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by Liz Walter
My last post looked at words and phrases for things that cost a lot of money. Today’s post looks at ways of describing things that don’t cost much.
Frankenshoe noun [C]
UK /ˈfræŋ.kən.ʃuː/ US /ˈfræŋ.kən.ʃuː/
a shoe that is a combination of two or more very different styles
Nowadays, though, Frankenshoes have gotten even weirder. There are sneakers turned into dress shoes and dress shoes turned into sneakers. We are living in a veritable golden age for the Frankenshoe, surrounded by new releases of mix-and-match footwear. Whether you like them or not, they’re still being released, still being discussed and, crucially, bought.
[ssense.com, 8 July 2024]
snoafer noun [C]
UK /ˈsnəʊ.fəʳ/ US /ˈsnoʊ.fɚ/
a shoe that is a combination of a sneaker and a loafer
Is it a sneaker? Is it a loafer? This hybrid shoe that laughs in the face of God doesn’t have to decide. The snoafer, which won’t be available until August, recently joined the club of odd-looking shoes going viral on social media.
[morningbrew.com, 28 April 2024]
sneakerina noun [C]
UK /ˌsniː.kəˈriː.nə/ US /ˌsniː.kəˈriː.nə/
a shoe that is a combination of a sneaker and a ballerina shoe
Hold onto your shoelaces because the fashion world just got flipped on its head with the outrageous emergence of the sneakerina! Yes, folks, the wacky lovechild of a ballerina flat and a sneaker has stomped its way into the spotlight as the must-have footwear for spring.
[wearandchill.com, 9 February 2025]
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This is the second of my two-part post on useful idioms and phrases that feature the word ‘eye’. Part 1 focused mainly on expressions that said something about the act of looking and seeing. Today’s post features ‘eye’ phrases on a range of themes.
Continue reading “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach (Idioms with ‘eye’, Part 2)”
snackle box noun [C]
UK /ˈsnæk.ᵊl bɒks/ US /ˈsnæk.ᵊl bɑːks/
a box, designed to look like a box for fishing tackle, where each compartment contains a different snack food
Snackle boxes, compartmentalized snack packs meant to resemble fishing gear, are the hottest novelty capturing the imagination of weary travelers all over the internet. While you could purchase a pre-made snackle box from a variety of companies getting in on the trend, making your own ensures all of the food inside is a personal favorite.
[yahoo.com/lifestyle, 24 September 2024]
chaos cake noun [C]
UK /ˈkeɪ.ɒs ˌkeɪk/ US /ˈkeɪ.ɑːs ˌkeɪk/
a cake that is decorated in a very unusual and artistic way
Chaos cakes are exactly what they sound like — cakes that are decorated with no rhyme or reason, or cakes that are totally out of the realm of “normal” decoration. The super realistic “is it cake?” trend may have come and gone. Now cakes are not only definitely cake but they’re also fascinating to look at in an entirely different way.
[sheknows.com, 5 December 2024]
window diner noun [C]
UK /ˈwɪn.dəʊ ˌdaɪ.nəʳ/ US /ˈwɪn.doʊ ˌdaɪ.nɚ/
someone who goes to eat in a restaurant and orders very little, or nothing, to eat and drink
A chef has served up a fiery restaurant row after hitting out at “window diners” who only order tap water and share courses. Speaking about his experience, Mr Corcoran said on social media: “Little sharing plates have ruined dining … it is now apparently completely normal to book a table for 4 people say and then order one starter and two mains to share and a glass of tap water.”
[independent.co.uk, 13 November 2024]
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by Liz Walter
Today’s post and my next one look at words and phrases for talking about how much things cost – a common topic of conversation! This first one looks at words for things with high prices.
Continue reading “It costs a fortune: talking about high prices”
alonement space noun [C]
UK /əˈləʊn.mənt ˌspeɪs/ US /əˈloʊn.mənt ˌspeɪs/
a designated area in an office where an employee can go to work in silence and privacy, without being distracted by their colleagues
Employers should also be thinking about providing “alonement spaces” in the office, where people, used to working in peace and quiet at home, can go off and work without distractions, says the Deel Market Lead. “It’s like having your own mini-fortress of solitude without leaving the office,” he explains.
[howto.stuff.co.uk, 19 January 2025]
EX noun [U]
/ˌiːˈeks/
abbreviation for ’employee experience’: the time an employee spends working for a company, from their initial job application to when they leave, and how it makes them feel
A positive employee experience has more to do with human experiences than it does structural processes. Organizations that focus on the human element of EX are better positioned to build and foster a more meaningful workplace experience across the organization and the employee journey.
[wellright.com, 12 June 2024]
naked quitting noun [U]
UK /ˌneɪ.kɪd ˈkwɪt.ɪŋ/ US /ˌneɪ.kɪd ˈkwɪt̬.ɪŋ/
leaving a job without having another job to go to
Naked quitting is essentially telling your boss to shove it without having another gig lined up. It’s like jumping out of a plane without a parachute, except instead of plummeting to your doom, you’re free-falling into unemployment. Young Chinese workers, fed up with relentless workloads and diminishing returns, coined the term “naked quitting” on social media, and it spread faster than office gossip.
[pedestrian.tv, 23 August 2024]
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My last post (on fruit idioms) featured the rather sweet expression the apple of someone’s eye. This made me think of other useful idioms and phrases that include the noun ‘eye’. It turns out there are a great many, so this post will be in two parts.
Continue reading “For your eyes only! (Idioms with ‘eye’, Part 1)”
mattress run noun [C]
/ˈmæt.rəs ˌrʌn/
the activity of booking and paying for a hotel room you don’t need to allow you to earn points or rewards on its loyalty programme
A mattress run aims to rack up loyalty points and their subsequent rewards, or to reach a hotel chain’s elite member status more quickly. When conducting a mattress run, the hotel “guest” might not even go to or stay in the room. Pulling off the travel trend simply requires checking in and checking out of the reservation so you reap the benefits.
[travelnoire.com, 27 December 2024]
green stay noun [C]
UK /ˌgriːn ˈsteɪ/ US /ˈgriːn ˌsteɪ/
a stay in a hotel that actively tries to minimize its environmental impact, for example by reducing waste and conserving water
Just a few minutes’ walk from the station is Hotel Florence Nice, one of the first hotels to gain the European Ecolabel. It’s a great place for a green stay – don’t miss the honey that’s produced from the hotel’s 3 rooftop hives where thousands of bees produce an average of 40kg of honey a year!
[greentraveller.co.uk, 4 January 2025]
Hotel of Mum and Dad noun [S]
UK /həʊˌtel əv ˌmʌm ən ˈdæd/ US /hoʊˌtel əv ˌmɑːm ən ˈdæd/
a humorous way of referring to parents whose adult children still live in the family home, often for financial reasons
The Bank of Mum and Dad is becoming the Hotel of Mum and Dad, new research reveals, with the housing crisis leading to a rise in young adults living with their parents. The proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds residing with their parents has increased by more than a third in just under two decades, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies in its “Hotel of Mum and Dad?” report.
[thetimes.com, 11 January 2025]
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Liz Walter
My last post looked at three very common non-standard uses of grammar in English. It is important to be aware of them but also to be clear that they are not suitable in situations where formal English is required, and certainly not in English exams. Today I look at some more common non-standard grammar forms.
Continue reading “I would of done it: understanding non-standard grammar forms (2)”
artificial superintelligence noun [U]
UK /ˌɑː.tɪˌfɪʃ.ᵊl ˌsuː.pər.ɪnˈtel.ɪ.dʒᵊns/ US /ˌɑːr.t̬əˌfɪʃ.ᵊl ˌsuː.pɚ.ɪnˈtel.ə.dʒᵊns/
a type of artificial intelligence that is much more intelligent than any human and can think, act, learn etc. independently and beyond the abilities of people
Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is a hypothetical software-based system with intellectual powers beyond those of humans across a comprehensive range of categories and fields of endeavor. An ASI system has yet to exist and is only currently theoretical. To be considered ASI, a model would need to excel beyond human ability at a range of tasks at a very high level.
[techtarget.com. 7 January 2025]
XAI noun [U]
/ˌeks.eɪˈɑɪ/
a type of artificial intelligence designed to make its decisions and processes easier for humans to understand
Sometimes, how AI reaches its output is ambiguous. In certain cases, it’s actually impossible to understand (maybe even for those who designed the AI program). So, how can we trust AI-produced accurate results if we cannot see the reasoning behind it? Explainable AI, otherwise known as XAI, aims to create transparency in this opaque aspect of AI.
[thedecisionlab.com, 10 June 2024]
agentic AI noun [U]
UK /eɪˌdʒen.tɪk eɪˈɑɪ/ US /eɪˌdʒen.t̬ɪk eɪˈɑɪ/
a type of artificial intelligence that can make decisions and take actions without the need for human input
While previous AI assistants were rules-based and had limited ability to act independently, agentic AI will be empowered to do more on our behalf. But what, exactly, is agentic AI? “You can define agentic AI with one word: proactiveness,” said Enver Cetin, an AI expert … “It refers to AI systems and models that can act autonomously to achieve goals without the need for constant human guidance.”
[hbr.org, 12 December 2024]