What an ‘unprecedented’ year this has been. We all learnt to adjust to the ‘new normal’ of lockdowns, social distancing, sanitisers, masks, WFH, quarantine, isolation, and remote learning necessitated by a global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Unsurprisingly, 2020 also gave us new words and popularised certain phrases so that we could better understand what this bizarre time has been like with some much-needed humour.
Here are 20 such ‘coronacoinages’:
Doomscrolling
A tendency to endlessly surf or scroll through bad news without being able to stop.
Blursday
A phenomenon wherein the days of the week are so similar they start blending into each other.
Covidiot
A person who ignores warnings regarding public health and safety.
Zoombombing
Like ‘photobombing’, this verb is the act of an uninvited person crashing a Zoom meeting.
Caremongering
A movement encouraging acts of kindness, especially to help vulnerable people.
Quarantini
A cocktail that you make and drink when confined to your house.
Coronababies/coronials
Babies born or conceived during the pandemic.
Zoom fatigue
Tiredness or burnout associated with overusing virtual platforms.
Virtual happy hour
A social gathering with friends and/or family held online.
Quarantine and chill
Getting relaxed and comfortable while confined to your house.
You’re on mute
Probably the most-repeated phrase as nearly everyone moved to online meetings and classes.
Go Corona, go
A slogan coined by Union Minister Ramdas Athawale in a video that went viral back in February
Before coronavirus (BC)/ After coronavirus (AC)
Denoting the period of time before and after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Quaranbaking
The state of baking everything from sourdough bread to cakes while stuck at home.
Atmanirbhar
A noun in Hindi, meaning self-reliance or self-sufficiency, used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation in May.
Janta curfew
A one-day curfew on March 22, that was the precursor to the nationwide lockdown beginning from March 25
Bartan bajao (Hindi verb)
The result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March appeal to Indians to appreciate essential service workers by clapping or beating thalis (plates).
Diya jalao (Hindi verb)
The result of the Prime Minister’s April appeal to Indians to mark the fight against the coronavirus by lighting lamps.
Keeping safe/staying safe
The socially acceptable phrase to start emails and messages, especially to strangers and acquaintances
The ’rona
A slang term for COVID-19 or the coronavirus.
