Have you fallen foul of ‘skimpflation’, or contracted ‘flurona’ – perhaps during the recent ‘flockdown’? Or was this the year you discovered the joy of ‘fexting’, or a taste for ‘soysage’?
If this all sounds like gibberish, language expert ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD reveals some of the new words and phrases that emerged in 2022.
Nepo baby Child of an actor, a model or a musician who achieves success because of their famous parent (right: Model Kate Moss with her daughter Lila)
Fluffernutter: A sandwich of marshmallow spread and peanut butter on white bread
Flockdown
Confining birds, especially chickens, indoors to prevent the spread of avian flu.
Rain bomb
A sudden gust of wind during a thunderstorm that blows down from the sky, bringing with it a large quantity of rain.
Meatspace
The physical world, in contrast to cyberspace.
Sponcon
Content posted on social media that appears as a typical post but which is actually a paid-for advertisement.
Kniffiti
Knitted or sometimes crocheted, items left in public places as decoration.
Fexting
The act of fighting with someone by exchanging text messages rather than speaking on the phone or face-to-face.
Copypasta
Data that’s been copied and spread online.
Warm bank
A heated building used by those who can’t afford to warm their own homes
Quiet quitting
Doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do
Fluffernutter
A sandwich of marshmallow spread and peanut butter on white bread
Thermal tourism
Travel to a warmer country in the winter to shun the cold weather and higher heating bills of one’s own country.
Vibe shift
A significant change in the prevailing culture.
Lawfare
Strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent.
Flurona
Being infected with flu and Covid-19 at the same time.
Splooting
The act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out, to counter unusually high temperatures.
Flatforms
Boardroom appropriate smart trainers.
Ankling
A pedalling technique to increase efficiency in which the heel is lowered on the downstroke and lifted on the upstroke.
Manicule
A typographic mark depicting a hand with a pointing forefinger.
Cosy crime
Light-hearted crime fiction set in a small community, without any explicit violence.
Sharenting
The act of sharing news, images or videos of one’s children on social media.
Nepo baby
Child of an actor, a model or a musician who achieves success because of their famous parent.
Shrubbing
The act of pronouncing a word in another language in a manner influenced by one’s mother tongue.
Brown noise
A low, rumbling sound considered an inducement to sleep and relaxation.
Scream pot
A clay vessel you can scream into to release anger and frustration.
Soysage
A vegetarian sausage made with soy protein.
Villagise
To relocate people to designated villages (often compulsorily or forcibly).
Thriftifarian
Someone well-off who pretends they have to spend less money in order to appear to be in the same situation as others.
Luxury detective
One whose job it is to find rare, expensive handbags, watches and jewellery to sell.
Frugaller
One who avoids wasting food or other resources and spends as little money as possible.
Disco nanny
One whose job it is to look after a family’s children overnight during a holiday, while the parents go out to parties and clubs.
Wearapy
The choosing of clothes to make the wearer feel comforted.
Milestone anxiety
A condition that makes someone feel on edge because they haven’t achieved the same landmarks as their peers.
Jobfishing
The illegal practice of recruiting people to work for a company that doesn’t exist.
Skimpflation
When the price of a product or service stays the same but the quality worsens.
Hypermiling
A careful driving technique that minimises the amount of fuel used.
Tappigraphy
The study of how someone taps the keys on their mobile phone, thought to provide information on their personality.
Silvfluencer
A middle-aged or elderly person paid to promote products on social media.
Queenager
A woman of middle age or older who leads a busy life, has fun and dresses stylishly.
Holistorexia
Extreme obsession with one’s health and wellness.
Tattleware
Software that allows an employer to monitor someone working from home.
Digidog
Canine trained by police to use its sense of smell to find digital devices used by criminals.
Carolean
The new monarchical era relating to King Charles III.