From gaslighting to gammon, 2018’s buzzwords reflect our toxic times | Emma Brockes
In the space of a single week I have, without overly noticing at the time, accused someone of "gaslighting" me for being excessively cheerful on the phone when I thought sobriety was required; described to someone else an intention to do a "hard reset on my boundaries" after I was kept waiting and didn't adequately protest; complained about the "toxic" atmosphere introduced after an argument; and outlined what I considered to be the problematic "centring", within a conversation, of certain issues at the expense of other, more important issues.
The takeaway from this, apart from the fact that I am a very fun person to be around, is that none of these descriptors are words I would have used even five years ago - a fact born out by the Oxford Dictionaries' announcement this week of their most popular words of the year. "Toxic" came out top for the sheer breadth of its usage - starting, as noted in the New York Times, with the widespread uptake of "toxic masculinity" in the wake of #MeToo, and from there spreading outwards to encompass every shade of dysfunctional relationship.
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