magazine

WORD FUN!

(^1) Pre-reading
Look at the words/expressions
marked in red in the article.
What do you think they mean?
(^2) Reading I
Read the article once to
check your ideas from the
Pre-reading task.
(^3) Reading II
Write a word/expression next
to each deinition.

1. Asking for opinions
   online.


2. Anger directed
   at people with
   pushchairs.


3. An episode of an
   online ilm.


4. Someone who
   secretly eats junk
   food.


5. A bank that’s been
   bailed out.


6. Someone who
   owns a pet.

E

nglish is a dynamic, lexible language that’s

constantly evolving. Every year, hundreds of

new words and expressions appear. Here are

a few new ones for 2012.

Brand bully – a child

who picks on another

child because they do not

have a particular brand

of clothing or mobile phone: “Brand

bullies are making life unbearable for many

youngsters.”

Buggy rage –

aggression directed

towards people with

pushchairs: “A young man

was knocked down in a

buggy rage incident because he wouldn’t move

his three-year-old daughter’s pushchair.”

Secret eater – someone

who eats unhealthy

food when others aren’t

watching: “I only ever

see him eating fruit and

vegetables, but I’ve heard that he’s a

bit of a secret eater and he often binges on junk

food before he goes to bed at night.”

Pet parent – someone who owns

a pet. It’s basically a new way of

saying “pet owner”,

but many feel it’s

more appropriate

given the strong

bond that often forms

between human and

animal: “Free ‘Pet Parent’ e-cards

will be available throughout April.”

Boomerang child –

a young adult who returns

to live at his or her family

home for inancial reasons.

“Many boomerang kids

are obliged to pay rent,

especially if they’re earning money

themselves.”

M-commerce

• any type of
  business that is
  conducted through
  a mobile electronic
  device (such as a mobile
  phone, an iPad or smartphone).
  This may involve informing
  customers of sales promotions, reserving cinema
  tickets, buying something or browsing an
  online shop: “The number of people conducting
  m-commerce transactions has risen dramatically.”

Crowd-sourcing – the practice

of getting ideas or opinions by asking

questions on social networking sites

or the online community in general.

“Crowd-sourcing was a

great way of getting ideas

for the new product.”

Frenemy – a friend with whom

you often argue: “If you

have to ask yourself

whether someone is a

friend or an enemy, they’re

probably your frenemy.”

Webisode – an

episode of a short ilm

made for viewing online:

“The latest webisodes,

including

exclusive

interviews with

top ilm stars, are

now available to

download.”

Zombie bank –

a bank that has been

bailed out and only

survives through

government support: “I

wouldn’t put my

money there – it’s

a zombie bank.”

Isn’t English great!

The English

Language

There’s no oicial

organisation overseeing

the English language

(as there is in France

or Spain). This means

that words can enter

the language freely,

appearing in speech,

the media, the online

community, etc. In other

countries,

words are

carefully

selected

and

approved

(or not)...

but there

are no restrictions with

English.

What new words or expressions have you seen/heard lately? What are they used for?

What are some of your favourite or least favourite words and expressions? What do you

do when you want to find the meaning of a word? Which books/websites do you consult?

Word Fun!

The latest on the newest words out there.

GLOSSARY

to pick on phr vb

if A “picks on” B, A uses his/her strength

to attack/intimidate B

to bully vb

if A “bullies” B, A uses his/her strength

to attack/intimidate B

unbearable adj

if someone's life is “unbearable”, they

are having a bad time and feel sad

a pushchair n

a little chair that babies sit in and

you push

a buggy n US

a little chair that babies sit in and

you push

rage n

extreme anger

to binge on exp

if you “binge on” food, you eat too

much of it very quickly

junk food n

unhealthy food that is often served in

fast-food restaurants

a bond n

an emotional connection between

two people

to browse vb

if you “browse” in a shop, you look at

the products in a casual way

the online community n

people who are online or using the

internet

to bail out phr vb

if a bank is “bailed out”, it receives

money from the state/government so

it can survive

to oversee vb

if you “oversee” something, you

watch over it and make sure it is done

properly

ANSWERS ON

PAGE 40

Brand bullies

Frenemy

Zombie bank

Think

about

it!

34 / http://www.learnhotenglish.com / For great private language classes, e-mail: [email protected]

AUDIO