Were you frustrated by the slow pace of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout this year? Take heart, for you’re not alone – Macquarie Dictionary has named “strollout” its Word of the Year for 2021.
“Strollout” is only the second word to have won both the People’s Choice and Committee pick for Word of the Year, the first being 2015’s “captain’s call” (a decision made by a political or business leader without consultation with colleagues), and Macquarie noted it was a clear winner.
“There are obviously strong feelings about the actual ‘strollout’, but the word’s popularity is no doubt influenced by that Australian wryness evident in its construction,” the announcement said.
Honourable Mentions from the committee included “Delta” (as in the COVID-19 variant), “menty-b” (short for mental breakdown, also “menty b”) and “last-chance tourism” (tourism to locations with endangered landscapes or geological features, or which are habitats for endangered species), the latter of which the People’s Choice voters swapped out for “porch pirate” (those pesky thieves who nick parcels left outside your door by delivery people).
So, if you’re worried about Delta amid the strollout and have just had your delivery stolen by porch pirates, don’t have a menty-b – maybe consider booking some last-chance tourism instead?
