Like a certain reality TV star, we're massive fans of the dictionary, so we're always intrigued to hear what the Collins Dictionary has declared its words of the year.
For 2017, the dictionary compilers have picked 12 words or phrases that have enjoyed a significant growth in popularity over the last 12 months. The list is led by "fake news," a favourite phrase of Donald Trump, which Collins defines as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting."
"Corbynmania," defined as "fervent enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK Labour Party," also makes the list.
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"Much of this year’s list is politically charged, but with a new president in the US and a snap election in the UK it is perhaps no surprise that politics continues to electrify the language," says Helen Newstead, Collins' head of language content.
The list also acknowledges our growing understanding of different gender identities by including "gender-fluid," defined as "not identifying exclusively with one gender rather than another."
Another new addition is "cuffing season," which Collins describes as "the period of autumn and winter, when single people are considered likely to seek settled relationships rather than engage in casual affairs."
"Unicorn" appears on the list, but with two distinct definitions. Collins explains: "First, the ubiquity of cartoonish representations of the mythical creature in advertising, merchandise such as inflatable pool toys, and even as a type of Frapuccino; and, second, the use of the world to describe a new business valued at over one billion dollars."
And obviously, any list of 2017's most popular words and phrases wouldn't be complete without "Insta", an adjective meaning "of or relating to the photo-sharing application Instagram." So if you can find an excuse to use the phrase "Insta-official" in a work email, your boss won't be able to object on linguistic terms.
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