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.
Modern monetary theory (also known as MMT) says that, with a monetary sovereign government, that is, one that has its own currency, the goal should be to balance the economy rather than the budget.
ZG: 7
I think that we will hear a lot more about MMT in the future as we search for economic strategies that work for people.
Read MoreSpigarello is a new vegetable in our market, a form of kale with soft, buttery leaves.
ZG: 5
Presumably with climate change we can expect this kind of shift to new produce to occur more frequently.
Read MoreThe recent wild weather has produced an unusual phenomenon called thundersnow.
ZG: 7
We are all fascinated by the weather, particularly by something exciting and unusual like this. I wish I had seen it myself.
Read MoreThe recent concerns about the increased strength of the drug MDMA that was turning up in Australia introduced me to terms like double droppingand triple dropping. This is basically taking two or three pills at once
ZG : 6
While drug-taking is not for everyone, the prevalence of it among young people has risen to alarmingly high levels. These words are part of the general discussion that is taking place at the moment.
Read MoreThis phobia, sometimes spelled fatphobia, is, very simply, the fear of being fat.
ZG: 8
With the increase in the number of obese people, and the increase in the complexity of how to treat obesity, I would expect fat phobia to be on the rise.
Read MoreThis is the practice of seeking out travel destinations not frequented by the majority of tourists in the hope of having some real cultural exchange between the travellers and the locals.
ZG: 8
I think there is a real sense that people are bored with the packaged tourism on offer and have a vague disquiet about zooming around the world while being sheltered from any engagement with the locals. It seems rude somehow.
Read MoreElite has become a synonym for ‘excellent’ but sounds so much classier.
ZG: 9
This extension of meaning, from the person to the activity that such a person can carry out, is now entrenched in sports jargon.
Read MoreCheese tea is the latest tea-drinking craze from Asia since we were introduced to bubble tea from Taiwan.
ZG: 6
The flavour of the month, so to speak. Do I dare to give it a go!
Read MoreA form of football which focuses on passing rather than on running at speed. It retains the advantages of a team sport while being a low-impact and safe form of physical exercise.
ZG: 8
Given the popularity of football and the increasing numbers of older people in society, I can see that this sport may be quite successful.
Read MoreIt would seem that 2015 was the year in which silo art made its first appearance in Australia.
ZG: 9
These artworks are proliferating and hugely visible. The silos used to be an image of rural Australia, along with the old windmill pump, but covered in street art they are now an interesting blend of the city and the bush.
Read MoreA shoutcaster is someone who is a commentator on a video game.
ZG: 5
A little specaiised but now very much part of the jargon of gaming. It would all seem rather dull without the commentators to liven things up.
Read MoreA method of shearing sheep which draws from martial arts and yoga practices, to provide physical and mental training for the shearers and to teach them how to work with sheep rather than fighting them.
ZG: 7
A niche area of activity but a very traditional one producing this extraordinary blend of shearing and ju-jitsu.
Read MoreWe have had a number of shocks administered to the hip-pocket nerve which we have named in general bill shock. Now there is toll shock, with the variante toll shock.
ZG: 6
The point of these shocks is that they are unexpected, or else expected but dramatically inflated. We probably have a few more of them to endure.
Read MoreWe have talked about the extension of the doula’s work from looking after women in childbirth to helping those who are on the path to death. Now we have the abortion doula who assists a woman who is having a termination.
ZG: 5
A specialist area although the abortion doula herself assists in a very general way. It will be interesting to see how many types of doula we will eventually have.
Read MoreTrade is the buying and selling of goods and services. Digital trade is digitally-enabled, with the item of commerce being delivered digitally or physically. It is what happened to commerce when we got the internet.
ZG: 8
How we buy and sell things, after being such a fixed procedure for centuries, is now in a state of flux.
Read MoreWe are all now so familiar with the Nigerian prince scam that we instantly delete email requests for us to set up bank accounts in Africa and receive funds from a foreign land. Now our phones are the conduit for scamming activities.
ZG: 4
It seems that one kind of scam is being replaced by yet another at a pace that is so fast we are learning new words in this field and then almost immediately discarding them.
Read MoreEco-anxiety is a form of anxiety triggered by a sudden awareness of the path to destruction that the world is taking.
ZG: 8
This one is definitely on the rise, sadly, particularly in the absence of any action being taken which gives rise to a sense of helplessness.
Read MoreThis is an order fulfilment method in which the dropshipper takes an order from a customer and then passes it on to a manufacturer who delivers the product.
ZG: 6
It is piece of business jargon it is true, but we, as customers, will probably become familiar with it as we have with other aspects of digital trade.
Read MoreThis is a pattern of behaviour exhibited by someone who wishes to dominate another person, usually one in a relationship with them.
ZG: 6
On the one hand it is good that we are recognising the subtleties of abuse and coming up with terms to identify them. On the other hand it does unfortunately seem to be a growth area of the language.
Read MoreApparently this is the latest way of pranking people.
ZG: 5
Let’s hope this practice is quickly stamped out so that the word fades into oblivion.
Read More
