Dr Bruce Moore was getting the downlights in his kitchen fixed back in 1995 and when his electrician had finished the job he turned to Dr Moore and said, "They look pretty schmick".
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As the former director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at The Australian National University, the lexicographer was surprised by the word schmick, one he had never heard before.
Schmick is just one of 6000 new words and phrases, including words from more than 100 Indigenous languages, that have been officially recognised in the second edition of the Australian National Dictionary published on Tuesday August 23.
Babyccino, battered sav, grey nomad, and carry on like a pork chop are among some others. So too are "doing a Bradbury" and "straight to the pool room".
New words and terms from the ACT include: booner (a person regarded as uncultured or unsophisticated; a bogan), ex-govie (a privately owned dwelling originally built and leased by the government), and Jennings German (a German migrant tradesman recruited to Canberra in the 1950s to work for AV Jennings).
Other words directly related to the ACT include Canberran (a resident of Canberra, or a person born in Canberra) and bush capital (a name for Canberra).
"The dictionary shows how Australian words tell us much about Australian history and about Australian values and attitudes," Dr Moore said.
"The Australian National Dictionary is the essential cultural and historical document that maps the words that define who we are, where we have come from and what we value."
It has been 28 years since the first edition was published and Dr Moore said it was interesting to note that in the first edition no words were labelled offensive.
"It shows how changes in attitude towards language have occurred."
The dictionary now traces the history of 16,000 words and phrases, including slang and regional words, back to their original sources, including books, newspapers and diaries.
Oxford University Press managing director Peter van Noorden said the new edition was a crucial record of Australian culture and identity.
"It is vital that these words be recorded," Mr van Noorden said.
"If language is a definer of nationhood and the character of a people, then this new edition illustrates what it means, in words, to be Australian."
The lavishly bound, two-volume set was published by Oxford University Press Australia and New Zealand and compiled by the Australian National Dictionary Centre at The Australian National University.
As Dr Moore says, "it's the schmickest dictionary about". One destined to go straight to the pool room.
Here are some highlights from the new entries.
Australian politics
Aspirational voter: A voter who is mainly concerned with material improvement or gain.
Branch stacking: The practice of improperly increasing the membership of a local branch of a political party to ensure the preselection of a particular candidate.
Captain's pick: A unilateral decision made by the captain of a team, usually regarding the choice of a team member. In a political context, a decision made by a party leader etc. without consultation with colleagues.
Chardonnay socialist: A person who espouses left-wing views but enjoys an affluent lifestyle. Probably derived from the British "champagne socialist".
Howard's battler: A person (especially working class), traditionally regarded as a Labor voter, who was instrumental in electing John Howard's conservative Coalition to power in the 1996 federal election; such a person who continues to vote for the Coalition.
Mortgage belt: An area where many people are paying off a mortgage on their home, regarded as electorally volatile. First noted in The Sydney Morning Herald in 1966.
Negative gearing: The act or process of borrowing money and investing it (especially in property) to make a loss that is tax deductible. First reported in The Courier-Mail in 1984.
Small-l liberal: An upholder of the principles of liberalism although not necessarily an adherent of the Liberal Party; a non-conservative member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Australia, with progressive views on social issues etc.
True believer: A person with strong faith in the ideals and values of the Australian Labor Party. Popularised by the ABC television drama The True Believers in 1987.
Wombat trail: An election campaign trail pursued by leaders of the Nationals (formerly the Country Party). First described in The Courier-Mail in 1984.
Other state-based terms
Double-cut roll (South Australia): A bread roll cut horizontally three times to allow two layers of filling.
Goose club (Queensland): A fundraising raffle in a sporting or social club. From an English tradition in which members would pool funds for a Christmas goose.
Hook turn (Victoria): At some Melbourne intersections where trams cross, a right-hand turn made by a vehicle from the far left hand lane.
Houso (NSW): Especially in Sydney, a public housing tenant. First reported in The Sydney Morning Herald in 1994.
Skimpy (Western Australia): A noun used to signify a scantily-clad woman employed to serve drinks at a bar.
Stubloon (Northern Territory): A brass token with an exchange value of one stubby of beer.
Yaffler (Tasmania): A garrulous person; a long-winded speaker; a loudmouth. From the British dialect "yaffle" meaning "to bark sharply, as a dog".
Other phrases
Battered sav: A saveloy coated in batter and fried.
Callithumpian: A member of an unspecified noncomformist religious sect; a person of unspecified political beliefs.
Gosford skirt: A very short skirt, named after the NSW central coast town of Gosford.
Mexican: A person from a more southern region. In Victoria, a person from New South Wales; in Queensland, a person from NSW or Victoria; in northern Queensland, a person from southern Queensland, NSW or Victoria.
Migaloo: A white person, in Biri and other Indigenous languages of northern Queensland.
Rurosexual: A fashionable young man living in a country area. Modelled on the term "metrosexual".
- with Michael Koziol
