Ranked #1
#21 For the love of words
#21 For the love of words
Surprise! We're back with another bonus episode, featuring some funny, fascinating, unaired tidbits from Season 2. Als... Read more
29 Mar 2018
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15mins
Ranked #2
#11 Strine; the Australian accent
#11 Strine; the Australian accent
Winston Churchill called the Australian accent "the most brutal maltreatment that has ever been inflicted" on the Englis... Read more
12 Sep 2017
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22mins
Ranked #3
#31 Fishing for cats, dogs & hats
#31 Fishing for cats, dogs & hats
From catfishing and FOMO, to the rise of the ‘influencer’, the internet is a rich source for ever-evolving slang words a... Read more
28 Jan 2020
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9mins
Ranked #4
#25 Word of the Year 2018
#25 Word of the Year 2018
It's that time! Take a peek behind the scenes with us as Macquarie Dictionary chooses its 2018 Word of the Year. In th... Read more
15 Jan 2019
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20mins
Ranked #5
#12 They: A singular pronoun?
#12 They: A singular pronoun?
When it comes to the language we use around gender, change is happening fast. But some of that new language isn't so new... Read more
19 Sep 2017
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28mins
Ranked #6
#9 Australian indigenous languages
#9 Australian indigenous languages
Before 1788, hundreds of Indigenous languages were spoken in Australia. Today, that picture looks very different, but la... Read more
27 Apr 2017
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32mins
Ranked #7
#18 Harmless drudgery
#18 Harmless drudgery
It takes a special kind of person to be a dictionary editor. You need an instinctive understanding of language, a sharp,... Read more
29 Nov 2017
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18mins
Ranked #8
#15 The A-B-Cs of spelling bees
#15 The A-B-Cs of spelling bees
Sometimes English spelling seems designed to bamboozle. How did we end up with all these inconsistencies, quirky flouris... Read more
10 Oct 2017
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27mins
Ranked #9
#16 Slang from Down Under
#16 Slang from Down Under
In Australia, we're working with a wild array of slang: classic phrases, new inventions, and slang so good that other co... Read more
17 Oct 2017
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22mins
Ranked #10
#7 Emojis, hashtags & internet slang
#7 Emojis, hashtags & internet slang
Yas queen, we're finally talking internet slang! In this episode, we marvel at the evolution of language online, explori... Read more
14 Dec 2016
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17mins
Ranked #11
#6 Toorak tractors & sausage sandwiches
#6 Toorak tractors & sausage sandwiches
It's the question that sparked debate around the country: what do you call a sausage in a piece of bread? Your answer wi... Read more
7 Dec 2016
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15mins
Ranked #12
#22 Forensic linguistics, crime & punishment
#22 Forensic linguistics, crime & punishment
When it comes to bugging a suspect, re-interpreting a dusty statute, or presenting evidence in a criminal trial, the shi... Read more
6 Nov 2018
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32mins
Ranked #13
#26 Polari
#26 Polari
Secret languages abound in history and in modern culture, with words occasionally making the leap into the mainstream of... Read more
22 Oct 2019
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38mins
Ranked #14
#3 Omar Musa: Wandering rhapsodist
#3 Omar Musa: Wandering rhapsodist
This week on Word for Word, poet, rapper and author Omar Musa waxes lyrical on the rich diversity of Australian slang. A... Read more
15 Nov 2016
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18mins
Ranked #15
#29 Word of the Year 2019
#29 Word of the Year 2019
It's that time! Take a peek behind the scenes with us as Macquarie Dictionary chooses its 2019 Word of the Year. We once... Read more
4 Dec 2019
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20mins