Whilst you aren’t going to find yourself in nowhere near as a precarious situation as a gangland shooting, it’s still worth brushing up on the appropriate vernacular for your next MixingOut get-together. So with that being said, we’ve put together some useful slang that should see you in good stead nicely…. maybe.

Brofie (Bro-fee)

A “selfie” with your bro. In other words, a picture that’s been taken on your smartphone of you (by you) and another guy, in full-on “selfie” pose.

There’s probably a female equivalent but an all girl selfie is such a regular occurrence, there doesn’t seem a need to give it a name. Sorry, ladies.

Oskilio (Osk-ee-leo)

Taken from the Alpha, Bravo Alphabet; Oskilio combines Oscar and Kilo to mean O.K. (as in everything is okay) and mashes it together with “coolio” – a painfully outdated term meaning pretty much the same thing.

We predict it will be HUGE, quickly making its way into the English dictionary along with “selfie” and “twerk”, before succumbing to absolute obscurity. So you might not want to use it by the time this post goes live…

Minesweeper (Mine-sweeper)

Somebody who goes around blagging drinks at a party or at a bar amongst a group of friends, only to avoid the very same people who have already bought them a drink (and possibly expect one in return) upon their second go-around.

Snappening (Snap-en-ing)

When something newsworthy is taking place abruptly on Snap Chat. Kind of like a live rundown of a good night out, including the buildup and the aftermath.

So in the interest of keeping things fresh, we’ve decided to put a quick survival guide to saving your social life.

Make your social life a priority

You might get slammed down with your responsibilities, but unless you break routine and enjoy yourself on a regular basis you’re going to end up resenting everything else. Not to mention it can be a huge exertion on your mental wellbeing. So long as you’re not neglecting your responsibilities altogether, there should be no reason for you not to put your own gratification first.

Yes, yes, yes!

The trick to having a great social life is spontaneity. Don’t be afraid of saying “yes” to an invitation or opportunity to try something different. Chances are you’ve gotten into the habit of turning invitations down and the more you do, the more you’ll have reservations about accepting them. Change your mindset and try not to think about those so-called “consequences” of breaking your comfy routine.

Going out doesn’t cost the earth

Okay, some activities are more expensive than others. But it isn’t as though going out needs to be a drain on your finances. There are tons of things you can do for free, it’s the company that counts, and plan to spread more costly get togethers when everybody can do it.

Book on an event now!

But you know what? That’s completely fine! Because every week, we see plenty of newbies attending their first events; most of them nervous about not knowing what to expect. But once they settle in, have a chat and drink, they soon loosen up and get into the swing of things. That’s because all our members are welcoming, friendly folk who know how to enjoy themselves and love to meet new people.

It’s all because of our users and event organisers that MixingOut has been such a success at finding fun, interesting people more and more exciting things to do together. And it’s because our members are so welcoming that everybody comes away from an event looking forward to the next one, and the next, and the one after that! 

“When I first signed up with MixingOut, I’d arranged to go on a couple of get-togethers but I was so nervous, I backed out each time. Then one of my friends suggested she come along too. When we got there, I realised I had nothing to worry about. Everybody was so welcoming and friendly. We even left at separate times, I’d gotten so immersed into the whole thing.”

Lucy Taylor, Leeds

“Putting yourself into a room with a whole new group of people you’ve never met before can be a little daunting. Usually I go for a drink with friends from work, but quite often they’re too busy with family to really stay out late. I was very nervous about my first MixingOut event, but everybody made a real effort and by the end I was totally relaxed and having a good time. The drinks didn’t do any harm, either!”

Cris Stringer, Woodhouse

So here are a few quick reasons why MixingOut is perfect for introverts like you.

Extroverts like to take charge

While extroverts are big fans of spontaneously going with the flow, we also like to take charge now and again. If we’re planning something, then we really go all out to make sure it gets done to the fullest. That’s why MixingOut is the perfect place for people who like organising get-togethers and arranging exciting things for a group of friends to do!

Extroverts love people

Everybody here at MixingOut is a ‘people person’. We love getting together with groups of friends, new and old, catching up over a drink or bite to eat and generally just having a really good time. Sure, there’s plenty of ways you could stay in and have fun on your own – but it’s always more enjoyable with other people around.

Extroverts crave social settings

Because we get our energy from other people – and feel it zapped when nobody else is around – us extroverts really get a buzz from social settings. Whether it’s a quiet little get together between a few friends, or a whole bunch of people trying something new and exciting, we need it. Thankfully there are lots of opportunities for people to either suggest their own ideal get together with MixingOut, or join somebody else’s.

Extroverts love new experiences

Doing the same old, run-of-the-mill activities day after day might be all right for some – but not for us extroverts. We like to try as many new things as we can think of, and when we can’t think of anymore then we’ll try whatever our friends are doing. MixingOut is all about new experiences, meeting new people, and making your social life as spontaneous as you want it to be.

So we thought we’d help switch things around a little, and give you the literary upper hand when it comes to one to one verbal combat (that’s another way of saying conversation).

Here are just a few of our favourite words you probably never knew existed.

Kitsukuroi (kin-tsu-ku-roi)

This lovely little word comes from Japan and literally means: ‘to repair with liquid gold, and to understand that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken’.

Probably not one to slip into casual conversation, but perfect for those deep, philosophical chats after one too many glasses of wine.

Esoteric (ess-o-teric) 

If something is purposely intended to be understood by a specific group of people only, then its esoteric.

The best example of something being esoteric is a private joke between friends. So hopefully you’ll get the chance to share a few of these at your next MixingOut event.

Belghard (bel-ghard)

No, it’s not an otherworldly demon from Lord Of The Rings – although it certainly sounds like one – belghard derives from the Italian bel guardo (lovely look) and means a kind of loving look.

So the next time you’re at a MixingOut event and you spot somebody giving you a belghard, you’ll know it might be worth your while to go over and say hello. Which leads us nicely on to…

Duende (doo-en-day)

Somebody who possesses duende has the ability to attract others through personal magnetism and charm. Which might come in handy when you’re on an event full of pretty ladies or good looking fellas.

Bumfuzzle (bum-fuzzle)

Quite simply, to perplex, confuse and fluster. Which is probably the very reaction you’ll receive the next time you tell somebody that you’re ‘completely bumfuzzled’.