The Australian National Dictionary wants to list town nicknames

The people at ANU who compile Australia’s national dictionary want to know what nickname you give your town.

This is Brisvegas. Are there any more nicknames?

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: Nicknames for places, eating advice

What do you call your town?

The Australian National Dictionary Centre wants to be told, by people all over the country, what nicknames they call their town. Nicknames apparently abound, but unless the centre hears about them they won’t be in next edition of dictionary created by the centre, which is based at the Australian National University.

What sort of names are they looking for? Think Freo, The Gong, or Brisvegas.

“The informality and humour commonly found in Australian English obviously extends to naming places as well,” said ANDC editor, Mark Gwynn. “If there’s a place in Australia that hasn’t received a nickname yet, it’s only a matter of time.”

If you want to make a contribution go to the ANDC Facebook page or @ozworders on Twitter.

Nightworkers should eat, but in moderation

Shiftworkers who are on duty through the night can help their alertness by eating a snack, which is better for minimising fatigue than having no food, or consuming a full meal. University of South Australia researchers tested 44 people who simulated one week of shift work. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group ate no food during the night while the other two groups ate at 12.30am. One of the two eating groups had just a snack (for example a sandwich, muesli bar or apple) while the other group had a full meal.

The research, carried out by PhD candidate Charlotte Gupta, found that while participants in all groups reported increased fatigue and decreased vigour, a snack reduced the impact compared to having a full meal or no food at all.

“We know that many nightshift workers eat on-shift to help them stay awake, but until now, no research has shown whether this is good or bad for their health and performance,” said Ms Gupta. “This is the first study to investigate how workers feel and perform after eating different amounts of food.”