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 America the name Karen is now associated with a middle-class white woman who is very clear on her rights and her general superiority over everyone else.
ZG: 6
Although borrowed from the American scene, the Karen is equally identifiable in Australia, and the link with the anti-maskers makes it even more convincing.
Read MoreThis is a movement in America which has developed from chat rooms inhabited by conspiracy theorists who believe that the world is run by the dark state who conduct all sorts of nefarious activities without any risk of retribution and who are responsible for all the current ills of the world.
ZG: 7
The sad thing is that groups like this are gaining in popularity. Whatever is said to debunk their theories is simply disbelieved.
Read MoreIn the search for a vaccine for SARS-Cov-2 scientists have found the need for a molecular clamp, a protein which fixes the spike protein in its pre-fusion state, thus getting the best immune response.
ZG: 5
In normal times we would not delve so deep into scientific jargon but our interest in a possible vaccine is so great that we are prepared to learn.
Read MoreThe fashion industry has been inventive in solving the social distancing problem. Hats with very, very wide brims are a feature of the new designs as well as very, very large shoes.
ZG: 6
AT some point in the future we can look back on COVID fashion as an indicator of what life was like in the time of the Rona.
Read MoreThis is an electric aircraft designed to carry a small number of passengers, between four and eight. It may or may not have a pilot and is environmentally friendly, with zero emissions.
ZG: 5
If this becomes a viable solution for regional travel then we will all be experiencing the delights of the flying car.
Read MoreSyndesmosis is an anatomical term which has been around since the early 1700s. There is a new sports injury which has the full name distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.
ZG: 5
Low frequency but anything that affects our football teams is bound to get our attention.
Read MoreAmong the numbers of people who are now working at home, there are those who miss the interaction with their colleagues at work. As we all know, the important information of the day, whether it is about work, or about one’s fellow workers, is shared at the coffee break. This has led to the creation of the virtual cafe.
ZG: 6
We have all become familiar with online get-togethers for a whole variety of reasons. Why not have one just to say hello.
Read MoreWe are all familiar now with the graphic of the coronavirus with its red bits that stick out. These are the protein spikes which attach to receptors on human cells, a process which is a bit like opening a door to the human cell and allowing the virus to enter.
ZG: 7
The protein spike seems to be discussed often, particularly of course in relation to the genetic vaccine.
Read MoreThis is a concept for the care of people with dementia that keeps them safe while allowing a certain degree of independent living. The idea was pioneered in the Netherlands but we have our first dementia village now in Hobart.
ZG: 5
Low frequency at the moment but possibly one that will become better known as we develop more of these villages.
Read MoreThe safety pee is an act of urination for which you don’t actually feel the need. You do, however, find it reassuring to have emptied your bladder before undertaking an activity which might take some time.
Read MoreIn the days of COVID-19 we are tiring more often and more easily because of the all the small decisions we have to make in terms of how we manage our lives.
ZG: 5
It seems true that more people are complaining of greater fatigue than usual. This is an interesting explanation for it.
Read MoreSometimes legislation enacted by Parliament can have in it a Henry VIII clause which allows the executive to alter the law by regulation. The legislative assembly has no control over the form that such secondary legislation might take although at some later date it can disallow it.
ZG: 7
An obscure but important piece of parliamentary lexicon which has popped up with sudden contemporary relevance.
Read MoreThis is an economic backlash to globalisation. We have been splitting hairs over sovereignty for some time, dividing it into political sovereignty, legal sovereignty, and popular sovereignty to name a few.
ZG: 7
This is a term that is part of a debate that can only increase in intensity.
Read MoreThis is a new offence which has been created in Victoria. It makes a person who kills another with a firearm but is not convicted of murder nonetheless liable for 25 years in prison.
ZG: 6
This is a coinage that is here to stay and that will cause some debate in the community as to whether it is effective or not.
Read MoreThis is a person who has experienced COVID-19 and recovered after the usual two weeks, but then has unaccountably suffered a return of the symptoms of the disease, sometimes along with other new symptoms.
ZG: 6
There are not so many of these but they add to our knowledge of the forms that the disease can take.
Read MoreThis was the title of a book written by John Quiggin, an Australian economist, and published in 2010. It had the subtitle How Dead Ideas Still Walk Among Us.
ZG: 5
A bit of specialist jargon from the economists, but quite amusing and catchy.
Read MoreThe sommelier is a very special person in a restaurant who has the knowledge and expertise to guide customers through the wine list, recommending particular wines to accompany their choice of food. The COVID sommelier is somewhat different.
ZG: 5
An attempt at humour within a small circle of struggling restaurateurs.
Read MoreThis is a term used to smear Chinese efforts to help their friends and neighbours by sending medical supplies, particularly face masks and hand sanitiser. The implication is that any help from China merely disguises some nefarious purpose.
ZG: 7
Given the low level to which our relations with China have sunk, I expect to hear this used more frequently. It would be nice if someone came up with a catchy name for America’s hoarding of COVID treatments.
Read MoreThe most exciting development in the area of vaccines in the last ten years has been the genetic vaccine, that is, a vaccine that relies on introducing part of the DNA or RNA of a virus into a human cell which then replicates part of the virus protein from the DNA or RNA code, producing an immune response.
ZG: 7
I expect that we will be hearing a lot more about this and that we will all be much more knowledgeable about vaccines than we have been in the past.
Read MoreThere has been much speculation that there will be another baby boom caused by COVID-19 restrictions and isolation which will produce a spike of coronababies.
ZG: 6
I can see this one staying with us. ‘I was a corona baby’ people will say in years to come.
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