Posts Tagged: writers

  • A fairy in a bath tub representing "fairy smut".

    Fairy smut and romantasies

    While I was in England I was introduced to “fairy smut” by our niece (she is in her thirties by the way). Sometimes the world surprises you in ways that make you smile. Acotar—A Court of Thorns and Roses Invited to lunch, we asked Cate about her book collection. Rather sheepishly she told us most […]

  • Weasel with an egg with word cloud in the background with weasel words being prominent

    Weasel words

    Business writing is full of words that sound impressive but say very little. They are known as weasel words. They are at their worst when they are used quite deliberately to avoid meaning and to create the illusion of substance. Politicians, marketers, public servants and corporate executives love them. They can soften bad news, exaggerate […]

  • Picture of young woman in Regency dress with caption VEX—to cause difficulty to someone, or to cause someone to feel angry, annoyed, or upset. AI generated illustration.

    Vex and vexation

    In 2025 we celebrate the 250 anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Today (24 January 2025) I do want to talk about something more uplifting than the inauguration of Donald Trump, a man not lacking in pride or prejudice (… it is a truth universally acknowledged, that talentless men in possession of large fortunes, will more […]

  • Burgess explained to the New Yorker how he named the book: 'I first heard the expression “as queer as a clockwork orange” in a London pub before the Second World War. It is an old Cockney slang phrase, implying a queerness or madness so extreme as to subvert nature, since could any notion be more bizarre than that of a clockwork orange?’ AI generated image

    Nadsat and A Clockwork Orange

    Today is the anniversary of the death of Anthony Burgess, the English novelist (22 November 1993). His most famous work is A Clockwork Orange published in 1962 and made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film. The novel uses Burgess’ made-up slang, called Nadsat, as the characters’ language. Burgess explained to the New Yorker how he […]

  • Ethan Slater plays Boq the munchkin in Wicked to be released 21 November in Australia.

    Ethan Slater is a munchkin

    I came across an article recently spruiking Ethan Slater’s role as Boq, a munchkin in the new film “Wicked” an adaptation of the Broadway musical about good and bad witches based on the Wizard of Oz. The film will be released in Australia. 21 November 2024. The word “munchkin” was a creation of L. Frank […]

  • Winston Smith, the main character of 1984, lives in an Orwellian future of doublespeak.

    Orwellian, newspeak and doublethink

    Seventy-five years ago (8 June 1949), George Orwell’s book “1984” was published. It is set in a dystopian, totalitarian future. Written in 1948 Orwell transcribed  the year to 1984 (26 years into his future, now 40 years in history). Orwell introduced a set of new words and phrases to describe how governments manipulated and controlled […]

  • Line drawing of Ambrose Bierce with quote "Friendship—A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather but only one in foul". Ambrose Bierce (1842—1914)

    Friend—navigating your digital friendships

    Navigating digital friendship Friendship is a concept that is embedded in our language. Having friends enriches our lives and protects us from loneliness. But has the digital age killed the meaning of friendship? The term “friend” can be traced back to the Old English “freond,” denoting an individual attached to another by feelings of personal […]

  • An image of the Belle Dame Sans Merci with a verse superimposed I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful—a faery’s child, Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild. A shortened version of gloaming, gloam is used in the poem.

    Gloaming in Guernsey and Tasmania

    Gloaming in Guernsey Part of my summer reading over Christmas and New Year (2019-2020) has been The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a delightful novel set in the immediate post-war period on the channel island of Guernsey. Although quite a light novel, its plot slowly and cleverly unfolds the tragedies made […]

  • Crime fiction sub-genres - cosy and noir

    How do you like your murder?

    My wife is fan of English murder mysteries and for her birthday recently one of her friends gave her a boxed-set of the first eight seasons of Midsomer Murders.  She was excited, however, the rest of us were not looking forward to the prospect of having to sit through fifty episodes of murder at the village fete. I […]

  • Young ladies in their knickers

    Knickers, bloomers and drawers

    I love the British word, knickers, for ladies underpants. It has a gentle naughtiness without being vulgar. In Britain it has surpassed all its rivals: smalls, briefs, panties, bloomers and completely replaced its predecessor, drawers. In Australia we tend to talk about pants or panties (as does the US) although knickers is gaining some ground. […]

  • Barbie Legs—Madrigal Word of the Week Mondegreen

    Lady Mondegreen meets Barbie

    A few years ago when my children were much younger and my wife was at home she decided to have classical singing lessons to give herself an outlet. One song she learnt was the Handel song, Ombra ma fui (translated as Never was a shade), (see umbrage). The chorus goes: Ombra mai fu (Never was a shade) […]

  • The Mad Hatter and the March Hare modified from Sir John Tenniel illustration for Alice in Wonderland

    Far from madding

    Out of ones mind Mad came into English in the 13th Century from the Old English word, gemædde, meaning out of one’s mind often with violent excitement. It also meant foolish and extremely stupid or excited beyond self-control or the restraint of reason. Mad as a March hare is an expression that relates the behaviour […]