Admit it, how many of you are bludging right now? Maybe you are reading the news or having a cheeky look at the weekend’s football scores when you should be sending that draft email sitting in your inbox. To bludge is to waste time when you should be doing something. Americans refer to bludging as loafing. A classic piece of … Read more
With the glorious return of the footy to our screens, we can now support our team from the comfort of our lounge. The atmosphere might not be quite the same, but you can still barrack just as hard for your team from the safety of your sofa. To barrack is to shout encouragement for a player or … Read more
Who fancies a winter dip down at the beach, or maybe at the local pool? The Aussie crawl is an Australian invented freestyle swimming stroke now used the world over. Inspired by the Aussie crawl we have trawled the seas of the Macquarie Dictionary for other swimming related slang. While swimming you’ll want to avoid the blind mullet or brown trout, a … Read more
Welcome to our new words blog, where we share new and topical words, some of which were submitted by you via the suggest a word feature on our website. This month, the stars are our destination with astrotourism: trips taken to stargaze or seek out dark sky locations, of which there are plenty in Australia. Back down on … Read more
Beautiful words don’t just sound beautiful, some roll off the tongue with ease, some hit the air in sharp tones while others stretch out as you meander over syllables and roll certain letters. Some words evoke images and feelings as much as meaning. Below are six beautiful words to warm you this winter. Why not … Read more
Welcome to our new words blog, where we share new and topical words, some of which were submitted by you via the suggest a word feature on our website. Once again, there are a couple of words related to the Coronavirus pandemic. We covered COVID-19 terminology in a blog post back in March. As the country tentatively … Read more
Each new edition of the Macquarie Dictionary features a foreword written by an esteemed Australian writer. For the Eighth Edition, we were honoured to welcome Kim Scott, author Taboo and the Miles Franklin Award winning That Deadman Dance. The words below represent a selection of those that stood out for Kim, which in turn represent … Read more
Here at the Macquarie Dictionary, we receive (and welcome) messages from everyone about new words, changes to definitions and grammar and spelling bugbears. Many of these are addressed in our definitions already, but sometimes we like to delve into the more complicated queries. We were already aware of Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, but recently, … Read more
As the temperature drops from summer to autumn (and into winter), the leaves start to change colour and fall from the trees, and we button up our cardigans, pull on our woollen socks and make (yet another) cup of tea. Autumn is well and truly here. We have words for various weather phenomena in Australia, … Read more
Which would you use if three of these creatures flew over your boat? We’ve discussed the differences between person and people before, but what is the rule when it comes to fish and fishes? While both are in use, and both correct, there is definitely a preference in usage. The plural form fish is the … Read more
