These are new words or phrases that have caught my eye. My definition of a new word is one which is not in the Macquarie Dictionary online.
Some words seem to have more significance than others in terms of reflecting changes in the Australian culture, so I will give each word a Zeitgeist rating (ZG) within a range of 1-10.
If you disagree with the rating that I give, please argue your case in the comment field provided.
I would love you to contact me if you have made any new word discoveries of your own.
We now have the notion of street play, the kind of thing that used to happen in an unorganised way where children would take to the street to play various games. In a world where cars dominate our lives, this is something that needs to be organised.
ZG: 7
An excellent way of reclaiming the streets for children which seems to be generating some enthusiasm among parents and councils.
Read MoreThis is a gesture in which the thumb and index finger make a circle and the other three fingers are stretched out straight. White supremacists took control of the sign by inventing a different significance for it.
ZG: 8
Given the rise of the white supremacy movement, we are , sadly, likely to continue to encounter this sign.
Read MoreThese are the volunteer firefighters who work alongside the Royal Fire Service. In some parts of the country they are called the Black Ops Brigade.
ZG: 5
Probably a passing phenomenon of the recent bushfires but who knows, next summer may bring them out again.
Read MoreA zoomer is a member of Generation Z, born in the early 2000s and characterised as having great facility with digital technology and great social skills.
ZG: 6
Probably OK boomer! produced the greatest media buzz. This retort, coming somewhat late in the day, doesn’t seem to have the same bite.
Read MoreThis is the paid leave that you can have from work to settle in a new puppy into your household.
ZG: 4
It made sense for a pet food company to offer this to their employees. Some companies in Australia have picked up on the idea but I am not sure how far it will go.
Read MoreThe truth test is similar to fact checking but whereas facts are impersonal, telling the truth or not goes to the heart of someone’s character.
ZG: 8
In these days of fake news and all manner of falsifying of information, applying the truth test to what someone claims will be increasingly important.
Read MoreThe human book is person that you can borrow from the human library who will tell you the story of their life.
ZG: 4
This is not a common experience yet but it is one that seems to be on the rise.
Read MoreThis is the continuing drain on the mental and physical resources of a mother after her child is born. Mothers blame lack of sleep, and, in general, the need to set their own needs aside to keep up with the demands of bringing up a child.
ZG: 4
Not a common term as yet but one that will strike a chord with mothers of small children.
Read MoreAncestry tourism involves travelling to the land of your ancestors and seeing what you can find out to add to information for your family history.
ZG: 7
The popularity of researching family histories aided by a sudden wealth of resources that can be made available to the general public means that ancestry tourism will be increasingly popular.
Read MoreThis is a word derived from catfishing. The idea is that most women can’t resist a man with a dog.
ZG: 6
A coinage that will amuse those who visit dating sites and are generally at home in the online world of romance.
Read MoreThis is the name given to the povety experienced by women and girls who are unable to access resources during their menstruation period, because of lack of finances or lack of facilities provided at schools and workplaces.
ZG: 4
There is a global movement to eliminate period poverty which has given the expression frequency in some political circles.
Read MoreThis is a put-down from a young person to an old person who is demonstrating that they are out of touch with the contemporary world. The older person doesn’t have to be an actual baby boomer, just someone over forty.
ZG: 8
This is one of those internet memes which has gone around the world. The divide between the older and younger generations is sharper than it has ever been before. This captures it neatly.
Read MoreIt has become the practice of Chinese emigrants to send their very young children back to China to be looked after by their extended family while the parents are establishing themselves in their new country. These children are referred to as satellite babies.
ZG: 3
Not high frequency in Australia but we are becoming aware of the practice. More common in North America where the term originated.
Not high frequency in Australia but we are becoming aware of the practice.
Read MoreA threenager is a three-year-old who behaves like a teenager, has attitude and wilfulness and a total disregard of reason.
ZG: 7
The terrible twos has been such a thing for so long with parents that it is surprising to find the this new term competing with it. Possibly labels help parents to cope.
Read MoreThe aesthetic of hopepunk is resistance to the disastrous future, both environmental and political, that seems to be looming.
ZG: 5
Hopepunk is trending in popular culture at the moment but not a term that has widespread currency.
Read More. Screen time is the time we spend in front of a device with a screen, such as a television, a computer, an ipad, a smartphone, or a video game console.
ZG: 9
This is coming up as an anxiety of the moment. We are increasingly polarised by our screen habits with one group becoming increasingly worried about it, and the other just doing what they do.
Read MoreThe term anchor baby was coined in the U.S in the early 1990s and refers to a child born to an immigrant mother who is illegally in the U.S. without citizenship.
ZG: 5
So far Peter Dutton is on his own in adopting this term from American English. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Read MoreThere are a growing number of solo dwellers who maintain that they can have a large number of friends and an active social life, and yet, when they choose, have the luxury of being on their own and doing whatever they want to do whenever they feel like doing it.
ZG: 7
This one is of interest in social terms. The bold statement that living alone is a lifestyle choice and a good thing is something new.
Read MoreThere is now something of a track record for deliberate lighting of fires in wheelie bins, either for warmth or to breath in the fumes and get a very dangerous high.
ZG: 8
If something is common enough to give rise to a metaphorical use, then it has won recognition in the community.
Read MoreThe concept of setting up a coffice in your local coffee shop with your laptop beside you and a cup of coffee in hand has been developing over the last decade.
ZG: 8
Almost any coffee shop will be home to a number of coffice workers these days.
Read More
