English Buzzwords 2023

Oxford dictionary chose “rizz” as their word of the year. It’s popular among Gen Z.
Tom Holland, the actor who plays Spiderman used the word “rizz” in an interview and most people over 25 didn’t know what it meant.

 

Generations Born

Gen Z 1997 – 2012
Millennials 1981 – 1996
Gen X 1965 – 1980
Boomers 1946 – 1964

 

rizz

Interviewer: “What’s the secret of your rizz?”
Holland: “I have no rizz. I need you to fall in love with me for it to work”

What do you think it means?

 
 

“Rizz” is short for “charisma.” What does “charisma” mean?






Charisma is the ability to attract, get attention or be admired by people. Barack Obama has charisma because people want to listen to him speak.

Rizz is the ability to attract people romantically.





He has rizz = 2020’s slang

He’s got game = 90’s slang

Do you know anyone who has rizz?




Let’s look at some of the other words on the short-list…

 

 

parasocial

I have a parasocial relationship with many podcasters (true story)

Parasocial relationship = a one-sided relationship. You admire them, care about them and know a lot about their lives but they don’t know you exist.

Have you ever been in a parasocial relationship with anyone?

Is a parasocial relationship good or bad for our mental health?

Is it better to have a parasocial relationship with a singer or a sports star?

 

 

beige flag

red flag = a sign used to show a warning or danger

examples from the news:



What are economic red flags?

man-child = childish or immature man

Can you guess what red flags were on the last list?




  • bad communication skills

  • always calls his parents to talk about problems in his life

  • can’t take care of himself (can’t do the cooking, cleaning, laundry)

  • lacks ambition

  • avoids serious conversations

  • addicted to entertainment (TV, games, comics)

  • always wants praise



So… what do you think beige flag means?





Beige flag = a sign (habit, personality) that shows someone is boring or quirky

quirkykwer-kee” = a bit strange

This is often used to talk about new dating partners, friends or coworkers

People love arguing about beige flags on tiktok because everyone has a different opinion.

Can you think of any examples of a beige flags?



Do you think these are red flags or beige flags?

  • adults who still love lego

  • they know too much information about a geeky subject (star wars, dinosaurs, comics, cars)

  • people who’ve never had trauma in their life

  • people who take lots of selfies

  • people who include any of these in their hobbies: sleeping, drinking coffee, going out to eat, or petting dogs. (These are normal everyday activities, not hobbies.)

  • They call themselves a “foodie”

  • They have more than one dating profile picture holding an alcoholic drink

  • they use too many emojis

  • they iron their socks and underwear


 

 

deinfluencing


deinfluence = tell people to avoid buying a product or goods from a brand

Why do you think people do this?


  • to help people avoid bad goods

  • to help people save money

  • to improve our health

  • to protect the environment

  • they don’t like the company or CEO


Many people were deinfluencing twitter when Elon Musk bought it… they did it again when he changed the name to “x”



 

nepo baby

Nepotism = (noun) getting a job because your family member or friend gave it to you

nepo baby (-) = a person who has successful parents in the same industry

Do you know any famous nepo babies?

 

Denzel Washington

Ron Howard directed Apollo 13, Solo, The Da Vinci Code, and many more

Johnny Depp

Phil Collins is lead singer from the band Genesis. He has 8 grammys and 1 oscar

 

Why is “nepo baby” a negative word?



Many people feel jealous because nepo babies are often given more chances and opportunities because of their famous parents. Their lives are just easier than normal people’s.

Do you agree with this opinion?

Do you know anyone who had an easier life because of their parents?

 

Can you guess who these nepo baby (sons) are? There fathers are a famous football player and singer.
What do you think their jobs are?

 

Jake Bongiovi career attempts:

  • model

  • actor and producer - they haven’t come out yet but he’ll appear in 2 movies next year

He’s only 20 but engaged to his actress girlfriend, Mille Bobby Brown (19), who is the star of Stranger Things

 

 

Brooklyn Beckham career attempts:

  • footballer (Arsenal youth player)

  • model (appeared on Magazine covers. Had a $1 million “Superdry” contract)

  • actor

  • photographer

  • chef (he had an unsuccessful online cooking show)

  • influencer (main source of income)

Now Brooklyn (24) is married to Nicola Pelts, an actress whose father is a billionaire

 


Cruz Beckham (18) is about to release his first album as a singer

Romeo Beckham (21) is a professional footballer for Brentford B. He was playing at Inter Miami for 2 years (his Dad owned the team)

Do you think there are nepo babies in sports?


 

greedflation

In 2022 company profits hit a 70 year peak. Why?






inflation = when the price of many goods rise at the same time

greed (noun), greedy (adj) = want to have many things for yourself (money, food, success)

greedflation = when companies raise prices and say it’s due to high inflation but really they want to increase their profits


In the US and Europe inflation was around 10% so many companies raised their prices. However the profits made by many of these companies rose by 30% between 2019 and 2022.


Food and energy companies (oil and gas) raised prices significantly and contributed to inflation. The IMF found the 45% of domestic inflation in the Eurozone was due to greedflation


Do you think greedflation is a problem?

Does the media in Japan ever talk about this?


 



 

 

sources:

  • https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67602699

  • https://archive.md/2023.09.19-173549/https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/brand-boycotts-how-lgbtq-gen-z-boomers-and-others-respond-companies-social-stances/2516191?utm_source=ad-age-news-alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230919&utm_content=hero-headline

  • https://www.vulture.com/article/hollywood-nepotism-babies-list-taxonomy.html

  • https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/07/greedflation-corporate-profiteering-boosted-global-prices-study

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