Dear Reader: We, as midlife mothers, have a never-ending (and sometimes unattainable) quest to keep current at all times, esp. given our generational gap (did I say that?). We must know what (or even more than) our kids know, while remaining contemporary. In our desire to stay hip, cool, young, I mean: tight, sick, clean, dope, sweet, bad a$$ (need help? these all mean “cool”), I’ve compiled a list of new words for 2012, which should, at the very least, catapult you ahead of your friends while playing Scrabble. Got it?

1. aha moment – a moment of sudden realization/inspiration

2. cloud computing – the practice of storing regularly used computer data on multiple servers that can be accessed through the Internet

3. copernicium – a short-lived artificially produced radioactive element that has 112 protons

4. earworm – song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind

5. energy drink – a usually carbonated beverage that typically contains caffeine and other ingredients (as taurine and ginseng) intended to increase the drinker’s energy

6. f-bomb – the word f$$k —used metaphorically as a euphemism

7. game changer -a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way

8. gassed – drunk

9 gastropub -pub, bar, or tavern that offers meals of high quality

10. man cave – a room or space (as in a basement) designed according to the taste of the man of the house to be used as his personal area for hobbies and leisure activities

11. sexting – the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone

12. systemic risk – the risk that the failure of one financial institution (as a bank) could cause other interconnected institutions to fail and harm the economy as a whole

13.  underwater – having, relating to, or being a mortgage loan for which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth

For what it’s worth, this is my all-time favorite – bucket list: A list of things that one has not done, but wants to do before dying.

Lovely.

P.S. If you missed it and couldn’t bear to admit your ignorance, here’s one more for the book – metrosexual means: a heterosexual, usually urban male, who pays much attention to his personal appearance and cultivates an upscale lifestyle.

Ah-ite? (Translated: All right?)

Do you have any more new words you’d like to share with us?