Spread the word: the search for our #Familyspeak has begun

Image: Pixabay - The expressions and words unique to families, including new lingo developing during the COVID-19 pandemic, are the subject of an Australia-wide search by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). The Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC) is collecting 'Familyspeak' for their second annual appeal for contributions to the Australian National Dictionary.   "We all know Mum's the word, but what about words that are Mum's?" said ANDC Director Dr Amanda Laugesen.  "Most of us have words and expressions that are special to our family.  "They might be expressions that one member of the family uses - for example, my father-in-law has a lot of these, such as saying someone who doesn't have any money 'doesn't have two pennies to jingle on a tombstone' and 'seven pennies of god help me' to describe someone who's not well dressed."  According to Dr Laugesen, 'Familyspeak' can come from a number of different sources.   "They might be variants of traditional expressions or a different meaning for a common word or phrase," she said.  "Sometimes they are a euphemism for a less acceptable word, for example, 'oh cheese' (for oh Jesus), or they might be derived from wordplay, like 'washdisher' (for dishwasher).   "Children's words for things, such as 'wobbellies' (for wallabies), are another source.