Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Kate Woodford
NER noun [C]
UK /ˌeniːˈɑːʳ/ US /ˌeniːˈɑːr/
abbreviation for: neither employed nor retired: someone who does not have a job but is too young to retire
Because 11 months ago I became unemployed and, despite my determined, increasingly desperate efforts, I’ve not been able to get another job since. Yet with state pension age less than nine years ahead of me, there’s no option to “call it quits” and take early retirement. So instead, I’ve become an NER – that is, Neither Employed nor Retired. And let me tell you, it’s utterly terrifying, not to mention humiliating.
[dailymail.co.uk, 17 April 2026] Continue reading “New words – 18 May 2026”
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Liz Walter
In my last post, I wrote about metaphorical uses of the word ‘dirty’ and today I’m going to look at the word ‘clean’. It’s an interesting fact that we tend to have more words and phrases for bad or unpleasant things than good or pleasant ones. However, there are still several metaphorical uses of clean that are well worth learning. Continue reading “Keeping your nose clean: the metaphorical use of ‘clean’”
full nester noun [C]
UK /ˈfʊl ˌnes.təʳ/ US /ˈfʊl ˌnes.tɚ/
someone whose adult children are still living at home
To cope with the additional cost of having their adult children living at home for longer, the report finds that full nesters are making greater financial sacrifices than empty nesters across the board, with some putting their own financial future at risk … A third of full nesters report that they are contributing less to their savings, while more than one in four are spending their savings to meet the cost of everyday living.
[lloydfp.co.uk, no date]
See also empty nester Continue reading “New words – 11 May 2026”
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Kate Woodford
As I was writing last month’s post on ‘horse’ idioms, it occurred to me that there are a number of interesting English idioms that relate to horses while not containing the word ‘horse’ itself. I thought I’d share the most frequent of these with you in another horse-themed post. Continue reading “Champing at the bit (Horse-related idioms)”
superworker noun [C]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.wɜː.kəʳ/ US /ˈsuː.pə.wɝː.kɚ/
someone who works much more productively by using AI tools that can carry out tasks and act on their behalf
Bersin has coined the term “superworker” for how AI is amplifying what an individual can achieve at work. “People don’t have the energy to have another conference call to talk about this and that. But you can wake the digital twin up in the middle of the night and talk to it for an hour – it doesn’t care. It’s incredibly valuable,” says Bersin.
[bbc.co.uk, 17 April 2026] Continue reading “New words – 4 May 2026”
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Liz Walter
I recently watched a fascinating and shocking TV documentary called ‘Dirty Business’. The subject was the terrible state of the UK’s rivers and seas, and the title has a double meaning. On the one hand, it refers to literal dirt in the water and on the other to apparently unethical practices from both water companies and the UK Environment Agency which should be protecting our water quality. In this post I take a closer look at the way ‘dirty’ is used metaphorically and the words and phrases we often use with it. Continue reading “It’s a dirty business: the metaphorical use of ‘dirty’”
April Theory noun [S]
UK /ˈeɪ.prᵊl ˌθɪə.ri/ US /ˈeɪ.prᵊl ˌθɪr.i/
the idea that people feel most positive and motivated to set new goals in the month of April
A viral idea born on social media, the “April Theory” frames April as a natural turning point and seasonal reset. After the slower-paced winter and pressure-filled reset of January, spring is the time of year when things start to click, bringing a sense of momentum, clarity, and noticeable shifts in relationships, routines, or personal goals.
[realsimple.com, 7 April 2026]
slow dopamine noun [U]
UK /ˌsləʊ ˈdəʊ.pə.ˌmiːn/ US /ˌsloʊ ˈdoʊ.pə.ˌmiːn/
a steady, long-lasting sense of satisfaction and achievement caused by doing activities that need patience and concentration
Slow dopamine “refers to anything that requires you to put in effort to attain the result,” says Vignola. That includes going for a walk, washing the dishes, exercising, sauna and cold bathing — really anything that involves time, effort, and delayed gratification. Think: committing to learning guitar, and setting aside time each day to work towards that skill.
[yahoo.com, 10 April 2026]
anxiety bag noun [C]
UK /æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti ˌbæg/ US /æŋˈzaɪ.ə.t̬i ˌbæg/
a small bag filled with items to help someone feel less anxious
As someone who has battled anxiety since my childhood, my ears pricked up when I first heard the term “anxiety bag,” now trending all over social media … The idea behind an anxiety bag is really quite practical and self aware: It’s a personalized collection of tools designed to help you regulate your emotions and feel more grounded when anxiety hits.
[yahoo.com, 27 March 2026]
See also analogue bag
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
by Kate Woodford
Idioms featuring the word ‘horse’ or ‘horses’ are common in English, and this is no great surprise. Humans have always had a close relationship with this beautiful animal. For centuries, horses were our main means of transport. We also used them in farming, war, and industry. More recently, of course, we’ve ridden horses, both for leisure and in the sport of horse racing. Today, I’m looking at some of the most frequent and useful horse idioms. Continue reading “Wild horses and gift horses (Idioms with the word ‘horse’)”
slopper noun [C]
UK /ˈslɒp.əʳ/ US /ˈslɑː.pɚ/
someone who relies too much on AI chatbots to make decisions, find out information, etc.
If someone is a “slopper,” it means that they have offloaded most of their cognitive processes to ChatGPT. This cognitive offloading involves asking ChatGPT for guidance on various tasks a person should be mentally well-equipped to handle on their own, such as planning what to do for the evening, how to respond to a text message from a family member, or whether to make a significant life change, like quitting a job.
[fastcompany.com, 16 August 2025]
See also slop
trendslop noun [U]
UK /ˈtrend.slɒp/ US /ˈtrend.slɑːp/
the tendency of an AI model to give an answer that follows popular trends instead of analysing the situation and providing a response that is relevant to it
A recent study found that when various large language models (LLMs) were asked to provide guidance on a workplace issue, they gravitated toward a response that was most aligned with buzzwords, rather than providing guidance that best aligned with the scenario. Researchers dubbed the proclivity of AI to gravitate toward the same jargon to inform their judgments “trendslop.” … The “trendslop” tendencies of LLMs are a result of biases they take on when the models are being trained, researchers noted.
[fortune.com, 10 April 2026]
slopaganda noun [U]
UK /ˌslɒp.əˈgæn.də/ US /ˌslɑː.pəˈgæn.də/
the use of AI-generated information as propaganda
Are you troubled by the way that social media has enabled the spread of propaganda? Well, get ready for slopaganda, which is propaganda that’s AI-powered and unprecedented in terms of speed, scale, audience reach and persuasiveness. “AI slop” is the term used to identify unwanted AI content – the algorithm-driven equivalent of spam email. Slopaganda is turning out to be just as annoying as spam, but far more dangerous.
[Philosopher’s Zone (podcast), 14 October 2025]