by Liz Walter
My last post looked at a range of verbs to talk about touching and hitting in a variety of contexts. This post focuses on hitting things and people with force. Continue reading “Walloping, belting and clobbering: verbs for touching and hitting (2)”
centennial noun [C]
/senˈten.i.əl/
someone who was born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s
From baby boomers, to generation X, all the way up to millennials, each age group has their own characteristics and their distinct way to act. That also applies for one of the youngest generations: centennials. But, is it really all that important? Yes! It is important in a context where centennials will make up to 27% of the job market by 2025.
[talent2win.com, 19 July 2022]
silver exodus noun [S]
UK /ˌsɪl.vər ˈek.sə.dəs/ US /ˌsɪl.vɚ ˈek.sə.dəs/
a trend in the employment market beginning in 2021 that has seen a much larger number of older people than usual stop working
If you thought it was only young people fleeing the workforce, think again. The UK is currently seeing a large number of over-50s resigning en masse from the workforce at a startling rate – known as a “silver exodus”. According to The Times newspaper, around 300,000 more workers aged between 50 and 65 are now considered “economically inactive” than before the pandemic, meaning that these older workers are neither employed nor seeking a job.
[managementtoday.co.uk, 1 June 2022]
nepo baby noun [C]
UK /ˈnep.əʊ ˌbeɪ.bi/ US /ˈnep.oʊ ˌbeɪ.bi/
the child of an actor, a musician etc. who achieves success because of their famous parent
They would just like to add that Hollywood nepotism is more complicated than it appears, and just because one is born a nepo baby does not mean they aren’t also human beings with emotions and nuanced inner lives as they navigate a harsh spotlight in the social media era and try to live up to enormous expectations.
[washingtonpost.com, 1 August 2022]
‘A wise man changes his mind. A fool never will,’ or so says the proverb. Whether or not this is true, we all change our minds, sometimes about trivial things and sometimes about things that really matter. This post (in two parts) takes a look at nouns, verbs and idioms in this area of the language. Today, we’ll look at the sort of language that is often used when people in positions of power change their opinions or plans. Continue reading “U-turns and flip-flopping (Changing our minds, Part 1)”
director of first impressions noun [C]
UK /dɪˈrek.tər əv ˌfɜːst ɪmˈpreʃ.ᵊnz/ US /dɪˈrek.tɚ əv ˌfɝːst ɪmˈpreʃ.ᵊnz/
someone who works in an office or hotel and whose job is to welcome and help visitors
While directors of first impressions may work under various job descriptions, they must invariably succeed at one common goal: To set a warm, friendly and competent tone for all future interactions. As the first and most public face of a company, a director of first impressions knows better than anyone that it’s not always easy to make a great first impression. It’s the unfavorable impressions that you and your staff want to avoid.
[smallbusiness.chron.com, 25 March 2022]
disco nanny noun [C]
UK /ˈdɪs.kəʊ ˌnæn.i/ US /ˈdɪs.koʊ ˌnæn.i/
someone whose job is to look after a family’s children overnight during a holiday, while the parents go out to parties and nightclubs
The 21-year-old hasn’t been partying in the island’s superclubs, but working as a “disco nanny” – a growing cohort in luxe European hotspots who watch holidaymakers’ children while the parents cut loose into the small hours. And beyond: Roig often finds herself at charges’ homes until noon the following day, when they are finally ready to face the world – and their own offspring – again.
[telegraph.co.uk, 2 September 2022]
luxury detective noun [C]
UK /ˈlʌk.ʃər.i dɪˌtek.tɪv/ US /ˈlʌk.ʃɚ.i dɪˌtek.tɪv/
someone whose job is to find rare and very expensive handbags, watches, jewellery etc. for other people to buy
From a barn in Hertfordshire, the luxury detectives at Xupes can source whichever collectible designer accessory you desire – for a price … When luxury detective Reece Morgan tells me about sourcing [a handbag] and describes how “she” was so beautiful and her presence so “alluring”, I think he must be talking about the highly demanding, wealthy customer who gets to use it. “No, I mean the bag,” he says, like I’m the mad one.
[thetimes.co.uk, 13 August 2022]
by Liz Walter
There are an incredible number of verbs that express the concept of touching or hitting someone or something, and they can have very different connotations, from caressing (touching in a very gentle and loving way) right through to punching (hitting someone or something very hard with a closed hand): Continue reading “Caressing, patting and elbowing: verbs for touching and hitting (1)”
stealth help noun [U]
/ˌstelθ ˈhelp/
a type of book that uses a story or an account of someone’s experience to inspire its readers to achieve goals and overcome problems
In the aftermath of the pandemic, publishers have said that writers are leaning towards feelgood and optimistic works. One such genre is “stealth help”, which describes books that still serve to inspire readers without being as overtly remedial as traditional self-help books. Similar to memoir, the genre often deals with inspirational stories that readers can take heart from.
[thetimes.co.uk, 20 August 2022]
sibling novel noun [C]
UK /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ ˌnɒv.ᵊl/ US /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ ˌnɑː.vᵊl/
a novel that features some of the same characters as another novel by the same author, but is not a sequel or part of a series
In her typically inventive fashion, Jennifer Egan calls The Candy House, the follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize winner A Visit from the Goon Squad (2011), a “sibling novel”. According to Egan, The Candy House follows a number of [A Visit from the Goon Squad’s] peripheral characters into their own futures and pasts to create an independent work with a new set of preoccupations and center of gravity, but equal affinity for technology, humor, and structural freedom.
[theconversation.com, 26 April 2022]
romantasy noun [U]
UK /rəʊmˈæn.tə.si/ US /roʊmˈæn.tə.si/
a type of book that is part romance and part fantasy
Rosie is a distinctively talented author, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition. Sixteen Souls is a swoony romantasy where Rosie has intricately plotted a stunning mystery with a fantastically diverse cast of characters. With Rosie’s TikTok platform and job as a bookseller, she has a masterful understanding of the YA market and is uniquely placed to reach a strikingly engaged readership.
[thebookseller.com, 22 August 2022]
Part 1 of this ‘energy’ series looked at adjectives for describing lively, energetic people. This post looks at nouns that mean ‘energy’ and idioms that we use to describe energetic people. Continue reading “Boundless energy and oomph (Language relating to energy, Part 2)”
thunder fever noun [U]
UK /ˈθʌn.də ˌfiː.vəʳ/ US /ˈθʌn.dɚ ˌfiː.vɚ/
a more serious form of hay fever that people can experience when there is a high pollen count and thundery weather at the same time
A high pollen count mixed with thunderstorms will trigger a weather phenomenon called “thunder fever” this week, causing problems for allergy sufferers, forecasters have warned. The combination of warm weather, strong winds and thundery downpours brought to the UK as a result of the now-downgraded tropical storm Alex are to blame for the conditions expected to affect the country in the coming days.
[independent.co.uk, 9 June 2022]
digital amnesia noun [U]
UK /ˌdɪdʒ.ɪ.tᵊl æmˈniː.zi.ə/ US /ˌdɪdʒ.ə.t̬ᵊl æmˈniː.ʒə/
a condition where people become less able to remember things because they are used to looking everything up on the internet
Experts say smartphone addiction could impair the brain’s ability to retain new information and form new memories. This leads to ‘digital amnesia’. What is ‘digital amnesia’? It is basically a phenomenon where brains are losing their ability to remember quickly as people are becoming increasingly reliant on technology.
[news18.com, 5 January 2022]
dental desert noun [C]
UK /ˌden.tᵊl ˈdez.ət/ US /ˌden.t̬ᵊl ˈdez.ɚt/
an area where there are not enough dentists to give everyone who lives there dental care, or where it is very difficult to get affordable or state-funded dental care
Parts of England, including Suffolk, are becoming “dental deserts”, with no access to NHS dentistry for residents, an MP has told Westminster. Mr Aldous said the lack of available NHS dental appointments was a “national crisis”, although the issue in his own constituency was “acute”. “There are now parts of the country, particularly in rural and coastal areas, though not confined there, that are dental deserts.”
[bbc.co.uk, 10 February 2022]
Some of you reading this post will have enjoyed a break from your work or studies over the summer months. You might (I hope!) be feeling refreshed and ready to throw yourself into your work (=start working with energy and enthusiasm). With this in mind, I thought I’d take a look at words and phrases that relate to energy – and a lack of it! Part 1 will look at adjectives in this area and Part 2 will focus on nouns and phrases. Continue reading “Bouncy and boisterous (Language relating to energy, Part 1)”
micromobility noun [U]
UK /ˈmaɪ.krəʊ.məʊˌbɪl.ə.ti/ US /ˈmaɪ.kroʊ.moʊˌbɪl.ə.t̬i/
the use of small electric vehicles such as e-scooters, normally used for travelling short distances within towns and cities
Micromobility devices may be privately owned, but are often shared-use vehicles that are maintained by a municipal government or private entity. Micromobility devices are particularly appealing to residents of densely populated areas, as they provide quick and convenient transportation to nearby destinations such as grocery stores, shops, or entertainment venues.
[digi.com, 10 March 2022]
moth motorway noun [C]
UK /ˌmɒθ ˈməʊ.tə.weɪ / US /ˌmɑːθ ˈmoʊ.t̬ɚ.weɪ/
a way of guiding endangered species of moth to an area where they will be able to survive
Scientists are to create “moth motorways” to provide an easier journey for insects migrating north as they try to escape the effects of climate change. University researchers combined data with computer simulations in an attempt to predict the movement of moths in a changing climate … “Utilising predictions like these would enable us to effectively create ‘moth motorways’, helping endangered species reach more suitable regions more quickly in their bid to survive.”
[www.telegraph.co.uk, 22 May 2022]
hoverbike noun [C]
UK /ˈhɒv.ə.baɪk/ US /ˈhʌ.vɚ.baɪk/
a vehicle that travels in the air and looks like a motorbike
The flying motorbike is officially here! Japan’s new US$700,000 hoverbike, the XTurismo Limited Edition, targets supercar drivers – but it’s so loud that bystanders have to wear earplugs … The hoverbike joins other gadgets like jetpacks and flying taxis – but can it give Japan a technological edge over self-driving and electric cars?
[scmp.com, 27 October 2021]