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.
Chick-lit we know. Bridget Jones’ Diary, published in 1996, was one of the first. Australian Indigenous author, Anita Heiss, decided to make use of the popular genre to introduce mainstream Australia to Indigenous culture and history. It was to be chick-lit with a purpose.
ZG: 5
The enthusiasm for creating various different lits has not slackened. This one should be popular this year.
Read MoreThis term originated in the world of hacking where attempts are made to discover a password. The hybrid attack combines two strategies.
ZG: 4
Not a common term yet but one we will encounter more frequently.
Read MoreI first talked about grief technology in May 2023 and then, more specifically, about a deadbot in July 2024, commenting that deadbot did not seem to be an appealing name. It seems that work on this AI front has progressed and we now have the grief bot.
ZG: 6
The emotional attachment to chatbots is causing alarm.
Read MoreA virtual power plant (or VPP which I am sure will become the standard name) is an amalgamation of all the small energy supplies from individual rooftop solar into one large reservoir of energy, a single power plant, which can be better managed in terms of its relationship to the grid.
ZG: 8
This is a concept with which we will all become very familiar in the not-too-distant future.
Read MoreThis is one of various tricks used in websites and apps to get unsuspecting users to spend more than they intended to or sign up for things they didn’t want. Government agencies and the legal community prefer to call these deceptive patterns, but in general use dark patterns has a more sinister ring to it. Echoes of the dark web.
ZG: 4
A term of internet analysis rather than general use.
Read MoreMore recently aura has come to be the equivalent of style. Someone who is supercool has aura. The Indonesian boy in this image has become the poster child for aura farming.
ZG: 7
Much discussed on social media in recent times.
Read MoreMankeeping, according to two sociologists at Stanford University, Angelica Ferrara and Dylan Vergara, is the work undertaken by the female partner in maintaining the social relationships and wellbeing of the male partner in a heterosexual relationship.
ZG: 4
A social analysis word that has been trendy.
Read MoreA wrestling match in which there are very few rules. The ring is formed with barbed wire rather than rope, there are thumbtacks on the floor and you can hit your opponent with fluorescent light tubes and wooden skewers. That’s the downside.
ZG: 3
Not everyone’s sport let alone cup of tea.
Read MoreA micromance is an instance of affectionate care shown by one partner to another, often in little ways rather than as a big extravagant gesture.
ZG: 4
It is surprising how popular these words for small moments of connection are at the moment.
Read MoreWe have heard about blood diamonds and blood minerals — diamonds and rare minerals sold to fund a conflict somewhere in the world. Now we have blood oil.
ZG: 5
This is an emotive term which will be employed in the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
Read MoreIn the revelations about Iranian antisemitic activity in Australia we were introduced to the espionage term cut-out.
ZG": 2
A bit of spy jargon that surfaced in mainstream discussions.
Read MoreThe weather is changing, giving us new weather phenomena and requiring new terms to attach to them. A thirstwave is one such weather event, if not created then at least exacerbated by climate change.
ZG: 3
Not a general word yet, but its time may come.
Read MoreThis is a company that provides massive computing hardware and software on a needs basis to other companies and organisations.
ZG: 6
AS the demand for AI increases so will the supply of computing resources from the hyperscalers.
Read MoreThis is the term for the situation in which one partner (mostly the female partner) accepts that the marriage is over. But there are reasons why they want to stay in their current situation so they keep their decision quiet.
ZG: 4
We seem to love names for generations and names for relationships.
Read MoreThis has been a practice for many years for which we have not had a name — until now. In moments of stress it can be calming to retire to the bathroom.
ZG: 5
It’s good to have a name at last for this fairly common practice.
Read MoreThe nanoship is a fleeting moment of connection with another person, a moment of eye contact, a brief flirty conversation, a shared joke, a fleeting touch.
ZG: 6
Very trendy at the moment but possibly short-lived.
Read MoreThis is a form of financial abuse in which a domestic partner is bullied or conned into becoming a director in the company of the perpetrator who then proceeds to strip the company of profits while loading it with debt.
ZG: 5
I can remember when the new term financial abuse entered the dictionary. We are now refining the types.
Read MoreBasic AI is good at swiftly collecting and presenting information in a readable form. The AI agent goes one step further and actually performs a requested task.
ZG: 5
Still part of the advance guard of AI jargon but a term that will become more common.
Read MoreUse of ketamine continues but this year Australians have been credited with hitting on a solution to the k hole — the walking stick now known in drug-taking circles as the ket stick.
ZG: 4
Certainly currency among those who attend bush door but perhaps not for the rest of us.
Read MoreWhen a Gen Z person has something important that they want to focus on — a project to complete, an exam to sit — they announce to all and sundry that they are locked in.
ZG: 5
If you are Gen Z or Alpha then you probably use this expression a lot.
Read More
