Dirty politics by Macquarie Dictionary

Here is the perfect Christmas present for political enthusiasts, sure to draw a few laughs. This slim publication from Pan Macmillan draws together the annual political contenders for the Macquarie Word of the Year to present a collection of original barbs and witticisms, very often uniquely Aussie humour, though it does include a few American sayings that have found fertile ground here as well.

Some will only resonate with readers of a certain era, for example ‘Dorothy Dixer’, and ‘banana republic’, but others pick up on popular sports terms like ‘free kick’ and ‘captain’s call’, and the more modern technology related terms ‘echo chamber’, ‘fake news’, ‘deep state’ and ‘dark money’. One term has crossed the generations divide: ‘do the Harry’ was a reference to the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt, but nowadays would have a more royal reference.

We all know the meaning of ‘baby kissing’, ‘faceless men’, and ‘hatchet man’, and the class aspersions of ‘chardonnay socialist’ and ‘soy cap intelligentsia’; we can work out that  ‘bamboo ceiling’ is the Asian Australian equivalent to the women’s ‘glass ceiling’; but what about ‘bitch and fold’ and ‘dead cat bounce’? There are words that have made their way into the general lexicon and others that are more obscure. They are all fascinating to read about.

Interspersed among the dictionary type listing of words, there are memorable quotes from Australian politicians. Who first coined the phrase ‘conga line of suckholes’? No, it wasn’t Keating, though there is a fair smattering of his colourful remarks; the ‘conga line’ originated with Mark Latham. And Abbott’s ‘suppository of all wisdom’ still draws a laugh.

In his Foreword, comedian Sammy J describes how his imagination was fired up in his Year 10 politics class with learning about the origins of the word ‘gerrymander’. He suggests that classes that insert the words ‘jeffed’, ‘woketard’, and ‘ratfuck’ might find ‘a whole generation of young people freshly engaged in the history of privatisation, culture wars and bilateral relations’. Who knows? Maybe it’s worth a try.

Themes: Politics, Etymology, Words, Insults, Colloquialisms.

Helen Eddy