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  • A plethora of whisperers

    Feb 25, 2016 | 2 Comments

    The horse whisperer was the starting point for today’s plethora of whisperers. It is thought that this was the name of an Irish horseman, Daniel `Horse-Whisperer' Sullivan (died 1810), whose rehabilitation of intractable horses was thought to involve whispering since he stood so close to the horse he was training. Read more...


  • Bringing 'the heat'

    Feb 11, 2016 | 1 Comment

    Perth is in the grip of a heatwave and so the meteorologist whose task it was to report, yet again, that the heat is with us, remarked casually that it might help to break the monotony if he had other words for ‘the heat’. And so a message was sent to Macquarie Dictionary. Can you help please? Read more...


  • The pronunciation of placenames

    Feb 10, 2016 | 3 Comments

    The pronunciation of placenames can cause great difficulty. It is easy to spot an outsider by the mistakes that they make, usually a cause for mirth or irritation for the locals. Read more...


  • The People's Choice Award for Word of the Year 2015 goes to...

    Feb 02, 2016 | 0 Comments

    This is a first   the people and the Committee have agreed that captain’s call is the Word of the Year. Clearly this term has resonated with Australians, possibly because it touches on two of our national passions – cricket and politics – and so has been nominated as the most valuable contribution to Australian English in 2015. –SUSAN BUTLER, THE EDITOR

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