Chapter 1: The Emergence of New Slang

In this installment, we delve into a fascinating exploration of recent words and phrases collected from the vast landscape of literature and media. This ongoing series aims to entertain and enlighten you while showcasing linguistic trends. While these terms may be fresh to me, you might already be familiar with them; feel free to revel in my lack of knowledge—there's always more to discover! As a fun challenge, see how many of these new terms you recognize.

The examples presented here come with a cautionary note, as they may be viewed as linguistic transgressions. A new wave of slang is surfacing in the UK, garnering mixed reactions. Here are a few notable entries:

• genny lec — Referring to the General Election.
• cozzie livs — Denoting the cost of living.
• menty b — A term for a mental breakdown.

If you're curious for more, further insights can be found in this article:

British slang can be quite peculiar, but these playful abbreviations offer a light-hearted way to discuss life and its challenges.

Chapter 2: Words in Context

One such term, credenza, refers to a sideboard or cupboard. This word appears multiple times in the book Moscow X by David McCloskey, which I’m currently enjoying. While not commonly used, its frequent appearances highlight how our language is shaped by our surroundings and reading materials. Everyone has a unique vocabulary, shaped by personal life experiences.

Another interesting word is humidor, an airtight container designed to keep cigars or tobacco fresh, also from the same book. Mescal refers to an agave plant, especially one used for making alcoholic beverages, and can also denote a drink distilled from agave sap or peyote. Additionally, poblano describes a large, mild-flavored dark green chili pepper, also found in Moscow X.

The Latin phrase “Ubique et usquam”, meaning "everywhere and anywhere," caught my attention. I was already familiar with ubique, from which we derive the term ubiquitous, but I had to look up usquam. I encountered this phrase on a nameplate of a canal barge.

Fidlets, fingies, and doos are playful terms originating from Antarctica, illustrating that even in a globalized world, language continues to evolve, much like living organisms. More details on these and other neologisms can be found here:

According to a study, “fingies” is a term used by Americans to describe newcomers to Antarctica, derived from the military abbreviation FNGs, which stands for "Fucking New Guy." On the other hand, the British refer to them as “fidlets,” a diminutive form of “Fid,” an acronym for Falkland Island Dependencies, the previous name of the British Antarctic Survey. In the U.S., a snowmobile is called a “snow machine,” whereas in British stations, it’s referred to as a “doo.” New Zealanders often adopt American slang, but some unique terms persist.

“Brat summer” is another term that I recently encountered, highlighting how trends can slip past me unnoticed. This trend revolves around a meme mentioned in a Guardian article:

“Wheesht”, a Scottish term meaning to be quiet, appeared in an article discussing JK Rowling's views on the Labour Party’s stance regarding the trans debate, in which she is actively involved.

The qeleshe, a traditional white brimless felt skullcap worn by Albanians, has gained visibility in Albanian communities and is now part of their cultural attire. I first heard this term during commentary on the Euro football competition, where many Albanian fans donned these hats.

I hope you find this collection enjoyable! Please share any of your favorite new words in the comments.

Previous articles from The Word Collector:

Part 63 — An Argle Bargle About A Hurkle Durkle

Part 62 — Swipers, Skeps and Queijadas

Part 61 – Squamous Bonnacons

Part 60 — Haptic Boondoggle

Part 59: Insomnolent Zentangles

Part 58: Acrophobia and a near-death experience

Part 57: Hyperphantasic Lycanthropy

Part 56 — Yexing Vortfreude and Axolotls

Part 55- Kewl bafflegab

Part 54 — A Proustian Potpourri

Part 53 — Findom and Biblioklepting

Part 52 — Bump the Lamp with a Drabble Dabble

Part 51 — Blitzscaling Rishession

Part 50 — A Gallimaufry of Particitrousers

Part 49 — Kvetching, habit stacking, and loud budgeting

Part 48: Flex Your Rizz Bruv

Part 47: Bikeshedding Navvy Gravvy

Part 46: Astraphobic Badonkadonk

Part 45: Ergophobic Humdudgeon

Part 44 — Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic Longiloquence

Part 43 — Stravaiging Shiznit

Part 42 — Model Collapse And Dezinformatsiya

Part 41 — A Flapdoodle of rapid unscheduled disassembly

Part 40 — Mulesing, Merkins, Quislings, Tallywags And Refoulment

Part 39 — Blowing off the hinky cobwebs

Part 38 — A Dreich Case Of Psychoterratic Solastalgia

Part 37 — A Cockamamie Collection Of Highkey Zhuzh

Part 36 — Keggers, Kerning, Çay and Crickets

Part 35 — Murmuring judges and anhedonia

Part 34 — A-quomodocunquizing-borborygmus

Part 33 — Going Monk Mode In Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu

Part 32 — Turpitudinous Tourons

Part 31 — Hurkle durkle, medicanes and misophonia

Part 30 — Immortal earworms

Part 29 — Government on the RAAC

Part 28 – Saved by a deus ex machina

Part 27 — Pre-Lapsarian Yakers

Part 26 — Fegans, Jorts, Rababs And Scotch Bonnets

Part 25 — Fissiparous Hegemony

Part 24 — Lollygag And Booktok

Part 23 — Patronymics And Samovars

Part 22 — Medium Is No Chronofage If YRMIRY

Part 21 — Everything Is Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious

Part 20 — Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia And The Matthew Effect

Part 19 — A Nappuccino And Some Typo-Squatting

Part 18 — Yeeting Detritovres

Part 17 — An Inverted Pyramid Of Piffle On The Bed Of Procrustes

Part 16 — Having The Jones And Partisan Acrimony

Part 15 — Spycops In The Boondocks

Part 14 — Harlots, Stochastic Parrots, And The Devil’s Cufflinks

Part 13 — The Things We Make Exceptional

Part 12 — “Semper Fidelis” And Semantic Symbiosis

Part 11 — Heliophobic Hikikomori

Part 10 — Lenticular Clouds And Peque Peques

Part 9 — Big Red Boots And Nepo Babies

Part 8 — A Patina Of Smilies

Part 7 — Atavistic frou frou

Part 6 — Mouth Breathers And Pearl Clutchers

Part 5 — The Lexophile’s Latest List

Part 4 — Revenge of the word collector

Part 3 — An Etymological Extravaganza

Part 2 — Return Of The Word Collector

Part 1 — A Moment In The Sun