Back in the 1990s, a social networking site called Friends Reunited enabled people to find old friends and communicate with them again. It was immensely popular but eventually closed down, unable to compete with platforms such as Facebook. I was reminded of it as I recently waited to meet someone I hadn’t seen for a long time myself, and I started to consider the language we use in these situations. Continue reading “Reuniting and reminiscing: talking about meeting old friends”→
tool sprawlnoun [C usually S] UK /ˈtuːl ˌsprɔːl/ US /ˈtuːl ˌsprɑːl/ the situation where a company uses too many different apps or other digital tools, making work more complicated and difficult to manage
Consolidating workplace tech, or tackling what’s been dubbed “tool sprawl”, is on the agenda for many organizations right now. We’re all fed up with having to jump between five different apps to complete a simple task. Simply put, “tool sprawl” is the accumulation of a large number of platforms and channels that leads to an inefficient and costly digital workplace, and a frustrating and disengaging digital employee experience. [workvivo.com, 28 January 2026]
RAMageddonnoun [U] UK /ˌræm.əˈged.ᵊn/ US /ˌræm.əˈged.ᵊn/ a severe global shortage of RAM memory chips
RAMageddon is the fun new term for a not-so-fun trend that is sweeping the tech industry: an ever-increasing shortage of random access memory, or RAM chips, which power pretty much all the tech products we use in our daily lives. As the AI industry has blossomed, the biggest tech companies and AI labs — all vying to have the most powerful and efficient AI — are buying so much RAM to power their data centers that there’s not much left for the rest of us. [techcrunch.com, 12 April 2026]
shadow AInoun [U] UK /ˌʃæd.əʊ ˌeɪˈaɪ/ US /ˌʃæd.oʊ ˌeɪˈaɪ/ the use of AI tools in the workplace without authorization from the company’s IT department
The use of unsanctioned AI tools, also known as shadow AI, has become more common in the workplace. Top executives prefer the use of shadow AI because it allows work to get done quicker. But while unsanctioned AI tools can be useful, they come with a price. Shadow AI is ranked 3rd in the list of contributing factors to data breach costs. These tools could store or reuse data and cause compliance and regulatory concerns. [nojitter.com, 15 April 2026]
In today’s post, I’m looking at a selection of the phrases that we use for talking about the past. As you’ll see, some of these phrases express nostalgia, that mixture of pleasure and sadness that we all feel about some things in our past.
NERnoun [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”→
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 nesternoun [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]
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)”→
superworkernoun [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”→
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 Theorynoun [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 dopaminenoun [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 bagnoun [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]
