hyperphysical retail”.
[medium.com, 29 September 2023]