Metier (noun) [meteeay] “Even though many people know this word, it’s not really in common usage. I was inspired to include it when I was watching The Crown on Netflix recently. Winston Churchill was speaking to the artist painting his portrait. The artist admits that he came to painting quite
Neologism (Noun) [nee’oluhgizuhm] “The Macquarie Dictionary says this is ‘a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.’ So recent examples of this might include ‘crowdsourcing’ or ‘metrosexual’ or ‘chillax’.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and publishing, check out the
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re asking wwwhat’s the preferred
Syzygy (noun) [sizz-err-jee] “Yes, this is a real word – and it doesn’t contain a single vowel. Admittedly, you might not use it very often because it refers to a very specific thing. Wikipedia says that it is: ‘a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system’. And
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re sending in the crowns…
Inamorata (Noun) [in-amuh’rahtuh] “It is a fancy way of saying ‘a woman with whom you are in love’ or ‘the woman you love’. So you might say: ‘His inamorata is Maria, a 30-year-old school teacher from Brisbane’. It’s the feminine of ‘inamorato’, which, unsurprisingly, is a person’s male lover.” To hear
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we want the final word on
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, our ellipsis are sealed … Q:
Dinosaur (noun) [dī-nə-ˌsȯr] “Where does the word dinosaur come from? It was actually coined by the scientist Sir Richard Owen, who had been studying various fossils found of these creatures and he came to the conclusion that they were from a group of large extinct reptiles. So he classified them
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re digging into some food…
Q: Hi there AWC, what grammar topic are we exploring today? A: Wait, first – what’s with the grass clippings? Q: Ah, it’s my new gardening business, Lawn Order. DUN DUN A: What was that? Q: Not sure, so anyway, with Lawn Order I’m— DUN DUN A: Ah, we know
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re bracing for impact… Q:
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we orient ourselves with “orientate”…
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we explain “literally”, literally… Q: I
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we battling through like a
Venerate (verb) [ve-nə-ˌrāt] “I was reading a book the other day and came across a word that isn’t used that much so I thought I’d include it here. Venerate. The book was referring to a ‘venerated member of the police force’. According to the Macquarie Dictionary it means ‘to regard
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re taking our hats off
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re not stopping till we
Imprecation (noun) [im-pri-key-shuh-n] “This is used to describe when you’re swearing at someone wishing them ill or even wanting them to die. So you might say: ‘The man yelled vicious imprecations at the mugger who tried to steal his car.’” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and
Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we’re clarifying loose vs lose…
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