What is goblin mode?

Do you really know?

All week long we're looking at the 10 words that will be on everyone's lips in 2023. Every year, linguists at Oxford University choose a Word of the Year and in 2022, they allowed the public to vote on the winner for the first time.

The 340,000 English speakers who voted were given three choices: metaverse, the #IStandWith hashtag and, drumroll please, the eventual runaway winner…Goblin Mode. The term secured an impressive 93% of votes. It might seem anecdotal and light-hearted, but you’re going to hear it a lot more often in 2023 as it’s definitely an expression that speaks to the times. Basically, it means shamelessly living as one wants, or ‘slobbing out’ if you like.

What’s the official definition? Is it a brand new expression? So is going goblin mode a good thing then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠Why are brownouts getting more and more common in the work world?⁠

⁠Which are the dirtiest parts of our bodies?⁠

⁠Why do we hiccup?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 08/1/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices