This week we have stirred up a cocktail of drinking related slang words. Lets start at the beginning of a typical Aussie night out. Pres refers to a gathering at a private home before a social event elsewhere, usually to drink alcohol, or the drinks consumed at such a gathering. Pres often features sophisticated beverages such … Read more
May the fourth be with you. Feel the force with these five new words we are keeping track of here at the Macquarie Dictionary office. Delete those dating apps and throw your phone out the window because advo-dating is the latest way to find The One. Advo-dating is dating based on political and social activism … Read more
One of the reasons numbers are so useful is that they’re predictable. The difference between 100 and 101 is the same as the difference between 101 and 102. The words we use for numbers are usually predictable too – twenty-three comes after twenty-two, and thirteen comes after… twelve? Eleven and twelve stick out like sore … Read more
This week’s word of the week is not for the ATO. Cashie is slang for a cash in hand job. Usually, an employer slips you a few notes at the end of the day, off the books to avoid paying tax. With the Federal Budget handed down on 11 May, we thought we would tally … Read more
You’ve got two chances: Buckley’s and none. This famous phrase likely refers to William Buckley, a convict with an incredible story. Buckley’s chance means you’ve got no chance at all, which is a little odd, considering Buckley managed to elude colonial authorities for over 30 years by escaping into the Australian bush where he lived … Read more
Yes, we really do love insults here at the Macquarie Dictionary. So much so that we are serving up a second round of insults after last week’s look at boofheads. This time we’re looking at drongos. A drongo is a slow-witted or stupid person: a fool. This great Australian insult was originally an RAAF term for a raw … Read more
Insults are a speciality here at the Macquarie Dictionary. We have access to hundreds of them from the familiar to the obscure. This week boofhead caught our eye. How couldn’t it? A boofhead is a person with a large head. That’s perhaps the kindest definition of boofhead. It is also a word for an idiot: … Read more
DOOF DOOF DOOF DOOF-DOOF Can you feel the beat, yeah? How about the bass reverberating through your skull? That’s the doof, a type of dance music echoic of the sound of the deep thumping bass. Doof music is usually heard blaring from the cars of hoons who cruise the streets of your suburb after dark. Invariably, … Read more
The English language is a funny thing. Some words make sense and others… well they take a dictionary to decipher. There are words that will discombobulate or even cause a bit of brouhaha. But once you know their meaning they’ll make perfect sense! Unless we’re full of malarky? Let’s have a squiz at some of our … Read more
This month’s new words come to you from your local dog park. You may have heard of the labradoodle. This breed is in vogue, but did you know that an Australian cobberdog is a pure breed labradoodle? Have you visited the Glitter Strip at golden hour? This isn’t quite as bright as it sounds. Glitter … Read more
