Pandemic Triggers New Slang; 'Sanny' for Hand Gel And Much More

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a new wave of 'coronaspeak' made up of novel slang words. 

Researchers at King's College London have collated the new slang terms, which are a product of the unprecedented situation people across the globe have found themselves in. 

New Covid-19-related words include 'Miley Cyrus' for coronavirus and 'sanny' for hand sanitizer. 

Others include 'Covidiot', referring to someone who is flouting lockdown or failing to follow social distancing rules, and 'Iso', the Australian abbreviation for 'self-isolation'. 

Tony Thorne of King's College London's Modern Language Centre told the Sun: 'We are having to come to terms with unfamiliar medical and scientific terminology.

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a new wave of 'coronaspeak' made up of novel slang words

'Coronaspeak can help the public make sense of the crisis but may also increase levels of stress and confusion if people can't keep up.' 

He continued: 'In China, Covid-19 led to a whole new specialisation devoted to making language services part of the emergency response.

'This underlines the need for linguists to participate in fighting Covid-19 to prevent and control miscommunication.'

Coronavirus slang words 

Coronacation - forced time off work due to the virus 

Coronalusional - having delusional or strange thoughts due to pandemic

Covidiot - someone disobeying lockdown or self-isolation rules 

Covid-19(lbs) - weight gained during lockdown 

Corona Bae - the partner you are quarantining with  

Drivecation - holiday in parked motorhome 

Hamsterkaufing- stockpiling food like a hamster (German) 

Iso - isolation (Australian) 

Isobar - fridge well-stocked with alcohol to get through the pandemic 

Isodesk - home workplace

Miley Cyrus - coronavirus 

Morona - person behaving moronically during the pandemic  

Post-rona - when the pandemic is over 

The rona -another word for coronavirus (Australian) 

Quarantine and chill - chilling at home during the pandemic 


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