New words – 16 June 2014

On June 16, 2014June 10, 2014 By Cambridge WordsIn New words2 Comments

NekNominate noun an internet craze in which someone films themselves ‘necking’ a large quantity of alcohol in a dangerous setting and posts it online. At the end of the video they nominate a friend to perform their own ‘necking’ stunt.

The aim of the game, dubbed Neknomination, is to complete a drinking dare and then nominate someone to do the same by posting a video of it on the internet.

[http://news.stv.tv 03 February 2014]

Hundreds of people are now dying each year because of accidental alcohol poisoning and experts have warned that the lethal internet drinking craze NekNominate will make it worse

[www.telegraph.co.uk 19 February 2014]

About new words

DM verb informal to send someone a direct message via Twitter

He DMs him all the time.

[Radio 1 27 February 2014]

friendvertising noun the use of social media website ‘friends’ to disseminate video adverts for products. Some videos have an apparently good message that people want to share and others are heart-warming or funny, but all are covert brand endorsements.

Is your friend an unpaid branding enthusiast? ‘Friendvertising’ is the latest trick by marketers who want you to sell their brand

[www.theguardian.com 13 January 2013]

Brazilian words in English

On June 11, 2014June 10, 2014 By Liz WalterIn the English language14 Comments

by Liz Walter

With the football World Cup in Brazil about to kick off, this blog looks at Portuguese, the language of Brazil, and its influence on English.

The Portuguese loanwords we have in English tend to be for fairly rare items. Probably because the Portuguese were such great explorers, they include several names of living creatures, for example piranha, cobra, flamingo, macaw and plants such as jacaranda (a tropical tree with large, blue flowers) and manioc (a plant grown for its edible roots).

Other English words of Portuguese origin include albino (a person with white skin and hair and pink eyes), sargasso (a large mass of floating plants in the sea), molasses (a dark syrup) and tapioca (a grain used to make a milk dessert remembered with horror by most British people over the age of fifty). Another surprising addition to this list is the word fetish, which originally came from a Portuguese word meaning ‘false’.

Interestingly, there is also a small group of words which have come into English as a result of Portuguese influence in India. Examples are amah (a female servant), ayah (a children’s nursemaid) and mandarin (now used mainly as a critical term for a government official). Continue reading “Brazilian words in English” →

New words – 9 June 2014

On June 9, 2014June 5, 2014 By Cambridge WordsIn the English language4 Comments

vanity height noun extra height added on to a skyscraper merely to look impressive, having no useful purpose

Let’s take a look at a few of the skyscrapers that have the highest vanity heights.

[http://wonderfulengineering.com 31 October 2013]

swacket noun a sweater-like jacket

‘I put on a swacket.’ ‘A swacket. What’s a swacket?’ ‘It’s a sweater jacket.’ ‘Oh wow. Is that what all the kids are doing now?’ ‘Yes. That is how I was told to dress, yes. I am wise, I listen to my girlfriend.’

[Colbert Report (US comedy and satire) 15 November 2013]

Tabata noun a form of exercise which alternates short periods of high-intensity exercise with short rests

Get fit with only 4 minutes of exercise four times a week. Yes please! Tabata is comprised of [sic] an aerobic and anaerobic workout, meaning it will give you both a cardio and a muscle workout.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 02 December 2013]

Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words

On June 4, 2014June 3, 2014 By Dom GlennonIn the English language12 Comments

by Dom Glennon

In previous posts, we’ve looked at some of the more common words and expressions used in football (as well as the 100 words that Fabio Capello needed), but with the World Cup imminent, we thought it would be interesting to focus on some of the more colourful phrases that have entered our football vocabulary.

A small number of players and other figures involved in the sport have become immortalized in the English language, although it is not always the best or most memorable players. The Cruyff turn may be named after one of the trademark moves of one of the best footballers to have ever played, but a far less famous player has arguably had more of an impact on the game: the Bosman ruling, allowing players to move freely to another club when their contract has expired, is named after Jean-Marc Bosman, the Belgian lower-league player who has enjoyed little of the power and wealth that his breakthrough gave to modern players. Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, has no move named after him, while the only linguistic legacy of a rival for that title, Maradona, is the infamous Hand of God. Antonin Panenka, a talented Czech player but hardly one of the all-time greats, has however been immortalised thanks to a delicately chipped penalty kick that won the 1976 European Championship, forever after simply to be referred to as the Panenka penalty. Continue reading “Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words” →

New words – 2 June 2014

On June 2, 2014June 5, 2014 By Cambridge WordsIn New words3 Comments

shop and frisk idiom an occasion when a shopper who just make a high-cost purchase is stopped and questioned by a police officer

That discomfort and the fear of what has been called ‘stop and frisk’ sometimes keeps [fashion writer Clair] Somers at home, where she says she can always shop online.

[NPR: All Things Considered (US news and public affairs) 30 October 2013]

Jay Z, Barney’s, and the Shop-and-Frisk Problem

[New Yorker Blog: Currency (US business news, headline) 16 December 2013]

social supermarket noun a supermarket intended for people living in poverty where cut-price food is sold. The food is cheap because it has damaged packaging or incorrect labelling.

Britain’s first ‘social supermarket’ opens its doors on Monday, offering shoppers on the verge of food poverty the chance to buy food and drink for up to 70 percent less than normal high-street prices

[www.theguardian.com 09 December 2013]

olinguito noun a newly discovered mammal dwelling in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It is in the same family as the raccoon.

The newfound baby olinguito, discovered by members of the conservation group SavingSpecies, is about the size of a kitten, so small that it can be grasped in one hand.

[http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com 29 December 2013]

Less or fewer?

On May 28, 2014June 30, 2014 By Liz WalterIn Grammar, the English language13 Comments

by Liz Walter

Should you say ‘less apples’ or fewer apples’? This is an issue which seems to cause as many problems for people who have English as their first language as it does for learners.

This is probably because most learners will be aware of the difference between countable nouns (such as apple, dog, and child) and uncountable or mass nouns (such as rice, milk, and time), and this is useful for understanding the basic rule:

… use less for things you can’t count (uncountable/mass nouns):

I use less sugar than the recipe recommends.

Modern cars use less fuel.

… use fewer for things you can count (countable nouns).

Fewer people use libraries nowadays.

This process leads to fewer errors.

Most first language speakers simply don’t think of nouns in that way. The result is that many of them don’t know that there’s any difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’. Others know, but don’t really care. However, there is a third group that does know, does care, and gets very angry indeed when they are used incorrectly. Continue reading “Less or fewer?” →

New words – 26 May 2014

On May 26, 2014May 21, 2014 By Cambridge WordsIn New words3 Comments

ecorithm noun an algorithm that interacts with the environment

Dr. Valiant proposes that natural selection is supplemented by ecorithms, which enable organisms to learn and adapt more efficiently.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 01 October 2013]

electroceutical noun electrical stimulation used to provide pain relief

They see a chest of medical devices: ‘smart stents’ that report on how well an artery is healing; a pump that titrates medicine into hard-to-reach tissue; ‘electoceuticals’ that fight pain with electrical pulses rather than drugs.

[Smithsonian (US culture and science magazine) Dec. 2013]

nanomembrane noun an exceedingly thin, or nano sized, sheet of a material such as silicone

The discovery allowed him to implant silicon ‘nanomembranes’ just about anywhere: plastics and rubber, for his tattoo-like electronics, and silk, for the dissolvable ones.

[Smithsonian (US culture and science magazine) Dec. 2013]

Shopping for clothes

On May 21, 2014March 14, 2019 By Kate WoodfordIn the English language17 Comments

by Kate Woodford

Whether we like it or not, most of us have to shop for clothes . For some of us, it is a pleasure and for others, it is a chore (= something that we have to do but do not like). This week, we are looking at the language that we use to talk about this activity.

Once you have found a nice piece of clothing in a shop, you will want to try it on (= put it on to find out if it is suitable): Can I try this on? You will probably try it on in a fitting room. If you need to find out if it is the right size and shape for you, you might say you will try it on for size. If you are lucky, and it is the right size and shape for your body, you can say that it fits you: That jacket fits you perfectly! If it fits you very well, you might say it fits like a glove: The dress fitted like a glove. You might also use the noun ‘fit’ to say the same thing: The jacket was a good/perfect fit./The fit was good, but I didn’t like the colour. Continue reading “Shopping for clothes” →

New words – 19 May 2014

On May 19, 2014May 14, 2014 By Cambridge WordsIn New words2 Comments

CPT abbreviation celebrity party tongue; the current craze for celebrities to be photographed sticking out their tongues

If 2012 was the year of the Insta-pout, 2013 is the year of the CPT.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 21 October 2013]

The CPT or the celebrity party tongue is the new selfie. Mylie, Cara and even Alexa think its (sic) fun to slap out their tongue when they get papped.

[barbaradaleyhair.co.uk Oct 2013]

concierge medicine noun a sector of medical practice where extra attention is given to wealthy patients able to pay a high price

Members of the affluent classes routinely question the merits of doctors who do take insurance. […] This psychology, along with cost-cutting strategies pursued by insurance companies […] have driven the field of concierge medicine.

[New york Times (US broadsheet) 08 December 2013]

earthscraper noun a pyramid-shaped multi-storey building which is constructed underground, with its ‘roof’ at ground level

Since laws limit the height of new structures in Mexico City, an architect has proposed building a 65-story Earthscraper.

[Smithsonian (US culture and science magazine) Dec. 2013]

Going to the gym

On May 14, 2014May 8, 2014 By Liz WalterIn the English language3 Comments

by Liz Walter

Lots of us love the gym (or hate it and force ourselves to go anyway), so here is some vocabulary connected with going to the gym and getting fit.

You can join a gym whatever your level of fitness – the important thing is to set yourself goals that are suitable for you. If you are very unfit, you will need to start off with gentle exercises and build up slowly from there. You may want to hire a personal trainer to create an exercise routine for you.

If you want to focus on strength, then you will probably use weights, either in the form of machines or free weights. People usually lift weights in sets of perhaps 10 or 20, resting between sets. When you use the machines, you will need to adjust them to suit you, for example by raising or lowering the seat, and choosing how much weight you want to lift. If you sweat a lot, don’t forget to wipe down the equipment after you’ve used it. Continue reading “Going to the gym” →