David Astle
David Astle is the crossword compiler and Wordplay columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is a broadcaster on ABC Radio Melbourne.
Opinion
WordPlay
The slurs you’ve been using without even knowing it
Most rude words are obvious, but some are hiding in plain sight.
- by David Astle
Latest
Opinion
WordPlay
What’s the most versatile word we have? Mate, that’s easy
Americans have friends, the French have amis, and what we have depends on your tone.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
What this Pixar film gets so right about the human condition
Is this boredom I’m feeling, or ennui?
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
The real urban dictionary: How fluent are you in street talk?
Avenues, roads, stroads? We need to decipher the spin of today’s city planners.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
Hundreds of words have been added to the dictionary this year. Which ones will last?
Enshittification, this is your moment.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
At what age does an elder become elderly?
Aside from Donald Trump, most of us feel for Joe Biden, getting the tap that signals the twilight has gathered.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
The English language is full of surprises. Here are my three favourites
English, I thought I knew you.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
You might not know it, but you’re probably a ‘citizen scientist’
The term might be controversial, but the practice has become vital to most research fields.
- by David Astle
An Australian mystery – the pie with no source
A pastry named after Ned Kelly is just one of the local linguistic enigmas investigated this week.
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
I watched it for research. So was I unsatisfied or dissatisfied with The Fall Guy?
Who says you can’t have fun with words at the multiplex?
- by David Astle
Opinion
WordPlay
Umm-ahh! Whatever happened to this popular childhood taunt?
Once a playground staple, the story behind the uniquely Australian gibe remains a mystery.
- by David Astle
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/by/david-astle-p4yw3m