Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
This post looks at ways of conveying personality or emotions by choosing a more interesting verb than ‘say’ when you report someone’s speech. Anyone who has been on a creative writing course will be familiar with the maxim ‘Show, don’t tell,’ and choosing a specific synonym for ‘say’ can help you to do this. Continue reading “Spluttering, cackling and drawling: verbs to use instead of ‘say’”
four-hands dinner noun [C]
UK /ˌfɔː.hændz ˈdɪn.ər/ US /ˌfɔːr.hændz ˈdɪn.ɚ/
a special dinner cooked in an expensive, often famous restaurant by two senior chefs
Modern German restaurant Heimat’s head chef Peter Find and Towngas’ CulinArt 1862 head chef Stanley Wong are coming together for a special four-hands dinner happening in March and April. Celebrating their 30 years of friendship as well as their shared German heritage, the two chefs have prepared unique eight-course menus complete with sake and German wine pairings.
[timeout.com, 28 February 2023]
alpha-footing noun [U]
/ˈæl.fəˌfʊtɪŋ/
the activity of choosing not to wear shoes in certain situations, such as in business meetings, said to be a sign of wealth and power
Goodbye loafers, beefed-up boaters and clunky cowboy boots – the new summer shoe for men is … nothing. Yup, the ultimate power move right now is alpha-footing, aka taking off your shoes completely. The naked foot look was dramatically brought to the screen by Lukas (Alexander Skarsgard) in Succession.
[thetimes.co.uk, 23 May 2023]
pandemic brain noun [S]
/pænˈdem.ɪk ˌbreɪn/
a series of symptoms including forgetting things and not being able to think clearly that people are said to experience as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, even if they have not had Covid
From early on in the pandemic, college students reported strange symptoms even if they didn’t have COVID-19 — like forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and an inability to think clearly. News outlets and social media users labeled the phenomenon “pandemic brain.” New research published in the Journal of American College Health suggests that college students may have been experiencing pandemic brain at the start of the 2020–2021 school year through spring 2022.
[bestcolleges.com, 24 April 2023]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
The word ‘day’ features in a lot of commonly used phrases and idioms so I thought I’d take a look at the most useful ones. This post focuses mainly on phrases rather than idioms. Continue reading “From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)”
supercloud noun [S]
UK /ˈsuː.pə.klaʊd/ US /ˈsuː.pɚ.klaʊd/
a single computing system where services such as storage, apps etc. from different providers can be easily accessed by the user
The answer proposed by the supercloud concept is to create another abstraction layer above this that operates agnostically of whatever cloud platform or platforms are running below it. This is the supercloud, where applications can be run in containers or virtual machines, interfacing with any cloud platforms underneath.
[forbes.com, 4 April 2023]
exascale adjective
/ˈek.sə.skeɪl/
An exascale computer is very powerful, able to carry out one quintillion (1018) mathematical operations per second
Exascale supercomputers are the next frontier in computing. They can quickly analyze massive volumes of data and realistically simulate many of the extremely complex processes and relationships behind the fundamental forces of the universe—in a way that’s never been done before. Many industries and systems could be affected, including precision medicine, climate science, and nuclear physics.
[mckinsey.com, 22 November 2022]
sky computing noun [U]
UK /ˌskaɪ kəmˈpjuː.tɪŋ/ US /ˌskaɪ kəmˈpjuː.t̬ɪŋ/
a way of accessing services, apps etc. on different systems on the internet through a top level to which all the systems belong
Sky computing has been described as “the layer above the clouds.” The term refers to a newer model of cloud computing known as multi-cloud, where organizations may pick and choose different cloud services from different operators according to their specific requirements.
[techbehemoths.com, 20 July 2022]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
One way to improve your English is to find more interesting vocabulary to use instead of very common words. This post looks at five verbs you can use instead of ‘get’. Regular readers of my posts will know that I often talk about collocation, or words that commonly go together. I’ll be focusing on this particularly today because although the words I’m covering are basically synonyms, some of them tend to collocate strongly with particular groups of nouns. Note that they are all a little more formal than ‘get’ but still commonly used, especially in writing. Continue reading “Obtaining information and deriving satisfaction: 5 different ways of saying ‘get’”
RTO abbreviation
UK /ˌɑː.tiːˈəʊ/ US /ˌɑːr.tiːˈoʊ/
abbreviation for “return to office”: going back to the workplace after working from home during and after the Covid pandemic
The very existence of the RTO debate — with its emphasis on the physical location of employees — is really a failure to prioritize the needs of a business. There’s no single RTO answer that works across the board. What does work, no matter the company or the department, is a focus on clients and shareholders.
[forbes.com, 19 April 2023]
rust-out noun [U]
/ˈrʌst.aʊt/
a feeling of extreme boredom and lack of enthusiasm, caused by not having enough to do at work or working on unfulfilling tasks for too long
The vast majority of us are familiar with the concept of burnout, especially those who work in fast-paced or high-pressure industries. But, according to experts, a lesser-known workplace phenomenon has now emerged: rust-out, burnout’s bored, disengaged cousin. Rust-out is commonly caused by “moving too slow” or being “still for too long”.
[harpersbazaar.com, 11 May 2023]
climate quitting noun [U]
UK /ˈklaɪ.mət ˌkwɪt.ɪŋ/ US /ˈklaɪ.mət ˌkwɪt̬.ɪŋ/
the act of leaving your job because the organization where you work is not doing enough to fight climate change
New research released by KPMG today shows that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are influencing employment decisions for almost half of UK office workers, with millennials and younger workers driving the growing trend of ‘climate quitting’ – seeking out a more environmentally friendly job.
[kpmg.com, 24 January 2023]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
I recently published a post on the various ways we describe the condition of objects, including words such as shabby and rickety and phrases such as beyond repair and on its last legs. Staying with this theme, today I’m looking at words that we use to describe specific types of damage to particular types of object. Continue reading “Chips, cracks and dents (Describing the condition of objects, Part 2)”
password child noun [C]
UK /ˈpɑːs.wɜːd tʃaɪld/ US /ˈpæs.wɝːd tʃaɪld/
a humorous way of referring to a parent’s favourite child, supposedly because the parent will often use the name of that child as a computer password
It’s common knowledge that older parents are notoriously bad at remembering passwords, which is probably why they use the same thing repeatedly. And that usually involves using one of their kids’ names, so they have less of a chance of forgetting it. Hence, the creation of the password child. While every family has their own, they all tend to have one thing in common: They are mom or dad’s undeniable “favorite.”
[intheknow.com, 24 March 2023]
lucky girl syndrome noun [U]
UK /ˌlʌk.i ˈgɜːl ˌsɪn.drəʊm/ US /ˌlʌk.i ˈgɝːl ˌsɪn.droʊm/
the idea that you can make good things happen simply by imagining them happening and believing you are lucky
“Lucky girl syndrome” is the latest trend doing the rounds online, with the concept being that if you repeatedly tell the universe how fortunate you are, that you will be rewarded with that promotion, proposal or pay rise, depending on what you’re wishing for.
[harpersbazaar.com, 23 January 2023]
Generation Beta noun [S]
UK /dʒen.əˌreɪ.ʃən ˈbiː.tə/ US /dʒen.əˌreɪ.ʃən ˈbeɪ.t̬ə/
a way of referring to the group of people who will be born between 2025 and 2039
Before we know it, Generation Beta will be here. Gen Beta will be born between 2025 and 2039. These new kids, just like the other younger generations, are projected to have different values, behaviors, and preferences than older generations. The technological advances they will live through will make today’s children look like amateurs.
[studentcenteredworld.com, 5 July 2022]
Listen to the author reading this blog post:
by Liz Walter
My last post was on the topic of bravery, so by way of a contrast, this one looks at words and phrases connected with the opposite. The most common word for someone who isn’t brave is coward. The related adjective is cowardly (one of those rare adjectives that ends in -ly) and the noun is cowardice: Continue reading “Wimps and scaredy-cats: talking about people who are not brave”
rich mom energy noun [U]
UK /ˌrɪtʃ mɒm ˈen.ə.dʒi/ US /ˌrɪtʃ mɑːm ˈen.ɚ.dʒi/
the confident attitude and simple, elegant way of dressing that suggests a woman has a lot of money
Rich mom energy was similarly inspired by the lifestyle (and fashion) choices of the superrich. An extension of the quiet luxury trend, it also denotes ostensibly low-key garments—neutral shades, simple cuts, no logos—that are nonetheless ultraluxurious and wildly expensive.
[glamour.com, 17 April 2023]
blandstanding noun [U]
/ˈblænd.stæn.dɪŋ/
wearing clothes that are simple and practical, although very expensive
The quiet, understated rise of blandstanding: standing out amid the sea of gimmicky TikTok trends is an altogether more subtle look. It’s time for blandstanding. Which is? A self-assured appreciation of the familiar, the quotidian, the (maybe just a little bit) boring.
[standard.co.uk, 20 February 2023]
quiet luxury noun [U]
UK /ˌkwaɪ.ət ˈlʌk.ʃər.i/ US /ˌkwaɪ.ət ˈlʌk.ʃər.i/
a fashion trend where clothing is of very high quality, well-cut and in neutral colours
Meanwhile, on TikTok, fashion fans are deeply invested in “quiet luxury,” trading Y2K-inspired trends for minimalist styles and muted colour palettes, and becoming a phenomenon in the process. Thanks to the latter, the search term “quiet luxury” has surpassed 35 billion views on TikTok … Quiet luxury is nothing new. Tech billionaires like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have worn three-figure t-shirts to work for decades.
[refinery29.com, 9 May 2023]