couch commerce noun the buying of goods online from the home

Above, you can see an intriguing graph from Compuware APM that shows a kind of kooky new trend in shopping this holiday season, something the researchers are calling ‘couch commerce.’
[www.tuaw.com 5 Dec 2011]

dark green adjective describes a financial product that avoids investing in unethical companies

Dark green funds avoid investing in companies involved in unethical activities such as the arms industry, animal testing and tobacco.
[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 15 Oct 2011]

Goldilocks planet noun a planet with temperatures in the habitable zone for humans, i.e. not too hot and not too cold

In short, a so-called Goldilocks planet fit to be inhabited by the biochemical likes of us.
[New York Times (US broadsheet) 03 Dec 2011]

light green adjective describes a financial product that invests only in companies that have a positive ethical and ecological bias

Light green funds, meanwhile, take a positive screening approach, investing in companies that make a positive environmental contribution such as those involved with renewable energy, recycling and water management.
[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 15 Oct 2011]

About new words

alcolock noun a device which, when fitted to a car, causes the engine to lock if the driver has drunk too much alcohol

Dutch drivers caught operating a car while significantly over the alcohol limit will be forced to fit their cars with ‘alcolocks’ which automatically lock the engine if the driver is over the limit.
[I (concise version of UK broadsheet The Independent) 8 Oct 2011]

civets noun Columbia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa seen as key markets for economic growth

After the dynamic growth of the BRIC countries in the last decade, a batch of six more countries — the CIVETS — will be the ones to watch in the next 10 years.
[reuters.com 27 Apr 2010]

frankenshoes plural noun ostentatiously ugly shoes

Frankenshoes: Flatforms have gone too far now
[www.thefashionpolice.net 3 Oct 2011]

reverse ferret noun humorous a dramatic change in opinion or policy

The Rt Rev Richard John Carew Chartres exuded an aura of benign ecclesiastical calm having performed the most dramatic reverse ferret in modern church history.
[www.episcopalcafe.com 2 Nov 2011]

About new words

chip music noun a type of music using the sound chips of game systems as instruments

This kind of blend of straightforward rock with the chip music – is that unusual on the chiptune scene?
[WNYC: Soundcheck (new music radio broadcast) 10 Nov 2011]

chiptune noun another name for chip music

It’s called chip music. It’s also been called chiptune.
[WNYC: Soundcheck (new music) 10 Nov 2011]

Haeyoung Kim, who performs under the name Bubblyfish, makes chiptune music using a pair of Gameboys.
[WNYC: Soundcheck (new music radio broadcast) 20 Oct 2011]

J-pop noun pop music from Japan

Japanese teens and twentysomethings who once had ears only for J-pop are now transfixed by K-pop, a phenomenon from South Korea that is taking the world’s second biggest music market by storm.
[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 1 Oct 2011]

K-pop noun pop music from Korea

K-Pop’s increasing popularity in the U.S. is putting more scrutiny on its acts.
[now.msn.com 2 March 2012]

About new words

buzz score noun a measure of how positively a product is perceived by potential consumers

The iPhone’s reputation fell at the time of Samsung’s first advert in late November. At the same time, according to YouGov’s ‘buzz score’, there was an upward trend in Samsung’s popularity.
[www.telegraph.co.uk 16 Dec 2011]

Although Toyota’s campaign for the 2012 Camry is just taking off, the car maker’s Buzz score — a measure of consumer perception — is already nearing its year-to-date high mark among prospective new-car buyers.
[www.forbes.com 20 Oct 2011]

crap technology noun informal devices that work as intended and are inexpensive but have limited features and are not stylish or fashionable

Crap technology is basically stuff that doesn’t have cachet, you know? It’s not slick, it’s not cool, but it works. Crappy technology, on the other hand, is stuff that simply doesn’t work.
[WNYC: Marketplace (NPR, financial news) 1 Dec 2011]

dwell time noun technical the time spent on a website

We obviously like to see tons of game plays and long dwell times, but we also like critical acclaim […]
[The Observer (UK broadsheet) 2 Oct 2011]

FBUI abbreviation humorous Facebooking under the influence; posting on Facebook when drunk

No FBUI – Facebooking under the influence; Avoid ‘Twisticuffs’ (online arguments); Be clever on social media vs. being controversial.
[http://law2sm.com 14 Nov 2011]

About new words

adoption party noun a social event at which prospective adoptive parents meet children who need adopting

‘Adoption parties’ went out of favour in the UK in the 1980s. Critics said they were ‘cattle markets’ for kids, and new family-finding
methods were tried. [www.guardian.co.uk 01.10.11]

gastrosexual noun a man who enjoys cooking, especially as a form of seduction

Enter: The gastrosexual male. He’s the guy who has taken up cooking to impress his woman. He uses his culinary prowess as
bait, as he does with his personality, looks or social status. [www.thehindu.com 08.10.11]

minimoon noun a short honeymoon

We actually stayed here last year when we got engaged and it was only suiting for us to celebrate our minimoon at the Beach
Club given the amazing time we had last year! [www.tripadvisor.co.uk 07.11.11]

sugar daddy party noun a party where women are introduced to rich men who want a companion

At first you could only find them on dating websites, now there are big budget sugar daddy parties. [www.bbc.co.uk 25.10.11]

About new words