crisis beard noun [C]
UK /ˌkraɪ.sɪs.ˈbɪəd/ US /ˌkraɪ.sɪs.ˈbɪrd/
a beard grown by a man who is undergoing a difficult or stressful situation

When is a beard just a beard – and when is it a “crisis beard”? US website Vox coined the phrase to define the moment when a man of a certain age has a moment of existential crisis, downs tools and ditches the razor.
[www.guardian.com, 6 February 2020]

skin hunger noun [U]
UK /ˌskɪn.ˈhʌŋ.gəʳ/ US /ˌskɪn.ˈhʌŋ.gɚ/
the basic human need to be touched

For many people, these past few months in lockdown might be the longest they have ever gone without physical contact with a friend. In our new Hidden Value series, we explore the effect “skin hunger” is having on our wellbeing.
[www.bbc.com/future, 7 July 2020]

lockdown tache noun [C]
UK /ˌlɒk.daʊn.ˈtæʃ/ US /ˌlɑːk.daʊn.ˈtæʃ/
a moustache that its wearer has allowed to grow during lockdown

Ever the disciple of the zeitgeist, Harry Styles has joined the long line of celebrities who have grown a moustache during the coronavirus pandemic. The “lockdown tache” has been seen on a wide variety of famous top lips including Armie Hammer, Tyler, the Creator, Dele Alli and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
[theguardian.com, 24 July 2020]

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space marshal noun [C]
UK /ˈspeɪs.mɑː.ʃᵊl/ US /ˈspeɪs.mɑːr.ʃᵊl/
someone whose job is to make sure people are obeying the rules of physical distancing in places such as shops, libraries etc.

They are set to reopen this weekend, although they will have changed, with space marshals at the door, librarians behind Perspex screens, limited capacities and quarantined books.
[inews.co.uk, 3 July 2020]

anti-masker noun [C]
UK /ˌæn.ti.ˈmæskəʳ/ US /ˌæn.t̬i.ˈmæskɚ/
someone who refuses to obey the rule that a mask must be worn in public places to help protect people from covid-19

On Australia’s morning television Today show, presenter Karl Stefanovic cut off an interview with an anti-masker after telling her she had “weird, wacko beliefs” and “I can’t listen to you anymore”. And that’s relatively tame, compared with what’s being said about the “covidiots” on social media.
[theconversation.com, 30 July 2020]

coronavision noun [U]
UK /kəˈrəʊ.nə.vɪʒ.ᵊn/ US /kəˈroʊ.nə.vɪʒ.ᵊn/
problems with eyesight that began or worsened during the period of the covid-19 pandemic and lockdown

Millions of Brits could be suffering from eye problems dubbed ‘coronavision’ after feeling that their sight deteriorated during lockdown, according to a study for the College of Optometrists. One in five adults in the country say they think their vision has become worse in the past four months, with one in three blaming it on too much screen time.
[www.college-optometrists.org, 10 July 2020]

About new words

wall crawl noun [C]
UK /ˈwɔːl.krɔːl/ US /ˈwɑːl.krɑːl/
a tourist activity involving a visit to different walls in a city, one after the other, to look at graffiti or art painted on them

What do you do when you visit a new city? Try out the local cuisine? Check out the most popular museum on TripAdvisor? If you’re big on Instagram, you might be more interested in walking wall to wall to wall. “Wall crawls” are an incredibly popular tourist activity as murals and street art have long been considered the best backdrop for interesting #holiday pics.
[The Guardian, 23 November 2019]

homecation noun [C]
UK /həʊm.ˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /hoʊm.ˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
a holiday spent completely at home

“Our homes have never been more important or served more functions. They are our schools and our workplaces, and that can bring stress to our sanctuaries,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “A homecation can bring fun and joy back to our homes and give us some much needed time to unwind, reconnect and recharge.”
[zillowgroup.com, 21 May 2020]

nakation noun [C]
/nəˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
a type of holiday where people do not have to wear clothes for most of the time

One of the latest travel trends is all about stripping things down to the basics. The “nakation” — aka clothing-optional tourism — is a fast-growing segment of the travel industry, experts say. Shirking that outer layer at nude beaches and resorts and even on clothing-optional cruises has become the vacation choice du jour for hundreds of thousands of free-spirited Americans.
[chicagotribune.com, 22 October 2019]

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revenge spending noun [U]
/rɪˈvendʒ.ˈspen.dɪŋ/
the activity of shopping more than usual as a reaction to not having been able or allowed to do so for a period of time

The burst of sales has created a new retail term for the post-lockdown rebound: “revenge spending.” The idea is that consumers were shopping starved during their quarantine and are overcompensating by splurging more than usual.
[cnbc.com, 13 May 2020]

social commerce noun [U]
UK /ˌsəʊ.ʃᵊl.ˈkɒm.ɜːs/ US /ˌsoʊ.ʃᵊl.ˈkɑː.mɝːs/
the use of social media websites to buy and sell products and services

The sheer amount of time spent by people, especially younger generations, on social media apps has positioned social commerce as the indisputable market breakout trend for e-commerce in the coming years … One of the primary drivers of the success of social commerce has been the shift of preference by Generation Z and Millennials away from Facebook and towards platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
[forbes.com, 25 June 2019]

spendemic noun [C]
/spenˈdem.ɪk/
a sudden tendency for people to spend money, usually on unnecessary things

Call it a spendemic. “I’ve bought an area rug, a coffee table, prints for the walls, a mirror and plants,” says Jackson Isaacson, 27, who estimates he’s spent nearly $4,000 since self-isolating due to the novel coronavirus outbreak a month ago.
[nypost.com, 20 April 2020]

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Generation Alpha noun [U]
/ˌdʒen.əˈreɪ.ʃᵊn.ˈæl.fə/
a way of referring to the group of people who were, or will be, born in the 2010s and 2020s

A picture of Generation Alpha, if a blurry one, is starting to emerge. In various articles about its members, analysts have stated that they are or will grow up to be the best-educated generation ever, the most technologically immersed [and] the wealthiest.
[theatlantic.com, 21 February 2020]

anti-natalism noun [U]
UK /ˌæn.tiˈneɪ.tᵊl.ɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˌæn.tiˈneɪ.t̬ᵊl.ɪ.zᵊm/
the belief that it is morally wrong to have children

More people, millennials specifically, are drawn to a similar idea that suggests that procreation is problematic. It’s called “anti-natalism,” and proponents believe it’s the environmentally friendly and morally ethical thing to do.
[refinery29.com, 14 August 2019]

boomsplain verb
/ˈbuːm.spleɪn/
to give someone an unnecessary or unwanted explanation of something; used when someone of the baby boomer generation explains something to a younger person

Let me boomsplain: All parents are out of touch. Ours were about (hello again) Vietnam, women’s rights and racism (some things never change). Gen Xer Will Smith had a huge hit in 1988 called “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”
[sfchronicle.com, 19 December 2019]

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