Listen to the author reading this blog post:
This week, I’m looking at the language we use to say that things or people are similar, either in appearance or character. There are a tremendous lot of interesting words and phrases in this area so this post will be in two parts. Continue reading “Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)”
bookshelf wealth noun [U]
/ˌbʊk.ʃelf ˈwelθ/
an interior design trend where someone has bookshelves in their home that are filled with books and other objects they genuinely love, rather than displaying these things in order to look clever or stylish
There’s a brand new trend popping up on TikTok known as “bookshelf wealth” – but according to design professionals, it’s not a trend at all. Many interior design experts have suggested that “bookshelf wealth” actually encourages the opposite of trend-led behaviour. Bookshelf wealth is all about playing the long game when it comes to filling your home up with beautiful pieces that you really treasure, that mean something to you, and that you’ve collected over the years.
[idealhome.co.uk, 29 January 2024]
beautility noun [U]
UK /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.ti/ US /bjuːˈtɪl.ə.t̬i/
a way of decorating and furnishing your home so that everything in it looks practical and useful as well as beautiful, with no extra or unnecessary decoration
Beautility, aka “beautiful utility”, is precisely what the (house) doctor ordered for 2024. Forget adding a floral flounce to the couch and scrap the scalloped edges on everything from lampshades to rugs, because beautility is the functional, absolutely no-frills aesthetic we all need right now.
[The Sunday Times, 31 December 2023]
loud luxury noun [U]
UK /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃᵊr.i/ US /ˌlaʊd ˈlʌk.ʃɚ.i/
a style of dressing or decorating your home where your clothes, furniture etc. attract a lot of attention and look very expensive
The meat of loud luxury is in the details and has been all over the Spring 2024 runways. It’s in the bright colors of the Chanel show. It’s in the crazy intense silhouettes from the Rahul Mishra show. It’s in the metals and golds, and jewels in the Ronald van der Kemp collection. Loud luxury is everywhere you look.
[scadmanor.com, 7 February 2024]
See also quiet luxury
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
Here in the UK we are well into our spring season, which made me think about the words and phrases we use to describe the plants that are now growing or coming back to life after the long winter. Continue reading “Shoots, blooms and blossom: talking about plants”
tipflation noun [U]
/ˌtɪpˈfleɪ.ʃən/
the increase in the amount of money that people are expected to give as a tip
An increase in tipping has come as part of a post covid world, and gratitude is not the only reason for the rise. A change in the way we live (and hygiene concerns) has played its part in forming tipflation. Human interaction in the hospitality sector reduced massively and now we have mostly moved to ordering, paying and tipping for food digitally.
[kiplinger.com, 11 May 2023]
doom spending noun [U]
/ˈduːm ˌspen.dɪŋ/
the activity of spending money on luxury items to distract yourself from worrying about the economy and world events
All signs point to “doom spending” being a reckless and unwise decision, but it does feel fun to self-soothe via unnecessary purchases. And it’s a problem many Americans have. Despite inflation and high interest rates, the National Retail Federation reported that holiday shopping reached record highs last year, at a cool $964.4bn.
[theguardian.com, 31 January 2024]
loud budgeting noun [U]
/ˌlaʊd ˈbʌdʒ.ɪ.tɪŋ/
the practice of being open and honest with other people about wanting to save money and not spending it if you do not want to
The loud budgeting movement exploded on TikTok earlier this year, and it’s easy to see why. Loud budgeting is all about setting financial boundaries and making your money goals loud and clear when facing pressure to spend. Loud budgeting is a financial strategy that puts your money aspirations front and center for friends and family to see. It involves clearly vocalizing why you might choose not to spend money — even if you have it.
[cnet.com, 17 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
Today we’re looking at idioms from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. We do this every couple of months in order to provide you with up-to-date, frequently used idioms. Continue reading “Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)”
snackification noun [U]
UK /ˌsnæk.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /ˌsnæk.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
the shift from eating proper meals every day to eating several snacks instead
Snackable lifestyles are popular amongst gen Z and millennials. But how is snackification changing eating habits for these young consumers? Half of U.S. consumers eat three or more snacks a day according to market research firm Circana Group. Snack sales reached $181 billion last year: an 11% increase from the year before.
[vml.com, 26 June 2023]
OMAD noun [S]
UK /ˈəʊ.mæd/ US /ˈoʊ.mæd/
abbreviation for “one meal a day”: a diet based on eating only one meal every day
OMAD is an extreme fasting diet. As the name suggests, it involves eating just one big meal a day, with fasting or very minimal eating in between. The key focus of this kind of diet is weight control and simplicity. But while fasting itself isn’t new, the research on its health impacts is still in its infancy and there are very few studies on OMAD and the evidence supporting other more periodic types of fasting can’t necessarily be extrapolated into extreme fasting.
[sciencefocus.com, 25 May 2023]
Atlantic diet noun [S]
UK /ətˈlæn.tɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/ US /ətˈlæn.t̬ɪk ˌdaɪ.ət/
a way of eating based on the foods typically eaten in the northwest of Spain and in Portugal
The “Atlantic diet” — what some experts are calling a variation on Mediterranean eating — is getting some buzz after a study found adherents to the diet had a significantly lower risk of chronic health problems. One of the main differences between the Atlantic diet and the Mediterranean diet is that the Atlantic version incorporates more brassicas, which is a family of vegetables that includes turnip greens, turnips, kale, cabbage and cauliflower.
[washingtonpost.com, 19 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
We often need to keep our minds fixed on the things we are doing, and this post looks at ways of talking about this. Regular readers know that I like to focus on collocations, or words that often go together, and that will certainly be the case for this topic. Continue reading “Paying attention and listening intently: talking about concentration”
skin streaming noun [U]
/ˈskɪn ˌstriː.mɪŋ/
the practice of using very few skincare products on your face
What if you could pack three effective, holistic, dermatologist-recommended products, and slip those right into your makeup bag … This is where skin streaming comes into play—finally a TikTok trend that influences you to buy less, and more effective, stuff.
[coveteur.com, 25 September 2023]
traptox noun [U]
UK /ˈtræp.tɒks/ US /ˈtræp.tɑːks/
a type of Botox injected into the trapezius muscle
The first time I saw a before and after pic of a traptox treatment, I immediately ran to the mirror to assess my shoulders. (For the uninitiated, traptox involves injecting a neurotoxin into your trapezius muscle to help relieve tension and possibly elongate your neck and slim your shoulders.) Over the next few weeks, I continued feeling hyper-aware and self-conscious about my shoulders as I saw an influx of traptox content on my Instagram feed.
[cosmopolitan.com, 1 January 2024]
looksmaxxing noun [U]
/ˈlʊks.mæk.sɪŋ/
the activity, for a man, of making himself as attractive as possible, often through cosmetic surgery
Looksmaxxing has existed for at least a decade, but has exploded in recent months from obscure forums and Reddit pages into mainstream social media – and TikTok in particular. Impossibly chiselled jaws, pouty lips and cheekbones as high as the Egyptian pyramids are prized, along with “hunter” eyes (those angled slightly downwards towards the nose – a positive canthal tilt).
[theguardian.com, 15 February 2024]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
In my last post, I looked at a range of collocations for the words ‘famous’ and ‘fame’. This week, I’m continuing the ‘fame’ theme but considering synonyms (and near-synonyms) for the adjective ‘famous’. As ever, I’m looking at the precise differences in meaning and use between them. Continue reading “Renowned and celebrated (Words meaning ‘famous’)”
inverse vaccine noun [C]
UK /ˌɪn.vɜːs ˈvæk.siːn/ US /ɪnˌvɝːs vækˈsiːn/
a type of vaccine that stops the body from attacking and damaging its own healthy cells and tissues
It will take time before inverse vaccines are available for patients, but initial trials have already been conducted on people with coeliac disease, with encouraging results … If inverse vaccines could be developed for all autoimmune illnesses, it would be a real revolution, as we have said, because we would be able to switch off inappropriate reactions in a highly specific and definitive way.
[ibsafoundation.org, 28 September 2023]
zero-dose adjective
UK /ˌzɪə.rəʊˈdəʊs/ US /ˌzɪr.oʊˈdoʊs/
a zero-dose child is one who has never received any of the routine vaccinations that most children are given
Since 2019, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of zero-dose children globally due to COVID-19 disruptions, increased economic crises and conflict, and declines in vaccine confidence … To turn the tide on this unprecedented increase in zero-dose children, it is essential to know who and where these children are so we can reach every child with life-saving vaccinations.
[data.unicef.org, April 2023]
tarmac-to-arm adjective
UK /ˌtɑː.mæk.tuˈɑːm/ US /ˌtɑːr.mæk.tuˈɑːm/
tarmac-to-arm refers to the process involved in getting vaccines and other medicines delivered to the place where they are needed and given to the people who need them
According to assessments by the charity CARE, the average “tarmac-to-arm” delivery costs for a single vaccine dose is $9.97 in South Sudan, equivalent to 40% of the country’s per capita pre-pandemic expenditure on healthcare.
[pharmaceutical-technology.com, 22 June 2022]