2018: A year of kittenf ishing smombies
ARE you a he- peater, a Christmas creep or even a smombie? And if you haven’t a clue, we are here to help with some of the bizarre new words and phrases entering the English language in 2018.
Every year, Mail on Sunday language expert Adam Jacot de Boinod scours books, newspapers and the internet to compile a list of words and phrases we’ve heard for the first time – and possibly the last. So here is his top ten for the year:
Schmoo: A jumper without a hole for the head to go through, intended to be wrapped around the shoulders;
Sweatworking: Any activity that combines exercise with networking, such as going to the gym with business clients;
Christmas creep: The act of advertising and selling Christmas-related goods before the traditional start of the festive season;
He-peating: When a man repeats a good idea expressed by a woman – and then acts like it was his own;
Smombie: Pedestrians distracted by their mobile phone or similar device;
Stashing: The practice of not telling anyone about the person with whom you are in a romantic relationship;
Death cleaning: The act of throw- ing away things you don’t need as you get older;
Up-lit: Books that make the reader feel optimistic;
Kittenfishing: The activity of exaggerating your positive qualities in an online profile;
Gammon: A person, typically middle-aged, male, with a pink skin tone and reactionary views. Especially one who supports Brexit.