Telling Spelling
During my extended online trawls through old Australian newspapers, it became very noticeable that through the 19th century and up until about WW1, all of...
Category: Language
Word Of The Day #5
shicer noun AUSTRALIAN/NZ; informal; dated a worthless thing or person, especially a swindler MINING: an unproductive claim or mine. ….With the hot winds whirled...
Sinister Molly Dookers
Molly Dooker Being left-handed has come a long way. These days it’s even considered the sign of a creative mind. Yet so many questions about...
Word Of The Day #4
Kirked Stems from the noun ‘kirk’ which originally meant the Church Of Scotland. Presumably the article above refers to old Scottish superstitions and, in this...
Dame Slap
ASSAULT & HOSTAGES IN THE ENCHANTED WOOD Excerpts from ‘The Enchanted Wood’ by Enid Blyton….. Let’s hope Dame Slap doesn’t catch sight of us! Every one looked...
Word Of The Day #3
hamartia noun a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a hero or heroine. (Well worn example: Achilles hamartia was his heel: As a baby,...
Long Sleever
A ‘Long Sleever’ is, in brief, an outdated Aussie term for a long draft of beer. The word ‘sleever’ itself originally referred to a Welsh measure...
Word Of The Day #2
quisling noun a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force As in… the quisling Pig Iron Bob exported our iron to Japan synonyms: collaborator,...
Too much of a mao-ful
China bans wordplay in attempt at pun control The Chinese State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television says: Radio and television authorities at...
Word Of The Day #1
quotidian adjective occurring daily, ordinary, mundane, commonplace, not exceptional in any way. “two quotidian political leaders; both from quotidian political parties have made the quotidian...