Category: Language
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Do you say Brisbane, Brissy, Brisso, Brisvegas, Brisbantinople, or Brisganistan?
by Mark GwynnSenior Researcher at the Australian National Dictionary Centre In August, the ANDC launched the first annual appeal for contributions to our archive of Australian English. As well as supplementing our database, these appeals will help us identify possible new entries for the Australian National Dictionary (AND). Each annual appeal will focus on a…
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Word of the Month – October: dog shot
noun: a sudden blow; a king-hit. verb: to hit (a person) suddenly and without warning; to king hit (a person). In an apology sent via text message, a rugby league player defended the actions of his group when they became involved in a fight outside a night club: ‘“… we never dog shotted any of…
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Word of the Month – September: burnt chop syndrome
noun: (esp. of a woman) the practice or habit of taking the least attractive item or option; the practice or habit of putting the needs and desires of others ahead of one’s own. Several years ago an Australian journalist described the experience of playing Monopoly with her family: ‘My brothers fought over the racing car…
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Word of the Month – August: schmiddy
Schmiddy noun: a medium-sized measure of beer; the glass containing this. In a recently published comic encyclopedia of Australia, a section on beer provides an unflattering comment on the schmiddy: ‘If you are served schmiddys, the best approach is to leave immediately and find a less pretentious venue.’ (D. Knight, Strayapedia, 2017) The schmiddy is…
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Oxford Australia to help the Federal Government adapt its language for the digital age
A lot has changed since the Australian Government last updated its Style Manual in 2002. In the same year, Silverchair dominated the ARIA Awards, while Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head was the highest selling single. We now live in a far more digital world — not just in the music industry —…
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Oxford Australia launches search for the Children’s Word of the Year
Will Australian primary school students prove as politically aware as their UK counterparts? Oxford Australia has launched its search for the Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year. Primary school-aged children across Australia are invited to nominate their ‘Word of the Year’ and submit a short piece of free writing based on that word. The…
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Word of the Month – July: cruisy
adjective: easy; relaxed, easy-going. In her recent autobiography Australian senator Jacqui Lambie describes one of her army postings in this way: ‘There were only a few of us at the field hospital, and it was a cruisy placement, but it was not what I wanted to do.’ (Rebel With a Cause, 2018) And in another…
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Word of the Month – June: mud map
noun: (in figurative use) a rough guide, plan, or strategy. Making a mud map is an activity with a long history in Australia. The term is first recorded in 1879, although the act of drawing a simple map on the ground is no doubt much older. The literal, map-in-the-dust sense is alive and well in…