Brexit, Brixit, Grexit
Brexit, Brixit: sostantivo singolare
Grexit: sostantivo singolare
The reason for the increasing likelihood of what some are terming a ‘Brixit‘ (short for British exit, like Grexit for Greek exit) is quite simple.
As crunch time nears for Greece’s debt repayments, Nick Trend advises on what a Grexit could mean for tourists this summer.
Reflecting on Britain’s special relationship with America, she said US-UK relations will always be strong despite the possibility of a Brexit.
It might not be alphabetically correct, but the Spexit will come before the Grexit.
Il risultato a sorpresa delle recenti elezioni nel Regno Unito, cioè la riconferma del governo Tory, seppur con una maggioranza risicata, porta con sé una conseguenza inevitabile: a meno di qualche evento straordinario, entro la fine del 2017 i cittadini britannici saranno chiamati con un referendum ad esprimersi sulla permanenza nell’Unione Europea. Il concretizzarsi del referendum ha dato origine a una valanga di ipotesi sulle possibili conseguenze dell’uscita del Regno Unito dall’UE, o Brexit. E la situazione in Grecia ha riportato alla ribalta il termine Grexit, cioè la fuoriuscita (volontaria o forzata) della Grecia dalla moneta unica europea.
Origini del termine
Il termine Grexit risale agli inizi del 2012, quando s’iniziò a paventare la possibilità dell’uscita della Grecia dall’euro. Verso la fine dello stesso anno fu la volta di Brixit e Brexit: il primo, coniato dall’Economist, non fece mai presa (cercando Brixit su Google si ottengono meno di 40.000 risultati, mentre quelli per Brexit – al momento della stesura di questo post – erano oltre un milione e mezzo). Il motivo appare chiaro: nonostante Brixit sia più logico (dopotutto la nazione è Britain, non Bretain), il significato di Brexit è trasparente perché conserva intatta la parola ‘exit’, secondo elemento della fusione. Per quanto da un punto di vista tecnico siano possibili molte altre combinazioni, la maggior parte non ha lasciato segno, vedi Spexit (l’uscita della Spagna dall’euro).
Brexit, Brixit: singular noun
Grexit: singular noun
The reason for the increasing likelihood of what some are terming a ‘Brixit‘ (short for British exit, like Grexit for Greek exit) is quite simple.
As crunch time nears for Greece’s debt repayments, Nick Trend advises on what a Grexit could mean for tourists this summer.
Reflecting on Britain’s special relationship with America, she said US-UK relations will always be strong despite the possibility of a Brexit.
It might not be alphabetically correct, but the Spexit will come before the Grexit.
The surprise election in May of a conservative government with a slender majority made one thing inevitable: barring completely unforeseen events, Britain will hold an ‘in-out referendum’ on membership of the EU some time before the end of 2017. The reality of this referendum has led to a rash of speculation about the possible consequences of a British exit from the EU, or Brexit. At the same time events in Greece have brought the term Grexit back into the news, as commentators and politicians contemplate the possibility that Greece will withdraw (or be expelled) from membership of the group of countries that use the euro.
Origin
Grexit came first, coined in early 2012 when the possibility of Greece leaving the Eurozone first became a topic for general discussion. The terms Brixit and Brexit, shorthand for the possibility that the UK might leave the EU, followed later the same year as surely as night follows day. Brixit, coined by the Economist magazine, came first but never really caught on: hits on Google for Brixit number in the low tens of thousands while at the time of writing there were over 1.5 million Brexit. The reason seems fairly clear: although Brixit is arguably more logical (the country is Britain, not Bretain) the meaning of Brexit is immediately transparent because it preserves the ‘exit’ part of the blend intact, while that of Brixit is not. Although other similar blends are technically possible, most haven’t caught on, with Spexit being the next most frequent.
