'Goblin mode': What does the Oxford word of the year 2022 mean?
Goblin mode (Representational image)
The year's first Oxford term selected by popular voting has been unveiled. "Goblin mode," the winning term, is slang for behaviour that is "unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy." It was one of the three options that Oxford lexicographers chose. The phrase won by a wide margin with 318,956 votes, or 93 per centof the total, showing that thousands of people were able to break out of goblin mode to cast their votes.
What does 'Goblin mode' mean?
It is a slang term frequently used in expressions like "I'm in goblin mode" or "to go goblin mode," according to Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary.
It is defined as "a form of behaviour that is unrepentantly self-indulgent, sluggish, slovenly, or selfish, generally in a way that contradicts societal standards or expectations."
The phrase first appeared online in 2009, but went viral this year due to a made-up scandal involving actress and model Julia Fox and a well-liked Reddit post describing a person acting goofily.
The phrase got bigger and bigger as individuals realised they did not want to return to the way life was before Covid limitations loosened.
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It sparked a campaign to choose it as the Oxford Word of the Year, with the PC Gamer magazine urging readers to "put aside our petty disputes and vote for 'goblin mode' over 'metaverse' because 'goblin mode rules'."
Given that many of us occasionally experience goblin-like feelings, it may be difficult to challenge such rationale.
In a year that organisers dubbed "more divided than ever," the public has for the first time selected the word of the year.
With 14,484 votes, metaverse came in second, followed by #IStandWith with 8,639 votes.
Susie Dent, a television language specialist, declared her support for #IStandWith.
Vax was the word of the year before, reflecting the interest in vaccinations that had grown since the introduction of a coronavirus vaccine.
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