Lexicon ·
toxic
adjective, also in the phrase 'my toxic trait'
- Stated meaning
- Harmful to the people nearby, said of a partner, a relationship or, by way of disclosure, of oneself.
- Operating meaning
- A hazard label applied in advance, usually by the hazard, so that whatever follows has been disclosed.
- Origin
- From the Greek for poison used on arrows, in English since the 1660s, and Oxford's word of the year for 2018, when relationship was among the nouns it was most often found beside.
- Antonyms
- healthy
July 1, a mall. Walking through it, she said: “I can be toxic in relationships”. I asked her to expound. She was unable to give examples, and I let it go. The word was used.
The word began as a weapon. Toxic (opens in a new window) comes from the Greek toxikon, poison for use on arrows, from toxon, a bow, and it has been in English since the 1660s. In 2018 Oxford made it the word of the year (opens in a new window), citing a 45 percent rise in lookups. Of the nouns it was most often found beside that year, relationship was sixth, and the announcement noted that partners, parents and politicians had all been discussed as poisonous.
The self-help shelf had got there first. Toxic People (opens in a new window), published in 1995, sorted difficult people into 30 types and conceded that “we’re all toxic, to some degree,” with an inventory for checking oneself. By 2018 the self-check was a format. “My toxic trait” (opens in a new window) became a template that June: a confession posted before anyone asked, usually of something small.
Under load, toxic is a label applied before anyone has asked. Said of oneself, it is a disclosure with no figure attached. The hazard is named and its size is not, and the other party is left to estimate it. It works as a liability notice does. Whatever follows was disclosed, and a disclosure carries no undertaking to do anything about it.
I recorded it on July 1 as the tenth disclaimer and the second of its kind, after a warning on May 30 that her temper was something I would have to watch out for. Neither came with a figure, which makes them the only line items on this site that cannot be totalled. The file closed with 14 disclaimers. After the evening of May 30 I held 6 further dates and spent $1,758.00. A liability notice protects the party who issues it whether or not the other party acts on it. I read it as candour, asked 1 follow-up question, and kept the account open.