And the word of the year is...
Image: Filmbetrachter from Pixabay
Each year the Macquarie dictionary announces its choice for Word of the Year. The winner, and indeed the shortlist of candidates, offers an insight into the events of the previous 12 months and how our society is changing. 2022 was no exception.
Firstly, the winner. Macquarie’s Word of the Year for 2022 was ‘teal’.
According to committee responsible for judging the award:
It's hard to go past teal as an emblem of Australia's political landscape in 2022. It's not a brand-new word, but it is a brand-new sense that no-one saw coming.
The winner of the people’s choice (also my favourite of the shortlisted candidates) was ‘bachelor's handbag’:
noun Colloquial (humorous) a takeaway roast chicken.
[from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag]
If ‘teal’ encapsulates the tectonic shift in the political landscape that occurred in 2022, then ‘bachelor’s handbag’ might be seen as a broader reflection of evolving social mores, food technology and a quintessentially Australian take on the English language.
Our irreverent humour was also evident, along with the long shadow the COVID-19 pandemic has cast over the past 3 years, in the nomination of ‘spicy cough’ for an honourable mention.
A quick scroll of the Word of the Year archives offers a fascinating time capsule of Australian and global culture – often they are playful portmanteaus that encapsulate an idea whose time has truly arrived. Winning words from the past decade include strollout, doomscrolling, cancel culture, me too, fake news, captain's call, mansplain, infovore and burqini.
The inaugural winner of Macquarie’s annual competition was ‘muffin top’ back in 2006, a term that enjoyed global popularity thanks to the success of the TV sitcom Kath & Kim.
You can find the shortlist and further details of how Word of the Year is decided on the Macquarie dictionary website.
