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by Liz Walter
Today’s post is the second of a pair covering words and phrases connected with competitions and contests of all types (you can find the first post here). This post focuses on vocabulary associated with winning and losing.
Continue reading “Decisive victory or narrow defeat: talking about competitions (2)”
land snorkelling noun [U]
UK /ˈlænd ˌsnɔː.kᵊl.ɪŋ/ US /ˈlænd ˌsnɔːr.kəl.ɪŋ/
the activity of exploring a landscape slowly on foot, concentrating on the details that can be seen in your surroundings, in a similar way to snorkelling in water
We all know what snorkelling in the sea is, but have you heard of land snorkelling? Thankfully, this new hiking trend doesn’t require a pair of flippers or a snorkel; it’s all about slowing yourself down, wandering through nature, and having full awareness of your surroundings. With land snorkelling, it’s all about the journey, not the destination.
[t3.com, 29 May 2025]
stopover-cation noun [C]
UK /ˈstɒpəʊ.və.ˌkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /ˈstɑːpˌoʊ.vɚˌkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
a holiday trend where travellers spend time in the city where their flight has a stopover, before continuing on to their main destination
The “stopover-cation” is the latest travel trend that turns your stop-over into a stay-over. Rather than allowing the minimum 2-3 hour pit-stop between connecting international flights, you give yourself 24 hours or more to explore the stopover city, en route to your final destination.
[travel.nine.com.au, 18 February 2025]
townsizing noun [U]
/ˈtaʊn.saɪ.zɪŋ/
a trend where travellers visit smaller, quieter towns and villages rather than the better-known big tourist cities
Townsizing taps into Gen Z’s longing for sustainability, authenticity, and local engagement. Destinations that offer cultural richness, history, and natural beauty, such as quaint European villages or rural towns in Asia, are becoming highly appealing. This trend is having a profound impact on rural tourism, which could see significant growth in the coming years.
[travelandtourworld.com, 11 July 2025]
See also downsizing
Listen to the author reading this blog post.
Today’s post has a rather positive feel to it as I’m looking at the language we use to describe luck and feeling lucky.
Continue reading “Do I feel lucky? (Ways of talking about luck)”
DWM noun [C]
/ˌdiː.dʌb.ᵊl.juːˈem/
abbreviation for “date with me”: a trend where someone posts content on social media about the dates they have gone on, often with videos documenting a date in real time
In a world where privacy is optional and personal branding is everything, it’s no surprise that dating has gone public—literally. Enter the Date With Me (DWM) trend: a growing movement where Gen Z shares their dating lives online. Perhaps the most polarizing element of the DWM trend is the rise of live-streamed dates. Viewers watch as daters eat dinner, flirt, and sometimes even argue—all in real time.
[eq.irisdating.com, 5 June 2025]
See also GRWM
loud looking noun [U]
/ˌlaʊd ˈlʊkɪŋ/
an approach that involves someone making it clear, usually on social media and dating websites, that they are single and looking for a romantic relationship
Loud looking basically entails being completely open and transparent about your intentions in the dating world. “Loud looking is a mindset that’s all about unapologetically embracing transparency, self-expression, and mutual respect,” [said] Devyn Simone, Tinder’s resident relationship expert.
[vice.com, 3 February 2025]
micromance noun [U]
UK /ˈmaɪ.krəʊˌmæns/ US /ˈmaɪ.kroʊˌmæns/
the small actions that someone does to show they love their partner
“Micromance is all about the small, meaningful acts that build connection,” dating coach Sabrina Zohar told HuffPost. “It’s not grand gestures or expensive dates ― it’s remembering the little things, showing up consistently, being emotionally present.” … “The beauty of micromance is that it makes romance possible anytime, anywhere.”
[huffingtonpost.co.uk, 26 March 2025]
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by Liz Walter
From the Olympic Games through to ‘biggest cabbage’ at the local gardening show, most of us take part in competitions of some sort or another. Today’s post looks at the language we use to talk about them.
Continue reading “Tournaments and contests: talking about competitions (1)”
technofossil noun [C]
UK /ˈtek.nəʊ.ˌfɒs.ᵊl/ US /ˈtek.nəʊ.ˌfɑː.sᵊl/
an object that could remain on the Earth for a very long period after it has been thrown away and is likely to be found and studied by people in the future
“Plastic will definitely be a signature ‘technofossil’, because it is incredibly durable, we are making massive amounts of it, and it gets around the entire globe,” says the palaeontologist Prof Sarah Gabbott, a University of Leicester expert on the way that fossils form. “So wherever those future civilisations dig, they are going to find plastic. There will be a plastic signal that will wrap around the globe.”
[theguardian.com, 22 February 2025]
fast tech noun [U]
UK /ˌfɑːst ˈtek/ US /ˌfæst ˈtek/
electronic products that are made and sold cheaply, and often replaced, leading to e-waste
Demand for so-called “fast tech” – cheap electronic items often quickly binned or abandoned in drawers – is growing. Overall, consumer spending on fast tech has quadrupled to £11.6bn since 2023. The boom could be as rapid as the growth in fast fashion with a “similar negative impact”, Professor Cathrine Jansson-Boyd wrote in the announcement of the findings.
[bbc.co.uk, 25 June 2025]
See also fast fashion
digital decay noun [U]
UK /ˌdɪdʒ.ɪ.tᵊl dɪˈkeɪ/ US /ˌdɪdʒ.ə.t̬ᵊl dɪˈkeɪ/
the gradual process by which information online disappears or becomes inaccessible
Digital decay is not just a technical issue; it’s a reflection of the fragile infrastructure that supports much of the internet. According to recent research by the Pew Research Center, nearly 40% of webpages that existed a decade ago are no longer accessible.
[evolllution.com, 5 February 2025]
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Regular readers of this blog often ask us for posts on English idioms used now in contemporary English. One way we make sure we provide up-to-date idioms is by looking at those used in current newspaper articles. The expressions included in this week’s post are taken from a range of national newspapers that were published on June 16, 2025.
brain flossing noun [U]
UK /ˈbreɪn ˌflɒs.ɪŋ/ US /ˈbreɪn ˌflɑːs.ɪŋ/
a way of relaxing and reducing stress that involves listening through headphones to music and other sounds that have been recorded in such a way that they seem to move around the listener
The concept behind brain flossing is simple: it involves listening to 8D audio – sounds that shift between the left and right ears, creating a dynamic, immersive effect. Some people describe it as a mental reset, much like flossing removes plaque from your teeth, but for your brain instead.
[lucylovesme.co.uk, 24 February 2025]
benevolence bump noun [C]
/bəˈnev.ᵊl.ᵊns ˌbʌmp/
a period of time when people are generally kinder and more helpful to each other
The world experienced a “benevolence bump” of kindness during the Covid-19 pandemic that has remained, with generous acts more than 10% above pre-pandemic levels. The annual World Happiness Report found that in 2024, acts such as donating and volunteering were more frequent than in 2017–19 in all generations and almost all global regions.
[theguardian.com, 19 March 2025]
cosymaxxing noun [U]
UK /ˈkəʊ.ziˌmæks.ɪŋ/ US / ˈkoʊ.ziˌmæks.ɪŋ/
the act of creating a warm, comfortable, relaxing environment around you to decrease or avoid stress
Cosymaxxing is the newest buzz on social media that encourages one to embrace the simple joy of feeling at ease in your own space. Whether it’s wrapping up in a blanket, lighting candles, or just sinking into your favourite spot at home, this trend encourages slowing down and creating your own menu of comfort.
[firstpost.com, 30 March 2025]
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by Liz Walter
My colleague Kate Woodford recently wrote a post about the stock market, which included several synonyms for going up and going down. The context was of prices, values and amounts, but most of these words can be used very literally for objects as well – prices rise but so do hot-air balloons. This post continues the theme with a few more words for going up and down, some of which are used in rather specific contexts.
Continue reading “Ascending and descending: talking about going up or down”
cardboard box index noun [C, usually S]
UK /ˌkɑːd.bɔːd ˈbɒks ˌɪn.deks/ US /ˌkɑːrd.bɔːrd ˈbɑːks ˌɪn.deks/
a way of measuring the health of the economy according to how many cardboard boxes are being produced or shipped, since these are widely used for packaging the goods that people buy
The cardboard box index is a tracker that provides a different angle on supply chain data. Drops in cardboard shipments often precede slowdowns in manufacturing, retail, and e-commerce. It tanked in the 2008 crash and flagged early weakness in late 2022.
[Hot Topics, linkedin.com, 2 June 2025]
vibecession noun [C]
/vaɪb.ˈseʃ.ᵊn/
a period when people feel that the economy is doing badly, even if it is actually stable or growing
But there is a disconnect between people’s negative perceptions about the economy and the latest, relatively promising macroeconomic data. Despite the doom-and-gloom outlook, the UK economy is showing signs of improvement. This disparity between consumer sentiment and economic data has been dubbed a “vibecession”.
[raconteur.net, 14 April 2025]
cloudflation noun [U]
/klaʊd.ˈfleɪ.ʃən/
the rising costs of cloud-based computing services
The past decade has shown how easily IT spending can spin out of control due to issues like “cloudflation” and shadow IT. Organizations are now more aware than ever of the importance of getting ahead of unnecessary spending — which is why increased IT budgets in 2025 will likely be accompanied by greater pressure on IT teams to optimize resources from a cost perspective.
[itprotoday.com, 2 January 2025]