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Macquarie Dictionary Blog
Your search has returned 170 results.
Posted on 15 August 2022
The cellar dwellers
Aussie Word of the Week
It's deep into the football season. With the finals approaching, it's time to analyse your team's chances of making it to the last eight. Are they high on the ladder or are they
cellar dwellers
? You can probably guess what
cellar dwellers
means. Yes, it means your team is in last place. Bottom of the ladder. Rather than running out on Grand Final day, your team is more likely to be awarded the
wooden spoon
: a metaphorical (and sometimes literal) prize handed out to the team that finishes last in a sporting competition. Unfortunately, the team who are bottom of the ladder are likely to earn the moniker
easybeats
, a name borrowed from the 1960s Aussie rock band
The Easybeats
. Not a great title but I suppose it’s better than being outright called losers, right? If there's one consolation prize (a prize, usually of little value, given to the loser, or runner-up, in a contest), it's that there's always next season! Besides, it's better to finish dead last and know your hopes and dreams are buried half-way through the season than get all the way to the Grand Final only to lose on the day. After all, no one remembers the runner-up. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 8 August 2022
You're lower than a snake's belly!
Aussie Word of the Week
You're lower than a snake's belly
! If someone tosses this insult your way, they are calling you mean, despicable and contemptible. Gee, thanks. At the Macquarie Dictionary we are welled versed in Aussie insults. This isn't the first time we have explored barbs on our blog. So strap yourselves in for another round of great Aussie insults.
Mongrel
is a great Aussie insult that was formerly used in the United Kingdom but has now become extinct there. A
mongrel
is a detestable person. If a job is too difficult
it's a mongrel of a job.
A
ratbag
is a worthless, despicable person. This piece of slang was recorded as early as the 1890s but didn't become common until the 1940s. If you think this blog is
piss-weak
then you think it's shabby or substandard, as in,
those ratbags at Macquarie wrote another piss-weak blog.
I have left off some of the more, ahem, colourful insults that feature in the Macquarie Dictionary, many of which have a
taboo
label. Believe me, there are a lot of them. Just to prove we aren't that squeamish, I couldn't resist including one very colourful Aussie insult:
f*ckwit
. This uniquely Aussie blend of f*ck and
nitwit
means an incredibly stupid person. It can also be used to mean a despicable or detestable person. Like wine, wool and vegemite, we have managed to export
f*ckwit
to the world but without the need for a free trade agreement. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 1 August 2022
-ie
Aussie Word of the Week
Australians love brevity. We are fond of shortening words. Perhaps the most famous example is the shortening of the Melbourne Cricket Ground to the MCG. But that wasn't enough for Victorians, so they dropped the M and the C so the colossal stadium became simple the G. Today we want to look at the suffix -
ie
., which is used across the English-speaking world as an affectionate diminutive. Think of
doggie
, a dog, for example. In Australia, we have really taken to it and use -ie to create slangy forms of ordinary words where the sense of smallness is not present. Think,
Aussie
. Seeing as Aussies have tried to weld an -
ie
onto the end of half the dictionary, we thought it best to pick out some of our favourites rather than try to list them all. A
greenie
is a conservationist. Now used worldwide,
greenie
was actually an Australian coinage. Although the association of green with environmentalism was first made in German politics of the early 1970s, and first appeared in English in the name
Greenpeace
, the addition of
-ie
to form a noun was an Australian contribution. From green to the blue waters, a
boatie
is a person who owns and runs a small craft. While back on dry land, I'm sure you've been driven around by a
cabbie
: a taxi driver. There are so many more -
ie
words that we simply can't list anymore but did you know that -
y
is sometimes used in place of the -
ie
suffix, because, well it just makes sense doesn't it? It’s also somewhat more pleasing on the eye. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 27 June 2022
Arcing up
Aussie Word of the Week
Sit back and watch the sparks fly. This week's word of the week is
arc up
. To
arc up
means to become upset or livid with anger, to 'flare up' like a welder's torch. We all get upset, luckily Aussie English contains a plethora of words to describe when we become angry. Does reading this blog make you
go
ballistic
, as in, explode with anger? If you're up in North Queensland or the NT, you might
burr up
instead. Even gotten so angry it's caused you to
fart sparks
or
spit chips
? Do you
let it rip
, give free rein to anger or passion, when you see a spelling mistake, or
go off
, vent anger? Two favourite red-faced, angry Aussie words are
ropeable
and
spew
.
Ropeable
dates back to the 1870s and is still going strong. It means seething with anger to the extent that you are literally 'fit to be tied.'
Spew
primarily means to vomit but is also frequently used to mean that you are extremely angry, as in,
I was spewing when I read the latest Macquarie blog!
Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other
Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 20 June 2022
toodle-em-buck
Aussie Word of the Week
Toodle-em-buck
was a game of chance played mainly by children in Victoria back in the 1920s for gambling on horseraces, especially the Melbourne Cup. The game consisted of a wooden skewer, a cotton reel, and a cardboard disc marked in sectors, each bearing a horse's name and betting odds proportional to sector size. A pointer showed the winner when the disc stopped spinning. Children are the creators and players in many games
. Bedlam,
for instance, is the Queensland name for the schoolyard chasing game
British bulldog
, in which a group of children run repeatedly through an area guarded by other children. Those who are caught each time join forces with their catchers until only one child remains uncaught and is the winner.
Brandings
is another schoolyard game. In
brandings
, a tennis ball is thrown at the other players by the person who is `in'. The person hit is then `in.'
Brandings
is is the common term in NSW, ACT and Tasmania. In the other states it is usually known as
brandy
. The idea is to throw the ball hard enough to
brand
the person hit – in other words, to leave a glowing red mark. Ouch! For some reason, it's banned by schoolteachers the country over. We couldn't sign off without mentioning that Anzac Day staple,
two-up
: the classic Australian gambling game in which two coins are thrown off a kip into the air so that they spin. Bets are laid on whether they fall heads or tails – a fall of one head and one tail requiring the coins to be tossed again. That's game over for this week. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 13 June 2022
Heard it on the bush telegraph
Aussie Word of the Week
'Ooo I heard it through the ...
bush telegraph
?' Ok, so it might not fit into your beautiful karaoke rendition of Marvin Gaye but the
bush telegraph
is the outback rumour mill. So you can consider it the Aussie version of the
grapevine
: the network of personal and other contacts through which information ranging from gossip to substantive information is passed informally.
Mulga wire
is another Aussie name for the rural gossip mill. Chatting on the mill or the wire is called
chewing the fat
. If you're a regular on the
bush telegraph
you might be considered a
dorry
: a gossip. The name originates from the character Dorrie Evans, an insufferable stickybeak and gossip from the 1970s Australian TV soap
Number 96
.
Goss
is a common Aussie abbreviation of gossip but perhaps the most well known of all is
yarn
. Mainly meaning to talk or chat, the verb sense of
yarn
means to gossip.
Backbiting
is a more malicious form of gossip. To
backbite
is to attack someone's character or reputation secretly. Don't worry though, if you've been accused of being a
gossipmonger
, you're just doing what comes naturally to human beings. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 6 June 2022
Dry as a blacksmith's apron
Aussie Word of the Week
Researching words and definitions is hard work. Punching them into the Dictionary makes me
as dry as a blacksmiths apron
, in other words, thirsty. The Australian landscape can be a harsh place. So naturally we've invented interesting ways to say we need a drink. For example, to exclaim that
a man's not a camel!
is a way to say 'give me a drink before I die of thirst!' If you're suffering from
polydipsia
(excessive thirst) you might
do a perish
if you don't get a drink.
Do a perish
is old Aussie slang for dying from thirst or suffering a lack of substance. If you are crude you might say you are as
d
ry as a frog's tit in the middle of the desert.
In other words, dying of thirst. A couple of other words related to thirst but not in the sense that you need a drink are the well known
thirst for knowledge
and
thirst trap
. To have a thirst for knowledge means you really want to read through the entire Macquarie blog archive to learn about quirky slang words. It also means you are curious. A
thirst trap
is a social media post, especially a selfie of oneself looking sexy or having fun, intended to get the attention of a specific person or group of people. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 30 May 2022
Rough around the edges
Aussie Word of the Week
This week's blog is a bit rough around the edges. Do you know a
roughie
? That is, a rude or crude person. I'm sure we've all been a
roughie
at times. Another definition of
roughie
is a swindle or shrewd trick, as in, he put a
roughie
over Bill yesterday. Perhaps because of the convict roots of Modern Australia, Australian English contains a lot of slang words for swindle.
Con
is an obvious one, or
con job
: a practised confidence trick.
Bilk
is another. Dating back to the 17th Century, to
bilk
is to cheat, swindle or to evade a payment on a debt.
Eelie
is an obsolete Aussie underworld slang word for a confidence trick or the ruse by which a swindle is affected, probably extracted from
eelerspee
, an obsolete word for a con artist. Two more swindling words Australians might be more familiar with are
dudded
and
rort.
You can read more about rorts elsewhere on our blog, or you can speak to your local MP, har har. In case you're feeling
ripped off
we'll throw in a bonus word:
slanter
, a swindle or other piece of dishonest trickery.
Slanter
has been Aussie slang since the 1840s and is still common in the racing game. Originally spelt
schlinter
or
schlente
, it means counterfeit in South African English and comes from the Dutch or Afrikaans
slenter
. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 23 May 2022
Doing a blockie
Aussie Word of the Week
Take the next left and the next, and another left after that. This week we're doing
blockies
: a single circuit of a vehicle around a street block, usually doing only left hand turns. As one contributor to the Australian Word Map put it, to do a
blockie
means, 'to go round the block very fast in a usually noisy car, often done by young men on a Saturday night.' Tasmanians and Victorians are more likely to drive a
blockie
, while Queenslanders are more likely to do a
lappy
. In Western Australia a
blockie
is known as a
bog lap
. Being a nation of car lovers means that Australians have created a plethora of car and driving related slang. We picked up some of our favourites from the Macquarie database. Do you drive a
banger
? A
banger
is a beat-up old car. Can you
bag it
, as in, can you drive your
banger
fast? In contrast to a
banger
, a
beast
is a great big hulking car. Waiting at the front of the traffic queue in your
beast
? A
burn-off
is to drive off at speed from the traffic lights in order to beat someone else and thereby show how fab you are because you've got a fast car. If you're interested in other driving terms, check out our blogs on
grey nomads
and
doof doof cars
. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 16 May 2022
Political slang: from gaffes to faceless men
Aussie Word of the Week
With the Federal election almost upon us, we delved into our database to help you make sense of the slang and jargon your candidates have been spouting on the campaign trail. We've heard a lot about the dreaded
gaffe
during this election campaign. A
gaffe
is defined as a social blunder. Someone who is inclined to make slips of the tongue or cause embarrassment in some way is deemed
gaffe-prone
. A particuarly bad
gaffe
could be considered a
shocker
. Have you heard of the
faceless me
n? No, they aren't a secret assassins guild, they are men who exercise political power without having to take on personal or public responsibility for their actions. Oh, hang on, I guess they are a sort of secret guild after all. The
House
is a local nickname Canberrans have given to Parliament House. Who lives at Parliament House? Well,
pollies
of course. This shortened form of politician has been part of the Aussie lexicon since the 1960s.
Swing
isn't just what children do at the play park, it's also the measure of the electoral support transferred from one party to another, as expressed in percentage points, between a party's vote at one election and its vote at the next. We can't talk about political slang in election season without mentioing the
democracy sausage
. You can read more about what is possibly Australia's greatest democratic tradition on our blog. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 9 May 2022
Can you hack it?
Aussie Word of the Week
This week, we have hacked out a space for all the hacks. When we searched
hack
in our database we had one election inspired word in mind:
party hack
, a long-time, loyal member of a political party, especially one who does menial work for the party, but there were just so many definitions of
hack
that we couldn't resist exploring this versatile word further. Another election related
hack
is a
political hack
: a politician who pursues the narrow goal of ensuring that his or her party is in power, often using methods that are to do with the exercise of power or the pursuit of expediency. Can the
political hacks hack it
? That is, do they have patience. I'm sure we all know about
hackers
by now. The Macquarie defines a
hacker
as a person who is adept at manipulating computer systems, especially someone who achieves unauthorised access to the computer system of a business organisation, government department, etc., or who achieves unauthorised access to a person's digital device, as a phone or tablet computer. In recent years, several types of
hackers
have emerged. There are
ethical hackers
: a
hacker
who attempts to
hack
into a computer network or device in order to test its level of security, and
hacktivists
: people who use their ability as
hackers
to further a political cause. If manipulating computer systems isn't enough you might try your hand at
biohacking
, a method for managing one's own biology, by using measures to improve it such as meditation, nutritional supplements or therapeutic techniques such as aromatherapy. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
Posted on 2 May 2022
Are you a happy little vegemite?
Aussie Word of the Week
At the Macquarie Dictionary we like to spread good cheer. To celebrate our good mood, we rummaged around the Dictionary database in search of words and phrases that express that happiness. That's why this week’s word of the week is
happy little vegemite
. :) :) :) A
happy little Vegemite
is a person in a good mood, as in,
Look at the happy little Vegemites working away in there
. This slang sense first appeared in the 1980s and originated in the well-loved advertising jingle for the spread
Vegemite,
which first filled Australian airwaves back in 1954. While
happy little Vegemite
mainly refers to children in a positive sense, there are tons of other happy slang words that encompass adults and children alike. To be
happy as Larry
means you are extremely happy. This Aussie slang dates from the 1900s but just who this Larry was and how he could have been happy enough to become a byword for joy is unknown. If you're not quite as happy as our friend Larry you can still be a
happy camper
: a person who is very pleased, though this one originates in the United States and not Australia. As we're partial to a bit of swearing, we couldn't leave off without reminding everyone that you can be as
happy as a pig in shit
. Now that we're all
beatified
, we'll call an end to this week's blog. We hope you have a
red-letter day
. Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
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