New England Words & Terms Locals Would Add to the Dictionary

In 2022, the Oxford Dictionary named “goblin mode” its Word of the Year. It means to be unapologetically self-indulgent, as in, “Kyrie Irving went into goblin mode when he spewed a bunch of nonsense as if he knew what he was talking about.”

Meanwhile, Merriam-Webster named “gaslighting” its word of the year. It means to manipulate someone’s sense of sanity, as in, “Tom Brady gaslighted us by saying he was retired, then showing up for training camp as if nothing had ever happened.”

So often, people relocate to New England – or spend some time away – and need to be reacclimatized to our own very special language. As we are New Englanders, we do speak English; that is, a very specific type that differs from other regions.

Yes, there are some terms that are different from other areas. For instance, what may be a roundabout in some parts of the world is a rotary in New England. And while the rest of the country refers to our football team as the Patriots, they are and always will be “the Pats” in these parts.

But I wondered, what if New Englanders got to add some words to the Oxford or Merriam Webster Dictionaries? What words would be in there?

So, I decided to crowdsource. It’s a very sophisticated technique where you go on social media and say, “Hey New Englanders – what new words would you add to the dictionary”, and wait for people to respond. Respond you did!

Most I expected. But admittedly, there were a couple new ones I’d not yet encountered.