A bunyip is a mythical Australian beast of amphibious nature that inhabits rivers and deep, dark pools, retreating to underwater caverns known as bunyip holes. They are

This week’s blog is cactus, that is, ruined, as in we aren’t going anywhere, the engine’s cactus. Someone in trouble is said to be in the cactus. No doubt referring

This week’s Aussie slang Word of the Week is essential to the functioning of Australian society. Hospo is short for hospitality, the industry that employs millions of people in

This week we are cruising around the traps. Relax, we haven’t set an ambush for you, rather, the traps refer to any place you frequent, as

It’s normally pretty clear whether to use that or which in a sentence. But there is one situation where you might find yourself wondering whether

With winter on the way, we travelled to the Snowy Mountains and dug these six new words out of the snow drifts.  Are you a

Recently someone asked me, is the phrase home in on or hone in on something? As it turns out, this is a very common confusion!

A couple of years ago, we delved into the world of crude Australian sarcasm and examined the bluntest example we could find of this in … not

One of the consistent questions faced by Macquarie Dictionary editors is whether to include a word which is a trademark. In most cases, the answer

This week we want you to give our blog a fair crack of the whip as we explore fairness and it’s usage in Australian English. 

Brr. With winter frosting up the windows, we decided it was time to wrap up for a doona day and explore some chilly slang.  No

Sometimes an advertisement or other seemingly innocuous jingle worms its way not just into our ears but into our culture. Not happy, Jan is one such phrase. 

This week we have stirred up a cocktail of drinking related slang words.  Lets start at the beginning of a typical Aussie night out. Pres refers

May the fourth be with you. Feel the force with these five new words we are keeping track of here at the Macquarie Dictionary office. 

One of the reasons numbers are so useful is that they’re predictable. The difference between 100 and 101 is the same as the difference between

This week’s word of the week is not for the ATO. Cashie is slang for a cash in hand job. Usually, an employer slips you

You’ve got two chances: Buckley’s and none.  This famous phrase likely refers to William Buckley, a convict with an incredible story. Buckley’s chance means you’ve

Insults are a speciality here at the Macquarie Dictionary. We have access to hundreds of them from the familiar to the obscure. This week boofhead