I'm finding that sticking BBC1 Breakfast on in the mornings is a good way to discover new words (new to me, at least). Last week's new word was 'gastrosexual'; today I heard 'staycation' for the first time.
Unfortunately I had to leave for work before the staycation piece came on, but Googling the word this morning I found out that a staycation is (somewhat unsurprisingly, being a portmanteau of 'stay' and 'vacation') a vacation where you stay at home.
However, as the word 'vacation' is "chiefly North American" (Concise OED), I suppose that 'staycation' is also chiefly North American. The British English equivalent would be stay + holiday = stoliday. Or would that be a holiday taken by a calm, dependable person?
"Going anywhere exciting this year?"
"No, I'm getting too old for all that. I'm taking a stoliday in Stalybridge."
5 comments:
When I read your headline I immediately thought of "stoliday" as a portmanteau of "statutory" and "holiday".
or "stoliday" is a stolid vacation--the unflappable, unexciting sort.
I think "staycation" is going to have a short life. I hope so; I think it's ugly.
(which means it'll probably catch on)
Surely one would call it a "holistay".
And I'll have you know that Stalybridge is a hotbed of excitement, hence the (admittedly slightly sarcastic) nickname "Stalyvegas".
'Holistay' - perfect! Thanks, Gez.
I drove from Vancouver to Calgary this weekend and saw an advertising board by the side of the highway promoting a tourist attraction in Alberta as a "Daycation".
(I was too busy looking at the word "Daycation" to notice what the ad was actually for.)
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