“The beauty of language is that every new word spawns new ones whether we need them or not. Usually not.”-Dr. Ruth Addison, Current Linguistics, v.27 no.9 (2017), p.207
Existing word:
Staycation (n.)-When you take vacation time but don’t go anywhere; time off while remaining at home.
Earliest recorded use: 1944.
Added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015.
New variations:
Daycation (n.)-When you only take a single day off from work to futz around at home.
Splaycation (n.)-When you miss work or something else because you’ve overslept or just can’t get out of bed. Popular among college students who dozily hit the snooze button on their alarm clocks only to wake up and realize they’ve slept through all their classes.
Spaycation (n.)-When you take the day off to take a pet to the vet.
Buffetcation (n.)-When you take a break from your diet.
Braincation (n.)-When you mentally check out while working on a mindless, routine task.
Draincation (n.)-When you’ve accumulated the maximum vacation time your work allows and stop earning more; see also “maycation”.
Maycation (n.)-When your boss assures you there probably almost certainly could be a chance that you’ll have the chance to take some time off after that big project.
Existing word:
Bromance (n.)-A close but platonic relationship between men.
Earliest recorded use: 2001.
Added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.
New additions:
Knowmance (n.)-When you and another person have a lot in common and you’re sure you’d be good friends but for reasons of geography or scheduling the two of you never meet.
Showmance (n.)-When everything you learn about a celebrity seems to confirm that the two of you would be great friends if you just had a chance to meet but you’re not going to stalk them or anything because that would make it weird.
Promance (n.)-Similar to “showmance”, but applied to professional athletes.
Flowmance (n.)-The brief but amicable relationship you develop with a plumber or other repair person while they do something around your house that you kind of wish you could do yourself.
Throwmance (n.)-A relationship with someone you enjoy talking to but don’t think about when you’re not around them.
Crowmance (v.)-When you keep talking about a new relationship even though your friends really wish you’d just shut up about it.
Nomance (n.)-You don’t even know them but something about that person makes you want to punch them.
Existing word:
Slacktivist (n.)-A person whose actions toward a desired political or social change require little time or effort.
Earliest recorded use: 1998
Added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016
New additions:
Snacktivist (n.)-A co-worker who eats throughout the day, especially chips, crackers, or other loud foods.
Factivist (n.)-That annoying person who asks for your source or says “citation needed” in response to everything you say.
Stacktivism (v.)-Hiding inactivity behind a lengthy to-do list.
Tacktivist (n.)-A co-worker who says “Let’s put a pin in” all your suggestions.
Epicactivist (n.)-Someone whose one-upmanship over you regarding any cause or issue makes you want to vomit.
Other recent additions:
Metraction (n.)-The act of withdrawing from a conversation after realizing you’ve said something really stupid but not admitting it.
Plottery (n.)-Elaborate plans you say you’ll carry out when you win the lottery.
Seemail (v.)-Making sure your emails are read by obsessively attaching receipt/read tags to them.
Celebrenebriation (n.)-Excessive consumption of alcohol on a specific holiday (New Year’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Arbor Day, etc.). Ironically cannot be pronounced by people experiencing it.
Flarking (v.)-Parking illegally or in a non-parking space (in the middle of the street, on the sidewalk, in someone’s yard, etc.) and pretending it’s okay because you’ve left the hazard lights flashing. Employed by delivery people and jerks.
My idea of a great staycation includes reading your posts, Chris. The blogmance continues.
(Metraction)
I’m glad your staycations include a stop here.
I used “staycation” this morning and hated myself a little bit.
I know what you mean. It’s hard not to use these words and yet there’s something annoying about them too.
This reminds me of Sniglets. Remember Sniglets? I would add “‘Fromance” – that brief window of time when your curly hair looks awesome first thing in the morning and you love it. Then it gets frizzy or weird. End of ‘fromance.
Until you mentioned then I’d forgotten that I have at least a couple of books of Sniglets on the bookshelf in the study. So I’d forgotten them and now you’ve reminded me of them. And I wonder what Rich Hall is up to these days.
I think we got a knowmance going on here Chris because these all made me crack up. BTW, I farking hate flarking flarkers! But I love alliteration. 🙂
As always alliteration is, er, well, I’m trying to alliterate here but all I can really think of is “Educating Rita” and how it taught me that “assonance” means “getting the rhyme wrong”. Anyway I hope “flarkers” will become commonly used and we can shame people into not doing it anymore.