lemonading

In lemonading we turn disasters into opportunities, lemons into lemonade.

ZG: 6

This is one of these trendy words that might or might not take off.

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Sue ButlerComment
noctourism

This is tourism by night, a reaction to the overtourism that happens by day perhaps.  Since we have exhausted the daytime possibilities let’s start exploring the world again by night.

ZG: 4

A marketing term but interesting in that it identifies a new trend.

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Sue ButlerComment
naked running

Naked running is not some nudist enthusiasm.  It is going for a run without any of the digital devices that runners seem to feel are so essential to the process. 

ZG: 3

A bit of jargon from the runners that the rest of us find amusing.

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Sue ButlerComment
femgore

In one sense it should be easy to describe this new genre — fem (woman) plus gore (horror).  But in another way it is difficult to pin down. 

ZG: 5

Extremely popular within a very particular readership.

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Sue ButlerComment
climavore

This word is a trademark that I think is shifting into a generic.  I’m not sure what Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe (pictured above) will think about that since they trademarked the Climavore Diet in 2015.  Their idea was that constant change in the environment has to be part of the choices we make in what we will eat.

ZG: 4

Eating with climate consciousness is still a new idea so the frequency is still low.

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Sue ButlerComment
cloth

This is the verb to cloth as used by cricket commentators.  He’s clothed the ball means that the batter has produced a mistimed lofted shot.

ZG: 2

An obscure bit of cricketing jargon.

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Sue ButlerComment
brofessional

This is a term that has been part of American English for ten years, one which we are only just acquiring.  It is, of course, a blend of bro and professional and describes someone who is a confident player in the business world, so confident that he can be cool as well.  Particularly if his work is IT-related.

ZG: 8

The brofessionals in the US don’t seem to have lasted long.

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Sue ButlerComment
quarter-life crisis

We used to have children who went through puberty to become adolescents who matured into adults who encountered middle age and finally old age.  But now we can insert into this pathway the quarter-life crisis.

ZG: 6

Another new term that reflects the difficulties encountered by young people in our society.

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Sue ButlerComment
micro-retirement

There are established procedures for taking a break from your job.  There is long-service leave and the sabbatical.  In both these situations you retain your job and your employer continues to pay you, even if the pay is scaled down somewhat.

ZG: 5

There is a real sense that the working life for the younger generation is getting out of hand so ways to ease the strain are popular.

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Sue ButlerComment
barndominium

Australians have now become sufficiently familiar with this style of architecture to be able to refer to it as the barndo.  It is a blend of barn and condominium.

ZG: 5

All it needs is a verandah and it could be the new Australian architectural icon.

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Sue ButlerComment
sleep divorce

Many couples, increasingly in the younger generation, are finding that the solution broken sleep is to sleep separately.

ZG: 7

Not being able to get a good night’s sleep is such a common problem that any solution is popular.

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Sue Butler Comment
advancer

Every election usually produces a phrase or a word that becomes the mantra of the election period.  Remember barbecue stopper (Howard), rolled-gold promises (Rudd) and captain’s call (Abbott)? Despite this there hasn't been a lot that is new in this election.

ZG: 9

We are still mesmerised by the election so these terms are fresh in our minds.

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Sue ButlerComment
friluftsliv

We don’t seem to mind borrowing the odd Scandinavian word, even if it does present some difficulties. Friluftsliv is from Norwegian.  Break it into its parts for pronunciation — free-loofts-liv.  Literally it means ‘open air life’. 

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Sue ButlerComment
broligarchy

This is a combination of bro and oligarchy.  Weirdly it comes to us from the surfing world of 2000 when broligarchy was used to describe the group of surfers who controlled a break.  Broligarchy became mainstream with Trump.

ZG: 6

The broligarchy seems to be running out of steam slightly so the word may decline in frequency.

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Sue ButlerComment
dragon smut

We enter the world of paranormal romance and dig down from there into dragon shapeshifter romance.  The dragon shapeshifter can appear to be a normal human being but can then shapeshift as required into its dragon form. 

ZG: 5

Seems to be very popular!

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Sue ButlerComment
flood the zone

This was originally an American sports expression used in football and meaning that a team filled a particular area of the field with players, either to draw the opposition into that zone and leave other areas open, or to defend with numbers.

ZG: 7

With an election coming we are on the alert for Tumpisms in speech and behaviour. This is one that has high frequency at the moment although the caravan may move on.

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Sue ButlerComment
visual snow syndrome

This is a rare neurological condition which remains a mystery to medical practitioners.  The symptoms are visual disturbance often accompanied by brain fog and tinnitus.

ZG: 3

The sufferers are acutely aware of this name that has been recognised for their condition but it belongs to a niche area of medicine.

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Sue ButlerComment
green fairy

At the moment a search on green fairy in Australia is more likely to bring up absinthe than cannabis.  The green fairies seem to be an NZ thing.  They are people who grow cannabis for medicinal purposes and supply clients who are frustrated in attempting to access it legally.

ZG: 4

A New Zealandism which will very probably spread to Australia.

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Sue ButlerComment
EUV

This stands for extreme ultraviolet.  EUV lithography is the holy grail of chip manufacturing, allowing for the use of light, initially at 13.5 nm,  in the writing of the circuits. 

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Sue ButlerComment