New words in contemporary English. Do you know what they mean?

New words in contemporary English. Do you know what they mean?

English – just like other languages – changes all the time. New words are created which you cannot even find in dictionaries for a while. We have collected a bunch of them for you to enjoy.

1. dumbwalking – also known as ’smartphone walking’. It’s that very slow pace people walk at when they’re staring at a phone screen – their head down, arms outstretched, looking like zombies.

2. shift  parenting – it happens when both parents have full-time jobs, each working shifts, so when one leaves the house to go to work, the other one takes over the care of the kids and the household.

3. ’Mx’ – it’s an alternative to Mr/ Miss/ Ms / Mrs. It offers people of both genders an alternative by offering a title so that they won’t have to state if they are married or single, it indicates a neutral gender. ’Mx’ has already started appearing on forms as well.

4. to zone out – to lose concentration and start daydreaming either because the topic of the conversation doesn’t apply to us, or because simply we are bored.

5. Generation Pause – it refers to young adults who are not able to do things previously typical for their age group such as buying a home, getting married, or starting a family because of lack of money.

6. vamping – the practice of staying awake into the small hours using social networks, surfing the net, skyping etc., behaving like a cyber vampire.

7. a displacement activity – it is something mindless that you do in order to put off having to do a boring or unpleasant task. For example if you are a teacher instead of marking papers you discover some urgent cleaning  task in the house and it seems more attractive than what you are supposed to do.

8. lateral space – a flat or a house offers a lot of space on a small number of floors, rather than having several floors and staircases. This appeals to many house-buyers who don’t want to spend their time rushing up and down stairs.

9. upcycling – is the process of converting waste materials or objects that might be considered useless into attractive and useful things. For example a tatty old dress restyled, mended and updated can become a vintage item and acquires new value.

10. a scouser – is someone who comes from Liverpool, female and is obsessed with her appearance. She is quick to copy the latest fashion and beauty trends, but not with a good taste, so they look naff.

Which words or expressions would you use in the following sentences?

1. Mary always looks like a (1)………… She has a lot of money to spend on clothes but her taste is not the best.

2. It’s typical among teenagers to do a lot of (2)……….. I’m afraid it’s really harmful to their health.

3. It’s really unpleasant to walk in the streets with all those (3)…………… people who can’t live without their phones for a minute.

4. More and more children have to experience (4)………………. as both of their parents must work to make ends meet.

5. Is this person a man or a woman? Well, it’s difficult to tell. There is only (5)……. written here as a title.

6. I want to buy a house. The most important issue is that it should have (6)…………… space as I don’t like climbing stairs inside the house.

7. -You looked as if you had been sleeping.

     -No, I was just (7)………… this lecture is so boring.

8. – You have a beautiful dress.

    – Well, it’s a good example of (8)…………. . I found it in the attic. It had belonged to my grandma.

9.  You are already forty and you still live with your parents. I know, I know, it’s because of the (9)……………… .

10. – You should be studying for your exam. Why are you here in the kitchen doing the washing up?

– Well, it’s just (10)……………… . I’ve just had enough of studying and I don’t feel like starting it again, you know.

Key:

1. scouser

2. vamping

3. dumbwalking

4. shift parenting

5. Mx

6. lateral space

7. zoning out

8. upcycling

9. Generation Pause

10. displacement activity