On March 27, the US Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known by the acronym CARES Act. The law authorizes the spending of $2 trillion to address the economic fallout of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States. For more on legislative backronyms like CARES, see my 2017 column. English Stats: Published: 2020-04-07 Completed: 2020-05-26 Words: 166 Chapters: 11/11 Comments: 11 Kudos: 68 Bookmarks: 2 Hits: 1211. Coronacation 2020. UPDATED: March 17, 2020 As developments regarding the Coronavirus continue to emerge, Snapchatters in the US are taking part in this timely and fast-moving global conversation. At Snap, we are taking a proactive approach to ensuring our community has access to credible, fact-based information during these times. The COVID-19 epidemic has shaped 2020, changing the world as we know it. It has also changed the way we speak since language is one of the first phenomena to react to global crises. Aiming at describing the effects the coronavirus has had on our lives, the pandemic parlance is an everyday slang that’s emerged during a time of isolation. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield addresses media on 23 April 2020 at 1:00pm minhealthnz 2,755 watching Live now Divine Mercy Sunday - Duration: 3:28:38.

1. March 2020 (coronacation)thoughtfull English Premier League
2. March 2020 (coronacation)thoughtfull English Subtitles

Just when you think the English language has thought of it all, a global pandemic hits and leaves us… speechless. Well, most of us. The copywriters, the journalists, the content creators — they’re still tasked with interpreting the world for all of humanity. From “coronavirus” itself to “PPE” to “social distancing,” new words and phrases have vaulted into our everyday use, becoming part of the mainstream lexicon and a steady ingredient in our fortified daily media diet.

These creative terms and turns of phrase surprise and delight us when we see them because they perfectly describe something we all feel. They also help us create better content because content is communication and finding clear and/or clever ways to do it is at the heart of what brands do. It’s also something for content creators to be concerned with as they meet the moment with cultural sensitivity and compassion in a period of constant, awe-inspiring change.

Having just passed the six-month mark since our lives were turned upside down, I thought now would be a good time to round up some of new contributions to our everyday language that might define the era when we look back years from now. Terms born from germs that went viral as writers and amateurs did their best to define new phenomena, surreal situations and things previously not of this world.

These words have helped people and brands make sense of a time that is hard to make sense of. They’ve become everything from hashtags to memes to flashpoints for connecting people at a time when advertising is concerned with safety, much like the population that is consuming it — a steady, constant reminder that we’re all in this together.

So, in the spirit of togetherness…

10 new words born during the coronavirus pandemic

[Please note: These definitions are my own and do not represent anyone or anything outside my brain.]

1. Quarantimes (noun)

The period of time beginning March 2020, which encompasses everything from quarantine to stay-at-home orders, where the conventional definition of time has taken on something akin to a Salvador Dali clock.

Usage in a sentence:

When you wake up on Monday and think it’s a Friday… that’s a sign of the quarantimes.

2. Quarantini (noun)

Literally any drink that gets you through the lockdown by mixing one-part alcohol and two parts anything else, often consumed during “locktail hour.”

Usage in a sentence:

To tee up their night of quarantine and chill, his bae whipped up a set of quarantinis to properly set the mood.

3. Zoombombing (verb)

The act of crashing a Zoom session you were not invited to by doing something rude or potentially unwelcome by the video-conference attendees.

Usage in a sentence:

She was about to give her presentation when someone Zoombombed the meeting eating Doritos unmuted in a crunchy orange square filled with Cheeto-dust.

4. Anti-buddies (noun)

Two people who feel safer hanging out together because they’ve both tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, which may or may not mean anything depending on the news you subscribe to.

Usage in a sentence:

The antibuddies decided to start dating because they figured they had less chance of contracting the coronavirus.

5. Maskne (noun)

A rare, unfortunate acne breakout that can occur underneath a tight-fitting mask (or often multiple masks) causing itchy discomfort. A red badge of courage of sorts for front-line workers.

Usage in a sentence:

In the interest of saving lives, the health-care worker wore their N95 mask all day over a 3-ply and hence, developed a mild case of maskne.

6. Quaranteams (noun)

Not to be confused with quarantimes, quaranteams are created when COVID-free neighbors or family members team up to create “pods” with others in hopes of creating responsible companionship.

March 2020 (coronacation)thoughtfull English Premier League

Usage in a sentence:

Every Sunday evening, the Katz crew hosted an outdoor movie night with their quaranteam.

7. Coronacation (noun)

Having large, unwanted pockets of time at home due to stay-at-home orders or by being paid not to come into work. A forced staycation, if you will.

Usage in a sentence:

He had a greater understanding of house arrest after his lengthy coronacation.

8. Elbow-bump (noun or verb)

Known as the new high-five, bumping elbows is now an acceptable form of greeting when you see a friend or family member in lieu of hugs, handshakes or traditional palm-slapping.

Usage in a sentence:

They gave each other a quick elbow-bump before sitting down for a socially distanced coffee in the courtyard.

9. Virtual happy hour (noun)

The process of having drinks with co-workers over Zoom in lieu of an in-person happy hour, otherwise known as drinking alone(ish).

Usage in a sentence:

When the team met up for a Zoom virtual happy hour, Taylor got virtually sloshed and started typing random things in the chat feature.

10. Super-spreader (noun or adjective)

When a symptomatic or asymptomatic person knowingly or unknowingly puts people at risk for contracting coronavirus by engaging in close proximity with large groups at a time.

Usage in a sentence:

It seemed tone-deaf for the campaign to host a potential super-spreader event in light of all the COVID-related deaths.

What other new words will be born during the final leg of 2020? Which mash-ups will catch on with content creators… and which will we deign not to say out loud?

We’ll just have to grab a quarantini and see.

I previously wrote about our Coronacation and experience with social distancing. This time I thought I'd write about one way I'm trying to make the most of this experience: #CoronaWriMo. For those who are active in the #WritingCommunity online, you're probably already familiar with National Novel Writing Month, known as #NaNoWriMo. It takes place every November, and writers around the world resolve to crank out 50,000 words or more to write a novel (really more of a novella) in just that month.

March 2020 (coronacation)thoughtfull English Subtitles

So naturally plenty of folks thought all this time inside would give us a bigger opportunity to write, and the idea of #CoronaWriMo was born. I actually finally crossed the 50,000 word total on my first ever novel draft on only the second day of social distancing, when I'd lacked the motivation to work on it regularly for a long time. My one New Year's Resolution for 2020 was to finish this draft, and this disease might actually help put me over the finish line.

I've learned so much about myself writing a novel for the first time. Foremost, I don't enjoy writing novels in general. I don't experience the same rush and excitement that pushes me to stay up all night working on a short story. Needless to say when I am done with this first draft, I fully expect I'll be putting it down for a while to refocus on my short stories. I have several drafts that need some revision and polishing, but I've neglected them this year while plagued by guilt for not making more progress on my novel.

In case any readers are curious about what I write, it mostly has very little to do with my work. My favorite genre to write in is soft science fiction. The reason I like it is because it's a fun genre for exploring philosophical and moral questions without the baggage that real world people and settings impose on stories. (Or at least you can choose how much baggage you want to keep around in your world.)

So I'll keep plugging away at my science fiction novel draft for now, though I admit I haven't been as diligent or consistent as I would've liked. These really are unprecedented times... So whether you're taking the chance to do something new or you're just trying to survive (I go back and forth depending on the day), I hope you're hanging in there! We all deserve some extra grace right now. And if you're doing #CoronaWriMo or have any other goals while social distancing, feel free to share below.