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.
Way back in the 1950s the protein supplement was introduced into the food market, initially as something to assist the sick and the elderly. But in recent years it has become a fad, an obsession, with some alarming health consequences.
ZG: 5
An item that is popular within a small circle of fitness fanatics.
Read MoreA generation ago a policeman who found a good contact in the criminal world would guard such a resource jealously. He or she might not even disclose the identity of the contact let alone allow others to speak to them. But this has ended badly in a number of cases, most notably recently in the Victorian case involving Nicola Gobbo.
Read MoreThe various natural disasters that have occurred in the last few years have led to an increase in insurance costs for areas badly affected by flood or fire. This has divided the people in the area into the group which can still afford to insure their homes, and those who can’t.
ZG: 7
There is a growing awareness of the problems arising from uninsurability.
Read MoreThis is the practice of inserting malicious code into legitimately placed ads which will pop up on your website. The word is a blend of malware and advertising.
ZG: 6
This is the computer hacking threat of the moment.
Read MoreThis is a blended word, combining agriculture and photovoltaics (the generation of electricity using light sources, in particular, the sun). The panels and the plants or animals have to share the sunlight so an agrivoltaic farm needs to make it work for both.
Read MoreThis is a tool that makes clear (by way of visualisation) the relationships of power in an organisation or community which have to be navigated in order to bring about social change.
ZG: 4
This is a specialised term which has gained notice because of the activities of some organisations in gaining undue influence with the government.
Read MoreI had to wade through a certain amount of tiger stripe cocktails online in order to find tiger-striping but Google and I got there eventually. This tiger striping is the practice of alternating an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic drink.
ZG: 6
There is something quirky about this coinage which means it is likely to catch on.
Read MoreIn gaming an NPC is a non-playable character in the game, one that the players cannot control. It was originally controlled by the gamemaster or referee, and then later the computer. So to be called an NPC in real life is an insult.
ZG: 6
The word has certainly spread beyond the gaming world but it is still niche.
Read MoreIt has been some time since we named our last COVID variant and now we have a new one, nicknamed Pirola. Its official name from the World Health Organisation is BA.2.86. It is classified as a variant under monitoring which means that it hasn’t yet made it to being a variant of interest, let alone a variant of concern.
Read MoreJewface is the portrayal of a Jewish person by a non-Jewish person using theatrical makeup and prosthetics. This has become an issue in the biopic about Leonard Bernstein, Maestro, where Bradley Cooper, playing the part of Bernstein, has used prosthetics to give himself a bigger nose.
Read MoreThe phrase in one’s wheelhouse caught my attention. Believe it or not, it was used by a toponymist (an expert in placenames) considering the street name Nowhere Else Road. It’s on the Eyre Peninsula. Despite this being in his field of expertise, he remained none the wiser as to the origin of the name.
Read MoreFirst we had FOMO — the fear of missing out, which kept us in a constant state of anxiety in case there was something big going on and we weren’t part of it. Now there is JOMO — the joy of missing out.
ZG: 7
JOMO sounds highly desirable but old habits die hard so I think it will always be the lesser acronym.
Read MoreThe children sized up their teacher in her bright orange pants and sunflower-patterned top. ‘That looks weird’ said one. ‘Na, she’s drip!’ said another. A couple more nodded sagaciously in agreement. The teacher was nonplussed.
ZG: 6
I would imagine that this one is catching on quickly with the younger generation.
Read MoreThis is essentially advertising, usually digital advertising, which takes on the form and style of the platform that presents it so that it blends seamlessly with the basic content and is pretty well indistinguishable from it.
ZG: 3
A piece of industry jargon which even specialists in the field do not explain very well but something that could trip us all up.
Read MoreWe have come to talk about this latest period of the Holocene as the Anthropocene epcoh, that is, the period where the effects of human activity on the environment are marked. Now a fire historian, Stephen J Pyne, has suggested a new term, the Pyrocene.
ZG: 3
Doesn’t have huge frequency yet but it may become adopted as wildfires become more devastating.
Read MoreIt has become fashionable for companies and organisations to claim in their public documents that they are doing wonderful things for the environment. Climate disclosures and commitments are now being revised in a process that is described as green hushing.
ZG: 6
A term employed by those engaged in environmental watchdog activities.
Read MoreThis is the increase in the number of tourists visiting a tourist destination to the point where it is beyond the capacity of the people who live there to deal with the influx. In these post-pandemic times travel is once again an option and overtourism is becoming an acute problem.
ZG: 8
I expect a great deal more discussion of over tourism and how to manage it.
Read MoreThis is syndrome that has come into prominence because there is a similarity with the symptoms of long COVID. The acronym stands for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
ZG: 4
A term of the medical world which has surfaced because of the interest in long COVID.
Read MoreIn Australia this expression surfaced in the reality TV show, The Challenge. Late 2022 there was a ride-or-die series in which contestants were invited to bring their choice of partner along with them as support, their own particular ride-or-die rather than a partner chosen for them by the producers of the show.
ZG: 4
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