From “rage bait” (Oxford) and “slop” (Merriam-Webster) to “parasocial” (Cambridge) and “agentic” (Dictionary.com), each tried to find a word that spoke to the year gone by. For a long time, before artificial intelligence, the true “slop” has been jargon and cliché, the ultimate rage bait. Perhaps the biggest red herring was a simple word, used by laypeople every day when they strike a bargain. “Navigating uncertainty” is something India is apparently excellent at, and “walking the diplomatic tightrope” isn’t the same as sitting on the sidelines. People who are otherwise unable to start a task manager on Windows XP will tell the world how to set up “guardrails” around cutting-edge technology.

Source: Indian Express January 01, 2026 08:13 UTC