'Brat' named word of the year by Collins dictionary

Pallade Veneta - 'Brat' named word of the year by Collins dictionary

CULTURE 01.11.2024

'Brat' named word of the year by Collins dictionary / Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY - AFP

Brat, the word redefined by singer Charli XCX and adopted by supporters of US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, was on Friday named the Collins Word of the Year 2024.

Change text size:

"Brat" was the name of the UK singer's hit sixth album, and the word has now come to represent a "confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude", said Collins, rather than simply a term for a badly-behaved child.

"Inspired by the Charli XCX album, 'brat' has become one of the most talked about words of 2024," said the UK-based dictionary.

"More than a hugely successful album, 'brat' is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and 'brat summer' established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life," it added.

The 32-year-old pop star, whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison, described the typical brat girl as someone "who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it".

She tweeted in July that "Kamala IS brat", in reference to the US Vice President, prompting the presidential nominee to use her song "365" in one of her TikTok videos.

Her campaign account also re-branded with a lime green photo in the style of the Brat album cover.

The album hit number one in her native UK and number three in the US.

F.Abruzzese--PV

Jersey Boys Anniversary Tour Opens in Birmingham With Gritty Account of Crime and Fame

The 20th-anniversary tour of Jersey Boys has opened at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre, offering a gritty and unvarnished look at the Four Seasons’ journey. The production details the band's turbulent rise from New Jersey petty criminals to international rock stars, highlighting the complex personal costs behind their musical success.

UBC professor describes police call after Galloway remark as act of care

VANCOUVER — A University of British Columbia professor has testified about a colleague’s decision to call police to visit Steven Galloway after he was accused of sexual assault, describing it as an “act of care” toward the author, who had spoken of killing himself. Galloway, who is suing his accuser and others in a defamation trial centred on the unproven allegations, has described his subsequent committal to a hospital in the United States as “terrifying.

Pallade Veneta - 'Brat' named word of the year by Collins dictionary