What is ‘rizz’ - and do you have it?

London | Who has the most rizz: Prince Harry, Nigel Farage or George Clooney? If you don’t immediately know the answer then the problem is likely to be your understanding of the term rizz, the Oxford University Press word of the year.

To be fair, most people who aren’t Generation Z or terminally online haven’t had much interaction with the word. But for those in the know, rizz is what many of us are hoping to find under the mistletoe this Christmas. Slang for romantic appeal and the ability to attract a partner with ease, it is what people over 50 might call charm – or someone whom Millennials two decades ago might have deemed “fit”.

Recorded uses of the word “rizz” have increased dramatically this year, peaking in June when Spider-Man actor Tom Holland was asked about his “rizz” in a widely shared interview. Luckily he is 27, so instead of looking baffled by the question, he was able to modestly answer, “Oh, I have no rizz whatsoever.” Given his girlfriend is beautiful Zendaya, this seems unlikely – although we all know that a British man with true rizz would never acknowledge having any.

Rizz comes from “charisma” – and while it is unusual to form an abbreviation from the middle of a word, some think it may become as popular as “fridge” (from refrigerator) or “flu” (from influenza).

Although if you’re feeling really confident this Christmas, the way to use it is as a verb: anyone planning “to rizz up” at a party is on a serious mission to seduce. And if you’re feeling the January slump and the need for a warm body to watch box-sets with, pump some rizz at the gym.