The Word

Heckler

Why is the word 'no' so difficult to understand?

Heckler WHAT part of ''I am deliberately avoiding eye contact'' do you choose not to understand?

Heckler

Mum's the word - so don't ask

MOTHER'S DAY is looming and I would like to give you all a little heads-up on what would make the day truly special. It is a simple request and it won't cost a cent.

Tony Wright

Spread the word: you don't mess with diggers or our sacred Vegemite

Tony Wright In 2001, some marketing genius advising Athletics Australia decided it would be a splendid idea to adopt the name the Aussie Diggers for the track and field team competing in the World Championships...

Chris Berg

The weight of the word

Chris Berg To oppose WikiLeaks is to be against press freedom and free speech.

Bruce Guthrie

Castlemaine verdict changes the odds, but there's a blight in sight

Bruce Guthrie After 20 years, we still can't seem to agree on the best way to manage those pokies.

Heckler

Word to the wise, if that's OK

Heckler I WANT to change the English language - well, the use of it - but I'm going to need your help and your consensus to do it. Are you prepared to try? Yes or no?

Leslie Cannold

Let's celebrate integrity

Leslie Cannold Two young Australian reporters refuse to reveal their sources and face jail for contempt of court. A former customs official is convicted for leaking reports about security breaches at Sydney Airport...

Darwin, dinosaurs and the devil

Mark Joseph Stern An Australian creationist believes Charles Darwin is to blame for drug abuse and pornography, and that people rode dinosaurs.

Elizabeth Farrelly

The species is doomed without a connection

Elizabeth Farrelly There are many things, dammit, that I do not understand. Why flowers and plumages become brighter near the equator.

Opinion

Tarantino's lost the plot and needs a good editor

Keith Austin OK, let's get this over and done with. I'm going to talk about Django Unchained, the new Quentin Tarantino movie out in cinemas on Thursday and I'm going to use the 'N' word.

Comments 161

Word for whatever ales ya on our national day

Richard Glover Here, in the spirit of the Dag's Dictionary, is a dictionary of words you may need to use as you navigate your way through the Australia Day weekend.

Brigid Delaney

High stakes for social Samaritans

Brigid Delaney The social Samaritans who police our public spaces for infractions, disturbances and annoyances are playing a high-risk game when ''respect'' is something worth killing for.

Charles Waterstreet

A lonely verdict on a life in the law

Charles Waterstreet Lawyers are the modern-day witches, burning at stakes for telling truths.

Chris Berg

This doomsday endgame could last a long time

Chris Berg Apocalyptic preachers feed your anxieties. Just turn the sound off.

Alan Stokes

Here's a few ripping reads you should have got in your sack

Alan Stokes So Tony Abbott didn't read the 76-page, 221-paragraph, 35,000-word Ashby-Slipper-Brough judgment. Smart man. I've read it and now I need a very long holiday.

Stephen Bayley

Facts are boring - we need much more opinionated idiocy

Stephen Bayley I am an idiot. You could be one, too, and it would not be disappointing. In fact, I recommend it. Idiocy is misunderstood.

Suzanne Moore

Thank you David Bowie, for making me sexually confused

Suzanne Moore I only had sex because of David Bowie. It would have been better if I had only had sex with David Bowie. But you can't have everything. Though for a while, he was everything.