Aussie Life
Aussie life
‘Senior moment’, being an affectionate descriptor for the kind of harmless temporary memory failure which presages more serious cognitive decline,…
Language
The Albanese government has established a ‘Makarrata Commission’ with a budget of $5.8 million dollars. So, what is this word…
Aussie life
The tide seems to be turning. It is looking increasingly likely that what is the daftest referendum ever dreamt up…
Language
‘They’ is not a singular pronoun. It’s a fairly simple concept, but some people are struggling to grasp it. The…
Aussie life
Wellbeing is complicated. Like junk food and cigarettes, we need professionals to explain it to us, maybe with an expensive…
Language
The compound noun ‘rage apply’ is (I am told) the name being given to a new trend in workplaces around…
Aussie life
Standing on the banks of the Swan River the skyline tells you how Perth retains observable links with its regional…
Language
Some trendy new expressions will probably have the lifespan of a fruit fly (for the scientifically minded, that’s between 30…
Aussie life
If British women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen goes ahead with the defamation suit she is reportedly considering taking out against…
Language
Is the word ‘bonzer’ no longer part of the living Australian language? Bernard Salt thinks not, writing in the Weekend…
Aussie life
It used to be joked that Australia risked becoming the fifty-first state of America. But having enjoyed a family holiday…
Language
We all know what ‘dictation’ means – speaking words aloud for someone to write down. Once every office had its…
Aussie life
Amanda Stoker’s willingness to talk about her bottom has given David Van the distinction of becoming Australia’s first real subject…
Language
I have written here in the past about the expression ‘weaponised words.’ There are many examples: ‘fascist’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘hard-right’…
Aussie life
With the exception of two or three of our tastier fish species, I doubt if anything in Australia has taken…
Language
For a number of years British journalist Philip Howard wrote a weekly language column for the Times in London (he…
Aussie life
Recently, a demonstration was held outside Perth Library, which is noteworthy because libraries are one of the few spaces that…
Language
It is an exciting moment when I discover a new word – and this time it’s a word that focuses…
Aussie life
Imagine waking from a 50-year coma to find that the TV in your recovery room was permanently tuned to a…
Language
Recently I came across the expression ‘weaponised words’– the idea that words with a standard, accepted meaning can be changed…
Aussie life
South of Sydney there is a road which winds its way from the glistening emerald waters of the Pacific Ocean,…
Aussie life
As the head of a dynasty which owes its wealth and influence to military aggression, white supremacy and colonial exploitation,…
Language
Have you come across the word ‘transabled’? This is a new one on me, and I find it a frightening…
Aussie life
I’m a long-time devotee of the op shop, as anyone who has seen my wardrobe will confirm. I’ve spent many…
Language
A ‘sliding doors moment’ is one of those moments in life when a small, seemingly inconsequential decision (or event) goes…
