Sami’s Favourite New Words

Sami’s Favourite New Words

The inner geek in me loves it when the list comes out of the new words being added to the Oxford English Dictionary each year.

I know. It is a strange thing to be excited about, but I am easily pleased as I am a bit of a nanna when it comes to my lifestyle. My idea of a party on a Friday night is eating Salt and Vinegar chips and drinking port… in bed… surrounded by my dogs. A super great party would involve clean sheets and a few candles on top of these Friday night festivities. I know how to celebrate!

Last year, simples, whateves and chillax were all new words officially added to the dictionary. This year, the newbies include stan, peak, sober-curious and bluebird day. Let’s unpack the fresh words and phrases together because we need to stay united against the young folk or else they will smell our fear.

So stan means a combination of being a fan and stalker. For example if you love Chris Hemsworth but you also have a room filled with creepy pictures of him in your hidden basement with barrels lining the walls and dream about the day he is forced to marry you even if it means kidnapping his current wife, then you are a bone fide stan. A number one fan. You are basically obsessed with your chosen celebrity.

Peak is another new word that has been added to the dictionary. Peak does not refer to mountain tops or hair styles. Nope. It relates to being at the height of your popularity or receiving attention. For example, Magic Mike was peak Channing Tatum. Or Pretty Woman was peak Julia Roberts. My backside was peak in my 20’s and will never climb that mountain again. Blue cheese is peak food goals for me. Got it. Okay, let’s move on with our lesson so those smug kids in their twenties cannot outsmart us with their trendy vocabulary. Speaking of which, apparently no one uses the word trendy anymore. Fair point.

The next phrase is one I find very disturbing. It is sober-curious. This means you are refraining from drinking for a while. Sober-curious sounds like some kinky secret involving a detox facility. Anyway, I do not like any part of this new phrase or what it stands for. Surely we can just say what we have always said with statements including “Man, I drank 6 bottles of rose last week so I need to give my poor old kidneys a break and not drink for at least 3 nights” or the old chestnut of “I have a wedding to go to and need to lose some weight quickly so I am going to put ice cubes in my white wine in order to get rid of a few kilos”. These are all sane thoughts but if one of my friends tells me they are going to be sober-curious for a while then I will be forced to de-friend them.

And the last new phrase I bring to your home this week is blue bird day. I love this one. It sounds romantic and full of whimsy. I had no idea of course what it means. Apparently, it used to be used only by snow lovers but now it has spread across the world and means a bright and clear sunny day. For example, we could say “I will not be staying sober-curious on this spring bluebird day at Mooloolaba Surf Club when I look out at the ocean and think we live in the most glorious part of the world. However, peak party time will have to be before six pm as I have a date with my bed and dogs.”

So good luck everyone deciphering the fresh words in our brave new world.