Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

@heddwen.bsky.social

2.8K followers 1.3K following 440 posts

I write the monthly (ish) newsletter English in Progress. Slang, neologisms, fresh articles on language https://englishinprogress.substack.com/ English teacher at Bielefeld University (EAL & ELA) Dutch English World Englishes AI English Lexicography

englishinprogress.substack.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · Jan 21

If you speak Dutch, and enjoy language and linguistics, then please also follow me on my other account @heddwennl.bsky.social

I talk about how Dutch and English interact, and how Dutch speakers use English.

A Dutch account! I have there sin in!

2 2 6

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 1d

Great summary for those of us that couldn't be there, thanks!

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 4d

In her latest newsletter, Daisy Christodoulou makes the point that educational apps can never compete with apps that have "hold the user's attention" as their sole purpose.

The following excerpt made me LOL

1 3

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 7d

I did a pilot study for longitudinal slang research in February (128 respondents). Got discouraged because of methodological issues (too much slang!). Have now had an idea how to address these issues. Feeling encouraged again!

Also: having ChatGPT help you with R is FIRE.

Horizontal bar graph with the title "Which of the following slang terms have you heard used a lot in the past two months?" (The question was specified to be about young people; so people over the age of 25 were asked to answer according to what they heard from their children/ students etc)

The answers show that "Low key" and "Bruh/Bro" were most popular in January & February 2025, with around 73% of respondents saying they had heard these a lot. Rizz, Cringe, Slay, Brainrot, Sigma, Yapping and Skibidi were also popular.

Heard very rarely were Cheugy, Fugazy and Basic.

Here are all the percentages, courtesy of R: "Low key-74.2%, Bruh / Bro-73.4%, Rizz-68.8%, Cringe-66.4%, Slay-63.3%, Brainrot-60.2%, Sigma-57.8%, Yapping-56.2%, Skibidi-55.5%, GOAT-52.3%, Real-47.7%, Chat-46.9%, Aura-45.3%, Fire-45.3%, I love that for you-44.5%, Sus-44.5%, W-43.8%, Ate-43%, Era-43%, No cap-43%, Cap-42.2%, Mood-42.2%, Main character energy-40.6%, Gyat-39.8%, Baddie-37.5%, Simp-37.5%, Type shit-37.5%, High key-36.7%, Lit-36.7%, Mewing-35.9%, On God-33.6%, Say less-33.6%, Finna-30.5%, Fit (adj)-30.5%, Demure-29.7%, Drip-28.9%, Bussin-27.3%, It altered my brain chemistry-25%, Bop-23.4%, Fit-23.4%, Ahh-22.7%, Ohio-16.4%, Fanum tax-15.6%, Huzz-14.1%, Baka-13.3%, Based-11.7%, Poggers-10.2%, Cheugy-4.7%, Fugazy-1.6%, Basic-0.8%"

1 1 3

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Joshua Blackburn @leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social · 13d

The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia is now on sale in the UK. It’s pretty sweet seeing something that has consumed so much of your life sitting in Waterstones like it’s always belonged there… Thank you @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social.
If words are your jam, it’ll make you happy.
shorturl.at/5TwQI

1 7 17

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

The Syllabus @the-syllabus.bsky.social · 9d

Merriam survives on snarky posts, games, and sharper SEO. With U.S. lexicographers down from about 200 to under 50, this piece urges treating dictionaries as public goods amid fights over words like insurrection and woke.

By @stefanfatsis.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com

buff.ly/ycOMo0K

Is This the End of the Dictionary?

Obsolete (adj.): no longer in use or no longer useful

buff.ly

3 7

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 10d

From around late July 2025, Urban Dictionary no longer shows an upvote/downvote count. Nobody knows why. It might just be a bug, or it may have been intentional.

The missing counts make the site unusable for slang researchers like me :-(

Screenshot from Urban Dictionary definition for "Urban Dictionary Likes and Dislikes"

They removed it because this website is now run by idiotic cunts apparently
User1: Why can't I see the Urban Dictionary Likes and Dislikes?
User2: Yeah what's up with the website, is it a bug?
User3: No, this website has just gone to shit
User1 and User2: Aw fuck that sucks, now it's unusable
by KeepTheDamnSocksOn September 20, 2025

Link: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Urban%20Dictionary%20Likes%20and%20Dislikes

2 17

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 16d

Another nail in the coffin of internet blogging...

Spam comments have existed for many years, and so have spam filters.

But now spammers are using AI to read the blog post and write relevant comments, and my spam filter lets them through, meaning I have to sift through them manually.

Three comments in one column. They are all commenting on this article: https://englishinprogress.net/gen-z-slang/vro-instead-of-bro/

This was really informative! I didnt know the origins of vro, and its interesting to see how it went from a possible XXXTentacion acronym to a meme. The Spanish connection was a fun thought, though ultimately incorrect. Great breakdown!

This article is really fascinating! It dives deep into the origins of vro, exploring its connections to XXXTentacion, urban slang, and even a meme. I appreciate how the author examines various theories and provides context. Its cool to see how language evolves.

This was a really interesting read! I never knew the origins of vro, and its fascinating to see how it evolved from XXXTentacions music to a popular meme. The explanations and historical context made it engaging.

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 16d

My September newsletter is out now, with links to lots of good stuff and a couple of linguisticky pics from my trip to Guangzhou:

open.substack.com/pub/lynnegui...

Caught or seen

This time: caught dead, China unbound, British-American lexical relations and links to clink

open.substack.com

3 4

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 17d

Stefan Fatsis on the current state of American lexicography www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Is This the End of the Dictionary?

Obsolete (adj.): no longer in use or no longer useful

www.theatlantic.com

1 9 29

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 17d

Super interesting, thanks so much!

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 17d

Can you give me an example? Have you been doing it long, or is it relatively new?

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · 18d

XKCD from 20 Sep 25.

Is this a thing? I've never heard it, or heard anyone talk about it.

XKCD from 20/09/25 https://xkcd.com/3143/

Two stick figures walking.

One says: That movie was so good, maybe even the greatest movie of all time question mark?

The other one says: Yeah comma, but you said that about italics Charlie's Angels colon: full throttle period. Paragraph break.
I question your judgement period.

Subscript:
When people say "question mark" out loud as a rhetorical device, it always makes me want to say my other punctuation and formatting too.

2 2 13

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Sep 8

Vibe coding, with cites from @harrymccracken.com @carlyayres.com @joanwestenberg.com

open.substack.com/pub/fritinan...

Word of the week: Vibe coding

It's a whole mood.

open.substack.com

6 8

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Sep 8

Cod digits? Striped equids? Dam-building rodents? Elongated yellow fruit?

A new book about second mentions dives deep into those supposedly elegant variations and many others.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...

Cod digits and striped equids: new book celebrates media staple ‘the second mention’

Married monographers have collated sometimes absurd word choices through which journalists avoid repetition

www.theguardian.com

1 2

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Lauren Gawne @superlinguo.bsky.social · 29d

Happy Unicode 17.0 Day!

Includes seven new emoji that are rolling out on your phones and computers in the coming year:

treasure chest, trombone, avalanche, big foot, bulging face, fight cloud, orca

@jenniferdaniel.bsky.social has the lowdown:
jenniferdaniel.substack.com/p/tomorrows-...

treasure chest, trombone, avalanche, bigfoot, bulging face, bust up cloud, orca

1 16 43

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Aug 31

Slopper: “A person who uses ChatGPT to do everything for them.” www.todayintabs.com/p/we-need-to... | via @americandialect.org listserv

We Need To Talk About Sloppers

The best ever death metal bot out of Denton

www.todayintabs.com

1 2 11

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · Aug 28

I posted that Americans call lecterns podiums and it turns out there's an entire account devoted to correcting people who say podium and I'm like

1) oh dear, prescriptivism

But also

2) this is utterly hilarious

I'm a Lectern @notpodium.bsky.social · Aug 28

No we don't. 🤨

2 6

Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang @heddwen.bsky.social · Aug 27

After years of teaching my students about the differences between American and British English, today I learned one that was completely new to me:

Americans call a 'lectern' a 'podium'!

I have heard it used many times, and have simply always misunderstood it as the thing they were standing on!

4 1 7

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · Aug 22

According to this my book is “stellar“ and I am possibly the worlds “most devoted chronicler” of British and American English differences.

I’ll take it. 😉

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Column | What are the most American and most British words?

Is American English really that different than its British ancestor? And if so, what words truly separate the American from the Brit? The Department of Data is on the case.

www.washingtonpost.com

3 2 28

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · Aug 24

It's my August newsletter: packed full of languagey, booky, mappy things to read, do, and think about.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

fly me to the tip

This time: no tipping no posting no dumping, plus things to click and do!

substack.com

1 8 13

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

EngLangBlog @englangblog.bsky.social · Aug 18

That was short but sweet! If you want to hear Tony talking more about some of this new generation of 'influencer' words, have a listen to this episode of @lexispodcast.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/3fUW...

3 8

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Christian Ilbury @christianilbury.bsky.social · Aug 18

I'm on BBC News Now shortly talking about the 'new' words that have been added to the Cambridge Dictionary [and why we need to be careful calling them 'new'].

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

‘Skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’ among words added to Cambridge Dictionary

Lexicographers give nod to TikTok generation’s enduring influence on English language with latest additions

www.theguardian.com

3 9

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Aug 18

Word of the week: Treatler.

Whether you enjoy your Little Treat™ or complain about it, someone on social media is likely to compare you to Hitler.

fritinancy.substack.com/p/word-of-th...

Word of the week: Treatler

Indulgences with an unexpected cost.

fritinancy.substack.com

2 3

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Aug 18

New word watch: Doomprompting, "the act of mindlessly or addictively conversing with a chatbot."

Via @grammargirl.bsky.social's terrific "AI Sidequest" newsletter.
ai-sidequest.beehiiv.com/p/watch-out-...

Watch out for doomprompting

Plus, the surprising scale of AI

ai-sidequest.beehiiv.com

2 7 9

Reposted by Heddwen Newton - neologisms & slang

Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Aug 22

Oneshot: In AI, the result you get from a single prompt. Borrowed from (a) gaming (b) drug use.

More useful AI stuff from @grammargirl.bsky.social's "AI Sidequest" newsletter: ai-sidequest.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-use...

How to use AI audio in Google Docs

Plus, LLMs' weird musical taste

ai-sidequest.beehiiv.com

1 1 2