Distinctive Down Under dictionary

– Heading Down Under where locals are “dry as a dead dingo’s donger” and beachgoers don “budgie smugglers”, but unsure what this means? Fear not, the latest edition of the Australian National Dictionary offers a primer on all things ’Straya.

The second edition of the dictionary was released this week and also includes words from more than 100 indigenous languages.

Chief editor Bruce Moore has worked on it for more than two decades. Colourful phrases that made the grade included “dry as a dead dingo’s donger” (very thirsty) and “do a Bradbury” – which refers to Australian Olympian Steven Bradbury, who won the short track gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics after all his rivals crashed. Bogan (an unsophisticated person), ranga (a person with red hair) and rurosexual (a metrosexual who lives in rural Australia) were among the new word entries. “Budgie smugglers” refer to a high-fitting swimsuit. – AFP