Boom tish.For those unfamiliar with the term tautology, here is the definition from Macquarie Dictionary:tautology noun 1. needless repetition of an idea, especially in other words in the immediate context, without imparting additional force or ...
Burqini is the word of the year
Macquarie Dictionary announced yesterday that the word of 2011 is burqini.burqini (noun) a swimsuit designed for Muslim women, comprising leggings and a tunic top with a hood.This was voted by a committee that awarded honourable mentions to ...
Brands and taglines are the new rhyming slang
Or maybe it's not that new. But 'I'm starting to notice that people using brands and taglines in everyday speech is more widespread than I thought' seemed like a boring lesson title.I'm not talking about brands becoming the accepted word for what ...
Litter is (not) synonymous with rubbish
I love board games. A love shared by many in my extended family. However, games don't always end well. The competitive gene is in all of us. It didn't skip a generation, or concentrate itself in one cousin over another. We all have it. In ...
It’s nice to get a surprise gift from someone who knows you well
And it's not even an early Christmas present! It's a just because present. Hooray!My parents went on an overseas holiday earlier this year. They returned with nice presents for all children and grandchildren. I scored a gorgeous top, a belt and ...
There is more than one way to skin a cat
And there is more than one way to brush your teeth. Apparently you don't have to just move the toothbrush back and forth over your teeth. Ashleigh prefers to hold the toothbrush steady and move her entire head back and forth. When that gets ...
There are (a) myriad (of) ways to use the word myriad
Okay, so there are two. Myriad can be used as a noun, or as an adjective. But that's one more than I ever thought was acceptable.Earlier this year (pre-blog and pre-Macquarie Dictionary ownership), I posted a rant on facebook about the way people ...
Before jets, jet lag was known as…
Boat lag!I don't know why, but this little piece of trivia makes me smile. ...
An ‘Alot’ can help you cope when you face grammatical incompetence
I'm being a bit lazy with my post today, but it's Sunday, it's a beautiful day (thanks Bono), the sun is shining, the birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them (thanks Bart), and I've been staring at a computer all afternoon ...
There are lots of words for a group of whales
I recently entered an online cryptic clue-writing competition. The challenge? 'Schoolboy error'. The start of my clue? 'Group of whales'. No-one else had done it yet, and it helped the rest of my clue make some sort of sense. Double tick.Someone ...