Yesterday I reported on the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year for 2026: ‘mogging.’ If you found that choice a bit weird, you’ understand that they were searching for a trendy, different, inventive, new-sounding word by looking at the rest of the Collins short list. They chose ‘mogging’ from a list that included these words (most of which you may never have heard of);
Bixie—a hairstyle that is shorter than a bob but longer than a pixie cut.
Carspreading—the tendency of manufacturers to build cars that are longer, wider, and heavier. (We’d all noticed this, but didn’t know there was a word for it.)
Firewave—a series of urban wildfires within a short period of time, usually caused by an extended period of hot, dry weather. (The Brits just can’t cope with a bit of hot weather.)
Fricy— (of food) both fruity and spicy. (Do we need this word?)
Friend slop—a type of low-budget, independently produced video game, designed to be played casually with a group of friends. (Calling what your friend does ‘slop’ seems a bit unkind!)
Ghost job—a job advertised by an employer who has no intentions of appointing anyone to perform it.
Hydration break—a pause in a sporting contest to allow the contestants to drink fluids, especially in conditions of high temperature or humidity. (Happened a lot during the World Cup.)
Manchesterism—a political philosophy, associated with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, which involves devolution of power to the regions and seeks to combine economic growth with social progress.
P(doom)—an estimation of the probability that AI will bring about the collapse of human civilisation. (As Fraser used to say on Dad’s Army ‘We’re doomed! We’re doomed!’)
With a short list like that it’s no wonder that ‘mogging’ came out the winner. And at the Collins they are certainly striving to be at the cutting edge of language (especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha).
The latest episode of the podcast 'Words with Kel Richards' (with the dateline 12 Novermber 2026) is now available to listen to -- to find it either scroll further down this page, or go to wherever you usually get your podcasts.
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* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
hing story of the convict fraudster who wrote Australia's first dictionary by Kel Richards | 9781460759769 | Booktopia
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BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.
