When we speak of the 'battle of the sexes,' there is a collective understanding about what is being referred to. It points to a condition, a dynamic, which we all contend with, to some degree. The flavour of this dynamic, and the language used to refer to it is uncontestedly, entrenched in the language of warfare, and the battlefield.

It was recently announced that 'toxic' has emerged as the word of 2018, which is defined as a word or expression that is judged to reflect the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance. It is worth taking notice of the words it is commonly paired with.