2020 Dictionary The definitive guide to the year the world turned to sh*t
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley December 20, 2020
Author Dominic Knight
Distributor: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781760879211
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Release Date: December 2020
Website: https://www.allenandunwin.com
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The year 2020 will live long in the memory of everyone who inhabited this earth during the time when the world was turned figuratively speaking upside-down, thanks in part to COVID-19, world Politics, which kept many entertained in some mad sort of manner, while looking on in disbelief at the antics of the leaders of the modern world and in Australia the horrific bushfires that devastated massive swathes of country, while once again the world watched on in horror.
What a year and it has taken a man of Dominic Knight’s ilk to help us all put it in perspective as a SH*T of a year, whichever way you choose to reflect upon the year that was, with his wonderful The 2020 Dictionary of words we never ever wanted or needed to know, to create a true lexicon of a time passed, hopefully never to return.
As Knight points out, nothing in the book constitutes medical advice, ‘facts’ should not be relied upon and if the jokes don’t fit with you, he offers apologies in advance, but also a reminder that sometimes, ‘gallows’ humour is all that manages to get you through another long, lock-down day in the world of COVID-19, which in itself has spawned a host of other words such as Covidiot, COVIDSafe, and the very strange thing COVID toe – yep, COVID toe!
The picture ‘Lockdown’, used to illustrate the effects on suburban high streets during lockdown appeals to the somewhat ironic side of life: PPE is a new abbreviation we have all become familiar with along with the truly terrifying Pyrocumulus, as seen and discovered during the summer of 2019-20 when Australia burned.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has almost a full page, as does Mortgage Repayments, another something we all discovered we learned more about than many ever wanted or hoped never to have to discover.
And then of course and not to be forgotten, the wash-up of the year, BREXIT another on again, off again event that kept us all entertained as England struggled to cope to make sense out of exactly what was happening in their world of commerce, as did the rest of the World.
As Knight points out, even in the darkest of times, humour is to be discovered, all-be-it rather black at times, to help keep things in perspective and when all else fails Zzzz or sleeping may have been the best way of spending 2020.
Therefore as we stagger and lurch towards the final days of a year ‘like no other’, perhaps it is best to grab your copy of The 2020 Dictionary, the definite Guide to the world turned to Sh*T and take a reflective look back on a time when an entire new directory, or dictionary of word-things was invented and have a laugh at yourself, because, let’s face it, we were all there!