New words and terms coined in recent years,
beginning with 'A' and 'B'

The English language is notoriously fast in adapting to the changing world.
Every year around 1000 new words are coined or invented to adapt to innovations and trends.
Some emerged in the 20th century following technological developments and the changes in society.
More appeared with the arrival of the Internet and mobile phones.
More recently, we find words like 'Brexit' (a blend of 'Britain' and 'exit').
Below are some words and expressions that have been coined in recent years.

 A 
• acrobranching
  • An adventure sport involving acrobatics in trees using zip lines and climbing harnesses.
• affluenza
  • A blend of 'affluence' and 'influenza'.
    A social disease resulting from extreme materialism and excessive consumerism: earning more money and consuming more, which can lead to overwork, debt, stress, anxiety, etc.
• afterparty
  • A relaxed social gathering which takes place after a party, a concert or any other crowded event.
• agritourism
  • A form of tourism in which tourists stay on farms or in agricultural villages, and often participate in farm activities.
• alcopop
  • Fruit drinks fortified with alcohol, designed and marketed to appeal to young people.
• aldesko
  • While sitting at a desk (play on the word 'alfresco').
    If you are very busy at work you may want to eat your sandwich 'aldesko".
• amazeballs
  • Used to say that you find something extremely good, very enjoyable, impressive, etc.
• analysis paralysis
  • The total inability to reach a decision due to over-analysis of a situation.
• anklington
  • Blend of the words 'ankle' and 'wellington'.
    A short wellington boot.  A wellington boot is a rubber boot worn in wet conditions.
• anonymouse/anonymice
  • People who wish to remain anonymous when they give information, essentially because they are afraid of scandal or retribution.
• app
  • Abbreviation of 'application'.
    A computer program written for a specific task and designed for use on a mobile digital device.
• applepick
  • Steal someone's iPhone or a device made by Apple Inc.
• audiophile
  • A person who loves and collects high-quality audio recordings and equipment.
• asbo
  • Anti-social behavior order.
    A civil order made against a person whose behaviour causes major disturbance to others (drunkenness, vandalism, etc.). The individuals concerned may be banned from a specified area.
• avatar
  • A graphical image representing a person on the Internet. For example, an avatar can represent a player in online games, chat rooms, etc.

 B 

• baggravation
  • Blend of the words 'bag' and 'aggravation'.
    A feeling of annoyance and frustration at the airport when your baggage has not arrived but the other passengers' bags have.
• bashtag
  • A bashtag is a hashtag (#) that is used to make critical or abusive comments on social networking services such as Twitter.
• binge drinking
  • Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short space of time, or drinking to get drunk.
• binge thinking
  • Thinking excessively about a problem in a short period of time.
• binge watching
  • Watching multiple episodes of a TV programme in rapid succession.
• bitcoin
  • Bitcoin is both a cryptocurrency and an electronic payment system. It allows people to send or receive money across the Internet without going through a financial institution.
• black swan
  • An extremely rare and unexpected event of large magnitude and consequence, for example the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake or the 2008 financial crisis.
• bloatware/fatware
  • Pre-installed software that occupies a lot of space on a computer or phone, leaving little memory for storing personal data.
• blook
  • A blend of 'book' and 'blog' : a book written by a blogger.
• blue belt
  • A protected stretch of coastline or marine area.
• bluejack/bluejacking
  • Sending anonymous text messages to another person's mobile phone by using the Bluetooth™ networking system.
• bookaholic
  • A blend of 'book' and 'alcoholic': a compulsive book buyer or a prolific reader.
• brain waste
  • The problem of skilled immigrants who are forced to accept positions far below their educational level in their new country is known as "brain waste".
• breadcrumbing
  • A navigation technique which helps users by displaying a list of links to the pages they have visited when exploring a website,for example: vocabulary  > business english vocabulary  > business letters.
• brexit
  • Blend of 'Britain' and 'exit'.
    The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
• brexiter/brexiteer
  • One who favours Brexit (the United Kingdom leaving the European Union).
• brick
  • 1) An early model of a mobile phone with limited functionality.
    2) A smartphone or other electronic device that is broken or has ceased to function.
• brinner
  • Blend of 'breakfast' and 'dinner'
    A meal served in the evening consisting of food usually eaten at breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, etc.).
• bromance
  • Blend of 'brother' and 'romance'.
    A close non-sexual relationship between two men.
• bureaucratese
  • A derogatory term for language used in businesses and bureaucracies which contains long overcomplicated sentences and complex words that are obscure or difficult to understand.
• business angel
  • A wealthy person who invests their money in start-ups in return for a percentage ownership. Also called 'investor angels' or 'angel investors'.
• burkini/burquini
  • Blend of 'burqa' and 'bikini'.)
    A swimsuit worn by Muslim women which covers the whole body i.e. the arms to the wrist, the legs to the ankle, with a hood to cover the hair and neck.
• buzz
  • Excited interest or attention surrounding, for example, a new invention, a recent event or something that has become fashionable.
• buzzkill
  • Something or someone spoiling an event that people are enjoying.
• buzzword
  • A new word or expression that is commonly used in specialized work environments or age-groups, and has become fashionable. Terms used in advertising can often convert into buzzwords and become widely used.
• buzzworthy
  • Describes what is likely to arouse the interest and attention of the public.