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.
The dark kitchen is not a kitchen that serves a restaurant in which diners come to eat. There are no customers, just delivery couriers taking meals to people who have ordered by app.
ZG: 6
An interesting new term but probably not one that the general public encounters.
Read MoreThis is a new branch of science which combines biology and genetic engineering to create completely new artificial products.
ZG: 6
A brave new world indeed! But not yet a term that we all recognise.
Read MoreScott Morrison is our first Pentacostal prime minister, espousing a brand of religion that suits the aspirations of Western capitalism.
ZG: 7
Read MoreThis is a sad term that has come into our lexicon. It is the name given to a dissociative syndrome producing a state of catatonia in the sufferer, and usually the consequence of psychological trauma.
ZG: 10
Read MoreA chip implant is a particular kind of bio-implant which has in it a smart chip (of the kind you normally have in a device or a plastic card) that relies on near field communication to act.
ZG: 7
Read MoreGiven that there is considerable enthusiasm for keeping people in their own homes as they grow older, the need for the elderly sitter will only increase.
ZG: 7
Read MoreIn the open banking system financial information is networked and accessed through communications software to improve access to it for all parties.
ZG: 4
Read MoreThis is, literally, a house in which things grow, but the things that grow in a grow house are the rather special plants called marijuana.
ZG: 6
Read MoreThe term kangatarian first appeared in 2010 and seems to have had some currency ever since. You may well have thought that it would disappear as a joke word for a food fad but kangatarians may be here to stay.
ZG: 4
Read MorePrecariat is a somewhat more recent coinage than precarity but both of them are uncommon. Certainly my spellchecker rejects them both.
ZG: 2
Read MoreBlazar is derived from quasar. Could this be the beginning of a new set of words for types of quasars?
ZG: 2
Read MoreThe butt-brush effect has been extended to cover any kind of jostling that creates negative feelings that inhibit purchasing.
ZG: 3
Read MoreOnce upon a time a glass of water was the simplest, most natural thing to drink. Now it’s complicated.
ZG: 7
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