In this week’s podcast, you’ll learn some words that didn’t exist a few years ago but are becoming more popular as time goes by. English never stands still; it absorbs new technology, trends, and cultural shifts at an incredible speed. We have a selection to share with you today so that you can stay ahead of the curve.
Happy 600th birthday to us!!
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We apologise in advance for the fact that some of these “new” words may well have disappeared if you’re listening to this episode a few years after we recorded it. That’s one of the pitfalls of trendy new words – some that once sounded “groovy” don’t stand the test of time!
Rizz – Charisma or charm, especially in romantic contexts. “He’s got mad rizz—everyone’s into him.”
Beige flag – A mildly odd trait in someone that’s not a dealbreaker but worth noting. “Her beige flag is that she narrates everything she does.”
Doomscrolling – Excessively scrolling through negative news or social media. “I stayed up doomscrolling until 2 a.m.”
Shrinkflation – Reducing product size while keeping the price the same. “This cereal box is half full—classic shrinkflation.”
Skimpflation – Reducing product quality while keeping the same price. “Is it my imagination or did these chocolate biscuits not use to have far more chocolate on them?”
Brain rot — Mental deterioration or “dumbing down” caused by overconsumption of trivial or low-quality online content.
Flexitarian – Someone who mostly eats vegetarian but occasionally consumes meat. “I’m a flexitarian—I’ll have chicken once a week.”
Bingeable/Bingeworthy – Something easy or tempting to consume in large amounts, especially media. “This show is so bingeable—I watched the whole season in one night.”
Adulting – The practice of behaving like a responsible adult. “Paying bills and doing laundry—just another day of adulting.”
Upcycling – Reusing discarded items to create something of higher value. “She upcycled old jeans into a stylish tote bag.”
Nepo baby — Someone who benefits from nepotism, especially a child born into a famous or influential family.
Phubbing – Ignoring someone in favor of a phone or device. “He kept phubbing me during dinner—it was so rude.”
Ghosting – Suddenly cutting off communication without explanation. “I thought we were close, but then she ghosted me.”
FOMO Fear of missing out. “I went to the party just because of FOMO.”
JOMO Joy of missing out—feeling content skipping events. “I stayed in with a book and felt pure JOMO.”
Hangry – Irritable due to hunger. “Don’t talk to me until I eat—I’m hangry.”
Clutch – refers to something done (well) in crucial situation, such as clutch play in sports that pushes a team into victory. More broadly, clutch can characterize something as “excellent” or “effective.”
Sick – Extremely cool, impressive, or awesome (ironically, the opposite of its literal meaning).
“That new electric bike is sick—I want one!” (Don’t use this if you’re over 40 years old, as you’ll just sound silly for trying too hard to be cool. Leave it for the trendy young ones!)
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English.
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In next week’s episode: Imperial and metric weights and measures
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’