“Anti-asylum demonstration is getting out of hand: arrests, fireworks and overturned scooters,” read a headline in mid-October NRC. In the sentence below it was about one anti-asylum demonstration. Other media reported this year, among other things anti-immigration demonstrations, anti-immigration protests and anti-azc protests. Lots of anti-so, a sentiment that is showing up in more neologisms this turbulent year.
Broligarchy
From a digital perspective, much of the world depends on a handful of white, extremely wealthy American tech entrepreneurs. Together these form techbrosas they are sometimes called, a broligarchya word that was added to the Dikke Van Dale this fall due to its high frequency. Behind the scenes these bros have enormous economic and political influence.
drone
No word has gained such popularity in the past year dronein many compounds and derivations. English has been with us since 1936 drone in vogue since the beginning of this century. Initially because of the hobby drones, now because of potentially dangerous ones spy drones above airports, among others. For that reason we now constantly read and hear words like anti-drone gun, drone detection, drone report, drone wall, drone terrorand so on. Some say we suffer from drone panicalso dronitis named. The latter word was coined by Tom Simoens, professor at the Royal Military School in Brussels.
Double demissioner
An indispensable part of Dutch: the English space (Dutch compounds that are written with a space following the English example, although this is not appropriate in Dutch).
Take a rather bizarre concept like double-demissionary. First written down in 1959 and then put together with a hyphen because of the word image, so double-demissionary. Now you have to search for the correct spelling with a light. On the website of Leiden University: “Double caretaker cabinet: what next?” In the Acts of the Senate and House of Representatives: ten times double-demissionarytwenty times double demissionary.
From 2026 onwards, this section will be called Year Language. Including perhaps double decker, double LP and double up.
Eel populism
Alliterative language creation by Jesse Klaver of GroenLinks-PvdA, served in a discussion with BBB minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer in the talk program Pauw & De Wit. Keijzer stated that the Ordinary Dutchman, close family of the Hardworking Dutchman, no longer has confidence in the institutions because they focus too much on the climate and refugees. Response from Klaver, referring to Volendam, the fishing village where Keijzer grew up: “We call this eel populism.” Keijzer’s first reaction: “Thank you. You are doing such a great job again.” Then Keijzer embraced eel populist as a nickname and created the BBB with the help of AI song entitled “I am an EelPopulist.”
Rijkscloud
And yes, the Dutch government has woken up and thinks it is a bad idea that we have become so dependent on American tech bros. That is why Ferenc Zsolt Szabó, as State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalization, took the initiative in April to store data from Dutch governments on a governmentcloudalso called a government cloud named. This should be possible “within this cabinet period”. So said the PVV minister, who, together with all his party colleagues, left the cabinet just two months later.
Red Line
“Will Prime Minister Jetten soon draw a Red Line?” the headline above an opinion piece recently stated NRC. Those capital letters in the words Red Line are significant. This is not just an imaginary red line that must not be crossed, but the limits of the violence that Israel commits in Gaza.
That violence led to three this year Red Line demonstrations, in May, June and October, in The Hague and Amsterdam. Purpose of the Red Line protesters was to raise a voice against the passive attitude of the Dutch government towards the “genocidal violence” by Israel in Gaza. The latter combination of words, found since 1992, peaked last year like never before.
Six seven!
Recently through it NOS youth news voted Children’s Word of the Year, the numbers: 6-7. Speak out six sevenwaving your hands as if you were throwing a ball. Became popular among American young people through, among other things, a rap song and subsequently spread worldwide via social media. According to some it means six seven absolutely nothingothers give the meanings ‘very long’, ‘mwah’ or ‘so-so’. In theory this conversation is possible: “24/7 on the socialshow does that seem to you?” ‘Six seven!’
Some neologisms are too bizarre for words. That applies to this year sniper tourismalso sniper tourism named. Rumor has it that in the 1990s, during the war in Yugoslavia, i could. This would amount to shooting men and women from a particular tower, known locally as the SniperTower.
An investigation is currently underway in Italy into the people who allegedly took part in such shootings. Headline at BNR: “Serbian president under fire after accusation of ‘sniper tourism’”.
Deposit seeker
Especially in the big cities, there is no escape: trash bins pried open, with a lot of rubbish next to them, sometimes in the company of seagulls. Those bins have fallen victim to deposit seekers or can hunters. Some do this very carefully, with long gripping pliers, others use a coarser approach. City authorities sometimes come up with creative solutions for these deposit problem (for example, can bags on the outside of waste bins), but so far without much success. “Deposit seekers are a significant expense for four major cities.” Namely more than 9 million euros annually, much more than the deposit revenue.
Long ago, many in our region looked down on tattoos. That was mainly something for sailors. And yes, Prince Bernhard senior also had one (a snake that coils around a staff), but he did more crazy things. Nowadays almost all young people get tattoos. This sometimes happens so compulsively that one speaks of… tattoo urge or tattoo addiction. A linguistically interesting category is the tattoos with spelling mistakessuch as “Roterdam” and “no regerts”.
Tesla shame
After the Second World War, some Dutch people no longer wanted to drive a Volkswagen or BMW, because they were ‘wrong’ cars. The bizarre behavior of Tesla owner Elon Musk led to so-called Tesla shame: the awkward feeling that you are driving around in a car owned by a right-wing radical eccentric. After Musk made a gesture that looked suspiciously like a Hitler salute, he spoke Swasticar on the road, at the same time as pubic wagon. Head in it Algemeen Dagblad: “From tough ‘good car’ to pubic wagon“Tesla drivers feel Musk’s stain on their car.” Result: stickers on the back of Teslas with the text, among other things: “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”
Trump tax
„Tariff Is My Favorite Word”, claimed American President Donald Trump even thinks it is the most beautiful word in the English language. The import duties that the US imposed on other countries are also called Trump taxes named. This led to a lot of economic chaos and uncertainty in many countries and to price increases in the US. Headline at RTL: “Stock markets higher after judge calls back ‘Trump taxes’.” Head in The Telegraph: “Mexico safe and sound: no new Trump tariffs.” And so on.
Flattery diplomacy
This undoubtedly also happened behind the scenes in the past, but thanks to Donald Trump it now happens in front of the whole world: sliming, grooming, sycophantic and ass licking to the point of embarrassment. And so superlative, by adults, that as a spectator you get the feeling that you are watching a bizarre parody. But no, because of Trump, because of Sjoerd de Jong NRC characterized as one child presidentwe must continually witness this.
Definition of child presidentThrough Van Dale editor-in-chief Ton den Boon: “A president who is an adult, but mentally still at the level of a child or toddler. Or a president who behaves like a spoiled child.”
Freedom contribution
For the security of the Netherlands and Europe, we invest in defense, as agreed at the NATO summit in The Hague, the CDA stated in its latest election manifesto. Result: “Every Dutch person supplies one, because safety is not free.” As always when it comes to money, this word immediately peaked in the media. For example, WNL headlined: “The CDA wants to pay the freedom contribution through VAT and income tax.” NU.nl gave a summary: “CDA gets a freedom grant from more expensive groceries.” According to the CDA itself, everything will not be too bad: on a shopping cart of amounts.
Suicide collar
Being able to end your own life in a civilized, preferably painless way: the Last Will Cooperative has been researching the best methods for years. Last year they made the news with the suicide capsulethis year they introduced the suicide collaralso Kairos neck collar or simply neck collar named. Headline above an opinion piece in the Dutch Dagblad: “’Suicide collar’ from the Last Wil Cooperative should be banned in the test phase.”
The journalistic principles of NRC