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  • Is Cinderella a slut (def. 1 or def. 2)?

    Aug 29, 2014 | 2 Comments

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    “The Aldi supermarket chain has removed iconic Roald Dahl children's book Revolting Rhymes from its shelves after complaints from customers about the use of the word "slut". Saffron Howden | The Sydney Morning Herald

     I am surprised by the reaction to this word. I had no idea that it had accrued such taboo status. Certainly the radio presenter that I spoke to this morning felt that, for him, it was up there with the f and c words and he couldn’t bring himself to say it on radio. Read more...


  • Wordplay: It's all Greek to me

    Aug 18, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    Macquarie in the news

    Back in the spring of 1986 I rang Susan Butler at Macquarie Dictionary. As editor, she must have fielded her share of odd requests, but this was up there. In my wildest dreams I wanted a super-list of every word her big green book defined.

    Cyberspace was not invented then. Instead, if you wanted to check a word you needed a real-life book on the shelf.

    Wordplay: It's all Greek to me | David Astle | SMH


  • Sue Butler on ABC News Breakfast program talking about 'The Aitch Factor'

    Aug 14, 2014 | 0 Comments

    'The Aitch Factor'

    Macquarie Dictionary editor Susan Butler talks to News Breakfast about her new book on the evolution of the English language in Australia.

    Watch the TV interview


  • Why 'youse' deserves its place in Australia's national dictionary

    Aug 12, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    Macquarie in the news

    For 30 years Susan Butler has been at the helm of the Macquarie Dictionary. Here she defends the inclusion of a much-derided word.

    I like to joke that, as the editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, I am like the woman with the mop and bucket who comes along to clean up after the party is over. Read more...

    Why 'youse' deserves its place in Australia's national dictionary | Susan Butler | The Guardian

     


  • What Even Is Australian English? An Interview With The Editor Of The Macquarie Dictionary

    Aug 11, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    Macquarie in the news

    Before the first edition of The Macquarie Dictionary was published in 1981, few Australians considered that the English they spoke was any different to British English – we might have different accents, sure, and a few colourful colloquialisms, but it’s fundamentally the same thing as the mother country’s mother tongue, isn’t it?

    What Even Is Australian English? An Interview With The Editor Of The Macquarie Dictionary | Chad Parkhill | JUNKEE.com


  • A timely word from the wise, Susan Butler

    Aug 09, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    Macquarie in the news

    ‘YOUSE has been common in Britain for some time now and is usually an (understood) ­abbreviation for ‘you all’ or ‘you both’. Horrible, I know but not as bad as ‘anyfink’ else. (Harriet Farnaby, Geelong West).’’ This little letter in a Melbourne newspaper, in response to various cranky missives about perceived abuses of our language, is precisely the kind of information Susan Butler collects from her treasured Australian “language community”.

    A timely word from the wise, Susan Butler | Agnes Nieuwenhuizen | The Australian


  • Is it 'aitch' or 'haitch'? Susan Butler on her new book

    Aug 04, 2014 | 0 Comments

    Susan Butler joins 1233's Jill Emberson to talk about her new book 'The Aitch Factor'.

    Is it 'aitch' or 'haitch'? Editor of Macquarie Dictionary on new book |1233newcastle | 04 Aug 2014


  • Sometimes, the words get lost in translation

    Aug 02, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    Macquarie in the news

    Confession: for an embarrassingly long time I thought Yosemite – America’s stunning national park – rhymed with "nose bight". As in: "Oh, I’d simply adore to visit Yoze-might." Similarly, the first time I spoke about visiting Wagga Wagga, it rhymed – fittingly – with blagger. Read more...

    Sometimes, the words get lost in translation | Gary Nunn | The Age




  • Susan Butler's 'The Aitch Factor'

    Aug 01, 2014 | 0 Comments

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    In stores August 1, 2014

    From the editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Australia’s national dictionary, comes this lively, and often hilarious, debate on Australian English.

    From aitch to amazeballs, from mondegreens to man boobs, there is no topic too controversial or complex for Australia’s most influential editor, Susan Butler. Read more...