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:
“6 red flags pointing to China’s Economy Slowing Down” - Sep ‘23
“5 red flags in Trump’s taxes” - Dec ‘22
“12 red flags you’re in a relationship with a man-child” - Dec ‘23
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
quirky “kwer-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?
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://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