So many interesting things are happening with the English language these days. New phrases are being born almost every day and become quite popular almost instantly. In this lesson we will take a look at some of the phrases that gained currency in recent times.

Texter’s thumb

Mobile phones are ubiquitous. Almost every person I know has at least one mobile phone. It is a well-known fact that the use and abuse of mobile phones lead to several health problems. If you watch teenagers you can see that they spend a great deal of time texting on the cellphone. As a result of this their thumb sustains injuries. This injury to the thumb is called the texter’s thumb. Many kids I know have texter’s thumb.

Nomophobia

Nomophobia is another term that has become acceptable in standard English. It means ‘no mobile phone phobia’. People who suffer from this peculiar condition have that uncontrollable need to have their mobile phone with them all the time. They constantly worry about losing their phone or being out of the coverage area.

Cellphone samba

People who are addicted to their cellphone can’t bear the thought of being out of the coverage area. When they are in an area where there is not enough coverage you can find them running around trying to catch the signals. Such a person is called a cellphone samba.

Webtrovert

You will have heard of the terms extroverts and introverts. A webtrovert is a bit of both. This person is very shy in real life but let him log onto the internet and he will undergo a tremendous transformation. Once online he will start exhibiting the traits of an extrovert.

Go viral

This expression is used to talk about content that spreads very quickly on the internet. For example, if a video goes viral a large number of people watche it in a short span of time.