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Editor's note
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Dark times are often accompanied by black humour, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Along the way, write Kate Burridge and Howard Manns, it is changing our language as we come up with new, witty ways to describe the predicament we’re in.
Some are abbreviations such as “sanny” (sanitiser) and “iso” (isolation). Others are a blend or a play on words: “quarantini” (quarantine meets martini) or “corona moaner” (those unhappy with the state of affairs), “covidiots” (covid + idiots), and “coronials” (corona + millennials).
It’s something we’ve been doing since the 1500s, employing a little levity and wit to help us deal with difficult times. And when it is all over, these new words will probably fall out of the lexicon as easily as they slipped in, as slang expressions so often do.
P.S. If you value The Conversation, please make a tax deductible donation today.
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Amanda Dunn
Section Editor: Politics + Society
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Top stories
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Wes Mountain/The Conversation
Kate Burridge, Monash University; Howard Manns, Monash University
Times of crisis have always changed our slang, with the help of a little black humour. Coronavirus is no exception.
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Robbie Drexhage/Wikimedia
Rebecca Sheehan, Macquarie University
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Joy Damousi, Australian Catholic University
Some 2,500 years ago, the Plague of Justinian spread via ships from North Africa to Europe and Asia, killing up to 50 million people.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
In his fifth "vision statement", opposition leader Anthony Albanese outlines labor's priorities for change and opportunity.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Scott Morrison has warned of a potentially rocky road as COVID restrictions are lifted to reopen the economy, saying the process must proceed even in the face of expected fresh outbreaks. “This is a complex…
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Kris Gledhill, Auckland University of Technology
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Michelle Grattan talks with Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher (remotely) about the week in politics.
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Leah Ruppanner, University of Melbourne; Andrea Carson, La Trobe University
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Cities
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Rosemary Jean Kennedy, Queensland University of Technology; Laurie Buys, The University of Queensland
Instead of isolating and excluding older Australians, communities that are designed to embrace the growing numbers of Australians over 65 will have all kinds of benefits for Australia.
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Education
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Theresa Dicke, Australian Catholic University; Geetanjali Basarkod, Australian Catholic University; Herb Marsh, Australian Catholic University; Jiesi Guo, Australian Catholic University; Philip D. Parker, Australian Catholic University; Philip Riley, Australian Catholic University
A yearly survey on principals' well-being that has been conducted since 2011 has found they continue to experience threats, bullying and harassment.
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Environment + Energy
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Samuel Alexander, University of Melbourne; Alex Baumann, Western Sydney University
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Don Driscoll, Deakin University; Dick Williams, Charles Darwin University
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Business + Economy
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Tony Wood, Grattan Institute; Guy Dundas, Grattan Institute; James Ha, Grattan Institute
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Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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David Peetz, Griffith University
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Science + Technology
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Andrew Lapworth, UNSW
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Adam Dodd, The University of Queensland
A recent statement about "unidentified aerial phenomena" from the Pentagon has provoked surprisingly little public response.
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Health + Medicine
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Tony Blakely, University of Melbourne
The federal government has announced a stepped approach to relaxing social distancing measures. What they haven't said is how high they'll allow the curve to rise.
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Christine Carson, University of Western Australia; Rachel Roper, East Carolina University
Finding drugs that treat the COVID-19 coronavirus may be just as important as developing a vaccine. But it's much harder to create effective antivirals than antibiotics.
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Sally Casswell, Massey University
Despite World Health Organization warnings that heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of severe complications of COVID-19, alcohol was sold as an essential item during New Zealand's lockdown.
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Arts + Culture
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Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney; Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney
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