Charlotte Foster
Books

The unusual new words and phrases being considered by the Macquarie Dictionary

Macquarie Dictionary has unveiled their words of the month, with each of them going into the running to be 2023 Word of the Year and possibly included in their next edition. 

The words and phrases have largely been submitted by the public, with five unique phrases being crowned the words of the month. 

The words of the month include the phrases gendy nooch, cozzie livs, tiger toast, password child and murder noodle.

According to the dictionary, the term “gendy nooch” is a shortening of gender-neutral, which means something not relating or specific to a particular gender.

“Cozzie livs” has quickly become slang for the ongoing cost of living crisis, which has been affecting most Australians in 2023. 

The phrase has become a classic Aussie way of downplaying a quite serious matter.

Another phrase that Aussies have been adopting more is the patriotic concept of “tiger toast”, which refers to "toast with a topping of Vegemite and strips of cheese" according to the dictionary.

“Password child” is another new phrase recognised by the dictionary, meaning "a child favoured over their siblings, as shown by the use of their name in the parent's online passwords".

The final top pick for April words of the month is “murder noodle”, which refers to "a snake, especially one that is venomous".

Each of these phrases has now gone in the running to be crowned the 2023 Word of the Year, which the Macquarie Dictionary awards each year to a phrase that has seamlessly been integrated into the Aussie vocabulary. 

The 2022 Word of the Year was Teal, defined by the dictionary as "a political candidate who holds generally ideologically moderate views, but who supports strong action regarding environmental and climate action policies, and the prioritising of integrity in politics (so called as many of the candidates use the colour teal in their electoral material)”.

Image credits: Getty Images

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books, Macquarie Dictionary, new words, phrases