‘Teal‘ has been named as Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year, following an eventful year for politics in Australia, with a federal election and two state elections.
The Macquarie Dictionary committee selected the noun from a shortlist of 19 words, including ‘spicy cough’, ‘skin hunger’ and ‘Barbiecore’.
‘Truth-telling’ was selected as the first runner up for the title.
“Teal embodies the year that’s been, and truth-telling is the year that’s to come – let’s hope that’s the case. They’re both really important concepts, central to Australian culture and politics,” the committee said.
“It’s hard to go past teal as an emblem of Australia’s political landscape in 2022. It’s not a brand-new word, but it is a brand-new sense that no-one saw coming.”
Macquarie Dictionary defines the word 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)”.
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For the People’s Choice Word of the Year 2022, Australians chose ‘Bachelor’s handbag’ from the same shortlist by voting on the Macquarie Dictionary website.
It is defined as a “Colloquial (humorous)” word, meaning “a takeaway roast chicken [from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and that it is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag]”.
The committee described it as “a funny, clever coinage – so quintessentially Australian, summing up the role of a BBQ chook perfectly”.
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