WORD WATCHER

sunset clause

A “sunset clause” is a legal agreement whereby a deal or programme ends automatically after a certain period of time. The term is mainly used in North America, as in: “The Canadian prime minister refused to approve a sunset clause in the trade deal with the US.”

thing

The word “thing” is used in informal English to refer to a practice or phenomenon that is becoming widespread. Its use often implies surprise or disbelief on the part of the speaker, as in: “Jake came to work in shorts and flip-flops. Is that a thing now?”