Pandemic words

Word-lover Adam Jacot de Boinod takes a look at the new words and phrases that emerged this year

A group of people who go into quarantine together.

Acne caused or made worse by wearing a mask.

Someone whose job is to make sure people are obeying the rules of physical distancing in places such as shops, libraries etc.

A feeling of nostalgia for lockdown periods. Not sure who would feel that way!

The travel world

A holiday where you stay in a hotel or other accommodation and work from there.

A flight route between two countries where the Covid-19 virus is well controlled, enabling people to travel without having to go into quarantine afterwards .

Going on holiday to places where the tourist industry needs support.

Education

The teaching of children partly at home, usually by their parents, and partly at school.

A way of learning in which lessons are given face to face in classrooms and also made available on the internet.

Food for thought

A place where food is sold at very low prices to people who do not have enough money to buy it in other shops.

An assortment of cold fish and shellfish, cooked or prepared in different ways.

The process of extracting the juice from fruit or veg then mixing it with other ingredients in a blender to make a smoothie or similar drink.

The environment

A person or organisation whose actions make the climate emergency worse. Fishing equipment, such as nets and lines, that is abandoned in the ocean and takes several hundred years to decompose, causing harm to sea life. The activity of adding a large amount of sand to an existing beach to try to prevent or reduce the erosion of the coastline.

The gradual loss of green space in a city that happens when gardens are paved over, house extensions are built, etc.

■ Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for Stephen Fry’s BBC television series QI, which led to an interest in words. He is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World, published by Penguin Books.