The Bible says that most of us will live for ‘three score years and ten’ – in other words, 70 years. Nowadays however, most people consider 70 the beginning of old age. This is probably why although the word sexagenarian (person from 60-69) exists, we rarely use it – being in your sixties is nothing remarkable. However, the slightly formal terms septuagenarian (70-79), octogenarian (80-89), nonagenarian (90-99) and centenarian (100 or over) are used both as adjectives and nouns: The dinner party included several octogenarian men. She was a nonagenarian when she found fame.
maranoianoun [U]
/ˌmær.əˈnɔɪ.ə/ the anxiety experienced by marathon runners before their race, especially the fear that they may become ill or injured and not be able to compete
Maranoia can be all-consuming, but you have just trained for a marathon and you’re in peak physical condition, so you’re strong enough to deal with a few mental setbacks. Now is the time to be resilient and soldier on. You are a runner and you can get through this! [www.therunningbug.com, no date]
vertical walkingnoun [U] UK /ˈvɜː.tɪ.kᵊl ˈwɔː.kɪŋ/ US /ˈvɝː.t̬ə.kᵊl ˈwɑː.kɪŋ/ a method of moving yourself between floors of a building using your arms and legs to propel yourself and with the aid of a system of springs and pulleys
Vertical walking, an experimental prototype by Rombout Frieling Lab designed “to move ourselves between floors in a building,” exploits the potential of the human body, materials and intelligent design to require less than 10% of the effort required by taking a flight of stairs – and without the need for any sort of ancillary power supply. The ultimate aim of the designers is to allow people to “move harmoniously through our vertical habitats of the future.” [www.archdaily.com, 24 October 2016]
Bokwanoun [U] UK /ˈbɒk.wɑː/ US /ˈbɑːk.wɑː/ TRADEMARK a type of exercise in which you do dance moves and step aerobics, usually in a class with other people
Aditi Pandey, a Belapur resident and mother of a six-year-old, credits Bokwa for her high energy levels. Enrolled for a year in a Bokwa class in the area, Pandey said that it is a very simple dance form and requires no memorisation of steps. “It is a cardio-stimulating activity and involves a little bit of hip-hop and step aerobics. We move according to English letters and jazz it up with shimmies or freestyle moves. There is no involvement of any choreographer or intense training.” [The Times of India, 4 June 2017]
A recent post looked at words and phrases meaning ‘persuade’ but of course, there are other ways to make people do what we want, (and not all of them especially nice!) Let’s take a look, then, at these words and phrases.
You might try to get someone to do something or go somewhere by offering them something attractive or exciting in return. For this we have the verbs entice and lure. Adverts like these may entice the customer into buying things they don’t really want. / They try to lure people into the shop with the offer of free cake.
range anxietynoun [U] UK /ˈreɪndʒ æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/ US /ˈreɪndʒ æŋˈzaɪ.ə.t̬i/ the worry experienced by the driver of an electric car that the vehicle will run out of power before it reaches its destination
There could be no better time to buy an electric car as finally the infrastructure to support these vehicles seems to be catching up. Range anxiety is a dark cloud hanging over electric cars in the minds of customers, but the new investment in charging networks could greatly alleviate this. [www.express.co.uk, 7 November 2017]
dronewaynoun [C] UK /ˈdrəʊn.weɪ/ US /ˈdroʊn.weɪ/ a long, level piece of ground with a specially prepared smooth, hard surface on which drones take off and land
It sounds like something one might find in California’s “Silicon Valley” rather than on the wild and often windy west coast of Scotland. But the world’s first dedicated “droneway” will see the remotely controlled aircraft cross from the mainland to Stornoway on the island of Lewis. Telecoms experts hope to show that, with the use of established routes, drones can travel safely alongside commercial aircraft. [www.scotsman.com, 11 September 2017]
multicopternoun [C] UK /ˈmʌl.ti.kɒp.təʳ/ US /ˈmʌl.ti.kɑːp.tɚ/ a type of helicopter that has more than one rotor
The Volocopter VC200 made aircraft history as the first certified multicopter to fly with a person onboard. Designed by German company e-volo, this electric aircraft gives people a glimpse into a future where, one day, ubers and taxis travel above street traffic to their next destination. [www.iqintel.co.uk, 27 April 2016]
In my last post I talked about why it is important to know whether words in English are countable or uncountable. However, I didn’t mention the fact that many words can be both countable and uncountable. This post discusses some of the reasons for this.
distracted walkingnoun [U] UK /dɪˈstræk.tɪd ˈwɔː.kɪŋ/ US /dɪˈstræk.tɪd ˈwɑː.kɪŋ/ the minor crime of crossing the road while looking at your mobile phone or similar device and therefore posing a danger to motorists and other pedestrians
As such, the newly tabled private member’s bill at Queen’s Park aimed at curbing so-called “distracted walking” amounts to evidence-blind legislative overreach. The proposed law, which would impose fines of up to $125 for crossing the street while using a cellphone, is itself a distraction from the real causes and solutions to Ontario’s – and, in particular, Toronto’s – growing pedestrian safety problem. [www.thestar.com, 30 October 2017]
smombienoun [C] UK /ˈsmɒm.bi/ US /ˈsmɑːm.bi/ a pedestrian who is distracted by their mobile phone or similar device
Germany also boasts the distinction of installing some of the world’s first traffic lights in the pavement, designed to stop smombies walking out in front of a bus. [www.bbc.com/future, 29 November 2016]
zombie lawnoun [C] UK /ˈzɒm.bi lɔː/ US /ˈzɑːm.bi lɑː/ a law that bans people from crossing the road while distracted by their mobile phone or similar device
As Honolulu rolls out the new “zombie law”, other North American cities have been watching carefully. Earlier this year, the Toronto City Council in Canada voted to ask provincial Ontario to amend the existing traffic laws to make distracted walking an offence. However, the province turned the request down, and the city is instead concentrating on public education. [www.bbc.co.uk/news, 27 October 2017]
This week we’re looking at the many near-synonyms in English for the verb persuade.
Let’s start with the verb convince, which is sometimes used to mean ‘to persuade someone to do something’: I hope this will convince you to changeyourmind.
A number of verbs mean specifically ‘to persuade someone to do an activity’, for example the phrasal verbs talk into and (informal)rope in: Finn is refusing to go camping but I think I can talk him into it. / We needed two more people to make up the team so we roped in a couple of spectators.
STEMinistnoun [C] UK /ˈstem.ɪ.nɪst/ US /ˈstem.ə.nɪst/ someone who promotes equal opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (known collectively as STEM)
Providing young women with positive role models is crucial if we are to inspire them to take up a career in science, technology, engineering or maths. That’s why Randox has teamed up with other key employers and organisations within Northern Ireland to celebrate the work of STEMinists across the country and share their stories. [www.randox.com, 16 June 2017]
bropropriationnoun [U] UK /brəʊˌprəʊ.priˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /broʊˌproʊ.priˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/ a situation when a man takes a woman’s idea, claims that it is his own and gets the credit for it
So what can you do? In her book, Feminist Fight Club, author Jessica Bennett suggests the following: find a male ally who sees the problem and put him on bropropriation watch, getting him to point it out when he sees it. [The Pool, 3 August 2017]
hepeatingnoun [U]
/hiːˈpiːt.ɪŋ/ a situation when a man repeats a good idea expressed by a woman and acts as though it were his own
Pretty much any woman you ask will have experienced some form of hepeating over the course of her life. For me it was university, where I’d say something in a tutorial and then some guy … would say, ‘Yeah, just coming off the back of that, I was thinking…’ and then say exactly what I had just said without adding anything. [www.metro.co.uk, 26 September 2017]
Many dictionaries for learners of English (including the one on this site) show whether nouns are ‘countable’ or ‘uncountable’, often using the abbreviations C and U. Countable nouns are things that you can count – one dog, two dogs, twenty dogs, etc. Uncountable nouns are things that you cannot count – water, sadness, plastic, etc.
reverse vendingnoun [U] UK /rɪˈvɜːs ˈven.dɪŋ/ US /rɪˈvɝːs ˈven.dɪŋ/ the activity of putting empty plastic bottles into a machine so that they can be recycled, and getting a small amount of money back for each one
Detailed work is expected to begin this month on how a “deposit-return” scheme for bottles and cans might work in Scotland. One of the radical schemes likely to be considered is “reverse vending”, where the empty plastic bottles are fed into a network of machines in shops and supermarkets. The system has operated for decades in many Scandinavian countries where recycling rates are about double our own. [www.bbc.co.uk/news, 4 September 2017]
shop droppingnoun [U] UK /ˈʃɒp ˌdrɒp.ɪŋ/ US /ˈʃɑːp ˌdrɑː.pɪŋ/ the activity of leaving messages hidden in a shop (often in the pockets of a piece of clothing) to raise awareness of the ethical practices of the manufacturer or retailer
In an attempt to shine a spotlight on the ethics of the British fashion industry, its members will be spending the four-day clothing festival in high-street stores near LFW’s Somerset House base engaged in “shop dropping”. This involves creating messages of protest, taking them into retailers and planting them inside the pockets of clothing for consumers to find. [www.bbc.co.uk/news, 4 September 2017]
slow fashionnoun [U] UK /sləʊ ˈfæʃ.ᵊn/ US /sloʊ ˈfæʃ.ᵊn/ the activity of making and buying clothes that are of high quality and designed to last, with low impact on the environment
In just three years, the British footwear label Dear Frances has won a following that includes Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Sienna Miller, as well as industry accolades … Yet despite its rapid rise, the company remains dedicated to the concept of slow fashion. Each piece is handmade in Italy, and although the label introduces some new styles each season, the core of the business remains its collection of best sellers. [New York Times, 11 October 2017]
