booth babe noun informal an attractive young woman hired to stand at an exhibition booth to attract visitors

Some visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas are angry that the so-called ‘booth babes’ are back despite much criticism at last year’s event.

[www.bbc.co.uk 09 Jan 2013]

celebaby noun informal the baby of a celebrity

Guess the CeleBabies!

[www.lifeandstylemag.com 25 March 2013]

FWB abbreviation abbreviation for ‘friend(s) with benefits’ (= a euphemism for a friend with whom one occasionally has sex)

Since then I have been in a FWB relationship for over a year.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 25 March 2013]

push ring noun a ring that a man presents his partner with after she has given birth to their child

Least likely to receive a push ring (the blingtastic thank you present rich husbands buy their wives for delivering their baby).

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 28 Jan 2013]

About new words

pre-roll noun an advert that is shown before an online video

We saw a Church of The Highlands preroll that acted as a countdown.

[www.vimeo.com 13 Feb 2013]

YouTube is testing out a new pre-roll ad setup across the site that looks a lot like the current Hulu offerings.

[www.webvideomarketing.org 26 Feb 2013]

second screen noun an additional screen, especially a tablet or smartphone, used while watching TV

This approach is often referred to as the ‘second screen,’ the idea being that the tablet or smartphone becomes a TV companion device […]

[www.businessinsider.com 11 March 2013]

the work-life merge noun the now blurred distinction between work and free time

Welcome to the world of the work-life merge, the term recently coined by Facebook executive Emily White to describe a life in which work and free-time are no longer neatly compartmentalized but seamlessly jumbled up together.

[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 01 Jan 2012]

About new words

Dryathlete noun a person taking part in a Dryathlon

The UK’s first dryathlon is well and truly underway. Dryathletes from around the country will attempt to go dry this January, giving up alcohol for the whole month in support of Cancer Research UK.

[http://blog.justgiving.com 03 Jan 2013]

Dryathlon noun a prolonged period of abstinence from alcohol, usually undertaken for charity

If you’re participating in the Dryathlon and need help with
-signing up for your event
-joining a team to be on the Dryathlon leader board
-getting a sponsorship pack
please contact the Cancer Research UK support team at dryathlon@cancer.org.uk.

[justgiving.zendesk.com 03 Jan 2013]

fitness snacking noun doing short, intensive bursts of exercise

Lastly, Steve says 2013 will see the demise of long workouts, with ‘fitness snacking’ taking over.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 14 Jan 2013]

highlining noun the extreme sport of walking across ropes suspended high above the ground

The group travel the world to take part in the extreme sport of highlining, in which people walk across wires fixed high above the ground or water.

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

About new words

biodesign noun the use of living things such as bacteria or plants in designing products or as art

The biodesign movement builds on ideas in Jamine Benyus’ trailblazing 1997 book Biomimicry for inspiration.

[Smithsonian (US history, science, and culture magazine) March 2013]

Biodesign takes advantage of the ‘tremendous power and potential utility of organisms […]’, says William Myers, a New York City design historian.

[Smithsonian (US history, science, and culture magazine) March 2013]

consumer telematics noun systems that use a blend of telecommunications and informatics to provide services to people in vehicles

From wireless charging to consumer telematics, from new gaming platforms to a hi-tech smart bicycle, all the ideas pressed upon me by their eager supporters sounded impressive.

[www.bbc.co.uk 07 Jan 2013]

wearable technology noun devices such as headsets intended to be worn about the person

CES 2013: Ready for the wearable tech revolution

[www.bbc.co.uk (title) 09 Jan 2013]

Tech consultancy iSuppli suggests that by 2016 more than 92 million wearable technology devices will be sold a year

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

About new words

digital fire hose idiom a very large stream of data

The digital fire hose being wielded by the attackers to jam traffic on the Internet in recent weeks was made possible by the best and worst aspects of the global computer network.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 28 March 2013]

British molecular biologist Mick Goldman said he had conceived the idea with a colleague, Ewan Birney, while the two sat in a pub pondering the digital fire hose of genetic information their institution is now receiving.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 29 January 2013]

IP address spoofing noun the use of a fake IP address to carry out a denial-of-service attack

The Network Working Group […] laid out a set of ‘best current practices’ that Internet companies and organizations were encouraged to follow to defeat a threat known as IP address spoofing.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 28 March 2013]

nano coating noun a coating applied to an electronic device such as a cell phone to make it waterproof

A cellphone case can seal against most water but adds bulk […] Nano coatings render the parts themselves impervious to water damage, so the protection comes without added bulk.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 21 February 2013]

About new words

Aqua Zumba noun trademark a form of the exercise Zumba that is done in water

Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center offers Aqua Zumba water fitness classes each Monday night at 7 pm.

[www.cullmanlife.com 7 January 2013]

Bokwa noun trademark a form of group exercise based on a South African dance

Please feel free to view all my Bokwa & Zumba class times and info on my website or Facebook page.

[www.gumtree.com 6 January 2013]

Ugi noun trademark a form of exercise in which a soft exercise ball is used to develop strength and core stability

Ugi is a short-duration, high-intensity class straight from Canada that will be debuting exclusively in the UK at Virgin Active.

[The Independent (UK broadsheet) 8 January 2013]

About new words

cat cafe noun a cafe in which there are cats that the customers can pet as they enjoy their coffee, etc.

Popular in Japan, cat cafes are a haven for lovers of all things feline, where customers can stroke, pet and coo over the animals

[www.bbc.co.uk 12 January 2013]

emoji noun an icon used in electronic messages and webpages, originally in Japan but now available more widely

Emoji icons are a lot of fun and special characters can be extremely useful, but the standard way of opening the character viewer panel isn’t the smoothest in the world.

[http://osxdaily.com 9 January 2013]

Rejected, dejected and with post-virginity statement hair. Talks in ritalin emoji-speak.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 14 January 2013]

pawdicure abbreviation a pedicure for a dog

Our DELUXE Pawdicure includes the above mentioned filing but also includes one of 2 options – a soothing Aloe based foot cream to make your pet’s paw pads feel great or nail painting the color of your choice!

[www.bestmobilepetgrooming.com/pawdicures.php 16 January 2013]

About new words

bedroom tax noun a reduction in the amount of housing benefit given to people who have a spare bedroom in their property

A mum of two from Peterborough is bracing herself to become one of the first victims of the Government’s so-called ‘bedroom tax’.

[www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk 6 March 2013]

full nest syndrome noun the stress suffered by middle-aged people who share their homes with grown-up children who cannot afford to move out and infirm, aged parents who they care for

‘Full nest syndrome’ stress for parents because more couples are living with three generations under one roof

[www.dailymail.co.uk 28 January 2013]

spare room subsidy noun another phrase for ‘bedroom tax’

It wasn’t one of the Labour leader’s better performances. By contrast, David Cameron’s response was robust. It’s not a tax, the PM insisted, offering his own label for the issue: ‘the Spare Room Subsidy’.

[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk 25 January 2013]

About new words