Aussie Language
When New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the re-opening of the state he said: ‘We can’t remain a hermit…
Aussie Language
Andrew Bolt, among others, has been scrupulous in drawing our attention to what he calls ‘race baiting’. For example, Greens…
Aussie Language
A Speccie reader has emailed asking me for an explanation of the word ‘climatarian’. We know what Presbyterians are, she…
Aussie Language
A new study by researchers at the University of Western Australia shows that the most trusted accent in Australia is…
Kiwi Language
A tech company claims that anti-vax and anti-lockdown rallies have been ‘astroturfed’. Which means? Well, ‘AstroTurf’ was the world’s first…
Aussie Language
Just published is Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Harvard biologist Carole Hooven. She…
Aussie Language
When Extinction Rebellion vandalised Parliament House they were engaging in ‘stuntism’— a word that was coined by Mark Latham. When…
Aussie Language
The New York Times has chosen a word to describe what happens to people under Covid restrictions: ‘languishing’. Under lockdown…
Aussie Language
You’ve often come across the charge that ABC news and current affairs programs are being made by ‘activists’ rather than…
Aussie Language
TV host Paul Murray spoke on Sky News Australia about the role the word ‘misinformation’ is currently playing in the…
Aussie Language
‘LGAs’. Since when did this ugly piece of bureaucratic jargon become part of everyday English? Because the bureaucrats keep rattling…
Aussie Language
In December the various dictionaries will announce their choice for the Word of the Year title. For a while I…
Aussie Language
When Kaylee McKeown won Olympic gold her comment on worldwide television became the headline. Her sister and mum were watching…
Aussie Language
Edward de Bono—the inventor of ‘lateral thinking’—died recently. I interviewed him a number of times on my radio show (he…
Aussie Language
Talking to Peta Credlin on Sky News I coined a new expression, ‘language communists’. I used to call the bullies…
Aussie Language
‘Gain of function’ is a chilling new expression—well, new to most of us—that has entered our language as a result…
Aussie Language
We are told that sexual assault and sexual harassment happen because men don’t understand consent. NSW has a law before…
Aussie Language
‘Muck-raking’ is an old journalism expression coined in the US around 1900 to describe two types of journalists: a) those…
Aussie Language
A report in the Australian said ‘anti-Semitic’ hate crimes are on the rise in America – and the FBI and…
Aussie Language
The settlement of Christian Porter’s defamation action against the ABC produced the predictable sneering responses from the activists at the…
Kiwi Language
A friend of mine recently sent me a notice from a big law firm announcing the introduction of ‘Gender Affirmation…
Aussie Language
A campaign is needed against the word ‘partner’—so I have started one. It was launched on Peta Credlin’s program on…
Aussie Language
Writing in The Speccie Dot Wordsworth said: ‘The most effective weapon in cultural warfare is to find a form of…
Aussie Language
The Australian Breastfeeding Association has declared the word ‘mother’ to be ‘non-inclusive’. Does this make linguistic sense? Not for a…
Aussie Language
There is an organisation called ‘Dying with Dignity’. In their most recent newsletter they say, ‘The NSW Parliament looks set…
