Poshitis noun informal back pain as a result of carrying a big bag fashionably, in the crook of the arm

Cheryl Cole, Mollie King and Millie Mackintosh are also at risk of ‘Poshitis’ if they continue to carry their designer handbags like that.

[www.dailymail.co.uk 04 June 2013]

The syndrome? ‘Poshitis.’ And it’s spreading like wildfire, made worse by the fact that our oversized bags usually come fully loaded.

[http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk 03 June 2013]

Prancercise noun a form of exercise which mimics the way that a horse moves

Inspired by a horse’s gait, Rohrback’s website describes Prancercise as ‘a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward’ that is about ‘liberating ourselves from the fitness chains’.

[www.sheknows.com 06 June 2013]

Quidditching noun an Internet craze which entails jumping with a broomstick to look like Harry Potter competing in a game of the mythical sport Quidditch

‘Quidditching’ becomes new internet craze as Harry Potter fans around the world jump on their brooms

[www.dailymail.co.uk 15 April 13]

About new words

listicle noun informal an article that is based on a list of points

Thanks to our sweet Kerry for inspiring a kiss and tell listicle.

[www.northwestmommy.com 07 April 2013]

I wonder if the moment when Don’t Panic put up a spoof listicle entitled The 9 or so Types of Hipster You See in London, which takes the piss out of a Buzzfeed UK listicle entitled The 22 Types of Hipster You Encounter in London, is a moment when all of us should look in the mirror and ask whether this internet thing is working out quite as well as we’d hoped.

[http://snipelondon.com/ 24 April 2013]

nanoblock noun a very small integrated circuit

A related but simpler technology […] is based on suspending small integrated circuits called “nanoblocks” in a fluid and then flowing them over a surface where they drop into tiny holes of corresponding shapes.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 09 April 2013]

responsive (website) design noun website design which allows for optimal viewing irrespective of which device is being used to view the site

With the emergence of responsive design as an industry benchmark, flat design has made inroads on the web too.

[www.shoutdigital.com 08 May 2013]

New TfL websites focused on ‘responsive design’

[www.independent.co.uk 12 June 2013]

About new words

the Slow Web noun internet technology designed to make users feel calm

This is the question motivating the embryonic movement known variously as ‘calming technology’, ‘the slow web’, ‘conscious computing’ or (Pang’s preferred term) ‘contemplative computing’.

[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 11.05.13]

I won’t lie and say it’s due to a conscious effort to spend less time on the internet on my part, or some participation in the slow web movement.

[shesinvogue.blogspot.com 16 April 2013]

WikiCell noun a type of edible food packaging

WikiCell ice cream and frozen yogurt will make their debut at US grocery stores later this month.

[Smithsonian (US history and culture magazine) June 2013]

zenware noun software designed to have a calming effect

Their inventions so far include […] scores of pieces of ‘zenware’ designed to block distractions, with names such as Isolator and StayFocusd and Shroud and Turn Off The Lights.

[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 11 May 2013]

naysayer noun someone who refuses to accept a belief or opinion that is held by most other people

But how many storms, how many scientists weighing in, how much new information will it take to — at a minimum — convince the editors that permitting naysayers to have a voice for “balance” is not just factually wrong but also flat-out immoral?

[Washington Post (US broadsheet) 24 May 2013]

yolo abbreviation abbreviation for “you only live once” (used to justify doing something that is expensive or not sensible, or to encourage someone to do something)

The Jenners on the other hand, were totally living the YOLO life. Those crazy kids were cliff jumping, waterskiing, and doing some crazy fun looking wind surfing thing.

[www.crushable.com 29 July 2013]

About new words

neurotypical adjective without any impairment of or damage to the brain

Children with autism can have 67 per cent more brain neurons than neurotypical kids.

[http://specialneedslove.net/ 02 April 2013]

ring rain noun water that falls to the surface of Saturn from its rings

‘The main effect of ring rain is that it acts to quench the ionosphere of Saturn,’ Mr. O’Donoghue said.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 16 April 2013]

shadow biosphere noun a hypothetical, invisible world of alternative lifeforms with a completely different biochemistry from our own

The idea of the shadow biosphere is also controversial and is challenged by several other scientists.

[The Observer (UK broadsheet) 14 April 2013]

selfie noun a photograph taken of yourself, often for the purposes of posting on a social-networking website

People take selfies in public, posing everywhere and in every which way.

[The New Yorker (US magazine) 05 June 2013]

phubbing noun the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention

It sounds cheerfully daft, but there’s an uncomfortable truth at the heart of phubbing: other people are easier to handle when encountered on screen.

[The Independent (UK broadsheet) 05 August 2013]

About new words

endless runner adjective describes a video game in which a character keeps running, encountering a variety of obstacles

If you’re a fan of endless runner games like Temple Run, starting today you’ll get your chance to do more than outrun a pack of demonic monkeys — you can take on your friends, too, with Zynga’s new title Running With Friends.

[http://techcrunch.com 15 September 2013]

flat design noun a term used to describe a simple screen design which does not feature the drop shadows or textures of a skeuomorphically designed screen

“‘Totally flat design, like in Windows 8, is a terrible usability mistake because it removes the users’ ability to see at a glance where they can click,’ said Jakob Nielsen, a usability guru with nearly 80 U.S. patents to his name.

[www.computerworld.com 10 June 2013]

glasseslike

adjective (of wearable computers) looking like glasses

The NY Times is all over the controversy this week, explaining that the ‘glasseslike device allows Internet access, as well as the shooting of photos and video, raising concerns about privacy and distraction.’

[www.jaunted.com 07 May 2013]

About new words

Afropolitan noun a cosmopolitan African; an African who has a background which is varied in culture and geography

At what point does one realize that things will never be the same? First time novelist and Afropolitan Taiye Selasi tackles these themes in her new novel ‘Ghana Must Go’.

[http://dopereads.com 15 April 2013]

caxirola noun a percussion instrument created for Brazil’s World Cup. It rattles when shaken.

Unlike the vuvuzela, which has historical and cultural significance in South Africa, the caxirola has been designed especially for use in stadiums.

[www.dailymail.co.uk 25 April 2013]

ghost money noun money transferred in secret by a covert government agency

For more than a decade, the CIA — using suitcases, backpacks, even plastic bags — has made monthly cash payments to the offices of President Hamid Karzai. One Karzai aide called it ‘ghost money’ because ‘it came in secret, and it left in secret.’

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 30 April 2013]

Ghost money from MI6 and CIA may fuel Afghan corruption, say diplomats

[www.guardian.co.uk (article title) 30 April 2013]

About new words

Cronut noun a cross between a doughnut and a croissant, being ring-shaped like a doughnut, but composed of buttery, croissant-like dough

The Cronut – the US pastry sensation that must cross the Atlantic.
These blends between croissants and doughnuts are all the rage in New York, but have yet to make it to the UK. So can you replicate them in your own kitchen?

[www.guardian.co.uk 05 June 2013]

ghost money noun money transferred in secret by a covert government agency

For more than a decade, the CIA — using suitcases, backpacks, even plastic bags — has made monthly cash payments to the offices of President Hamid Karzai. One Karzai aide called it ‘ghost money’ because ‘it came in secret, and it left in secret.’

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 30 April 2013]

Ghost money from MI6 and CIA may fuel Afghan corruption, say diplomats

[www.guardian.co.uk (article title) 30 April 2013]

pension spiking noun the practice of adding value to a pension during the year before retirement with overtime hours, unused vacation days, and other unused employment benefits

‘Pension spiking goes against the spirit of what a pension plan is supposed to do. […]’ says Jean-Pierre Aubry of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

[AARP Bulletin (over-50 news magazine) June 2013]

twerk verb to dance in a sexually suggestive way with the knees bent and the legs apart, often for humorous effect

Miley Cyrus cautioned viewers she wouldn’t be twerking on ‘Saturday Night Live’.

[www.people.com 06 Oct 2013]

About new words

ag-gag adjective informal relating to the legal limiting of investigations into farming practices

Animal rights activists in the US have told the BBC that so-called ‘ag-gag’ laws could be copied in other countries including the UK.

[www.bbc.co.uk 13 April 2013]

brain fatigue noun a condition in which the brain is over-stimulated and a person cannot remain calm or focused

With brain fatigue, you are easily distracted, forgetful and mentally flighty — or, in other words, me.

[New york Times (US broadsheet) 02 April 2013]

cat bearding noun the practice of taking photographs of people holding a cat to their faces so that the cat looks like a beard

Cat bearding is the latest viral photo trend to sweep the confused place we call the Internet.

[http://mashable.com 22 May 2013]

About new words

first world problems idiom humorous problems which are very trivial on a global scale, and which would only be perceived as problems by the very privileged

Have you ever heard someone complain about their ‘problems,’ only to think they were being completely ridiculous? Enter the archival Tumblr, White Whine, which culls together a sometimes hilarious, oft times ironic list of ‘first world problems.’

[www.clutchmagonline.com 01 April 2013]

Multicultural London English noun a dialect of English that is spoken in urban areas of the UK, especially London, and is influenced by the accents of several other languages

The new voice of young people is called MLE, which stands for Multicultural London English.

[http://blogdadisal.blogspot.co.uk/ 02 May 2013]

peak child noun the point after which the number of children born the world over will decline

In addition, we have reached what Rosling describes as ‘peak child’, the result of decreased birth rates; a consequence of the positive effects of development.

[Essay by trainee nurse, mid 20s, 23 April 2013]

About new words