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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.

From Klingon to Elvish, what’s your favourite made-up language?
Opinion
WordPlay

From Klingon to Elvish, what’s your favourite made-up language?

Because sometimes it’s words that help make the make-believe more believable.

  • by David Astle

Latest

A ban on saying ‘no worries’? They don’t understand
Opinion
WordPlay

A ban on saying ‘no worries’? They don’t understand

First they came for rizz, sus, iconic and artisanal – now they’re coming for a phrase we need.

  • by David Astle
Haitch is for horrified: How my column launched a H-bomb
Opinion
WordPlay

Haitch is for horrified: How my column launched a H-bomb

The haitch vs aitch debate is far from settled.

  • by David Astle
Here, there and everywhen: The English language has a tense problem
Opinion
WordPlay

Here, there and everywhen: The English language has a tense problem

What do you do when the past, present and future collide all at once?

  • by David Astle
The great divide: how do you pronounce the letter H?

The great divide: how do you pronounce the letter H?

There are two kinds of people in this world. Aitchers and haitchers.

  • by David Astle
From bogan to susso, the 100 words that define Australia

From bogan to susso, the 100 words that define Australia

From hoon to halal snack pack, this book records the unique, sacrosanct, larrikin, evolving dialect we share.

  • by David Astle
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What do you call a cardboard box designer? You ask, we try to answer

What do you call a cardboard box designer? You ask, we try to answer

Some suggestions: paper-shaper, a cubist, a cartonist, a cat-home architect, a crease monkey, a chairman of the board, a manila folder and a Pratt.

  • by David Astle
Pretty, pretty good: How Larry David changed the English language
Opinion
WordPlay

Pretty, pretty good: How Larry David changed the English language

Forget Emmys, it’s the dictionary set to enshrine the writer’s legacy, capturing labels we never knew we needed.

  • by David Astle
Binge-watching? I’ve been doing it since the ’70s
Opinion
WordPlay

Binge-watching? I’ve been doing it since the ’70s

From epic Wimbledon finals to DVD box sets, I’ve been bingeing TV since before it was a meme.

  • by David Astle
It’s hard to convince Google you’re not dead - just ask Tom Faber
Opinion
WordPlay

It’s hard to convince Google you’re not dead - just ask Tom Faber

The freelancer was shocked to find that the search engine had conflated him with a dead physicist.

  • by David Astle
The slurs you’ve been using without even knowing it
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

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/by/david-astle-p4yw3m