Spinglish noun the euphemistic language used in creating ‘spin’

Until you’ve mastered Spinglish, politicians and corporations […] will continue putting things over on you.

[WNYC: Brian Lehrer Show 15 June 2015]

 

 

shy Tory noun a person who secretly voted Conservative in the 2015 UK elections, especially one who claimed to the pollsters to be voting a different way

How ‘shy Tories’ confounded the polls and gave David Cameron victory

[www.theguardian.com 08 May 2015]

Milifan noun during the UK general election, a (young) fan of UK Labour leader, Ed Milliband

Hooray for the Milifans. They can change the world for the better

[www.theguardian 22 April 2015]

About new words

selfie stick noun a stick-like device that allows you to hold the camera away from you when taking a selfie

So your arm’s not long enough to nab the perfect selfie? Have no fear. The ‘Selfie stick’ is here.

[http://www.independent.ie/ 15 November 2014]

 

 

keepsake password noun a password that embodies a special personal meaning for the person who chose it

But above all, ‘we oppose randomness,’ [Douglas R. Hofstader] said. ‘Keepsake passwords are part of that.’

[New York Times Magazine (US Sunday broadsheet magazine supplement) 23 November 2014]

Keepsake passwords are so universal that they are now part of the fabric of pop culture.

[New York Times Magazine (US Sunday broadsheet magazine supplement) 23 November 2014]

tap-to-pay adjective describes a payment method which involves tapping your phone against a payment device

Combining NFC with the fingerprint-reading Touch ID, it turns your phone into a secure tap-to-pay wallet.

[Stuff (UK innovations magazine) Nov 2014]

About new words

responsible luxury noun high-end, green tourism and hospitality

Jumeirah’s ‘responsible luxury’ approach is an example of a sustainable travel experience – future guests will enjoy the environment as much as today’s.

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk 22 October 2014]

 

 

bio-bus noun a bus that runs on biomethane gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste

Gas-powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself.

[www.bbc.co.uk 20 November 2014]

The 40-seater ‘Bio-Bus’, pictured here preparing for its maiden trip from Bristol to Bath, runs on gas generated by the treatment of sewage and food waste at a nearby processing plant. It comes complete with an interesting design on the side of the vehicle.

[www.dailymail.co.uk 19 November 2014]

green care noun the therapeutic use of nature, especially for people with mental health issues

Today it is called green care. Though there has been no organized health-care discussion of green care in the U.S. or Canada, in the United Kingdom social and therapeutic horticulture is an increasing part of the health-care portfolio.

[http://www.wnd.com 31 October 2014]

About new words

exoskeleton noun a robotic device which goes around the legs and part of the body of a person who cannot walk and allows them to move independently and in an upright position

The device, known as an exoskeleton, is strapped to the outside of a person’s limbs and can then be controlled by them.

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/ 18 December 2014]

 

haptics plural noun technology that involves the sensation of touching or feeling something

There’s a very real difference between controlled haptics and a flat buzz, especially in a piece of wearable tech, and the haptics in the Apple Watch have that nuanced feel – its heartbeat-sharing delivers a softly detailed pulse.

[Stuff (UK innovations magazine) Nov 2014]

parcelcopter noun an unpiloted drone, used for delivering parcels

First autonomous delivery flights by parcelcopter in Europe authorised.

[www.ft.lk 09 November 2014]

About new words

plug-in noun an electronic car

Since car makers and legislators ploughed billions into electric vehicles (and the infrastructure to support them), plug-ins have made the transition from rare-groove curios to viable short-range transport.

[GQ (men’s magazine) Nov 2014]

 

 

quadcopter noun an unpiloted helicopter with four rotors

If you are on a restricted budget, then the Syma X1 quadcopter for about $40 is a GoPro as it comes with a high definition camera capable of recording FPV.

[wiki.fsairlines.net 18 November 2014]

regenerative braking noun a system for capturing kinetic energy to recharge the battery pack of an electric car

The place to get aggressive on electric cars is with regenerative braking.

[New York Times (US broadsheet) 12 October 2014]

About new words

yo-pro noun informal a young professional

The beloved British retailer that also opened Friday (in Springfield Town Center, which opened, in case you hadn’t heard) tries to be a spot where a mother of three, a teenager, or a young professional (‘yo-pros,’ as they call them) can shop.

[http://www.bizjournals.com 17 October 2014]

 

on fleek idiom slang exactly right

But if your eyebrows aren’t quite on fleek, don’t worry.

[http://www.cambio.com 07 December 2015]

What’s Gucci? idiom slang What’s happening?/What are you up to?

What’s Gucci pomade lovers? It’s that time of the week where I test out another product for you to decide to purchase to add to your collection.

[http://lifeofablogger.com/ 28 October 2014]

What’s Gucci pomade lovers? It’s that time of the week where I test out another product for you to decide to purchase to add to your collection.

[http://lifeofablogger.com/ 28 October 2014]

About new words

generation pause noun informal young adults who are not able to do things previously typical for their age group such as buy a home or start a family because of lack of money

Meanwhile, a new study released last week revealed a quarter of Brits believe they’ll never own a property, leading them to be dubbed ‘generation pause’ – an entire generation trapped in a kidult lifestyle not being able to afford to do the ‘grown-up’ stuff, like buying property, getting married and having kids.

[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 13 October 2014]

shift parenting noun an approach to childcare in which the parents take turns to look after the children between work shifts

For a family with two children who need full-time childcare, so-called shift parenting – in which one parent is always at home while the other is at work – saves an average of £11,700 a year.

[http://www.theguardian.com 29 December 2014]

spreadsheet parenting noun the practice of over-scheduling one’s offspring’s life

‘Spreadsheet parenting’ and ‘friend-parents’ are said to be leading children into ill-equipped lives, lacking the tools to decide for themselves what they really want… Do you agree […]

[www.parenthoodtoday.tv 04 December 2014]

About new words

burger noun a menu on a computer screen comprising three short parallel horizontal lines which the user clicks to see options

Definitely use a burger. You could put the settings in the burger menu too. Fix the settings to the bottom of the burger menu and use a vertically scrolling contact list that scrolls behind the settings button.

[http://ux.stackexchange.com/ 14 November 2014]

flash sale noun an e-commerce business model in which a product is offered at a substantial discount for a very limited period. Potential takers register as members of the website and receive online offers.

Flash sale companies are growing fast. Evan Davis and guests discuss how this new retail sector is changing the way we shop.

[www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lstkr 23 October 2014]

GAFA abbreviation the companies Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, seen as one entity

But the spread of the term ‘GAFA’ may be as much to do with cultural resentment as taxes. ‘I think it’s more about distribution of power in the online world than tax avoidance,’ Liam Boogar, founder of the French start-up site, Rude Baguette, tells Quartz. France, after all, is a country with a long history of resisting US cultural hegemony.

[http://qz.com 01 December 2014]

About new words

nanobrewery noun a brewery that produces beer in very small quantities, less than a microbrewery

Although East Dallas is no stranger to craft breweries, On Rotation is a little different than anything else we’ve seen before. It’s what could be described as a nano-brewery — bigger than a homebrewery, but smaller than a microbrewery.

[lakewood.advocatemag.com (online local news, Texas, US) 23 October 2014]

microplay noun a very short play

Rafe Spall stars in a microplay written by Roy Williams and directed by Clint Dyer after a conversation with Barney Ronay

[www.theguardian.com 24 November 2014]

small data noun data in manageable-sized chunks that can be easily understood

But, rather than simply getting caught up in the promises of big data, I want to employ the concept of ‘small data’ – the localised, contextual and manageable data that can help provide a fertile environment for the development of data analysis.

[www.cilip.org.uk/ci 02 December 2014]

About new words

JOMO abbreviation the joy of missing out

It was only a matter of time before someone – in this case Fake’s fellow entrepreneur Anil Dash – came up with a counterpart acronym, which encapsulates my stance towards tarot cabaret: Jomo, the joy of missing out.

[http://www.theguardian.com 17 October 2014]

 

inspo noun informal inspiration

An oversized fedora (leather band) is a) more chic, and b) less annoying for everyone else. See Naomi Watts for inspo.

[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 29 November 2014]

obvi abbreviation obviously

Obvi she didn’t want to get in trouble, but wait! There’s more to it than that!

[http://perezhilton.com 10 December 2014]

Ugh: TIME Wants To Ban Girl-Centric Slang Words, And That’s Obvi A Problem

[www.huffingtonpost.com 14 November 2014]

About new words