The Macquarie Dictionary is constantly being reviewed and updated to make sure the words and definitions being offered are the most relevant possible. We appreciate any feedback on posts or suggestions of new words (we love them in fact). We have had a number of queries about COVID-19 and other words to describe reactions and measures following the global pandemic. An entry for COVID-19 will be appearing online in our next update along with its established variant forms coronavirus, Wuhan coronavirus and 2019-nCov. There is always fluidity with new terms but what we are seeing becoming established in Australian English is the form coronavirus over the coronavirus and the capitalised COVID-19 rather than Covid-19.   As most of us are now aware thanks to the 24/7 news cycle focused almost entirely on COVID-19, a coronavirus is not a new development. This word means "an RNA virus affecting mammals, the cause of a variety of illnesses in humans, including the common cold." As a word, COVID-19 exists to differentiate it from other coronaviruses. Broken into parts, the word means CO(RONA)VI(RUS) + D(ISEASE) + (20)19 (referring to the year it was first reported).   There are other terms which have also come into our environment such as social distancing, P2 mask, etc., which will also be reflected in our update. But if you find any others, please let us know.   We hope everyone stays safe as many people start to work from home and self-isolate.

The clock ticks slowly towards lunchtime. Your stomach rumbles, you can't wait to get stuck into last night's leftovers, but your workload seems to be growing. You might need to tell your work buddies that you will be eating lunch al desko. Al desko is a nice piece of Aussie slang that riffs on the term alfresco, meaning 'in the open air' and commonly used in reference to dining. The al desko has become so commonplace that people are questioning the etiquette of eating at your desk.  Offices are full of slang and jargon, some of which jars and some of which is so commonplace we hardly notice anymore. One example is touch base, meaning to make contact with someone. You likely find yourself typing this in your emails as a kind of introduction or tentative hello.  Get all your ducks in a row is another example of workplace jargon. Unfortunately, this does not mean to go and visit your local pond to feed the ducks but is in fact a colloquial way of saying you are going to get organised.  Comment below if you have any other office slang we haven't heard before. Now, I'm off for an al desko... Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.

Last year, we published the second edition of the Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia. We are honoured that this book has made the longlist for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) 2020. It has been longlisted under Illustrated Book of the Year 2020. From the ABIA website: The ABIAs showcase the collaborative efforts of publishers, editors, illustrators, marketers, designers, and authors in bringing quality books to Australia and abroad. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate what we’ve done as an industry — and the joys of bringing books into the world. The Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia is a collabroative publication of the Australian National University, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Macquarie Dictionary. Combining the magic of maps with the latest data from the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Atlas allows us to explore a visual history of Indigenous Australia. The shortlist for the ABIAs 2020 will be announced on 9 April 2020. Good luck to all the nominees.

New month, new words. Check out the seven new words we have curated for you below.  It's quite an eclectic mix. Educrat is a name for a bureaucrat in the education sector. Lollipop lips is the name given to a make-up trend that imitates the look of having just eaten a lollipop by blurring the edges of your lipstick.  How many of you are monotasking right now? That means focusing on doing one task at a time instead of multitasking. Fancy a cold treat? Why not try nice cream, an ice cream alternative made from blended bananas.  A nibling is a name for a niece or nephew. We've seen this crop up a little, but way back in 2014, we had niefling submitted, so the word seems to be changing. Seened means that someone else has seen a message on social media but not replied while stricting is an aesthetically pleasing way of shelving your books, tight to the edges of the bookcase, which might give you problems pulling them out to read! Let us know if you have any other suggestions. We are always happy to hear new words, no matter how big or small a usage they may have. Be sure to vote for some of these when we post them on our Instagram stories. See other words suggested to the Macquarie Dictionary here.   

From catfishing and FOMO, to the rise of the influencer, the internet is a rich source for ever-evolving slang words and expressions. In this special bonus episode, we look at popular internet terms, abbreviations and acronyms that have made their way into colloquial language. Join us as we explore our language: the ways we use it, the ways we abuse it, and the ways we ultimately change it.    Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Words & Definitions Macquarie Dictionary defintitions from this episode:

• clickbait
• listicle
• milkshake duck
• lol
• FOMO
• JOMO
• FOOP
• FONGO
• YOLO
• -gate
• catfishing
• hatfishing
• dogfishing
• influencer

Additional Links Read more about the topics and themes discussed:

• Bohemian Rhapsody: 10 phrases made famous by music
• The Committee's Choice for Word of the Year 2017 goes to...
• Macquarie shortlist of words of the year | Internet
• Word for Word #17 Good doggo

Acknowledgements Word for Word is produced by Macmillan Audio Australia for Macquarie Dictionary and Pan Macmillan Australia.  Music used in this episode is by Broke For Free, available from the Free Music Archive and used by permission of the artist. Find more music by Broke for Free including The Gold Lining; and If. Our logo is by Amy Sherington. All sound effects and clips are public domain, royalty-free, or used by permission. If you like Word for Word, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! It only takes a minute and it helps other people discover the show.

In a world where our words are practical and repetitive (just read any email chain!) we like to collate words that make you sit back and say "beautiful". Below are six words that illuminate the pages of the Macquarie Dictionary. Some glow while others feel peaceful. Which word is the most beautiful to you? Comment below if you think there are any other words worthy of the list and you might see them in an upcoming blog. You can also read the other entries in our beautiful words series here on our blog.             

The Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia, Second Edition is a unique tool for exploring and understanding the lives and cultures of Australia's First Peoples. Combining the magic of maps with the latest data from the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Atlas allows us to explore a visual history of Indigenous Australia.  About the contributors This second edition of the Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia is a collabroative publication of the Australian National University, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Macquarie Dictionary. General Editors Bill Arthur and Frances Morphy have been researching Indigenous affairs and working closely with Indigenous communities for several decades. In 2001 they began working on the first edition of the atlas, which took out the award of Overall Winner in the 2006 Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing (EEPA). In 2017, they began working on this second edition of the Atlas. Across both editions, there have been over 40 contributors who have researched, written and mapped the content in the Atlas under the general editorship of Bill and Frances. One of the primary aims for this second edition was to increase the presence of Indigenous people contributing to the project. These contributors are drawn from a wide variety of places and professions - from academia, the arts world, Indigenous organisations and the public service. A full list of chapter contributors is available here. About the cover art The cover art, titled Kungkarrangkalpa Tjurkurpa, is a collaborative painting made by Anawari Inpiti Mitchell, Angilyiya Tjapitji Mitchell, Lalla West, Jennifer Nginyaka Mitchell, Eileen Tjayanka Woods, Lesley Laidlaw and Robert Woods at the Papulankutja Artists group in the Northern Territory. The Seven Sisters Songline refers to the Pleiades constellation. It travels from the west to the east across the far western and central deserts. The sisters are pursued by a man, Yurla in the west and Wati Nyiru further east, who is a shapeshifter with transformative powers. He becomes particularly besotted with one of the sisters and pursues them endlessly in order to possess them. Today, this saga is visible in the Orion constellation and the Pleiades star cluster as a constant reminder of the consequences of attempting to possess something through wrongful means. Cover Art: "Kungkarrangkalpa Tjurkurpa", 2015, a collaborative painting made by Anawari Inpiti Mitchell, Angilyiya Tjapitji Mitchell, Lalla West, Jennifer Nginyaka Mitchell, Eileen Tjayanka Woods, Lesley Laidlaw and Robert Woods  About the maps There are several types of maps in the atlas. Among those featured are thematic maps which indicate the occurrence of phenomena across parts of the country, or an event or feature at particular locations and chloropleth maps which show the distribution of socio-economic data. Also featured are choropleth maps, maps with proportional symbols, column maps, as well as graphs, charts and illustrations. More information is available within the atlas itself. Earlier attempts to map Indigenous people at the national level include Norman Tinsdale's iconic map 'Tribal boundaries in Aboriginal Australia', based on research that had been carried out between 1930 and 1974. This map is discussed in detail within the book, but it was "significant in the genesis of the atlas." The version of the map used in the Atlas is an adaptation of Tindale's map. It includes "Indigenous group boundaries existing at the time of first European settlement in Australia, as far as they could be determined. It is not intended to represent contemporary relationships to land." Earlier examples of national mapping tended to deal with just single subjects. While acknowledging and drawing on them, this atlas surveys a comprehensive range of cultural, social and economic traits in a large set of national maps. Find out more The Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia is available in hardback and as a fixed-layout ebook. This ebook is available as part of Apple's Volume Purchase program which allows educational institutions to purchase copies in volume and distribute to students and teachers for use in the classroom and at home. There is also a comprehensive Teacher's Guide available for free download.