The Oxford Dictionaries word of the year is post-truth, thanks to Brexit and Trumpism. Boring af. But stay woke, don’t suffer from FOMO, t2 is here with the perf list of words and phrases that ensured our pages and our conversations were lit in 2016!
PERF (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: Short for “perfect”. Yes, GenY eats up half its words.
Usage: Dinner and then dancing? Perf!
OR
He’s perf for you, babe.
Not to be confused with: Perv aka pervert.
SUS (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: Derived from “suspect” it denotes something shady or false.
Usage: Her new “Fendi shoes” are so sus.
YOLO (ACRONYM; NOUN/ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: An abbreviation for “You Only Live Once”. “Yolo” was included in the Oxford dictionary in September 2016. Implies that one should make the most of the present moment without worrying about the future; often used as a rationale for impulsive or reckless behaviour.
Usage: I just ordered four pairs of sparkly sneakers online. #Yolo
OR
In true Yolo spirit, I said yes to all three guys who asked me out this weekend.
Known in literary circles as: Carpe diem.
ADULTING (VERB)
Meaning: Behaving like a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks. “Adulting” was on the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year shortlist for 2016.
Usage: I have cleaned the house and shopped for veggies. Adulting, much?! OR
Sorry dude, adulting is not my thing.
WOKE (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: Stay alert, stay informed. Originally pertained to being aware of racial discrimination against the African-American community. Now used by teenagers for keeping up with current affairs.
Usage: Following Taylor Swift’s hook-ups is fine but girl, you need to stay woke on other stuff too!
OR
After a session with Uncle Roy I am the most woked person on global warming right now!
What it is NOT: Bad English for staying awake!
SLAY (VERB)
Meaning: To nail it, to do something very well.
Usage: We slayed at the dance tryouts.
OR
The new album by The Chain-smokers slayed, man.
Also means: Sexy
Usage: Bae is so hot. She’s my slay girl!
SMH (VERB)
Meaning: An abbreviation for “Shaking my head”, to denote disapproval, exasperation or disappointment. It’s how the Internet generation executes an eye-roll.
Usage: Boy 1: Did you ask her out?
Boy 2: No, but I will some day.
Boy 1: SMH.
OR
Friend 1: Are you coming to the music festival?
Friend 2: No ya, my parents won’t allow me to stay out so late.
Friend 1: SHM, dude.
FOMO (ACRONYM; NOUN)
Meaning: Abbreviation for “Fear of missing out,” usually pertaining to what’s trending on social media.
Causes anxiety and a sense of loss.
Usage: Teens these days have such FOMO that they don’t even want to sleep for 10 hours straight. OR
He hates going for wildlife safaris because of poor network. #FOMO
INDIA’S WORD OF THE YEAR
On the night of November 8, India was grabbed, not by its collar but by its pockets, and taught a new word, one that has since dominated our every waking hour — and caused countless nightmares too — DEMONETISATION. Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 ceased to be legal tender from the midnight of that fateful Tuesday and we are still grappling with the full implications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision even as we queue up at ATMs that run out of cash faster than you can say “demon” er, demonetisation, we mean!
There’s another word the nation learnt this year, thanks to our political leaders — SURGICAL STRIKE
Meaning: A military attack on a specific target with the aim of little or no collateral damage (civilian deaths). Of course it was soon co-opted into our everyday conversations.
Usage: To limit my Facebook time, Mom has started changing the home Wi-Fi password daily. #SurgicalStrike
NO
In the year of Pink, this two-letter word is Team t2’s Word of the Year. And it’s not just a word, it’s a complete sentence in itself, as Amitabh Bachchan thunders in the courtroom in this Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury film powered by Shoojit Sircar that jolted our senses and touched our hearts. No means No. It doesn’t mean yes, it doesn’t mean maybe, it doesn’t mean she’s being shy, it doesn’t mean she’s playing hard-to-get... it simply means No. No, she is NOT interested. No, you may NOT touch her. No, you may NOT stalk her. No, you may NOT call her, message her, rape her or splash acid on her. No means No. It’s really that simple.
POST-TRUTH (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: Circumstances where facts are less important than emotion or personal belief. It’s a situation were people believe something not because it is backed by hard facts but because it appears to be true.
Usage: Anybody with a gift of the gab can win an election in these post-truth times.
BREXIT (NOUN)
Meaning: The decision of the people of Great Britain to vote in favour of the UK exiting the European Union.
Usage: It is still unclear what impact Brexit will have on Indians working in the UK.
A derivative of Brexit that trended briefly in India in the summer of 2016 was
REXIT (NOUN)
Meaning: Raghuram Rajan’s sudden departure as the governor of the Reserve Bank
of India.
Usage: Rexit is neither good for our economy nor for our eyes!
TRUMPISM
Meaning: According to The New York Times, it encompasses “talking tough, playing on prejudice, but not suggesting a clear policy change. In short, playing to emotion rather than logic.”
Usage: I’m so tired of politicians and their Trumpism before elections.
IT’S LIT (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: Happening or rocking.
Usage: The Martin Garrix concert at Aquatica was lit, man!
OR
When she is throwing a party, you can be sure it’ll be lit!
Also chegg out (check out, you oldosaurus!):
TURNT UP
Usage: By the time I reached, the party was already turnt up.
Not to be confused with: Just “lit”, which means you’re so drunk that all you can do is grin widely, so that you look lit up like a bulb.
Usage: She’s so lit, she’ll get into trouble if she goes home like this.
FEELS (NOUN)
Meaning: Short for “feelings”.
Usage: Watching Virat and Anushka back together gives me the #feels.
OR
Hearing spells like Alohomora and Accio in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them took me back to Hogwarts. #SoMuchFeels
AF (ADJECTIVE)
Meaning: An abbreviation for “As F**k”, it’s GenY speak for denoting emphasis.
Usage: That steak was yummy af.
OR, My lazy af brother will never clean his room.
Not to be confused with: Audio frequency or autofocus. Yes, these are the two meanings that pop up if you feed in “af” to oxforddictionaries.com. Funny af!
Did you learn a new word in 2016? Tell t2@abp.in
