Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1999
Gastronaut
gastronomy astronaut
- Meaning
- An adventurous eater willing to try unusual foods.
- Source words
- gastronomy + astronaut
- Coined by
- unknown (popularised by Stefan Gates)
- Year
- 1999
Background
British food writer Stefan Gates made the word the brand of his *Gastronauts* TV series. The parallel with *astronaut* (a voyager through space) casts unusual cuisine as uncharted territory.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
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