Here’s where I’ll catalogue new words that I encounter. This will grow ever so slowly. Many new words that I come across are so readily clear as to meaning or don’t diverge so far from the familiar that I don’t even notice them. This is a list of words that stuck out for one reason or another. The attestations here aren’t meant to serve as evidence of the first use of the word; they represent when I first came across them (or the first time I remember encountering them if you get my drift). If you happen to know what the first recorded use is, please leave a comment below.
Generally, I’ll give a quote that hopefully incorporates enough of the original for the meaning to be clear, and then I’ll tack on the source so you can track it down if you like. Occasionally, I’ll add a little commentary! I’m still working out how best to present the words; since the collection is rather small at the moment, a simple list will have to suffice.
Feel free to share neologisms that you’ve come across below, and I can add them with attribution to you.
NEWSTALGIA
“But what if your brand has no actual history? That’s when you reach for “newstalgia”: using fragments of historical flotsam to spark warm feelings for a novel product.”
SOURCE: Vanderbilt, Tom. 2019. “Brand Illusions: Why a Gin Maker Invented Its Own History.” 1843, October/November 2019. 32.
NEURODIVERSITY
“Cavan said that the agency has valued neurodiversity during its 100-year existence, with the second world war code-breaker Alan Turing its best known employee with dyslexia.” — in a statement from Jo Cavan, Director of Strategy, Policy, and Engagement at the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), in reference to GCHQ recruitment policy
SOURCE: Hall, Rachel. 2021. “People with Dyslexia have Skills that We Need, says GCHQ.” The Guardian, April 29, 2021.
FEAR-GASM
“When Republicans use rhetoric like ‘the border crisis’ they’re just whipping their base into a racist fear-gasm by pretending that the people who seek asylum are somehow a threat to our country.” — in a YouTube video by Samantha Bee
SOURCE: Bee, Samantha. 2021. “President Biden Needs to End Trump-Era Immigration Policies Pt. 1.” YouTube video, 1:22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LXthT1ElZI.
SNECKDOWN
“A sneckdown or snowy neckdown is effectively a curb extension caused by snowfall. A natural form of traffic calming, sneckdowns show where a street can potentially be narrowed to slow motor vehicle speeds and shorten pedestrian crossing distances.”
SOURCE: Wikipedia. 2019. s.v. “Sneckdown.” Last edited May 1, 2019, at 22:26 UTC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneckdown.