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Home / Lifestyle

The quirkiest words of 2015

Herald online
23 Dec, 2015 04:00 AM2 mins to read

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Are lumbersexuals the new hipsters? Photo / Getty

Are lumbersexuals the new hipsters? Photo / Getty

The English language can be tricky to navigate at the best of times, so the addition of words such as lumbersexual and nerdjacking may be resisted by some.

But Melbourne-based language expert David Astle has provided a taster of the Macquarie Australian Dictionary's top picks for the 2015 word of the year.

The winning word, chosen by a panel of six, will be announced on January 21.

In the meantime Astle, a self-confessed "word nerd", has shared his top contenders and their meanings.

1. Nerdjacking

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The habit of hijacking a conversation or taking a question too far by delving into your peculiar knowledge of a topic. The term is also referred to as "nerdsplaining".

2. Mx

A gender-neutral form of address, Mx can be used as an honorific instead of Mrs, Miss or Mr for those who identify as non-binary or do not wish to reveal their gender.

3. Lumbersexual

A man who wears outdoorsy attire such as plaid shirts, jeans and boots, sports a beard yet resides in an urban environment and lives a "metro" lifestyle.

4. Veedubbing

Sparked by the Volkswagen scandal in September when it was discovered the company had manipulated emissions test data, "Veedubbing" is used to refer to manipulating software to make it seem better than your rival's.

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5. Lawnmower parent

A relative to "helicopter parents" - a term used to coin the cotton wool club of anxious mums and dads - the lawnmower parent is here to flatten the path of the child, so they never experience any hardship. The parent controls their offspring's destiny to such an extent that everything is flat and easy.

6. Manspreading

Otherwise known as "space invader" or the "dude v", the term refers to men who sit with their legs splayed, particularly on public transport.

7. Disconnectionist

When you switch off all devices in an attempt to reconnect with yourself and those around you.

- nzherald.co.nz

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