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.
This system, in which a shopper orders a product online and then collects it at the store, has been in place in Australia since 2017 but its popularity has grown hugely over the last year thanks to the pandemic.
ZG: 8
Our experience of online shopping is developing and diversifying at a remarkable pace.
Read MoreThis is one of those rare words which, having been coined once, is then coined again with a different meaning. The first time round (in the 1970s) meta-verse meant ‘a network of universes’.
ZG: 4
Still a word for the science fiction fans and those who are interested in trying to detail how such a world might work and what the consequences would be for the human race.
Read MoreThis is a view of the world in which you regard yourself as the main character in some filmic version of your life. For some this is empowering, allowing them to see themselves in a more positive light and be more assertive. For others the main character syndrome simply means that you hog the limelight and everyone else is in the supporting cast.
ZG: 8
This one has taken off on social media. Obviously it is a personality type that is recognisable.
Read MoreA newspaper article assures us that COVID anger is real, and certainly a few friends have admitted to feeling this and being glad that it has a name. It is the boilover of repressed anxiety, frustration and depression.
ZG: 8
This second year of the pandemic feels darker than the first, the sense of togetherness being replaced by isolation and anger.
Read MoreInitially we were concerned about flattening the curve, but then we faced a choice – to open up the country and live with Covid or to keep pursuing the goal of zero cases by stepping up our tracking and tracing.
ZG: 10
This I hugely important at the moment and will continue to be the only topic of discussion for the next months.
Read MoreWay back at the beginning of the pandemic there was a lot of discussion about the reproduction number of the virus which I dealt with under the heading Ro. Now we have the further subtlety of the Reff (effective reproduction number), also written Re or R (t).
Read MoreOne of the many things we can look forward to once everyone is vaccinated is the possibility that we do our quarantine at home rather than in the government designated hotels and quarantine stations.
ZG: 8
If all goes according to plan, we will be seeing a lot more of home quarantine.
Read MoreThere are now some cases recorded of people acquiring COVID-19 even though they are fully vaccinated. Such breakthrough infections, where the virus breaks through the protective layer of the vaccine, are rare but they cannot be discounted.
ZG: 5
This is of increasing concern to a population already worried about the whole business of vaccination.
Read MoreVLP stands for ‘virus-like particle’. This particle is a molecule that mimics a virus, thus producing the required immune response. It is perfectly safe because it has no actual viral material in it and is not infectious.
ZG: 3
Very technical jargon. While we have come to grips with the names and types of a number of vaccines, we may have reached out limit.
Read MoreThere is a running joke in which animals are referred to as ‘puppies’, the kind of puppy being designated by something you associate with the animal. It is jokingly affectionate. So a flying fox is a sky puppy. But to call a snake a hiss puppy seems quite a stretch in terms of affectionate humour.
ZG: 5
This appealing snake is quite worthy of being called a hiss puppy!
If any snake could be called a hiss puppy it is this one. He seems very appealing.
Read MoreThis is a colloquial shortening of lockdown which may just possibly make us feel better about the whole situation. We can add it to the collection of such jokey ways of referring to the things that dismay us, such as the rona and iso.
ZG: 6
This one is still new to us but catching on fast, and obviously needed to lighten the rigours of the lockdown that is upon us.
Read MoreAlongside the development of vaccines there has been the development of treatments for COVID-19. Last year we had remdesivir which inhibits the activity of the virus and reduces recovery time. The drugs dexamethasone and tocilizumab both work as anti-inflammatories. This year we have sotrovimab which is a monoclonal antibody therapy.
ZG: 5
Somehow we don’t get excited about treatments the way we do about vaccines.
Read MoreThis is a kind of shell company. It produces nothing and does nothing. Its sole function is to raise money on the stock exchange in order to acquire a private company, usually within a limited time frame, which has the effect of making the private company a public company without going through the usual process of an initial pubic offering (IPO).
ZG: 4
A piece of jargon from the finance world which is not going to affect most of us directly.
Read MoreThis is the selfie that you post online when you have been vaccinated. People indicate their vaccinated status in various creative ways ranging from showing a vaccination card to wearing a crown or a mask that says ‘I’m vaccinated’ or the like. It has become so common that it has been shortened to vaxxie.
ZG: 9
It’s all about the vaccination rate at the moment and this seems like a way in which people can encourage each other to get vexed.
Read MoreMask shaming results from not following the norm – wearing or not wearing masks. In America there are some comments about mask vigilantes as well.
ZG: 6
There is increased sensitivity in the community about the issue of mask wearing. Now that it is mandatory outside we can all take note of the people who still try to avoid it.
Read MoreApparently in Europe and Canada the vaccine has gone by the name of Vaxzevria and there is concern that, if we do get to the stage of vaccine certificates or passports, the name AstraZeneca will not be recognised overseas.
ZG: 5
This will become more meaningful to us when we can travel again.
Read MoreThis is the carbon which is sequestered by coastal ecosystems and sea grasses. Apparently a good stand of mangroves can sequester more carbon that a terrestrial forest of similar size.
ZG: 7
This is one of the many ideas being put forward now as a strategy to deal with climate change.
Read MoreThis is a form of anxiety which does not prevent you from functioning in your job, home life, etc. Indeed it drives you on to perform even better than others while at the same time masking your underlying anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.
ZG: 5
While the subject of much analysis on the internet, it does not have general currency.
Read MoreThis is the vaccination that you are required to have as part of your job. Employers have been saying that they cannot legally force their staff to get vaccinated. Only the federal government has the power to make it mandatory.
ZG: 8
This is likely to be a big issue in the months to come.
Read MoreJust as biohacking is the employment of various techniques to improve the functioning of the body, so neuorhacking is the employment of various techniques to improve the functioning of the mind. A hack in this context is a clever if not necessarily orthodox solution to a problem, a general meaning which derives from computer use.
ZG: 4
This is part of the jargon of a small but dedicated group of people.
Read More
