Every year, new words and phrases wiggle their way into our collective vocabularies, giving us fresh ways to express ourselves. This year, Oxford declared 'Brain Rot' as the word of the year, perfectly summarizing the state of our dopamine-starved, screen-addicted brains.
What Is Brain Rot?
Brain rot is the modern lament of overexposure to doomscrolling or binge-watching a series you hate but can’t stop watching. If your brain feels more like oatmeal than a functional organ, congratulations, you’re going through brain rot.
The linguistic buffet didn’t stop there. Here are some other gems that entered the lexicon in 2024.
1. Main Character Era
Forget being the main character for a day. In 2024, we’re all declaring permanent residence in our “main character era.” It’s the ultimate form of self-validation: treating your morning coffee run like a scene from an indie coming-of-age film, complete with a lo-fi soundtrack.
He is in his main character era (Freepik) 2. Beige Flag
Move over red flags and green flags; “beige flag” is here for the people who aren’t toxic or perfect, just baffling. Your date’s obsession with organizing their socks by colour? Beige flag. Harmless, but you can’t unsee it.
3. Lore Drop
A cousin of 'info dump,' but with more flair. 'Lore drop' is when someone casually reveals a deeply personal or wild story in a conversation, leaving everyone reeling.
Example: “She just lore-dropped that she spent a summer in 2012 living with a traveling circus.”
4. Rage Swipe
Dating apps have ruined us all. “Rage swipe” is what happens when you’re so fed up with bad matches, you swipe right on literally everyone just to see what happens. Spoiler: It’s still disappointing.
5. Hard-Launch
This one’s for the romantics... or the strategically private. A 'hard-launch' is when you reveal your new relationship on social media with a bold, unmistakable post (think hand-holding or kissy selfies). The opposite? The “soft-launch,” where it’s just a blurry pic of two drinks at a bar.
This couple is hard launching with a selfie for the gram (Freepik) 6. NPC Energy
We’ve all been there: you’re in the background of someone else’s story, wandering through life like a video game character with no mission. 'NPC energy' is the phrase for that vibe... harmless, a little lost, and just waiting for a quest to appear.
7. Climate Ghosting
When someone suddenly disappears from conversations about sustainability after realizing how hard it is to actually reduce their carbon footprint.
Example: “He was all about saving the turtles, but now he’s just climate ghosting.”
8. Post-Woke
The era of 'post-woke' is where people have moved past performative activism to embrace nuanced conversations about social justice. Or, depending on who you ask, just a fancy way to say “tired.”
Language evolves as fast as our collective brain rot, capturing our triumphs, struggles, and sheer absurdities. So, go forth and use these new entries wisely.
