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.
In the US the group called theright to repair movement have been advocating for the right for owners to be allowed to fix things themselves, be it a tractor, a dishwasher or a smartphone.
ZG: 6
Many of us have railed against the fact that we can no longer have household items repaired but are forced to go out an buy something new. This group seems to be getting some traction on this problem.
Read MoreThis form of internet scamming has been around for a while but we seem to have now come up with an official name for it.
ZG: 7
Given the frequency of this kind of scamming, the amounts of money involved, and the terrible effect on the victims, I think we will be discussing this one for some time to come.
Read MoreThis is an amusing term used by those who favour nude beaches for a beach where people wear swimming costumes. You can also refer to a person who wears a swimming costume as a textile.
ZG: 5
It’s fun and colloquial but the jargon of a small group.
Read MoreThis is the latest in barista art, your face staring back at you from your coffee cup.
ZG: 4
An amusing fashion in coffee-drinking.
Read MoreThe internet has made it possible for enterprising people to offer stylish clothes to those who wish to be modest in their dress, bypassing the mainstream outlets. The response has been enormous.
ZG: 6
I had a first-hand experience of the popularity of this idea at a View Club meeting in Sydney’s south-west where a fashion parade was proposed in which all the clothes would be cover-ups.
Read MoreSolar and wind energy is in greatest supply in the middle of the day, precisely when people don’t need it as much. So there is a need to store this green energy and make it available at peak periods when people do need it.
ZG: 8
Almost any method of streamlining the supply of green energy is bound to be a continuing topic of conversation into the future.
Read MoreThe latest in the set of lit for literature coinages is up lit, short for uplifting literature.
ZG: 5
While the genre may be popular, the name for it is a bit of book industry jargon. Still it is fun to follow these creative naming sequences.
Read MoreThis is the Tasmanian name for the puffer jacket, in particular the jacket in black which, in Tasmania, can be worn on formal or informal occasions.
ZG: 8
We have to give a special place to homegrown colloquialisms that tell us something about who we are. A solid piece of Tasmanian culture.
Read MoreWe regard the Swedes as being responsible for introducing this concept, death clean being a literal translation of the Swedish name for it, but it is an idea that resonates. People are aware that when they die someone is going to have to clean up their belongings.
ZG: 5
Not a common practice yet but an idea that has a certain appeal.
Read MoreThis is an organised, not-for-profit event at which people gather as a small group, with some refreshments provided, to discuss aspects of death and dying.
ZG: 5
Again perhaps not common yet but indicative a general desire in our society to be more open about death and dying, to remove the taboos that have suppressed all conversation on the subject.
Read MoreThis term was new to me although it has apparently been around in the US since the 1980s with reference to the aging population.
ZG: 7
Our population is aging so it is nor surprising that we have new terms to express this idea, some of them containing a sense of threat.
Read MoreA hacker gains access to your account which he or she can then sell to other people so that they can access your online services for free. This is known as credential stuffing.
ZG: 7
We have become increasingly aware that we are not safe out on the internet. The ways in which people can rip us off seem to multiply.
Read MoreWe have been used to the idea of nuns taking the veil and becoming brides of Christ, but we need to go back to the practices of the early Church to get an understanding of this new role of the consecrated virgin.
ZG: 4
A niche word for a niche role in society, but a nun who gets out and about should be more visible to most of us than one in the cloister.
Read MoreThis is a bit of American slang that we have taken a while to adopt. It dates back to the 1960s in the US where it seems particularly popular with speakers of Black American English.
ZG: 6
Despite the problems with its pronunciation, this is a slang term that has a cheerful appeal.
Read MoreFractional employment is an employment structure similar to freelancing but not limited to a particular project in the way that freelancing usually is.
ZG: 5
A jargon term used by HR people but one that may increase in frequency as work styles change.
Read MoreThe liquid biopsy has the advantage that the sample is a blood sample, so fairly easy to extract.
ZG: 3
A medical term but one that could be of considerable importance to some people.
Read MoreThis is the spreading of ideas through social media, usually through images and tweets that attack a particular person, organisation, political party, etc., and that bring about a change in public opinion.
ZG: 9
Increasingly we are becoming aware of the threats to society that exist on unregulated social media. Since we also seem to be powerless to do anything about it, we can expect meme warfare to continue.
Read MoreNarrowcasting has become a term in politics for the transmission of political messages to the particular groups in society that will respond well to them.
ZG: 7
Every election produces a new set of terms to meet a different style of politics delivered in a different way. The crossover from marketing to politics is familiar. This is one of the new marketing terms to make the transition.
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There is general agreement that we must develop technologies that can save us from the accumulation of greenhouse gases. One method of doing this is to suck carbon out of the air.
ZG: 3
There are too few carbon suckers around for this to rate highly as yet. But the day may come …
Read MoreAt first I thought this might be one stage worse than a food coma, that feeling of indolence that comes over you after a heavy meal. But no, a food shock is the shock to the whole system of food production.
ZG: 7
This is a shock that we may well be experiencing more often. Certainly it is more common to see stories in the media relating to the high prices of fruit and vegetables and other produce as a result of fire, flood, and drought, all of which can now happen simultaneously in Australia.
Read More
