Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them as well. I’m Feifei, and I’m joined by Beth. Hello Beth!
Beth
Hello Feifei. Are you OK? You look a bit shocked.
Feifei
I am! My friend just messaged me her wedding plans - she wants the wedding to be mystical, magical, colourful and have lots of sparkles. She described it as ‘fairycore’.
Beth
‘Fairycore’ - wow. What exactly does it mean?
Feifei
Well, in modern slang, ‘core’ can be added to the end of a word to describe the vibe, feel or atmosphere of something.
Beth
So it’s a label for a certain style or feeling. Your friend wants the vibe of her wedding to be magical. I actually saw a wedding online recently that described itself as Americore. So, all the decorations were stars and stripes, they ate hot dogs, so yeah…
Feifei
Wow, that is so different. Let’s listen to more examples of ‘-core’.
Examples
I love cottagecore. We’re coming into the autumn, so I just want to be in an old cottage by the fire, sitting on a sofa watching old movies.
I’m really enjoying listening to old vinyl records at the moment – loads of old albums from the 90s. It’s really nostalgiacore.
When it comes to style, normcore is the way to go. You can’t beat a grey jumper!
Beth
So, add -core to the end of a word, and you’ll be describing the look or feel of something.
Feifei
It’s very popular online, especially on social media and in fandoms.
Beth
So, Feifei, we like English grammar and pronunciation and interesting phrases…
Feifei
Our vibe must be Englishcore! We’ll be back next time with another useful English phrase. Goodbye for now.
Beth
Bye!