Welcome to Word Buzz Wednesday, your weekly roundup of some of the most interesting words of the week. The latest: a sometime-unappetizing soup, a delicious-sounding sandwich, an interesting ancient health drink.
parquetematización
“A new word has been coined to describe this apparently unstoppable process: parquetematización – the act of becoming a theme park.”
Stephen Burgen, “How tourism is killing Barcelona – a photo essay,” The Guardian, August 30, 2018
According to The Guardian, Barcelona, Spain has become so overrun with tourists, it might as well be Disneyland. Hence, the Spanish neologism, parquetematización. A similar term is Disneyfication. From The New York Times: “It truly is the Disneyfication of Times Square.”
logo soup
“But in addition to being somewhat effective, the logo soup can be wildly deceptive.”
Anne Quito, “Decoding ‘logo soup,’ the way design firms appear more impressive,” Quartz, August 29, 2018
Logo soup, says Quartz, refers to “the grid of logos” that often appears “under the heading ‘clients’ or ‘partner’” on companies’ websites, offering “an at-a-glance summary” of their experience. Designers often use logo soup as a “shortcut” and “speedy way” to show they’re accomplished “without having to show any work or explain what [they] did.” An expert warns this is “why it’s so crucial to probe about the actual project behind the logo.”
arbejdsglæde
“She seems so relaxed these days. Her new job has given her much more arbejdsglæde.”
“More Danish words the world should start using,” The Local dk, August 31, 2018
Arbejdsglæde is made up of the Danish words for “work” and “happiness,” says The Local dk, and is “used to describe the feeling of contentment derived from one’s job satisfaction.”
sando
“Sandos are inverted sandwiches, in a way, because the point is to savour the filling and get almost no flavour from the bread.”
Lucy Holden, “So long, sourdough: why sliced white bread is the latest restaurant trend (yes, really),” The Telegraph, September 4, 2018
In England is a new sensation called the sando, “named after the Japanese and Australian slang for ‘sandwich,’” says The Telegraph. It’s “made with ‘terrible’ white bread and served without crusts.” The most popular version is the katsu sando, which has “a breadcrumbed then fried filling” such as pork, chicken, or fish.
posca
“Enter posca. This blend of vinegar and water—though sometimes salt, herbs, and other stuff—holds a special place in beverage history thanks to its role as the Gatorade of the Roman army.”
Gwyn Guilford, “My Favorite Beverage Is a 2,000-Year-Old Energy Drink from Ancient Rome,” Quartzy, September 2, 2018
Quartzy says that this ancient Roman version of switchel may have been Greek in origin and that the name might come from “the Greek word epoxos, which means ‘very sharp.’” However, the Oxford English Dictionary, begs to differ, saying posca comes from the Latin pōsca, a mixture of vinegar and water. This Latin word means literally “drink” and gives rise to potare, which gives us words like “potion” and “poison.
[Image via Quartzy:Metropolitan Museum of Art/The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949]