Other words getting a lot more use include workcation (up 500%) - a holiday in which you also work - and staycation
(up 380%) - a holiday at home or in your home country. Both words have
seen increase in usage, almost 500% and 380% (18)_______________.
Social movements, social media and politics
This year also saw an increase in activism and demonstrations, (19)____________ social distancing being in place. Usage of Black Lives Matter and BLM surged following the death of George Floyd in the US.
The report also said use of conspiracy theory has "almost doubled between October 2019 and October 2020" and use of the term QAnon increased 960% during that time.
It added that the words impeachment and acquittal,
relating to US President Donald Trump, were more prevalent at the early
part of the year, (20)_____________ more recently, words such as mail-in, relating to US voting, were up 3,000% compared with 2019.
Meanwhile the word Brexit was used 80% less this year, but usage was up for the phrase cancel culture - the withdrawing of support from public figures (21)_____________ words and actions were considered socially unacceptable.
The environment
The
report said that levels of media coverage for climate change have
fallen this year (22)___________ to the pandemic. But it said that the
result was a new word being used -
anthropause,
referring to "the global slowdown of travel and other human activity
and the subsequent welcome consequences, such as a (23)________________
in light and noise pollution".
Adapted from the BBC
KEY
seismic
/ˈsaɪzmɪk/ having a very great effect; of very great size. E.g. a seismic shift in the political process.
encompass: /ɪnˈkʌmpəs/ encompass something to include a large number or range of things
- The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities.
- The group encompasses all ages.
ethos: /ˈiːθɒs/ the moral ideas and attitudes that belong to a particular group, society or person.
Sp. valores
- an ethos of public service
- the carefree Californian ethos
- Teaching was central to his ethos.
bush fire: a fire in a large area of rough open ground, especially one that spreads quickly.
WFH abbreviation in writing
working/work
from home (= to do your job in your own home, especially a job that is
usually done in an office). E.g. I usually WFH on Fridays. WFH may stay
even after the pandemic scare fades.Very few people that I know abuse
WFH.
circuit-breaker: /ˈsɜːkɪt breɪkə(r)/ A
circuit-breaker is a tight set of restrictions designed to reverse the
tide of the epidemic and bring the number of cases down. The rules could
feel a lot like the original national lockdown - but crucially a
circuit-breaker is for a fixed period of time. The
hope is they are less damaging - to the economy and people's mental
health - than a longer lockdown, because people can plan ahead more
easily.
support bubble: a small circle of people with whom
you can socialize exclusively. E.g. Adults living alone in England,
including single parents with children under 18, will be able to form a
support bubble with one other household.
:
a worker in one of the essential services such as health, education or the police- The city council helps key workers find affordable housing.
furlough: /ˈfɜː(r)ləʊ/
(N)
a scheme in which an employee takes time off work and has part of their
salary paid by the government. E.g. He was put on furlough during the
COVID-19 crisis.
(V)
to make an employee take time off work and have part of their salary
paid by the government. E.g. Nearly a quarter of the workforce has been
furloughed.
moonshot:
1. An act or instance of launching a spacecraft to the moon.‘the Apollo 17 moonshot’
2.
An extremely ambitious and innovative project.‘the tech giant's latest moonshot’
Operation Moonshot
is a UK government programme to introduce same day mass testing for
COVID-19 in England as a way of enabling large gatherings of people to
take place in that country while maintaining control over the virus.
According to the British Medical Journal, the programme aims to deliver
10 million tests per day by 2021.
1. by
2. which
unfold: to happen, or to develop. E.g. We stood and watched the drama unfold. The human catastrophe unfolding on Europe’s doorstep
3. slam
slam dunk: /ˈslæm dʌŋk/
1. (in basketball) the act of jumping up and putting the ball through the net with a lot of force. Sp. hacer un mate
2.
something that is certain to be successful. Sp. pan comido. E.g.
Politically, this issue is a slam dunk for the party. The movie is sure
to be a slam-dunk hit.
4. unlike
5. up
speed up / speed something up
- to move or happen faster; to make something move or happen faster
- The train soon speeded up.
- Can you try and speed things up a bit?
- They have speeded up production of the new car.
- The daring new technique dramatically speeded up the construction process.
6. faster
rate: speed, pace
7. some
supercharge something to make something stronger, more powerful or more effective
- They hope the tax cut will supercharge growth in the economy.
8. never
9. rather
mail-in:
(N) /ˈmeɪlɪn/The act of sending something in by post. Frequently
attributive, especially designating ballots, surveys, etc., in which
results are collected by post. Also : an item intended to be sent in by
post.
espouse: /ɪˈspaʊz/
espouse
something to give your support to a belief, policy, etc. Sp apoyar,
patrocinar. E.g. They espoused the notion of equal opportunity for all
in education.
10. shows
news cycle: A round of media coverage; the period from one broadcast or printing to the next.
fickle:
(of a person) often changing their mind in an unreasonable way so that
you cannot rely on them. E.g. She had been a fickle friend, even at the
best of times. Another example of his fickle behaviour.
bandwidth: the amount of information that can be carried through a telephone wire, computer connection etc at one time.
11. keep
keep pace (with somebody/something)
to
move, increase, change, etc. at the same speed as somebody/something.
Sp. seguir el ritmo. E.g. She found it hard to keep pace with him as he
strode off. The younger children struggled to keep pace with the older
ones. Until now, wage increases have always kept pace with inflation.
The company is struggling to keep pace with changes in the market.
upheaval: a big change that causes a lot of worry and problems. Disruption. Sp. trastorno, turbulencia, agitación.
12. back
13. by
surpass: /səˈpɑːs/
to do or be better than somebody/something
surpass something/somebody E.g. He hopes one day to surpass the world record.
Its success has surpassed all expectations.
surpass yourself Her cooking was always good, but this time she had surpassed herself (= done better than her own high standards).
14. with
shelter in place: A protocol implemented by authorities instructing people to remain indoors as a protective measure during an emergency.
‘a shelter in place will remain in effect as a precautionary measure until further notice’
support bubble: a small circle of people with whom you can
socialize exclusively. E.g. Adults living alone in England, including single
parents with children under 18, will be able to form a support bubble
with one other household.
pod: (also pandemic pod)
1. small
groups of people who agree to share child care and education
responsibilities, or to study or socialize together. It requires people
in the pod to follow strict safety protocols, such as mask-wearing and
social distancing, when they are in public or interacting with others
outside the group. Ideally, pod members can then socialize together in
person in settings where the rules can be relaxed, without increased
risk of contracting or spreading the virus.
1. a container. Sp. cápsula
2. a small group of sea animals, such as dolphins or whales, swimming together. Sp. manada.
a pod of adult dolphins
PPE: /ˌpiː piː ˈiː/ clothing
and equipment that is worn or used to protect people against infection
or injury (the abbreviation for personal protective equipment) E.g. It
is critical that medical staff wear the appropriate PPE.
medic: a medical student or doctor. E.g. Somebody call a medic!
Delivery Drivers collect items and transport them to their destinations.
frontlinerThe outbreak of COVID-19 led to greater use of frontliner in the US.
The word has become especially used to refer to people on the
frontlines of the public health crisis, involved in various roles of
caring for people who have or may have been exposed to the virus. This group includes such workers as doctors, nurses, paramedics, and personal care aides.
During the pandemic, frontliner also spread as a term for workers on the frontlines
of grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, transportation, utilities, and
other essential roles for society to keep running. The public-facing
nature puts them at increased exposure to COVID-19. Wildfire fighters
and other climate emergency responders have also become increasingly
called frontliners in 2020.
mask up:
to wear a mask or face covering. E.g. That’s why we are asking all
Hoosiers to mask up — and speak up about how wearing your mask can save
lives.
anti-masker: anti-mask protester:
An individual who does not believe in the effectiveness of masks to slow the spread of disease.
mask shaming:
criticizing or confronting someone who is not wearing a face covering.
E.g. As the country begins to open up, the mask shaming has moved from
social media to in-person confrontations. Mask shaming shows how quickly
new behaviours can go from rare to common
15. into
moonshot:
1. An act or instance of launching a spacecraft to the moon.‘the Apollo 17 moonshot’
2.
An extremely ambitious and innovative project.‘the tech giant's latest moonshot’
Operation Moonshot is a UK government programme to introduce same day mass testing for COVID-19
in England as a way of enabling large gatherings of people to take
place in that country while maintaining control over the virus.
According to the British Medical Journal, the programme aims to deliver 10 million tests per day by 2021.
16. As
Referring to someone or something:
With regard to… In regard to... As regards... Regarding...As for... As to... As far as adverts are concerned.
17. come
18. respectively
19. despite
QAnon
is a wide-ranging, unfounded conspiracy theory that says that President
Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping
paedophiles in government, business and the media. QAnon
believers have speculated that this fight will lead to a day of
reckoning where prominent people such as former presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton will be arrested and executed.
(/ˌkjuːəˈnɒn/) is a far-right conspiracy theory[b] alleging that a cabal
(group, secret society) of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is running a
global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against US President
Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.
20. whereas
21. whose
cancel culture:
Cancel
culture can include everything from people with the most money and
privilege in our society getting push back for saying things others
found distasteful to regular everyday people losing their jobs for
relatively minor infractions." When it was first being used among young people on the internet, cancelling was a way to say, "I'm done with you".
But
as cancelling became more widely used on social media it has grown into
a way to call on others to reject a person or business. This can happen
when the target breaks social norms - for example, making sexist
comments - but it has also happened when people have expressed opinions
on politics, business and even pop culture.
22. due
"
anthropause"
- the global-scale, temporary slowdown in human activity, which is
likely to have a profound impact on other species.
Measuring that impact, they say, will reveal ways in which we can "share our increasingly crowded planet".
refers to a global reduction in modern human activity, especially travel,
and was coined by a team of researchers in June 2020 in an article
discussing the possible impact of COVID-19 lockdown on wildlife
23. decrease/fall
