Secret languages abound in history and in modern culture, with words occasionally making the leap into the mainstream of spoken English. In this episode we explore the secret language of Polari with Professor Paul Baker and Colleen Windor of Les Girls. Plus, the Macquarie team discuss which Polari words have made it into the dictionary, and the resurgence of some words on the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

It's that time! Take a peek behind the scenes with us as Macquarie Dictionary chooses its 2018 Word of the Year.   In this episode tag along to the secret Word of the Year committee meeting hosted at Macquarie HQ, featuring guest judges Rae Johnston (Editor of Junkee), Jenna Guillaume (Editor-at-Large of Buzzfeed Australia), James Bradley (novelist and critic), and Tiger Webb (ABC Language).    What's your choice for Word of the Year 2018? Review our shortlist and cast your vote for People's Choice here. Voting closes 21st January 2019. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Can a cryptic crossword really preserve your memory and super-charge your brain? Australia's favourite cruciverbalist, David "Don't Attempt" Astle, investigates. Meanwhile, the Macquarie team decrypts linguistic mysteries, ciphers and puzzles, and the conversation takes them from Ancient Egypt to your local butcher's shop. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

In Indigenous cultures, traditional languages are bound up with family, history and place. In this episode, we meet three Noongar people - Miles Franklin-winning novelist Kim Scott; music historian Clint Bracknell; and performer and director Kylie Bracknell - to ask how an ancient, endangered language can live and thrive today. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now  

When it comes to bugging a suspect, re-interpreting a dusty statute, or presenting evidence in a criminal trial, the shifting tides of language draw the law with them. In this episode, forensic linguist Helen Fraser tests our ear-witness fallibility with speech evidence from a real-life murder case. Plus, the Macquarie team remembers that time they had to investigate a ransom note. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Surprise! We're back with another bonus episode, featuring some funny, fascinating, unaired tidbits from Season 2.   Also, you can vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards! Voting closes 1st April, so head to this link posthaste: bit.ly/2pPuGI3   Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox.   Listen now

So...we have news. It's officially the end of an era. Our long-time Editor Sue Butler is putting away her pencil and catalogue cards to retire, after 48 years at Macquarie Dictionary.   Join us as we look back with Sue at her incredible career in words.   Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox.   Listen now

It's that time! Take a peek behind the scenes with us as Macquarie Dictionary chooses its 2017 Word of the Year.    We sidle into the secret Word of the Year committee meeting, featuring guest judges Dr Karl and Tiger Webb of ABC Language. The editors lament the worst evergreen query - "But It's Two Words!" - and throw a tiny bit of shade at other dictionaries' picks (youthquake, anyone?). And finally, Adrik overcomes an obstacle.   Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox.   Listen now

It takes a special kind of person to be a dictionary editor. You need an instinctive understanding of language, a sharp, ever-listening ear, and the ability to laugh off death threats (really). In this very special episode, Merriam-Webster's Kory Stamper and Macquarie Dictionary's Alison Moore discuss both the drudgery and the delights of their work, as we journey into the secret heart of the dictionary editor.  Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Buckle up for a wild ride down the Information Superhighway, and into Cyberspace, where language moves faster than we can catch it. While the dictionary team reflects on the technology words of the past, our resident internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch fights the good fight on hyphenated email; Adrik and Kate look for favourite words at Oz ComicCon; and we discover a brand new language online, all for the love of dogs (it's h*ckin good). This is the final episode of Season 2, but stay subscribed! There are more bonus episodes to come in the weeks ahead. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

In Australia, we're working with a wild array of slang: classic phrases, new inventions, and slang so good that other countries want a piece of it. In this episode, lexicographer James Lambert explains the appeal of informal language; Kate tries to blend in at the skate park (gnarly, dude!); and Sue Butler decodes a song we all know, but perhaps have never entirely understood. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Sometimes English spelling seems designed to bamboozle. How did we end up with all these inconsistencies, quirky flourishes, and spellings that bear no resemblance to pronunciation? In search of an answer, the editors dig into the history of English spelling - including attempts to reform it - and hint at the secret work they do for spelling bees today. Plus, we check in with the adorable contestants of the Great Australian Spelling Bee TV series, two years on; and Adrik Kemp collects favourite words from the Sydney Story Factory. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now