macquarie

The words that we use to talk about gender are always evolving. At the heart of these changes are the differences between the terms binary and non-binary (or enby, one of our runner-up Words of the Year) in relation to gender. The third definition of binary means ‘of or relating to a person who identifies as either … Read more

New month, new words. Check out the seven new words we have curated for you below.  It’s quite an eclectic mix. Educrat is a name for a bureaucrat in the education sector. Lollipop lips is the name given to a make-up trend that imitates the look of having just eaten a lollipop by blurring the edges of your lipstick.  … Read more

Did you know that forte, as in ‘His forte is portrait photography’, which we pronounce  ‘faw-tay in Australian English, is actually pronounced like ‘fort’ in French, with a silent ‘e’? Or that the sch in bruschetta is pronounced ‘sk’ rather than ‘sh’ in Italian, so  ‘broos’ketuh’ rather than ‘broo’shetuh’? Similarly, you might think that the … Read more

If you’re a fan of horror, fantasy or just plain crime novels, you’ve probably come across some interesting (and hypothetical) ways to kill people. Speaking entirely figuratively, we’ve had a look at some of the more obscure and specific words in the Australian English language to do with killing someone. To start with, there are … Read more

Australians are known worldwide for their love of a sausage sizzle, so this week we are honouring the mystery bag, a clever nickname for sausages that speaks to the essense of mystery in every bite. What’s in there? We don’t know, we don’t want to know, just pass the tomato sauce.  Aussies have a plethora … Read more

Pick up the Batphone and you’ll get the dark knight. Pick up the lagerphone and you’ll get the sounds of traditional Aussie folk music.  A lagerphone is a homemade musical instrument consisting of beer bottle tops loosely nailed to a broom handle. A percussion instrument, the lagerphone is struck (hopefully) in time with music using a small … Read more

Our previous six new words blog inspired a lot of discussion in the comments section of the Macquarie website. Below are seven more new words to sink your teeth into.  This month features a large portion of new health and fashion words. Hormotional is the feeling of a hormone related emotional reaction. Tassie tuxedo is a slang term for a … Read more

This week we are honouring our readers who are flying solo this Valentine’s Day. For anyone who is all alone like a country dunny, Macquarie Dictionary is here for you.  A country dunny is a traditional rural toilet, consisting of a small shed furnished with a lavatory seat placed over a sanitary can, or a pit, located a … Read more

February’s first Word of the Week is for all those who were picked last during sports at school. We’re talking about ring-ins. You know, when the best player is inexplicably absent from school and you get a belated call up to the lunchtime footy team?  A ring-in is a last minute substitute, as in ‘Pat couldn’t … Read more