A blip

A “blip” is a small or unexpected exception from a pattern. If you look at a weather map, you might see that the whole area has clear skies. But there’s a tiny little patch of rainfall, almost too small to see on the map. That would be a “blip.” If an athlete is generally very reliable and performs at a high level, but has a bad game, you could call that bad game a “blip.”

Today, you learned that India has passed China to be the world’s most populous country. And you also learned that this is not a blip. This is not a single exception in just one year. This is the start of a long-term trend where India will be the most populous country for as long as we can foresee.