Esther McCarthy: I think I might have a crush on Bill Nighy - I’m leaning in to it
Columnist Esther McCarthy reflects on actor Bill Nighy's social media campaign to ban certain words from the English language. She discusses her own linguistic pet peeves while offering a lighthearted take on modern slang and relationship terminology.
Why it matters
It explores the evolution of language and cultural trends through the lens of celebrity commentary.
Bill Nighy attending the special screening of Ride or Die, at the Ham Hotel in Soho, central London. Picture: Ian West/PA Wire.
Bill Nighy — 76 years of unimpeachable cool, a man who can say more with a slightly arched brow than most of us could in a lifetime — has taken to Instagram to banish words from the English language. I just happened across it, and now I am obsessed. I’m so easily distracted these days, like Homer Simpson chasing a dog with a pouffy tail. “Heeheehee! Here, pouff!”
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