Half the Answer #60: 2025's Word of the Year
Caitlin and Trent chat with linguistics scholars Savi Namboodiripad and Daniel Midgley on what word most exemplifies 2025. A pre-existing word that gained a new meaning or usage this year? A word that seemed to be on everybody's lips in 2025? Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon, and elsewhere via its RSS feed. Resources:https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year"6 7" song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07xpV4ix2K8https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/27/more-than-20-of-videos-shown-to-new-youtube-users-are-ai-slop-study-findshttps://www.economist.com/culture/2025/12/03/and-the-economists-word-of-the-year-for-2025-ishttps://www.dictionary.com/articles/word-of-the-year-2025https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge-dictionary-reveals-word-of-the-year-2025https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/collins-word-of-the-year-2025-ai-meets-authenticity-as-society-shifts/https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2147118/is-that-grocery-product-really-canadian-or-is-it-maple-washing"getting sendy" song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYAQEJyqR7Egroup 7 https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/10/27/tiktoks-group-7-meme-explained/https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/lorehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/unchttps://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/choppedhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/huzzhttps://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-the-performative-male-how-young-men-are-experimenting-with-masculinity-online-268742https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051221126040https://dailyillini.com/opinions-stories/columns-opinions/culture/2025/10/25/opinion-unmasking-performative-male/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kianbakhtiari/2025/09/28/performative-males-gen-z-irony-and-the-death-of-sincerity/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/us/rapture-tiktok-sept-23.htmlEpstein's email simulator https://www.jmail.world/https://othermeans.io/p/the-glonzo-strategyhttps://www.theverge.com/policy/798491/frog-portland-trump-national-guardhttps://the-monsters.fandom.com/wiki/The_Monstershttps://lafufu.art/blog/labubu-vs-lafufuhttps://www.thelist.com/1817157/what-is-mar-a-lago-face-who-has-tried-the-trend/https://bsky.app/profile/canadiandictionary.bsky.social/post/3m7tf3jm2fc2chttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/oprah-podcast-no-contact-adult-children-parents_n_69389e85e4b0fb6244b0daa8https://fortune.com/2025/12/29/trump-tariffs-cost-25000-per-month-small-business-importers-center-american-progress/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/us/politics/doge-musk-trump-analysis.htmlhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-doge-government-spending-2025-b2890243.htmlhttps://www.vox.com/culture/376401/r-word-slur-return-euphemism-treadmill-cyclehttps://www.lawdork.com/p/the-kavanaugh-stop-50-days-laterhttps://www.cnn.com/2025/05/30/politics/trump-taco-angry-tariffhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/abbyzinman/canadians-elbows-up-explainerhttps://pen.org/banned-words-list/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2025/03/15/these-197-terms-may-trigger-reviews-of-your-nih-nsf-grant-proposals/https://www.dailydot.com/memes/everythings-computer-trump-quote-meme/https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/trump-promises-harsher-ice-crackdownshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/12/27/chatgpt-suicide-openai-raine/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/snap-welfare-queen-ai-memes-1235460824/https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/10022/who-coined-the-phrase-rapid-unscheduled-disassembly#10219https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/rapid-unplanned-disassembly-rudhttps://becauselanguage.com/131-wotwoty-2025/
Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 20:42 UTC
Karoline Leavitt warned CBS that Trump will ‘sue your a** off’ if interview was cut
Read our Privacy noticeWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt threatened CBS News that President Donald Trump would sue the network if it cut his recent interview, according to a report. In the moments after Trump finished taping a 13-minute interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil in Michigan on Tuesday, Leavitt issued a warning to him. CBS News told The Independent that it had already planned to air the interview in full. The report about his injuries sparked “internal skepticism at the network” according to internal emails obtained by The Guardian. Weiss was on location for the interview and approached Trump afterward to introduce herself, sources told The Independent.
Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 20:09 UTC
Conservative shadow foreign minister defects to Reform
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Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 19:52 UTC
Trump Mandates Broadcast Window For Army-Navy Game
“Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order to block out an exclusive window for the Army-Navy Game, an effort to preserve its date and its lack of competition from other games,” Deadline reports. Wrote Trump: “Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!
Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 19:05 UTC
Scientist whose work laid foundations for Covid vaccines dies aged 91
Professor Gregory Gregoriadis pioneered the use of liposomes for drug targeting in a paper he co-authored with Brenda Ryman at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1971. The biochemist discovered that encasing vaccines within tiny spherical bubbles of fat – known as liposomes – could increase their effectiveness by producing more antibodies. He co-authored another study, published in Nature magazine in 1974, which demonstrated that liposomes could also act as “immunological adjuvants” to enhance vaccines. Professor Gregory Gregoriadis with Brenda Ryman in their laboratory at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1971 (Gregory Gregoriadis/PA)This work paved the way for modern medical breakthroughs, including the use of lipids in mRNA Covid vaccines. A statement from his family said: “We are immensely proud of his scientific work, which means he leaves a great legacy.
Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 18:23 UTC
Labour official praised Russian elections on trip to Moscow
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Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 18:01 UTC
The Cross-Dressing Marquess Who Made Arthur Conan Doyle Turn Detective
Photograph of Plas Newydd, Anglesey, Wales, 2017. The Marquess of Anglesey had a country seat at Plas Newydd, near the Welsh village that boasts the longest town name in Europe: Llanfairpwllgywngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Henry Paget, fifth Marquess of Anglesey. Paget’s Life and LovesPostcard showing the Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget, by John Wickens, c. 1900. There were dedicated pursuits: his Gaiety Theatre at Plas Newydd and the purchase of an acting troupe.
Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 17:54 UTC
London's cosiest pub that everyone’s calling a real delight
The Guns in the Docklands is labelled as a "real hidden gem" that's "tucked away down a quiet side street". Elsewhere on Google Reviews, The Gun has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from more than 2,600 reviews. London's cosiest pubs, The GunThe Gun's website describes the pub as being "steeped in history and offering striking river views". Another guest wrote: "A real hidden gem of a pub that is a delightful place for a drink on a sunny day. What do you think is the cosiest pub in London?
Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 17:11 UTC
Trump in Davos: tariff bombshell meets ‘spirit of dialogue’
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Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 16:33 UTC
Labour should honour pledge on business rates and build from scratch
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Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 16:21 UTC
Shark attack at Nielsen Park in Sydney’s east leaves boy fighting for his life | news
TLDRA 13-year-old boy is in critical condition after being attacked by a shark at Nielsen Park in Sydney's east. The boy was swimming outside the shark net enclosure when the incident occurred. He suffered serious leg injuries and was transported to the Sydney Children's Hospital for treatment.
Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 16:07 UTC
Growing sense of embarrassment at Fifa over Donald Trump peace prize
TLDRGrowing sense of embarrassment among mid-level and senior officials within Fifa over the awarding of the peace prize to Donald Trump. The US president was handed the award at the World Cup draw in Washington DC in December. Since then, the US has launched airstrikes across Venezuela and captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them to the US, where he was put in jail. Trump has also threatened to invade Greenland because he said the US needs the territory “very badly”. Fifa doubled down on their decision to award the peace prize to Trump.
Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 16:07 UTC
Walker used iPhone alert to ask Keswick MRT for advice
Keswick MRT received a satellite message from the man on Wednesday evening, asking for advice, it is an emergency feature built into recent models of the iPhone. (Image: Keswick MRT)Driving sleet and high winds meant that descending from the fell was not an option. A team from Keswick MRT drove up the track to Dubs Hut from Honister Pass to investigate whilst a member of the team used the iPhone response service to get back in touch with the walker. He decided to accept a team member's offer of a warm bed at their guest house, joining them on the trip back to Keswick. The callout involved eight team members, taking them three hours, 25 minutes to assure the walker's safety.
Source:The Times
January 18, 2026 15:47 UTC
Europe weighs bringing out the 'bazooka' in Greenland face-off (VGK:NYSEARCA)
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Source:The Guardian
January 18, 2026 15:44 UTC
Lisandro Martinez tells Paul Scholes 'come to my house' in fiery Man Utd row
Lisandro Martinez has hit back at criticism from Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, telling them they can "come to his house" if they "want to say something" to him. After the final whistle at Old Trafford, Martinez addressed the media and was questioned about Butt and Scholes' remarks. I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants," he said. "So different, so different," Martinez remarked about the training sessions under Carrick's stewardship. "Today we had really good communication on the pitch - but not just only with H. The team today was different.
Source:Express
January 18, 2026 15:38 UTC