Alphabetical entry list | Lex maniac

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“Investigating changes in American English vocabulary over the last 50 years”

Alphabetical entry list

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | y | z

above one’s pay grade

abundance of caution

ahead of the curve

anger management

asking for a friend

assisted living

at-risk behavior

at the end of the day

back in the day

be careful out there

been there, done that

beg the question

bells and whistles

boots on the ground

break the internet

brick and mortar

bring to the table

channel surfing

check all the boxes

chief happiness officer

chilling effect

cognitive dissonance

collateral damage

comfortable in one’s own skin

community service

community spread

compassion fatigue

congestion pricing

coping mechanism

crunch the numbers

cultural appropriation

cut to the chase

deer-in-the-headlights look

designated driver

destination wedding

didn’t get the memo

distance learning

doesn’t pass the smell test

don’t ask, don’t tell

don’t even think about it

don’t go there

don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining

dysfunctional family

economic engine

elephant in the room

emotional baggage

emotional intelligence

emotional journey

erectile dysfunction

even a stopped clock is right twice a day

everything on the table

existential threat

experiential retail

failure is not an option

fashion statement

(a) feature, not a bug

feeling the love

first responder

first-world problem

flatten the curve

flavor of the month

flip the script

flyover country

food insecurity

full disclosure

game the system

garbage in, garbage out

gated community

get into the weeds

get with the program

global stocktake

go big or go home

go over to the dark side

good luck with that

got you covered

has left the building

having a moment

helicopter parent

help me out here

high-maintenance

hold that thought

how cool is that?

i’ll shut up now

i’m looking at you

if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

impostor syndrome

in a good place

in it to win it

information superhighway

interpersonal skills

irrational exuberance

it is what it is

it’s all good

it’s not about you

kick to the curb

kiss up, kick down

lay down a marker

learned helplessness

listen to your body

live your best life

living the dream

low-hanging fruit

manifestation coach

massage the numbers

mental health day

microaggression

mission critical

move the goalposts

move the needle

my work here is done

national conversation

New York minute

no harm, no foul

no pain, no gain

no whining on the yacht

not a good look

not in a good way

not one’s first rodeo

not the boss of me

officer-involved shooting

on the same page

on the spectrum

(the) one percent

opportunity cost

other than that, Mrs. Lincoln

out of the loop

passion project

passive-aggressive

people of color

performance anxiety

performance-enhancing drugs

person of interest

pick your battles

play the race card

play well with others

politically correct

product placement

promise made, promise kept

proof of concept

push one’s buttons

put a ring on it

race to the bottom

racial profiling

raise your game

random acts of kindness

rattle one’s cage

said no one ever

same old same old

say the quiet part out loud

self-reflection

separation anxiety

serial monogamy

shelter in place

show daylight between

significant other

smartest guy in the room

social distancing

sorry for your loss

sounds like a plan

state of the art

stay in your lane

stick a fork in him, he’s done

Stockholm syndrome

(the) struggle is real

sucks to be you

surgical strike

take a chill pill

take one for the team

take to the next level

teach to the test

teachable moment

thank you for your service

thanks for sharing

that being said

think outside the box

thoughts and prayers

throw under the bus

too big to fail

(the) truly needy

trust the process

type a personality

unclear on the concept

under the radar

unintended consequences

vertical farming

virtue signaling

what part of no don’t you understand?

what’s not to like?

what’s your point?

where the rubber meets the road

where’s the beef?

who moved my cheese?

work-life balance

worst-case scenario

wrong on so many levels

yank one’s chain

your mileage may vary

you’re history

4 comments

Permalink # lizholl said

The look is good – highly suitable and for the most part legible. It might be a good idea to tweak the color a bit. This grey for the comments feels a little pale, eg. But overall a good choice. Sail on, O ship of state (an anagram for “taste” – but what the heck is one to do with that…?)
Permalink # Eve Gregory said

The use of closure goes back quite a long way in land surveying, but I don’t know how far. In that context it refers to the gap between the calculated points of beginning and ending on a land boundary survey. They are supposed to be exactly the same point, but never were until electronic instrumentation and GPS came into use.
Permalink # Eve Gregory said

I wonder about unique. It used to be absolute; like pregnant, you either were or you weren’t. Now we see almost unique, nearly unique, etc. Whatever happened to rare? It seems to become rarer all the time. In time its use may become unique.
- Permalink # lexmaniac said
  
  Good point! Let me think about that one. Most people have never been happy with the rather convoluted comparatives for ostensibly absolute terms (“more nearly perfect,” etc.), and such comparatives seem to remain the practice of pedants. I hadn’t noticed that “rare” is getting rarer (except in restaurants, where “rare” is actually illegal in some places), but maybe you’re on to something.