Language
‘They’ is not a singular pronoun. It’s a fairly simple concept, but some people are struggling to grasp it. The…
Language
The compound noun ‘rage apply’ is (I am told) the name being given to a new trend in workplaces around…
Language
Some trendy new expressions will probably have the lifespan of a fruit fly (for the scientifically minded, that’s between 30…
Language
Is the word ‘bonzer’ no longer part of the living Australian language? Bernard Salt thinks not, writing in the Weekend…
Would Jesus vote ‘Yes’?
And what would the Good Samaritan do?
Language
We all know what ‘dictation’ means – speaking words aloud for someone to write down. Once every office had its…
Language
I have written here in the past about the expression ‘weaponised words.’ There are many examples: ‘fascist’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘hard-right’…
Language
A Speccie reader has asked me for the origin of the expression ‘mumbo jumbo’ – and there turns out to…
Language
For a number of years British journalist Philip Howard wrote a weekly language column for the Times in London (he…
Language
It is an exciting moment when I discover a new word – and this time it’s a word that focuses…
Language
Recently I came across the expression ‘weaponised words’– the idea that words with a standard, accepted meaning can be changed…
Language
Have you come across the word ‘transabled’? This is a new one on me, and I find it a frightening…
Language
A ‘sliding doors moment’ is one of those moments in life when a small, seemingly inconsequential decision (or event) goes…
Language
The word ‘gender’ has been part of the English language since at least 1390. It appears to have started at…
Language
The word ‘mulligan’ is new to me – but golfers everywhere will find it familiar. In golf a ‘mulligan’ is…
Language
‘White guilt’ is one of the concepts lying behind the proposed Indigenous Voice. When Prime Minister Albanese announced he had…
Language
This year is the centenary of Vegemite. The classic Australian spread first hit the shelves of local grocery stores in…
Language
Our esteemed editor has drawn my attention to the word ‘ecocide’. It was employed by the Greens Party’s treasury spokesman…
To abolish racism, fix the constitution
Let’s call the activists’ bluff
Language
Australian journalist Miranda Devine (currently working on the New York Post) has drawn our attention to a new word ‘totting’.…
Language
The charity Oxfam has come under fire for issuing a bizarre ‘inclusive’ language guide to staff. The 92-page report warns…
Language
The word ‘manifestation’ has been part of the English language since the 1400s. It comes from the verb ‘to manifest’…
Language
The Church of England is considering scrapping centuries of Christian teaching to give God gender-neutral pronouns. The church has confirmed…
Language
When US President Joe Biden addressed Congress and gave his ‘State of the Union’ address he was (at times) greeted…
Language
Here are two words that I would like to see become the watchwords of where Australia is going in the…
