Has "Brexit" become an everyday verb in English?
The main use of “Brexit” as a verb is just to describe the UK going through Brexit:
- 67 ways life may change if the UK 'Brexits'
Brexit is also used in a transferred way, as a synonym to exit:
- I iz just #brexiting from zis box...
- Are we #brexiting CS:GO ? :)
- I hope you make a statement that you're #Brexiting right out of American political discourse.
- Looks like a bunch of $ is #brexiting my 401k today! Heeeyyyooooo!
I’m not convinced that there’s another meaning to the verb (not in English and not in French either).
Urban Dictionary has this definition:
Verb: Brexiting
The act of telling everyone at a gathering (party, meeting ... etc.), that you are leaving, but actually staying.
Theresa is at the party, brexiting near the fridge for over an hour now
The problem with Urban Dictionary is that upvotes there can mean that something is funny, rather than that it is actually used by people in that manner.
Looking at Twitter, the definition (and a similar one from somewhere else) is quoted a lot:
- https://mobile.twitter.com/deaaifoon/status/1192737397609521152
- https://mobile.twitter.com/F0rm0l/status/1194345099024633856
- https://mobile.twitter.com/cheddar/status/1192567213745725443
- https://mobile.twitter.com/fmschuler/status/1192986030602948609
- https://mobile.twitter.com/ozgeyilmaz/status/1191773206601973760
- https://mobile.twitter.com/carlin_holly/status/1194547383327248384
- https://mobile.twitter.com/bancroftian/status/1187717382669766656
- https://mobile.twitter.com/KiberuJimmy/status/1111253502112731136
- https://mobile.twitter.com/JMartinBrennan/status/1189568760883101698
- The list continues far beyond my willingness to add links
On the other hand, it’s hard to find examples of anyone using it like that. I found maybe one but it’s not really clear if it constitutes an English example:
- A friend recently travelled to Brazil... at a house party someone said they were going to leave soon. An hour later that person was still there, & everyone was making fun of them & saying, "Ah, so you're just #Brexiting the party?"
In the UK, it has become increasingly difficult for people to tolerate the word Brexit, so it is becoming somewhat less frequently heard. People have started to talk about the B word.
You can see examples in this recent Bloomberg post and this City AM article from last year.
I would think that is intended as a joke at the UK's expense.
You do hear various new or jocular coinings of Blank-exit