Join us as we go behind the scenes in the selection process for Macquarie's Word of the Year. We listen in on the Word of the Year committee meeting, featuring guest judges Dom Knight and Annabel Crabb; the dictionary team reflects on how the extraordinary politics of 2016 collided with our language last year; and Sue Butler is the guest of honour at a kebab house. Listen now

Yas queen, we're finally talking internet slang! In this episode, we marvel at the evolution of language online, exploring emoji, hashtags, and new words with writer Alex McKinnon. It's lit. Also: the dictionary team reminisce about the weird things you've sent them in the mail, and the players at The Games Den reveal their favourite words. This is the last episode in our very first series of Word for Word. But don't worry! We'll be back with brand new episodes early in the new year. Listen now

It's the question that sparked debate around the country: what do you call a sausage in a piece of bread? Your answer will likely reveal your roots, as the Macquarie team goes beyond bathers vs. cossies to explore Australian regionalisms. Also: Sue Butler reveals the secret histories behind some uniquely Australian turns of phrase, and we get closer to nature in search of favourite words. Listen now

Fancy yourself a dab hand at Scrabble? Meet Esther Perrins. She's a former British national champion and Guinness World Record holder, and her highest score for a single game of Scrabble is a staggering 683 points. Also: Sue Butler muses on the enduring appeal of folk etymologies and the Pan Macmillan book club deploys some very classy favourite words. Listen now

Warning: this episode contains quite a lot of swearing because we're talking about - well, swearing. This week, the Macquarie Dictionary team is living dangerously with no good, very bad, extremely naughty taboo words. Also: Sue Butler tells the story of Australia's very first dictionary, written by a notorious convict, and we swing by the local dojo to collect some favourite words. Listen now

This week on Word for Word, poet, rapper and author Omar Musa waxes lyrical on the rich diversity of Australian slang. Also: the Macquarie team explains how a new word gets in the dictionary and we hang out with a local Harley Davidson chapter. Listen now

This week on Word for Word, two strange bedfellows: love and politics. Sue Butler explains what makes the language of Australian politics so colourful, and a romance editor and author debate the value of euphemism. Listen now

Welcome to the very first episode of Word for Word, a podcast about words and language from Macquarie Dictionary. It's the dictionary's job to record every aspect of Australian English, warts and all, and to keep up with changes in the language. But sometimes change can land the dictionary in a world of controversy... Also: how do you tell the difference between a great guy and a good bloke? Listen now

Word for Word is a brand new podcast from Macquarie Dictionary. Throughout this series, we explore the surprising histories behind everyday words and phrases, go behind the scenes with the dictionary editors, and meet some of Australia's most interesting word-lovers, from Scrabble champions to hip-hop artists.  Join us as we explore our language: the ways we use it, the ways we abuse it, and the ways we ultimately change it. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the first episode delivered direct to your inbox in November.

The Editor, Susan Butler, explores the ways early settlers had to come to terms with a land that was raked by bushfire at regular intervals. Featuring an example of the way in which black stumps were used as reference points in land disputes, the black stump soon became a well-known feature across Australia. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic            

In English and American use, a range is a row of things such as a row of mountains or of any other identifiable features. The Editor, Sue Butler, discusses the pluralisation of range in Australia and how it came to mean country broken by hills or small mountains that aren’t necessarily in a connected line or series. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic          

In this episode, The Editor, Susan Butler discusses the word mallee, thought to have been borrowed from the north-western Victorian language, Wembawemba. A term used for various eucalypts with a distinctive habit of growth, find out why this tree presented a huge obstacle to settlers wishing to farm the land. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic