Don’t get caught telling furphies
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. This week, our word is furphy.
Blogs
Should packing party, himpathy and solopreneur go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
Plants that can transform: have you tried jackfruit, Irish moss or seitan?
With the rise of faux meat and vegan substitutes, we look at the plants behind these creations, find out more about their origins and what food they can be transformed into.
Have you ever tried pulled jackfruit? Have you ever used aquafaba in baking? Do you sprinkle nutritional yeast on your food?
Mmm…doughnuts (or is it ‘donuts’?)
Here at the dictionary, we are big fans of doughnuts (and who isn’t?). I think most doughnut lovers can agree that sweet, fluffy dough, which is
Should logical family, dibling and food forest go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
The Jupiter discovery: satellite vs. moon
We’ve just been told that twelve new moons have been discovered in Jupiter’s orbit, bringing its total to 79. We set about updating the definition in the Macquarie, a fairly straightforward procedure, you would think…
The effect of popular culture on language
Recently, we sent the call out for ‘weird and woolly’ questions from readers – wordy things you’ve been wondering about. And we have received some interesting ones, with topics ranging from the mind-boggling inconsistency of English spelling and pronunciation to the placement of apostrophes. Read more…
Should detourism, factflip and CODA go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
Do you know these ‘mad as’ phrases?
Do you know any of these infamous ‘mad as’ idiomatic phrases? We often use these colourful turns of phrase to brighten up our language and give more emphasis to what (or usually who) we’re talking about. Read more…
We’re not here to f*ck spiders (NSFW)
We discuss Australian sarcasm at its bluntest by looking at one of the most outrageous Aussie colloquialisms.
Did you hear the phrase that Aussie actress Margot Robbie used on the Graham Norton Show recently that turned heads? Read more…
Should Zucked, Chinese room and cinematic universe go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
Do you know these soccer terms?
We’re taking a look at some soccer terms to help you better understand the game.
Well-travelled words: 10 words from around the world
The Macquarie Dictionary collects all manner of Aussie colloquialisms, mannerisms, slang, and more.
Yet there will always be an inevitable influence on our language from outside our island home. We’ve collected 10 words that have travelled from afar and landed on our shores from different languages all over the world.
A miscellanea of beautiful terms
We’ve put our heads together and come up with this very short list of terms that evoke beauty either in the sound of their utterance or in the poetry of their definition. Collecting these words was a great joy, and one we would love to share with you. Read more…
Should plogging, brookie and thunderclap headache go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
Should climatarian, glass barbie, gray-A and mother wound go in the dictionary?
We’re ready to look at some more new words as submitted by you, our readers and fellow word connoisseurs.
We are always on the lookout for new, emerging and interesting words to add to the Macquarie Dictionary, so please let us know if you know of one. Read more…
Should bum gun, wall of death, family cloth and whale fall go in the dictionary?
Who’s down to get a banh mi after the wall of death tonight? Might meet a silver fox there too. But hope he has a bum gun at home and not family cloth! Read more new words here…
Hold me closer Tony Danza…
Ever wanted to learn to dance the flamingo? Jibe away to the music?
Whether it be intentional or just a slip of the tongue, most of us have been guilty of a malapropism or two in our time. Read more…