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 hustle culture of today is characterised by the attitude that you must really push yourself to get anywhere. Long hours, obsessive focus, nervous strain is required if you are to reap the rewards of success.
ZG: 7
Whatever happened to work/life balance! On the one hand we are striving to reach the top of the capitalist pile, and on the other to keep our sanity.
Read MoreThe essence of dadcore is comfort and a total lack of interest in style. Basic items are the baseball cap and the puffer jacket.
ZG: 8
The complete lack of interest in fashion has now become a fashion statement for men. This is a good thing!
Read Morewe are encouraged to regard a human being, a whole human being, a holobiont, as an entity comprising host and microbes.
ZG: 6
Although this is a specialist term, it does have resonance for us, given that we are now encouraged to think that our total health depends on the wellbeing of the organisms in our gut.
Read MoreAir rights are the rights which a landowner has to the space above that land. There are ways in which this ownership is developing into a market in air rights.
ZG: 4
More a matter for big property developers than the individual homeowners, but interesting as a method of getting money for the conservation of buildings.
Read MoreA neobank is a new kind of bank that is entirely digital and generally operates from an app on your phone. It also uses totally new software, quite different from that used by traditional banks and not constrained by legacy issues.
ZG: 5
It is the way of the future although possibly not on every phone new you yet.
Read MoreThis is the verb, to smug, meaning ‘to behave in a complacent and disrespectful fashion towards someone’.
ZG: 4
I would like to give this a high rating because I think it is a very useful verb, but, in reality, I think it has low frequency.
Read MoreCarbon farming aims to trap carbon in the soil and in the vegetation on top of the soil by growing plants that will never be cut down.
ZG: 7
Carbon continues to be a productive word, combining in all sorts of compounds as we struggle with the concepts of how to deal with it.
Read MoreHybrid warfare comprises the traditional armed forces along with lawfare, cyberwarfare,, and the manipulation of social media, generally described as fake news.
ZG: 6
We ought all to be alarmed by this one. Who needs tanks on the ground when you can manipulate elections and hack into a country’s computer systems.
Read MoreAlso known as a loom group, this is a form of pyramid scheme which targets young people using social media.
ZG: 5
An interesting get-rich-quick scheme for those on social media.
Read MoreIf an advertiser can achieve the situation where a consumer equates their product with all products of that kind, whatever the brand, then they have achieved maximum mind share.
ZG: 4
Another marketing term, probably with limited currency.
Read MoreThis is a cryogenic procedure in which liquid nitrogen is applied to the breech and tail area of a sheep to increase the area of bare skin and reduce the possibility of flystrike.
ZG: 4 A word restricted to a particular specialist area, and yet one which could get attention as the alternative to the much reviled mulling.
Read MoreCancel culture is a form of boycott. Followers remove their attention from the offending person and deprive them of a following.
ZG: 6
There are many moral difficulties that have yet to be managed successfully on social media. The bestowing of instant fame on a person who then turns out to be unworthy is one that has caused angst.
Read MoreAttention economics applies economic theory to the problem of an increasing supply of information creating an attention deficit as a way of devising strategies to manage the supply of information.
ZG: 8
I would not say that this term has huge currency in the community at large but the problem is a very real one.
Read More. Appointment viewing is making a time to watch something, usually because you regard it as particularly important. A must-see.
ZG: 5
I suppose that the different ways in which we consume media are as important to us as the ever-changing fashions in food and drink.
Read MoreThis is an automated system for recovering debts, notably the one used by Centrelink to recover money overpaid to welfare recipients.
ZG: 7
This one is very probably here to stay, despite the damage it does.
Read MoreThe concierge parent differs from the helicopter parent in that, while the helicopter parent is hovering overhead to protect the child from any danger, the concierge parent is there to solve all of life’s problems for the child.
ZG: 5
Discussions of parenting styles can be relied on to surface in the media from time to time. This one may seem a niche term but it will probably pop up again.
Read MoreThis is an education approach mostly used by parents who are teaching their children at home, whereby the child leads the way in indicating their interests and the parents follow the child’s lead.
ZG: 7
Almost anything to do with education is likely to get the attention of the community, but this model seems to be gaining increasing popularity.
Read MoreThe Queensland state election of 2017 produced the Gympie Line. Apparently the LNP warned Malcolm Turnbull that he would not go down well with voters above Gympie and that it would be better if he did not cross the Gympie Line.
ZG: 7
What happens with voters above the Gympie Line is of great interest in this 2019 election.
Read MoreThis is the creation of permanent ocean homes, ultimately reaching the goal of ocean cities.
ZG: 6
This is a curious blending of the anti-government movement with the save-the-environment movement. Only for those who can be sustained by the fervour of their convictions,
Read MoreThe internet is home to many strange fads and fetishes. The latest in these is the mukbang, a U-tube program in which someone livestreams their consumption of a truly huge meal.
ZG: 5
I suppose it makes sense that, at a time when we are all fighting excess calories, we outsource our enjoyment of eating to someone else.
Read More
