The editors of the Lidov\u00e9 noviny daily chose \u2018drought\u2019 as the word that best describes the year 2018\u00a0, as this is what the Czech Republic faced for three quarters of the year, when temperature records were broken and the levels of rivers and\u00a0underground water supplies dropped below historic values.
\nThese were the other words in the\u00a0shortlist ordered according to the number of votes\u00a0they\u00a0received:<\/p>\n
\u2018\u010cu\u010dka\u0159i\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 originally a dialect term from\u00a0southern Moravia, which President Milo\u0161 Zeman used to refer to\u00a0BIS<\/span>\u00a0intelligence officers in response to passages in the annual report in which the secret service warned of the growing number of Russian and\u00a0Chinese spies. Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.lidovky.cz\/noviny\/anketa-cuckari-sucho-gdpr-rambohafik-hlasujte-pro-slovo-roku-2018.A181214_123654_ln_noviny_pev<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n You can take a look at the words that scored highly with the readers of lidovky.cz in\u00a0previous years here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.lidovky.cz\/domov\/slovo-roku-2018-ctenari-serveru-lidovky-cz-vybrali-rambohafika-ln-zvolily-sucho.A181228_120743_ln_domov_ele<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n In\u00a0English-speaking<\/strong>\u00a0countries<\/strong>, the word of the year 2018, according to the encyclopaedia company\u00a0Merriam-Webster, was <\/strong>\u00a0\u2018justice\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u2013 related to\u00a0the controversy surrounding the workings of Donald Trump’s administration<\/strong>; the online dictionary\u00a0Oxford Dictionaries<\/strong>\u00a0chose the word\u00a0\u2018toxic\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 used to refer to aggressive, offensive language rather than a hazardous substance or chemical; the\u00a0Dictionary.com service\u00a0chose the term\u00a0\u2018misinformation\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 because of the debate over\u00a0a demagogic campaign by Russian trolls tracked down by U.S. intelligence agencies and\u00a0 investigated by a team of investigators from the\u00a0FBI. When selecting a word, Internet companies look for the\u00a0frequency of terms in\u00a0searches.<\/p>\n
\n\u2019Brexit\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a term dating back to\u00a02016 (from Britain and exit), when the UK voted in\u00a0a referendum to end its membership of the European Union; but this year it has often been used in\u00a0connection with\u00a0the approaching date \u2013 21 January 2019 \u2013 when the British PMs are to vote on the withdrawal deal\u00a0
\n\u2018Zpovykan\u00fd\u2019\u00a0\u2013 an almost unused Czech term was dusted off by former Prague mayor Adriana Krn\u00e1\u010dov\u00e1 (ANO<\/span>) when she used it to refer to Prague residents unhappy with\u00a0confusing traffic closures. It caught on immediately and\u00a0rival Civic Democrats used it in their local election campaign right in their slogan, \u201cPrague’s spoilt people vote for\u00a0ODS<\/span>\u201d.
\n\u2018GDPR\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 the European data protection regulation, which came into\u00a0force at the end of May 2018, was intended to protect citizens when their personal data are disclosed, but instead\u00a0it became an omnipresent nightmare for Czechs.
\n\u2018Novichok\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in\u00a0Salisbury. The attack sparked one of the biggest diplomatic spats in recent years, with Britain pointing to Russia as the culprit. \u00a0The latter objected to the accusation by saying that the poison could have come from anywhere, a claim supported by President Milo\u0161 Zeman, who pointed to his own country as the possible origin of the poison, as it is tested in trace quantities in special military facilities in our country.
\n\u2018Gender\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the main topic addressed in connection with the\u00a0Council of Europe Convention on\u00a0Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention. It focuses primarily on gender-based violence against women. Its critics claim that it is redundant in our\u00a0environment, introduces positive discrimination (favours women over men) and challenges the traditional family (woman + man + children) and the traditions and culture of our society. \u00a0
\n\u2018Subsidies\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 a term that appeared with\u00a0increased frequency last year in\u00a0connection with the\u00a0\u010cap\u00ed hn\u00edzdo (Stork\u2019s Nest) project involving Prime Minister Andrej Babi\u0161 (ANO<\/span>).\u00a0
\n\u2018Bark beetle\u2019\u00a0\u2013 prolonged above-average temperatures accelerated the spread of the spruce bark beetle, which led to\u00a0the infestation of a large number of trees. The \u201cbark beetle calamity\u201d resulted in a drop in the price of infected timber, for which there was no market, and in the felling of many trees with\u00a0hiking trail signs, which the Czech Hikers\u2019 Club struggles to replace.
\n\u2018Yellow vests\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a protest movement that started in France and spread to neighbouring countries; it started as a protest against a fuel tax increase, with demonstrators wearing reflective vests from\u00a0car emergency kits, and continued with demonstrations against the general political situation and standard of living. In some places, the protests grew into\u00a0civil unrest, barricades and looting.
\n\u2018Plagiarism\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 former Justice Minister Ta\u0165\u00e1na Mal\u00e1 (ANO<\/span>) and former Labour Minister Petr Kr\u010d\u00e1l (\u010cSSD<\/span>) had to resign from their posts for plagiarism in their university dissertations. Searching through old dissertations and monographs became the work of many editorial offices, associations, political parties and students.
\n\u2018Orphan\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 MEP Michaela \u0160ojdrov\u00e1(<\/span>KDU-\u010cSL<\/span>) came up with a proposal to show solidarity and accept 50 Syrian children; subsequently, 50 Czech families were found who were willing to take these children, but Prime Minister Andrej Babi\u0161 (ANO<\/span>) rejected this initiative and called it a political campaign.
\n\u2018Tiger broth\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>the authorities managed to break up a gang that was killing tigers to illegally make traditional Chinese medicine products,\u00a0with broth cooked for several days using\u00a0tiger bones being the most lucrative. One of the\u00a0defendants in\u00a0this case is\u00a0<\/strong>Ludv\u00edk Berousek, a relative of a famous circus family. As a\u00a0result, the case has sparked a debate over the operation of circuses and animal\u00a0performances.<\/p>\n