'The floods so many have endured in recent times make blue-sky flood a topical expression, and it resonates more broadly. On these words, the Committee had this to say: There are two this year, blue-sky flood and algospeak. Words that could easily have illustrated the year that was just as well. With the winning Word of the Year decided, it was time to note the Honourable Mentions. After a robust discussion of the both the longlist and shortlist, the Word of the Year was settled – cozzie livs.
They were joined by crossword maker, radio host and writer, David Astle, and language research specialist at the ABC, Tiger Webb. And what could be a more Australian approach to a major social and economic problem than to treat it with a bit of humour and informality?” – COMMITTEE This year, our Committee consisted of Macquarie Dictionary Editors, Alison Moore, Victoria Morgan and Jack Steyn.
“Although cozzie livs was coined in the UK, it has resonated soundly with Australians, with its -ie suffix and its clipped formation, reminiscent of menty b and locky d. Thank you for helping us decide the defining new word for 2023! You can review the final shortlist here (and for those interested, the longlist here). Announcing the Macquarie Dictionary Committee's Choice and People's Choice Word of the Year 2023.