Language
As Joe Biden rushed (sorry, stumbled) out of the doors of the White House, he flung around things called ‘pre-emptive…
Language
We are still at the beginning of 2025, but Brendan O’Neill has already named his ‘most irritating phrase of the…
Language
I’ve been intrigued recently by the verb ‘to unsee’. It turns up as a trendy way of saying that something…
Language
We missed it! Back on January 18 we should have been celebrating National Thesaurus Day. Mind you, the day is…
Language
It is easy to miss the fact that a good deal of slang has a long-forgotten rhyming component (and is…
Language
At the start of each year, Lake Superior State University publishes a list of ‘Banished Words.’ These are the words…
Language
The verb ‘to unsee’ turns up as a snappy, or trendy, way of saying that something is unforgettable—in a bad…
Language
The clever lexicographers at the Australian National Dictionary Centre have chosen ‘Colesworths’ as their Word of the Year 2024. They…
Language
Speccie reader Louise has been in touch with an intelligent question that must have occurred to many of us over…
Language
Speccie reader Doug writes to ask about ‘mansplaining’. This comes from the same feminist language cauldron as ‘toxic masculinity’ (meaning…
Language
Here’ s a style guide suggestion – it’s time to resurrect the word ‘Aboriginal’. With a lower case ‘a’ this…
Language
I never thought I’d grow up to be a Grumpy Old Man – but look how good I am at…
Language
A Speccie reader (Greg) has asked me to say something about the expression ‘AI’, meaning artificial intelligence. The expression is…
Language
When human rights commissions were established both federally and in all the states, we assumed this was a good thing…
Language
I have recently come across the worst case of language vandalism I’ve encountered for many years. Namely, the claim that…
Language
Given the time of year we must once again be ready to pull sour faces and make rude noises when…
Language
Speccie reader Peter has written asking me to write something about ‘begs the question’, which, he says, is ‘regularly misused…
Language
Speccie reader Raymond has asked me to explain the meaning of the compound noun ‘common sense.’ It was Aristotle who…
Language
Can ‘difficult’ be used as a verb? Surely not, I hear you mutter. But on the web I encountered the…
Language
Strangely, the latest word Kamala Harris has chosen to apply to Donald Trump is ‘unserious’. (Or perhaps it was her…
Language
Speccie reader Alan has asked me to explain ‘toxic masculinity’ adding ‘why is there never any mention of toxic femininity?’.…
Language
Speccie reader John is puzzled by an American expression that we’ve heard only recently in Australia: when a politician is…
Language
Kamala Harris keeps telling us she wants ‘equity’ not ‘equality.’ What does she mean? She is using ‘equality’ to means…
Language
There are times when I am tempted to think that English, in general terms, is richer and more colourful than…
Language
A Speccie reader has been in touch to complain about the use of the expressions ‘wind farm’ and ‘solar farm’.…