The Words That Defined 2020
Merriam Webster announced this week that the official word of the year 2020 is - to no one’s surprise - “pandemic”. And, while it’s hard to argue with the dictionary’s choice, I couldn’t help but feel that a year like this is impossible to encapsulate with just a single word. So, for the purpose of historical documentation, I have jotted down several of the other words that have defined 2020, as well as examples of how we used them in sentences, so that we never forget what life was like in this unique year. Let me know if there are any that you feel need to be added!
Virus: After several months without human contact, I found myself deep in the grasp of an addiction to pornography and downloaded so much that my computer got a virus.
Remote: Due to overuse, I have had to change the batteries to my Roku remote 4 times since April.
Droplets: “Honey, the store was out of toilet paper again, so after you go just use a washcloth to try and get any remaining droplets.”
Spread: After the government failed to come up with a second unemployment relief package, I took matters into my own hands and tried his hand at sports betting, but lost everything when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to cover the spread.
Demonstration: In April I decided to try and make my own sourdough, but the recipe I was following was a little unclear, so I went on YouTube to see a visual demonstration.
Mask: The aroma of the sourdough bread I was making was able to mask the odor I was giving off after not showering for a couple days.
In doors: My barber was closed from March-July so my hair got so long that sometimes when I’d leave rooms it would get caught in doors.
Contagious: The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship thanks in large part to a big game 3 from Contagious Caldwell-Pope.
Bubble: 23 minutes into the Zoom call, I realized that my webcam was on, and that my coworkers could see that I was in the middle of generating a sizable snot bubble.
Isolate: To try and maintain some of my gains since my gym was closed, I started drinking a shake every night made with a whey protein isolate.
Rigged: Since time wasn’t an issue during my unemployment, I rigged a bike rack to my Honda Accord and was able to drive to some neat trails to ride at.
Stimulus: Thanks to a regular routine of working on a laptop, watching Netflix, then playing PlayStation, my eyes were exhausted at the end of every day due to stimulus overload.
Shut Down: I had plans to get a puppy to keep myself company, but they were repeatedly shut down by my girlfriend who evidently hates joy.
Bat: If I hear the phrase “unprecedented times” in yet another commercial, I’m going to hit my television with a baseball bat.