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.
A new figure of authority in our COVID world is the hygiene marshal, a person clad in eye-catching hi-vis clothing who controls social distancing, cleaning and personal hygiene in relation to the coronavirus.
ZG: 6
With the best will in the world we sometimes forget the new routines that apply as we enter venues so having a marshal to give us a reminder is generally accepted.
Read MoreWhen you have posted something on the internet that makes people stop scrolling down the page so that they can pause to read it, then you have produced a thumbstopper.
ZG: 7
We are always on the lookout for new fashionable ways to give our approval. It is much cooler to say something is a thumbstopper than to say it is excellent.
Read MoreIso cuisine has produced various home inventions but one of the most popular has been this new style of coffee originating in Korea.
ZG: 5
This is a treat that we can make at home to cheer ourselves up in iso. It seems to be quite popular.
Read MoreGreetings and farewells remain a problem in the Rona. The elbow bump which was proposed and generally adopted early in the piece has become a stylised dig of the elbow in the direction of the person being greeted or farewelled.
ZG: 8
The elbow bump, either delivered straight or playfully, is still with us.
Read MoreDuring the COVID-19 outbreak it has been vital that we have clear communications from the government and the medical authorities. There has been a demand for a single source of truth.
ZG: 5
This was a response to one of those moments where there seemed to be divisions in the National Cabinet.
Read MoreThe phrase look on the bright side has been with us since the early 1800s but it is in the last few decades that it has moved from being a reasonable strategy to a relentless obligation of positive thinking.
ZG: 5The enthusiasm for brightsiding the world took off a decade ago but it is only recently that it has become a somewhat sinister thing to do.
Read MoreThis word did exist before Scott Morrison made it his own. It refers to the quality of elasticity that something has, which means that, although stretched to its full, it can immediately snap back to its relaxed state when released.
ZG: 9
This is a key term of COVID politics and one that we will be arguing about for some time to come.
Read MoreThis is a mature cheddar cheese blended with edible activated charcoal. The charcoal has no taste but is thought to be very good for your digestive system.
ZG: 4
A curiosity but not one that is commonplace. Not yet.
Read MoreVaccine nationalism is the preferencing of one’s own nation for the supply of a vaccine, regardless of the effect on the rest of the world.
ZG: 8
This is a new concept but one which is likely to draw more attention and gather more heat as we get closer to having a vaccine.
Read MoreThis is a term that first appeared in government communications, in particular as the name of the app that was supposed to track all our contacts, but also in the messaging which instructed us to draw up COVID safe plans.
ZG: 7
More and more we are including the notion of COVID safety in all our plans and communications.
Read MoreAn elopement wedding in the time of the Rona is a very managed affair. There are companies which will organise the elopement for the bridal couple and the two witnesses to the destination of their choice.
ZG: 7
Weddings are still a big event for many people and have, pre-Rona, been a big business. How to carry on in these times has been a question which appears to have been answered.
Read MorePCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. Some people find it uncomfortable but it is not dangerous.
ZG: 7
Many of us are now having this test. Perhaps all of us have in the back of our minds the thought that the day may come when we need to have it.
Read MoreFirst we had the anti-vaxxers. Now we have the anti-maskers. These people truly believe that COVID-19 is a hoax dreamt up by governments that want to force people into compliance with their wishes and to subjugate the individual to the state.
ZG: 9
This is an issue that affects all our lives at a time when it is apparent that the coronavirus is very infectious and can be stopped only by stringent restrictions that include the wearing of masks.
Read MoreThe honey library. is a collection of samples of honey produced in Australia, with their characteristics and place of origin recorded in a database.
ZG: 4
This one is of interest to the producers of honey, and to the general populace who were surprised to learn that honey was not necessarily what it was supposed to be.
Read MorePandemic leave is a kind of sick leave that allows you to stay at home at the first sign of illness and self-isolate for two weeks while still being paid.
ZG: 6
We have discovered belatedly that having this kind of leave available to working people is very important.
Read MoreThe abbreviation for this new syndrome is MIS. It is one of those names that simply describes what happens rather than what the disease is because not much is known about it. It has appeared as one of the complications of COVID-19.
ZG: 4
We are interested in anything and everything that relates to COVID-19 but fortunately this syndrome is rare.
Read MoreThis is an abbreviation which has popped up recently for sovereign citizen, a term that has been part of American English since the 1980s. We have acquired our own sovereign citizens over the last decade. These are people who resist the power of the state wherever it is wielded.
ZG: 8
The emergence of the soviets in Australia was a surprise to us all. It seemed to be such an American form of insanity. But they are now taking up a good deal of media space and a lot of police time and attention.
Read MoreIn America the name Karen is now associated with a middle-class white woman who is very clear on her rights and her general superiority over everyone else.
ZG: 6
Although borrowed from the American scene, the Karen is equally identifiable in Australia, and the link with the anti-maskers makes it even more convincing.
Read MoreThis is a movement in America which has developed from chat rooms inhabited by conspiracy theorists who believe that the world is run by the dark state who conduct all sorts of nefarious activities without any risk of retribution and who are responsible for all the current ills of the world.
ZG: 7
The sad thing is that groups like this are gaining in popularity. Whatever is said to debunk their theories is simply disbelieved.
Read MoreIn the search for a vaccine for SARS-Cov-2 scientists have found the need for a molecular clamp, a protein which fixes the spike protein in its pre-fusion state, thus getting the best immune response.
ZG: 5
In normal times we would not delve so deep into scientific jargon but our interest in a possible vaccine is so great that we are prepared to learn.
Read More
