Tart Fuel and Arse Antlers

Every English teacher knows how important it is to have a good dictionary. Students whose first language is not English can have difficulty with slang, jargon and new usage of existing words.

They can try looking up words in a dictionary, but an older dictionary may not be any help.

I was pleased to read that the McQuarie Dictionary, Australia's National Dictionary, is running an on-line poll allowing readers to select their new word of the year for 2007 from the words which the dictionary has just included fpr the first time.

My favourites are:

arse antlers - a tattoo just above the buttocks, having a central section and curving extensions on each side.

floordrobe - a floor littered with discarded clothes, viewed ironically as a clothing storage system.

tart fuel - wine coolers and alcopops, viewed by men as deceptively alcoholic drinks that will lower a woman's resistance to sexual advances.

Another one which I need to watch out for is boomeritis - the range of sports-related injuries incurred by baby boomers as they pursue health and physical fitness programs into their old age, such as bursitis, tendonitis, sprains, strains and stress fractures.

The full list is here.

I hope that Angela is reading, I would like her perspective on this as an Australian.