The Oxford English Dictionary, far from being the first attempt to catalog the English language, remains, in its conception and execution, in this amateur lexicographer's opinion, the most comprehensive attempt to identify our wonderfully wriggling words. One of the tricks Oxford University Press has deployed in recent decades to maintain interest in the OED project has been to announce a "word of the year," with "selfie" winning in 2013 and "emoji tears joy" in 2015.

Both were chosen by lexicographers contributing to the OED, but this year, for the first time, the Oxford Word of the Year was determined by a public vote based on a short list of candidates created by the OED.

By an overwhelming margin, "goblin mode" (open in new tab) was chosen over "metaverse" and "#IStandWith" with 318,956 votes, or 93% of all public votes. The "metaverse" received 14,484 votes, while "#IStandWith" received 8,639 votes.

The OED specifically cited PC Gamer's strong coverage of the issue in the following article: we must put aside our petty differences and vote for "Goblin Mode" over "Metaverse" as Oxford Word of the Year.

Now, here's the thing: the OED describes the "goblin mode" as:

"'goblin mode' - a slang term, often used with the expression 'in goblin mode' or 'to goblin mode' - means 'rejecting social norms and expectations It refers to 'a type of self-centered, lazy, sloppy, greedy behavior that rejects social norms and expectations.

That's what I'm talking about; the OED believes the term first appeared on Twitter in 2009 and then went viral on social media this year thanks to a mock headline about Julia Fox. Lexicographer speculates that the popularity of the term may have resulted from the easing of door-to-door restrictions and the fact that people are now getting out a little more.

"The term seemed to capture the general mood of individuals rejecting the idea of returning to 'normal life' or rebelling against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles displayed on social media," the award citation reads. Amen.

Several examples of the term's use are presented. From The Guardian (opens in new tab): "Goblin mode is like when you wake up at 2 a.m. and shuffle into the kitchen wearing only a long T-shirt to make a weird snack that looks like melted cheese on top of salted fish." Meanwhile, the more uptight "London Times" (opens in a new tab) wrote, "Too many of us ...... have gone into 'goblin mode' in response to a difficult year," lamenting.

Casper Grathwall, president of Oxford Languages, said, "We had hoped that the public would enjoy participating in this campaign, but this level of participation took us completely by surprise. Given the year we just experienced, "Goblin Mode" resonates with all of us who are feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point. It's a relief to acknowledge that we are not necessarily the idealized, curated selves that we are encouraged to show on our Instagram and TikTok feeds.

"People are embracing their inner goblin, and the fact that voters chose "goblin mode" as this year's buzzword of the year tells me that this concept is here to stay.