Tag: Dictionaries
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Oxford Word of the Month: August – Bush bride
noun: 1. a bride who lives and is married in a country area, in early use with the implication that her wedding lacks the external trappings of a city wedding. 2. a British woman who married an Australian servicemen in the UK during or immediately after the Second World War, and who migrated to Australia….
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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…
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Oxford Word of the Month – March: Bush politician
noun: 1. a person regarded as a ‘know-it-all’. 2. a politician from a rural area of Australia and seen to represent rural values and interests. THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD OF THE MONTH In Australia, bush has been the most significant term in describing the Australian landscape. Bush and the meanings that have accrued to…
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Oxford Word of the Month – February: Field day
noun: (in rural areas) a day set aside for the display and demonstration of new machinery and farming equipment; a day organised for the discussion of specific agricultural problems, innovations, and techniques. THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD OF THE MONTH Field days in Australia began in the 1890s as an educational service for farmers. The…