address the problem = tackle the problem
aka = alias, also known as
bear pit = creative area at work where a group of people can meet
big time = very much
blamestorm = version of brainstorming, where you get together to decide who is to blame for a disaster
blockhead, meathead = stupid
bottom fishing = buying stocks when they are cheap
breadhead = s.o. who likes money
reathalyser [breathalyzer] = equipment to analyse[analyze] your breath (for alcohol)
brunch = breakfast + lunch
camcorder = camera + recorder
chick-flick = film designed to appeal to women
chill-out spaces = places at work where people can relax
chunnel = channel + tunnel
contactee = someone who claims to have been contacted by alien beings from space
cool = trendy (as in Cool Britannia)
customize [customise] = to adapt a car (in the factory) to a customer's specifications
dead-cat bounce = when after a crash a stock rises and encourages "suckers" to buy
digiterati = people who only communicate via digital media
Dinky = Double Income No Kids Yet
docusoap = documentary filmed like a soap opera
downdate = to seek a partner below one's expectations, because it's just so difficult to form a relationship these days
downshifting = change to a less pressured and less highly paid career
downsizing = getting rid of employees
first-time buyer = young person buying their first home
follically challenged = PC for bald
 geek = boring person with only one boring interest in life
geekspeak = computer jargon
glitch = technical hitch (difficulty to be overcome)
glitterati = celebrities who are seen at all the most trendy places
glitzy = ostentatious, showy

Sources:
Clare West: Geeks, Glitches and Glitterati – Changing English,
Praxis des neusprachlichen Unterrichts 4/00, S. 380 ff.
Ian Dunlp: New Word for Old, Praxis ... 4/01, S. 376 ff.

Bibliography:
Elizabeth Knowles, Julia Elliott (Eds.), The Oxford Dictionary of New Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997
Judy Pearsall (Ed.), The New Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998
David Rowan.: Glossary for the 1990s. London: Prion, 1998

Web Links:
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ling215/NewWords/page1.html

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There are certain words and phrases that creep into our daily lives, taking over our patterns of speech
until it seems as if they are almost indispensable. They are often trite and misleading, and yet they will not
go away. Indeed, they seem to grow stronger with repetition, making everyday conversation a special kind
of ordeal.

Scoffing at new words or phrases, it is true, has been the sport of curmudgeons through the ages, and
refusing to recognize that language changes is a step below curmudgeonly. After all, were it not for
Shakespeare we would lack the useful noun "pedant" or, when gazing out at a blood-red sunset, the lovely
adjective "incarnadine."

But such word-invention is not the problem today. Too much of what we hear is really just lazy speech and
pop piffle, words used by cliques to show their status or by people in general to evade precise meaning or
uncomfortable truths. Below are some catchwords that show no signs of disappearing, no matter how
irritating they have become:

Closure. I do not know where the current usage of this word originates. In 1967, the critic Frank Kermode
published a book called "The Sense of an Ending," which is about closure in works of art: e.g., why a
novelist ends his novel at a certain point in his story. The concept of closure also applies to musical forms.

The current use of the term, though, seems to have nothing to do with either of the above. "Closure" is
now applied, very sloppily, to things in one's personal life, as in "I'm looking for closure." Perhaps this has
something to do with "serial monogamy." It is often convenient to achieve "closure" with one partner
before moving on to the next.

Getting on with my life. This handy phrase may be properly used by accident victims, grieving widows and
orphans. It presumes that the life in question has an identifiable course or pattern that the speaker plans
to resume after a disruption. In fact, the phrase is used by persons who have little or no idea what their
next move will be. What they often mean is: "Yes, I've been selfish and cruel, and I've certainly screwed
up the lives of a lot of people around me, but I'm not going to think about that. I'm going to act as if
everything is OK." President Clinton, recently spotted at the French Open in Paris, has, it appears, gotten
on with his life.

I've gotta do what I've gotta do. This purposeful-sounding expression also seems to justify behavior of any
kind. Even on the surface, it is pure tautology. In the background is the implication: "I've gotta do what
I've gotta do to survive." That people in extreme circumstances--war zones, prison camps, icy
tundras--might have to resort to extreme measures to survive is one thing. But the motto is now used by
people in circumstances where the goal is nothing as basic as survival. People do what they "gotta do" in
order to: land a contract, ignore an obligation, advance a career or just "feel good" about themselves.

One day at a time. This adage, designed to help the recovering alcoholic (and other "addictive
personalities"), calls to mind the 1920s self-help mantra "Every day in every way I am getting better and
better," although it lacks the mindless optimism. It also recalls the classical expression "carpe diem," only
instead of live for the day, it urges the opposite: one day at a time of restraint and sobriety rather than
wine and roses.

It sounds laudable, but it is in fact rather smug and small-minded. The person who announces he's taking
"one day at a time" also seems to be saying: Life is so difficult that, like a child, I can't think beyond the
next few hours. I certainly can't be bothered to think of larger things.

I'll always be there for you. It sounds reassuring, sure. But it is actually the expression most commonly
uttered by someone who is leaving rather than embarking on a relationship. When a husband and wife
decide to divorce, so that each can "get on with my life," it is now customary for at least one to assure
the other: "But you know I'll always be there for you." Clearly this statement is contrary to fact, for, if he
were really committed to "being there for" her, he would not be leaving her to "get on with his life." The
real meaning: Believe in my eternal good intentions, but don't expect anything from me.

Support. Because it is not such a big deal, "support" is something that people have become very
comfortable about demanding from their friends. Forget all the old proverbs, like Blake's "in opposition is
true friendship" or Moliere's "the more we love our friends, the less we flatter them." The postmodern friend
or relative believes he has a right to our "support" for whatever he decides to do.

While the honest friend was once thought to be the one brave enough to offer criticism, while the trusted
confidante was once expected to offer sage advice, both criticism and advice are too judgmental for
modern sensibilities. "What do you want from me?" cries the beleaguered friend. The answer: "Your
support!"

Judgmental. The bad judgment that leads to, say, overindulging in drink or drugs or cheating on a test is
regularly "contextualized" or treated with "compassion" and "understanding." Meanwhile, the act of being
"judgmental" is ruthlessly condemned, judged to be nearly always unacceptable.

Issues. Etymologically, the word "issue" seems to derive from the Latin exire, meaning to go out. As a verb
or a noun, issue originally meant something springing, flowing or resulting from a given circumstance,
whether it might be the "issue" of a marriage (i.e., a child) or a bank issuing checks or a publisher putting
out the latest edition of a journal. In legal parlance, however, the term "issue" by the 16th century came
to mean "the matter in question."

This turned out to be a fateful shift. We now have candidates "concerned about the issues" and "gender
issues" and "issues of contemporary relevance," etc. Worse, issues have moved from the public and
political arena to the private, psychological realm. A person who has difficulty forming relationships is said
to have "intimacy issues." Or, troubled and nearly homicidal, he simply has "issues."

Deal with it. This sounds as though someone is finally going to take responsibility for something. In fact, it
means: "It's your mess, you clean it up, don't expect any help from me."

For centuries, we seemed to manage well enough without any of these gems. That they've become so
ubiquitous of late would seem to indicate that we've all got a lot to hide--or, at the very least, a lot to
gloss over. I, for one, have no intention of dealing with any of it.
 

Bernhard Tiben
English.Circle.Hamm@gmx.de+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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