It’s official; you can now be “Coldplayed.” This is “the act of being unintentionally exposed while cheating, especially in public, usually during major events.”
We can thank the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert for the term. It put a spotlight on software company Astronomer’s CEO with his arms around the company’s “Chief People Officer” (not his wife). The couple hastily separated and ducked for cover, but it was too late. There they were, up on the Jumbotron. The image has since been shared, doctored and parodied across the internet.
In the July issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, I take a look at the wordplay that resulted in “Coldplayed.” It may be a case of “person as verb” – the practice of describing an action using a cultural reference. It’s a proud tradition that includes MacGuyvering, being Rickrolled and being Longbottomed. I also look at “products as verbs,” wherein we madly Google, Photoshop, Zoom, FedEx and Uber.
Read more in Wordnerdery. And if you saw a particularly funny take on the Coldplayed couple, do share!