9 Words and Phrases to Help You Talk About Coronavirus

It’s an uncertain and confusing time for us all.

Will we be able to leave the house before the summer?

What about cat food? Will we have enough?

Coronavirus has totally changed our lives — there’s no denying it!

One thing I’ve noticed since this crisis started is all these new words and phrases that we’ve all started using.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I LOVE new words and phrases.

And I love sharing them, too.

So let’s check out the most common words and phrases that have emerged since coronavirus decided to turn our worlds upside down.

But before we start, just a quick question:

How are you doing? Are you staying safe? Have you now got too much hand sanitiser and, for some reason, now have 43 tabs open on your browser?

Are you now a master of Netflix and Facebook live videos?

However you’re dealing with this, I hope you’re safe and well and, if you’re sick and tired of hearing about coronavirus, then may I suggest Googling “cat video.”

Meanwhile, if you’re up for this …

On with the phrases!

The elbow bump

Let’s start with a fun one, shall we?

So with kissing and touching and hugging and even shaking hands off the menu, how do we greet each other?

Well — there’s always the elbow bump.

What does it mean?

Instead of shaking hands or kissing or hugging or whatever when you greet someone, you just tap your elbows together (also known as an “elbow tap”).

Like this:

How can I use it?

This phrase usually works with the verb “do.”

“When you see me, we’ll do the elbow bump, OK? No touching!”

You can also use it as a verb. Here’s a recent headline:

“Sanders, Biden bump elbows ahead of debate.”

By the way, this probably isn’t the best way to greet people as you’ll still need to get quite close to someone to do the elbow bump.

Try these instead: namaste, wave your hands, go on Skype.

Outbreak vs. epidemic vs. pandemic

What is it?

So what exactly is coronavirus?

Well, sure — it’s a virus.

But there are a lot of terms being used to describe it.

Is it an outbreak? Or an epidemic? Or a pandemic?

Well, it’s all of them.

It started off as an outbreak — when the number of people infected suddenly went up for the first time — then went on to become an epidemic — it spread into the local area — then, as it got bigger and bigger, it became a pandemic — it went beyond the local area and started affecting more and more places.

So you can describe it as a global pandemic.

Social distancing

So now we know how serious it is, we all have a responsibility to take steps to slow it down.

One of the phrases I’ve heard for the first time during this pandemic is “social distancing.”

What is it?

Well, we can figure out the meaning from the phrase, right?

It means staying further away from other people than usual.

It might be implemented by a company or a government, like what we’re seeing in Italy and Spain at the moment, or it might be self-prescribed, like it is with a lot of people in the UK and the US at the moment.

How can I use it?

“Social distancing” is often used with the verbs “implement,” “practise” and “exercise.”

“The company implemented social distancing measures and told everyone to work from home.”

“Do you practise social distancing?”

“We’re trying to exercise social distancing as much as we can. I advise you to do the same.”

Self-isolation

What is it?

So this is a type of social distancing.

It’s basically when you stay at home and avoid making any physical contact with anyone.

How can I use it?

We usually talk about going into self-isolation:

“As soon as I’ve done shopping, I’m going into self-isolation. See you on Skype!”

Then, for as long as it takes, you’re just in self-isolation.

“We’ve been in self-isolation for just four days, and I’m already starting to lose the plot!”

Finally, with your hair longer, your drawing skills better and your Netflix knowledge upgraded, you can emerge from self-isolation.

“When we finally emerged from self-isolation, we knew the world wouldn’t be the same again.”

On lockdown

What is it?

That’s it!

The government has closed the schools, banned gigs and walking in the street, and we have to stay inside!

We’re on lockdown!

How can I use it?

The government can put the country on lockdown:

“They didn’t put the country on lockdown for weeks. By then it was too late!”

“We’ve been put on lockdown. Time to leave the pub!”

When it’s happening, you just use the verb “be.”

“Yeah — we’re still on lockdown. Looks like it’s going to be a while. Time to get the Scrabble board out!”

Flatten the curve

What is it?

OK. This one is really useful.

When you’re sitting through your seventh HBO drama, and you’ve walked around your living room for the 400th time, you might start to wonder whether it’s all really worth it.

And when you do, think of this graph:

This represents the number of COVID-19 cases there would be if nobody did anything to stop it — without any self-isolation, social distancing, hand washing, elbow bumps.

OK. Pretty bad, right?

Then, think of this graph:

Much better, right?

This graph is the one we want, right?

So when we implement self-isolation and social distancing and hand washing and all the other measures, we’re doing it to flatten the curve.

In other words, to make sure reality matches the second graph as much as we can.

This is our goal! And it can only be obtained collectively.

How can I use it?

Well, it’s a verb, so it’s flexible:

“We can only flatten the curve if we all work together.”

“I just wish there was more I could do to help flatten the curve.”

“It’s all about flattening the curve, baby!”

Super-spreader

What is it?

Put simply, a super-spreader (or superspreader) is someone who spreads the virus more than most other people.

Sometimes it isn’t that person’s fault — it’s just something about their biology that means you can get the virus from them more easily than from other people.

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OK. I hope you found this useful.

But before you go, tell me your best tips for things to do while we’re in self-isolation.

What do you do to keep your mind active and inspired while you can’t leave the house?

In the spirit of solidarity, let’s share our ideas and help each other out!

Answer in the comments.