New York Times: HONG KONG — In October 2014, Australia’s prime minister produced blank stares around the globe when he vowed to “shirt-front” President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia over the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine, in which 28 Australian citizens had been killed.
Back home, many Australians knew exactly what Tony Abbott, who was then prime minister, was talking about: “Shirt-front” describes charging an opponent in Australian football. But those who didn’t understand Mr. Abbott had few authoritative sources to consult.
Until now.
“Shirt-front” is among the more than 6,000 new entries in an updated version of the Australian National Dictionary, released Tuesday at a ceremony at the country’s Parliament in Canberra, the capital. It was the first update since the dictionary’s inaugural edition was printed in 1988.
The new edition, which lists 16,000 idioms, was compiled by the Australian National Dictionary Center at the Australian National University. New entries include popular terms like bogan (“an uncultured and unsophisticated person”) and budgie smugglers (“a pair of closefitting male swimming briefs made of stretch fabric”).
