New words – 24 February 2020

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food desert noun [C]
UK /ˌfuːd ˈdez.ət/ US /ˌfuːd ˈdez.ɚt/
an area where there is little or no access to healthy food

A widely held theory maintains that those who live in food deserts are forced to shop at local convenience stores, where it’s hard to find healthy groceries. A proposed solution is to advocate for the opening of supermarkets in these neighborhoods, which are thought to encourage better eating.
[www.nyu.edu, 10 December 2019]

food insecurity noun [U]
UK /ˈfuːd ˌɪn.sɪˈkjʊə.rə.ti/ US /ˈfuːd ˌɪn.səˈkjʊr.ə.t̬i/
the state of not being able to afford to buy enough food to stay healthy

The government is to introduce an official measure of how often low-income families across the UK skip meals or go hungry because they cannot afford to buy enough food, the Guardian can reveal. A national index of food insecurity is to be incorporated into an established UK-wide annual survey run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that monitors household incomes and living standards.
[www.theguardian.com, 27 February 2019]

social supermarket noun [C]
UK /ˌsəʊ.ʃᵊl ˈsuː.pəˌmɑː.kɪt/ US /ˌsoʊ.ʃᵊl ˈsuː.pɚˌmɑːr.kɪt/
a place where food is sold at very low prices to people who do not have enough money to buy it in other shops

A ‘social supermarket’ has opened offering a week’s worth of shopping for just £3 to Britons who struggle to feed themselves and their families. The food, worth between £15 and £25, is donated and … it helps those struggling financially to put food on their tables, serving so many people that it has been forced to open an extra day.
[mirror.co.uk, 14 January 2019]

About new words

16 thoughts on “New words – 24 February 2020

  1. aleov

    In some places not a few, it is not a fare donation since food offered is that expired or about to, without proper conditions of temperature or hygiene while offered for sale.

  2. Esme Greenfield

    ‘social market’ can be misleading in that it can imply that people are socializing – social-welfare/social welfare market may be a better suggestion.

  3. The term SOCIAL MARKET can only be misleading, it lacks the logic required for a combined word. Social is a word with a very wide dimension whereas Market is related to consumption of goods and services, these cannot go together.

  4. Allie

    I think it’s extremely important to include new words and phrases, along with any information such as context and origin. Many words seem to have been reinvented lately, or are being used with such subtle variation that it isn’t easy to detect.
    If two people speak different languages, they’re aware of this, but can find a way to communicate when necessary.
    If those same two people speak the same language but their words have different meanings, how would they know? That could lead to disastrous, intended consequences.

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