Coronavirus words of the year

[adc82140]

A bit of fun. Every year, the Oxford English Dictionary release a list of "words of the year". They don't have to be new words, just ones that have come to the forefront of the public psyche. What do you think they'll be this year?

I'll suggest a few :

Covid
Spike
Stay home
Barnard Castle
Second Wave
Staycation
Karen

Any others?

 

[DB]

Safe
Bubble
Face Covering
Social Distancing (which actually means Physical Distancing)

 

[talldave]

Coronaphobe
Maskivist
Facebook Furlough
Uptick
Boris Booster

 

[Huntergreed]

Terrifying
Deadly
(XYZ) Experts Warn
Lockdown Imminent
“In a way that is safe”
“When it is safe to do so”
“Put on the brakes”
“Extremely Worrying”
Civic Duty
Maskivist
Locktivist
Household
Mandatory
Home
Work from Home
Overwhelm
Protect
Test and Trace
Contact

 

[duncanp]

Stay Safe
Keep Safe
Key Worker
Travel Corridors
Air Bridges
Local Lockdown
Track And Trace
Face Covering


All of which really get on my nerves

 

[DelayRepay]

Shielding
Self Isolation
Super Spreaders

 

[westv]

herd immunity

 

[DB]

Furlough - don't think most people would ever have come across this word before this year!

 

[packermac]

Furlough - don't think most people would ever have come across this word before this year!

It is a common term with US Companies since I began work in the 1970's. I am sure many will have been aware of it. However out there you do not normally have your government paying some of your wages.

 

[birchesgreen]

It is a common term with US Companies since I began work in the 1970's. I am sure many will have been aware of it. However out there you do not normally have your government paying some of your wages.

Doubt it, most people before this year would have thought furlough was something to do with horse racing

 

[adc82140]

I have spoken to a couple of people who claim to have been on furlong this year.

 

[Crossover]

I have spoken to a couple of people who claim to have been on furlong this year.

Not so much now, but back at the start I know of a few who were refering to "furlong"

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

• Stay Alert
• Control the Virus

We could always dig Sturgeon's thesaurus out and go for...

• Stay Safe
• Route Map
• Extended Household
• Facts

...but I don't think they'll be as popular somehow.

 

[Iskra]

Unprecedented. Unprecedented amount of overuse this year.

 

[brad465]

Furlough - don't think most people would ever have come across this word before this year!

I heard of furlough before because Trump was being Trump over the border wall and happily allowed a Government shutdown over it, where workers go on furlough in that instance.

"COVIDIOT" might be a good shout, even if it isn't an actual word.

 

[adc82140]

Go out but don't go out.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Not a new word by no means but it has now become my most hated word - "essential".

For those of us in who were teenagers in the 90s, into house music, you'd associate the word "essential" with pete tongs radio 1 show

 

[duncanp]

Hand sanitiser
Nightingale Hospitals

I think there are enough words for a game of COVID-19 bingo.

Just choose half a dozen of these words and then watch the news and see how long it is before you hear all the words.

 

[talldave]

Not a new word by no means but it has now become my most hated word - "essential".

For those of us in who were teenagers in the 90s, into house music, you'd associate the word "essential" with pete tongs radio 1 show

Hey, even us oldies were into it too! Although I'm more Anjunabeats/Anjunadeep now. Ironically, rail travel messaging has all gone a bit Pete Tong.

 

[Calthrop]

Furlough - don't think most people would ever have come across this word before this year!

I heard of furlough before because Trump was being Trump over the border wall and happily allowed a Government shutdown over it, where workers go on furlough in that instance.

I have a fondness for trashy historical fiction, often with a military flavour: had come across the word there -- a couple of centuries back, soldiers on holiday from their job as it were: referred to as being on "furlough", rather than "leave". Had never encountered it in any modern context, before this year's doings.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

2 m
1 m
1.5 m
6 ft

 

[45107]

Muzzle
Face nappy

 

[scotrail158713]

Unprecedented. Unprecedented amount of overuse this year.

Absolutely. I’ve never heard it used so much before this year.
Overall this is one of the nicer threads in this section. It’s amazing to see how many words that are almost normalised to us now, have all come about in the last 5-6 months.

 

[mawallace]

Unprecedented.

See this graph from the FT https://twitter.com/ta_mills/status/1243437238723239936?lang=en

 

[scotrail158713]

Unprecedented.

See this graph from the FT https://twitter.com/ta_mills/status/1243437238723239936?lang=en

It’s very true

 

[Ianno87]

"Ramping up" [testing etc, usually without any accompanying evidence or numbers]

 

[talldave]

Underlying

 

[Richard Scott]

Must admit to being fed up with the 'doing it safely' phrase trotted out by shops advertising. Also 'due to the Covid pandemic', can't they refer to the virus by its correct name of SARS-CoV-2? I thought Covid-19 was the illness you may get from this? Perhaps should have 'Incorrect coronavirus (even that term is incorrect as it's a type of coronavirus) words of the year'?

 

[duncanp]

...Also 'due to the Covid pandemic'...

"Virus pandemic" is another one that gets up my nose.

Yes, I'm looking at you, Sky News

 

[DB]

Covid-secure