The compilers of the Australian National Dictionary are seeking suggestions of words from the sporting vocabulary which should go into the next edition.
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"As well as many common words, like oval, sundry, mark, offie, minor premier and barrack, Australian English includes dishlicker, esky lidder, petrolhead, waxhead, up there Cazaly, and Black Caviar odds," Mark Gwynn of the Australian National Dictionary Centre said.
The centre now wants new suggestions that relate to sport but which haven't made it into the dictionary yet.
"These terms could be anything from types of tackles and kicks, like chicken-wing tackle or mongrel punt, to words used in backyard sports like tippy-go or six-and-out," Mr Gwynn said.
The contribution of sport to the wider lexicon has already been great.
"Many Australian rhyming slang terms come from the world of sport like 'Dorothy Dix' for a six in cricket, 'Wally Grout' for a shout at the bar, 'Mal Meninga' for finger, 'meat pie' for try, and 'sausage roll' for goal," Mr Gwynn said.
"Some people might not realise that common Australian words and expressions such as drongo, home and hosed, sledge, fang it, and no-hoper originate in the sporting world."
Every year, the compilers of the dictionary seek new suggestions, and often use a theme to concentrate minds.
In 2022, for example, they asked for food suggestions, and cited "honey joy, tank loaf, bushman brownie and smiley fritz".
It may all sound a bit tame but occasionally reaching out to the public for suggestions causes controversy.
Last year, the compilers of the Macquarie Dictionary sought suggestions for new words and received "cozzie livs" for cost of living, "password child" for a child favoured over his or her siblings, "gendy nooch" for gender neutral, "murder noodle" for a snake and "tiger toast" for toast with strips of cheese and vegemite.
It wasn't well-received.
All the same, the Australian National Dictionary is pressing on.
"Contributions from the public are a very important way of alerting us to new words, or words that may've been overlooked in the past," Mr Gwynn said.
"You can share your sport-related words via the ANDC Word Box feature or through the ANDC contact page."
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
