Tag: australian national dictionary centre
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Introduction to the Australian National Dictionary Second Edition: Part Two
Editor Bruce Moore, in his Introduction to the dictionary, describes the history and methodology of this significant work of Australian lexicography. We reproduce the first part of the Introduction here. Read Part One of the Introduction to the Australian National Dictionary second edition. History of the Editing In the early period of research for the…
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Introduction to the Australian National Dictionary Second Edition: Part One
Editor Bruce Moore, in his Introduction to the dictionary, describes the history and methodology of this significant work of Australian lexicography. We reproduce the first part of the Introduction here. The Australian National Dictionary (hereafter AND) is a dictionary based on historical principles, and it is therefore concerned with the way the words that make…
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Legacies of Politicians
Politicians as a species are known for their lyrical, and sometimes ludicrous, use of language. Australian politicians are no exception and our parliamentarians, senators, and even prime ministers have had a role in shaping Australian English. But pollies don’t deserve all the credit – in turn, they benefit from the relaxed banter that is typical…
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Oxford Word of the Month: July – Deso
noun: a person who abstains from alcohol at a social gathering so as to be fit to drive others home; a designated driver. In 2012 the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in Victoria ran a competition, Make A Film, Make A Difference, which asked people aged 25 or under to come up with an idea for…
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Oxford Word of the Month: June – Convict class
noun: the cheapest class of travel; economy class. One of the most frequent complaints when it comes to travel is flying in economy class, especially on international flights. A popular term used to refer to economy class is cattle class, alluding to passengers being herded into close proximity in narrow seats with cramped leg room….
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Where is Annie’s room?
In this article, reproduced from our latest issue of Ozwords, Mark Gwynn investigates the questionable etymology of the Australian phrase up in Annie’s room. In Australian English the term Annie’s room refers to an unknown, mythical, or unspecified place. It is chiefly used in the phrase up in Annie’s room, a facetious reply you may give to…
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Oxford Word of the Month: May – Tag dag
noun: a person who accidentally leaves a garment label showing. In 2008 a newspaper article with the heading ‘No panties OK, but what about the tag?’ drew attention to a fashion faux pas made by model Jennifer Hawkins. It wasn’t the fact she had chosen not to wear underpants, but that a garment label was…
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Oxford Word of the Month – April: Kangaroo mile
noun: a distance usually longer than an actual mile because of the nature of the terrain. THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD OF THE MONTH In 1842, on an overland expedition with Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin in Tasmania, settler and author David Burn wrote in his diary: ‘The path throughout, Mr. Calder reckons at…