Comments for Ozwords

Comment on Shaggledick – Mountweazel or ‘dictionary word’? by This Week’s Language Blog Roundup: The Great Gatsby, really old words, Dothraki | Wordnik

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:05:03 +0000

[...] lit for the older woman,” as chook is slang for an older woman. Oz Worders explored the word shaggledick, an “affectionate term used to greet someone who is quite familiar but whose name you’ve [...]

Comment on Shaggledick – Mountweazel or ‘dictionary word’? by Mark Gwynn

Mark Gwynn — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:42:53 +0000

Charming word! I haven’t heard that one before. Perhaps an invention of your grandmother’s.

No I didn’t ask John Blackman if he had a Mountweazel in his dictionary. I’m tempted to put one in the next dictionary I work on! Most of the material in his book can be found in other sources. From memory there are several terms that we know are ‘out there’ but hard to find in traditional sources.

Comment on Shaggledick – Mountweazel or ‘dictionary word’? by missjane

missjane — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:18:26 +0000

I remembered “frizzle britches” recently, which my mother and grandmother used if they’d forgotten our names… still use it myself, occasionally.

Did you ask Mr Blackman if he had a Mountweazel in there?

Comment on Anzac: Words from Gallipoli by Link love: language (53) | Sentence first

Link love: language (53) | Sentence first — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:06:42 +0000

[...] Anzac, possie, furphy: words from Gallipoli. [...]

Comment on Australia: Our home is girt by sea by Mark Gwynn

Mark Gwynn — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:20:51 +0000

Thanks for your comment,

The term archaic is used of words that are no longer in ordinary or everyday use. While ‘girth’ and ‘girdle’ are related to ‘girt’ they are both commonly used in Australian English. In the case of ‘girt’ the word has been superseded by words like ‘surrounded’. It’s retention in the Oz national anthem means that it is commonly encountered and often used jocularly or self-consciously as some of the quotations in this blog show. While researching this blog I went through various databases and could find almost no examples of ‘girt’ being used outside the anthem unless being used self-consciously.

I would love to know if this word is used more widely outside of the contexts I’ve just mentioned.

Comment on Australia: Our home is girt by sea by claudia

claudia — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:18 +0000

I think of girt as relating to girth or girdle. Not archaic at all and still in use. Not sure what the fuss is about. There is lots of norse, old french, anglo saxon in our language which is much older. So it seems a shame to pick on old girt… Just my 2c.

Comment on Australia drinks: flat whites and long blacks by stu

stu — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:10:43 +0000

Re short black – had them in Carlton in the 70s

Comment on Australia drinks: flat whites and long blacks by Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:49:41 +0000

And don’t forget the ‘cuppacino’ – the frequently seen misspelling of cappuccino I’ve seen on sandwich boards and menus all over the country.

Comment on Wattle—the emblem of our land by Thursday digest | Sandra's Garden

Thursday digest | Sandra's Garden — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:50:20 +0000

[...] The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was chosen as the state flower in 1988. Read more about the plant here. [...]

Comment on ‘The Man from Snowy River’ and Australian English by Mark Gwynn

Mark Gwynn — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:17:29 +0000

Thanks for the comment. Mistake fixed!