New Words Coined The Year You Were Born

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
photocall, n.
Meaning: Originally: a summoning of theatrical or other performers to be photographed, esp. during a rehearsal or before or after a performance
 
I'm guessing that many of these trendy-at-the-time words must have gone out of favor almost as suddenly as they appeared. My word is "bouffy" and relates to looking like a bouffant hairstyle. Since the bouffant is long out of fashion, the word probably died around the same time.

Equally interesting are words that have become obsolete. For example, a few weeks ago I was getting my hair cut by a young lady in (I'm guessing) her early to mid 20s. Somehow I happened to use the word "gobbledygook" in conversation. She just looked at me and started to laugh. I asked her what was so funny, to which she replied "Gobbledygook. I've never heard that before. What does it mean?" So I explained it to her.

She said "That's a fun word. People should say it more often."

I didn't want to tell her that people used to say it all the time when I was younger.
 
This is pretty :cool:

cyberculture, n.
Meaning: The social conditions brought about by widespread automation and computerization; (in later use also) the culture surrounding computers and (esp.) the Internet.
 
This years top word is "selfie" with "twerking" coming in a close second! I will take "photocall" over them any day! :ROFLMAO:
 
...Somehow I happened to use the word "gobbledygook" in conversation. She just looked at me and started to laugh. I asked her what was so funny, to which she replied "Gobbledygook. I've never heard that before. What does it mean?" So I explained it to her...

Gobbledygook is my birthday word! I guess I'm obsolete. Actually I kind of already knew that.
 
The OED website has a look up table where you can look up any new words that appeared for the first time the year of your birth (or any other year).

OED birthday word generator: which words originated in your birth year? | OxfordWords blog
"Newspeak" - courtesy of George Orwell

Fascinating to see words which we think are very up-to-date that go back to, in my case, the '40s - "bloke-ish", "bake off", "skinny dip", "binge drinking", "technophobe" and "arty-farty" and "acronym" (which I always assumed was older than that).
 
Interesting. I had heard of photo opportunity but never photocall.
It crops up a lot in "am-dram" (amateur dramatic group) circles where the participants fancy themselves as the next best thing to Lawrence Olivier and Dame Maggie Smith and like to ape the lingo.

I can be bitchy because I used to belong to a local am-dram group where only the actors were permitted to be voting members and the costume designers and makers, the set painters, the musical director, the make-up people, the tea makers and all the others who beaver away backstage sweeping floors, ironing costumes, dressing the performers and making the whole thing work were treated like dirt by the Ac-Tors and the directors.
 
I'm guessing that many of these trendy-at-the-time words must have gone out of favor almost as suddenly as they appeared. My word is "bouffy" and relates to looking like a bouffant hairstyle. Since the bouffant is long out of fashion, the word probably died around the same time.

Equally interesting are words that have become obsolete. For example, a few weeks ago I was getting my hair cut by a young lady in (I'm guessing) her early to mid 20s. Somehow I happened to use the word "gobbledygook" in conversation. She just looked at me and started to laugh. I asked her what was so funny, to which she replied "Gobbledygook. I've never heard that before. What does it mean?" So I explained it to her.

She said "That's a fun word. People should say it more often."

I didn't want to tell her that people used to say it all the time when I was younger.
We still do.
 
Mine is a bit boring. It's:

gasp, int.
Meaning: Used parenthetically to express mock horror, shock, surprise, dismay, etc
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom