X is the New Y

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, this is Andrew calling from Golden Hill, San Diego.

Hi, Andrew.

Hi, Andrew. What’s going on?

What a mellifluous voice.

Oh, thanks.

I have a question for you. This is about an expression that I keep hearing a lot recently, or I’ve heard a lot recently, and it’s something like, X is the new Y. For example, I saw it at my health club. There was an ad for the personal trainers, or it said something like, 40 is the new 30. I’ve also seen things like the blog is the new resume recently online.

I hadn’t heard that one.

And it seems to be something meaning like kind of out with the old and with the new or something is replacing something else. And the first time that I heard this was back in 2007 with my now ex-girlfriend dragging me to see the movie Josie and the Pussycats.

Is that why she’s your ex?

Yes.

The movie came out in 2007. And what was it exactly that was said in that movie, Andrew?

Well, they were trying to brainwash the generation of kids, and they were trying to say subliminal messages or something, so they’re trying to get you to buy something, and then they would say, well, now pink is the new red or something like that, so that you have to buy these new products. I think that was the expression, pink is the new red or something like that.

Oh, really?

Well, you’re right to describe it in terms of X is the new Y. That’s the way linguists often talk about it. But, yeah, you see this construction again and again. Thursday is the new Friday. Knitting is the new yoga. I think when you’re talking about color, I think it did arise in the fashion world as far as we know because I know that linguists have traced this or that color being the new black back to the early 1980s.

And before that, Grant, your colleague Ben Zimmer traced the idea of one color replacing another back to the early 1960s when fashion designer Diana Vreeland was running around saying, what did she say? Pink is the navy blue of India.

Right, but it wasn’t quite the same construction.

It wasn’t quite the X is the new Y.

No, but it was the same idea.

I didn’t realize it went back that far, though.

That’s interesting.

Yeah, isn’t it crazy?

I thought it started with Josie and the Pussycats.

No, no, no. Not cultural innovators. Josie and the Pizzotettes.

Well, how have we done? Have we helped?

Oh, yeah. I mean, you gave me some more info. So basically it goes back to like the 70s or 80s, maybe.

Yeah, the exact form what we’re talking about, but the idea of one color being the new something else is older than that.

Okay.

All right. Well, thank you for your call, sir.

Bye-bye.

All right. Bye-bye.

If you’d like to talk with us, give us a call. The number is 1-877-929-9673.