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 is a term that has been part of American English for ten years, one which we are only just acquiring. It is, of course, a blend of bro and professional and describes someone who is a confident player in the business world, so confident that he can be cool as well. Particularly if his work is IT-related.
ZG: 8
The brofessionals in the US don’t seem to have lasted long.
Read MoreWe used to have children who went through puberty to become adolescents who matured into adults who encountered middle age and finally old age. But now we can insert into this pathway the quarter-life crisis.
ZG: 6
Another new term that reflects the difficulties encountered by young people in our society.
Read MoreThere are established procedures for taking a break from your job. There is long-service leave and the sabbatical. In both these situations you retain your job and your employer continues to pay you, even if the pay is scaled down somewhat.
ZG: 5
There is a real sense that the working life for the younger generation is getting out of hand so ways to ease the strain are popular.
Read MoreAustralians have now become sufficiently familiar with this style of architecture to be able to refer to it as the barndo. It is a blend of barn and condominium.
ZG: 5
All it needs is a verandah and it could be the new Australian architectural icon.
Read MoreMany couples, increasingly in the younger generation, are finding that the solution broken sleep is to sleep separately.
ZG: 7
Not being able to get a good night’s sleep is such a common problem that any solution is popular.
Read MoreEvery election usually produces a phrase or a word that becomes the mantra of the election period. Remember barbecue stopper (Howard), rolled-gold promises (Rudd) and captain’s call (Abbott)? Despite this there hasn't been a lot that is new in this election.
ZG: 9
We are still mesmerised by the election so these terms are fresh in our minds.
Read MoreWe don’t seem to mind borrowing the odd Scandinavian word, even if it does present some difficulties. Friluftsliv is from Norwegian. Break it into its parts for pronunciation — free-loofts-liv. Literally it means ‘open air life’.
Read MoreThis is a combination of bro and oligarchy. Weirdly it comes to us from the surfing world of 2000 when broligarchy was used to describe the group of surfers who controlled a break. Broligarchy became mainstream with Trump.
ZG: 6
The broligarchy seems to be running out of steam slightly so the word may decline in frequency.
Read MoreThis is a software package designed to detect content that has been generated by AI. The content could be text, image, video or audio.
Read MoreWe enter the world of paranormal romance and dig down from there into dragon shapeshifter romance. The dragon shapeshifter can appear to be a normal human being but can then shapeshift as required into its dragon form.
ZG: 5
Seems to be very popular!
Read MoreThis was originally an American sports expression used in football and meaning that a team filled a particular area of the field with players, either to draw the opposition into that zone and leave other areas open, or to defend with numbers.
ZG: 7
With an election coming we are on the alert for Tumpisms in speech and behaviour. This is one that has high frequency at the moment although the caravan may move on.
Read MoreThis is a rare neurological condition which remains a mystery to medical practitioners. The symptoms are visual disturbance often accompanied by brain fog and tinnitus.
ZG: 3
The sufferers are acutely aware of this name that has been recognised for their condition but it belongs to a niche area of medicine.
Read MoreAt the moment a search on green fairy in Australia is more likely to bring up absinthe than cannabis. The green fairies seem to be an NZ thing. They are people who grow cannabis for medicinal purposes and supply clients who are frustrated in attempting to access it legally.
ZG: 4
A New Zealandism which will very probably spread to Australia.
Read MoreThis stands for extreme ultraviolet. EUV lithography is the holy grail of chip manufacturing, allowing for the use of light, initially at 13.5 nm, in the writing of the circuits.
Read MoreAre we finally getting a reaction to the excesses of bling. This new fashion emphasises taste and style. There is no flaunting of material wealth, no vulgar desire to impress by a demonstration of riches, but an elegance which shows cultivation and discernment.
Read Morehushed hybrid
A hybrid office was a post-COVID office where employers and employees had reached a compromise. The employees could stay at home two or three days a week but on the other days everyone had to be in the office. This seemed to get the best of both worlds.
Read MoreNot yet an official sport, it is nevertheless one that is gaining in popularity. It achieved prominence with a successful attempt to set a Guinness World Record for running 100 metres on all fours.
ZG: 4
It is not yet mainstream but could become so very quickly. I think I still prefer hobbyhorsing.
Read MoreCoffee badging involves turning up at work and being registered on the company’s surveillance system as in the office (as by swiping a badge). Usually the employee stays for a little while — long enough to have a cup of coffee.
ZG: 5
Not everyone one is having this struggle with their employer but for those that are having it coffee badging is a strategy to employ.
Read MoreAn ad in the middle of the tennis caught my attention. It was for a gut medication that claimed some enormous number of CFUs — which I found were colony-forming units. Our current preoccupation with the gut has led to more medications, more science jargon.
ZG: 4
It’s medical jargon at the moment but, with the interest in gut pills, will probably become mainstream.
Read MoreIf you are attaching some solar panels to a building that is fundamentally poorly designed for its environment, and you are doing this more to impress people with your zeal for saving the environment than to actually save power, then this technological gadgetry can be described as eco bling.
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