Warning: this episode contains naughty words, sexual references, and really terrible euphemisms

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

A new podcast from Macquarie Dictionary

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          

The word mangrove comes to us through Spanish from the Taino language of the West Indies. The Editor, Susan Butler, discusses early citations that list mangroves as one of the obstacles that the settlers encountered in Australia. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic          

The Editor, Susan Butler, discusses the word paddock, a variant of the word parrock which exists only in English dialect and means a small enclosure, and how it expanded by 1849 in Australia to mean ‘many thousands of acres’. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic (Image by Tim Keegan, CC 2.0, altered)          

In British English, a plain refers to an area of relatively flat land. The Editor, Susan Butler, discusses the Australian use of plain, characterised by its openness rather than its flatness. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic              

In British English a gully is a narrow, deep passage through which water passes, whether this occurs naturally, as in a ravine or gorge, or is artificial. In this episode, The Editor, Susan Butler, discusses how in Australian English, gully is no longer the watercourse but the fold of land that has the watercourse at its heart. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic        

The first use of tank in Australia was perfectly in line with the original meaning of a word from the Gujarati language of western India, where it was the name for an artificial reservoir for water made by excavation or by damming. This Anglo-Indian usage became part of the military jargon applied in Australia. In this episode, The Editor, Susan Butler, explores the differences and similarities between tanks, dams and reservoirs in Australia. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic         

The word donga is borrowed from South African English, meaning ‘a gully or watercourse’. The Editor, Susan Butler, explores how this word was adapted to fit the Australian environment, and its association with the military. Read more about the OzPic project at: www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ozpic