Language evolving over time

[flexagon]

Lately at work people have been trying to use "blocklist" and allow-list" rather than "blacklist" and "whitelist", when referring to exception cases, to get away from a "white is good, black is bad" metaphor that may have its roots in racism (though, as far as I know, nobody knows if it does have roots in racism). I actually like "blocklist", but "allow list" doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely... I might prefer a simple "passlist" or "yeslist".

I've noticed myself picking up the term "heavy lift" when referring to something that's going to be difficult: as in, finding a custom sofa to fit this particular space is going to be a heavy lift.

What else is creeping into people's lexicons this year?

Comments

[randysmith]

I like "passlist"; I'm on board with that vocabulary change.

I end up with vocabulary specific to a particular relationship all the time (e.g. in one relationship "ruff" means either "Shall I fetch that for you?" or "Fetching!" depending on tone (and "meow" means "Nope!" in the same context :-}), and in a different relationship a reference to "80%" is a reference to non-verbal communication, usually when that person is saying something very loudly without saying anything :-}).

More general vocabulary? I've been consciously trying to use "frisky" as a negative-connotation free way of describing high sexual activity, but without a lot of success. Nothing naturally creeping in comes to mind.

[flexagon]

Oh yeah, vocabulary specific to a relationship is a huge thing. I have probably at least 20 words that mean something weird to me and Norwood -- for instance, to "snake" is to get ready for bed, but only in a pre-announced way (or as the announcement: "snaking" == "I'm getting ready for bed now"). The same process done without pre-announcement is "sneaking".

I like "frisky", perhaps because I am frisky and I find this to be a cute way of saying it. Failing that there's always a clinical-sounding "pretty sexually active".