AIBU to wonder when all this conflating became popular

[WetAugust]

I'm old.

But until about a year ago I'd never heard the word 'conflate' used in conversation.

Now I hear it several times a day - often used in the wrong context by politicians.

So have I been deaf all these year to all this conflating or is there a reason for its popularity?

What does it mean?

Nah, the words always been around.

Its just that thing where someone says something about red balloons, and you see red balloons everywhere after that.

Political rhetoric hasn't changed dramatically in the last year.

I expect when you were younger there were just less conflatable objects about, whereas now conflatables are much cheaper to buy and run. Apparently tescos were selling a conflatable gay best friend but it was no good as it was really small and possibly not even gay or your best friend.

I had never heard it until it was in a thread title today.

I'd never heard of it until i read this thread

I'm not sure it actually exists....

It's a classic case of noticing a word for (you think) the first time, then hearing it multiple times a day and thinking....huh?

I did that with segue.

Conflate has been around for many years.

Satin & LEM - you'll notice it multiple times a day now. Just wait and see

Horridest, I used to have a conflatable banana in the 80s.

There are quite a few m.ps who look conflated and this may account for all the hot air they spout.
Youthecat I didn't have any conflatables in the 80s but I did have a soda stream which made rude noises and we used to think it was hilarious.

I thought you'd misspelled "cornflaking"...then I thought about what that could be and imagined some disgusting treatment during a pedicure ...