Some words or expressions have inevitably become out of time, like: “I’ll miss tonight’s cup final on TV. Could you please tape it for me?” Excuse me, tape? VHS or Beta? Or blank cassette?
According to the latest issue of Reader’s Digest, with the advent of digital media, there is no longer a need to record anything on magnetic tape, but still, old linguistic habits die hard.
And, “tape” is still decliningly used for recording. It is one of the words that Reader’s Digest picked up as being dated.
Another is “Xerox”, derived from the first commercially available copy machine in the 1960s. Due to its rapid success, the brand name “Xerox” soon became interchangeable with the word “copy”.
Today, there are many new printing companies in the market, and most workers refer to making copies as... making copies.
Therefore, if you ask a younger co-worker to “Xerox” a document for you, you might meet with a blank stare, said the magazine.
“Floppy disk”. If you used a computer in the 1980s and 1990s, chances are, you used a square floppy disk for file storage.
As CDs became more readily available, the need for floppy disks faded away, so much so that manufacturers stopped making computers with built-in floppy disk drives.
Now, tiny “thumb” or “flash” drives have replaced bulkier storage media.
“Stewardess”. In those days, a woman who attended to passengers’ needs during air travel was called a “stewardess”.
As more men entered the profession, and as women fought against gender bias in the 1960s and 1970s, the term was replaced with the more gender-neutral “flight attendant”.
“Dungarees”. The old name for denim jeans. The name came from a cheap, coarse type of cloth imported from Dongari Kilda, India.
The term eventually transformed into “jeans” when clothing manufacturers began importing the cloth from Genoa, Italy, which is referred to as “Genes” in French.
“Groovy”. The word gained widespread prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was used as a synonym for “excellent” or “cool”. By the 1980s, it was pretty much out of fashion.
On another note, it was reported that the word “specialised” emerged as the most commonly used buzzword on LinkedIn Malaysia, a networking tool to find connections for workers or candidates looking for jobs.
“Specialised” means to be well-trained for a specific task or to have one’s fingers on to something.
It appeared to be a favourite among marketers, and sales and talent representatives, said a statement accompanying LinkedIn’s findings.
Other words included “leadership”, “passionate”, “experienced” and “responsible”. Is that a surprise?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has announced that it has added 1,000 new words and terms to its listing.
They include “First World problem”, meaning a usually minor problem faced by people in relatively affluent or privileged circumstances, especially when contrasted with problems of greater social significance facing people in poor and underdeveloped parts of the world. Like a cracked phone screen.
And, “ping”, the pulse of sound waves reflected from or emitted by a submerged object in submarine signalling or detection, and heard by special apparatus.
We became familiar with the word when it was frequently used during the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean.
I would like to share some new words that were sent to me via social media. The words, though hilarious, are quite apt.
“Errorist”, which means someone who repeatedly makes mistakes;
“Askhole”. A person who constantly asks for your advice, and yet, always does the opposite;
“Destinesia”. When you get where you intended to go, you forget why you had gone there in the first place. Not to be confused with being stoned;
“Cellfish”. Those who continue to talk on their cellphones, oblivious to the effect it has on others around them;
“Textpectation”. The anticipation one feels when waiting for a response to a text message; and,
“Deja poo”. The feeling that the same sh*t keeps happening.
Syed Nadzri is a former NST group editor