Writing on Australia Day, it is an appropriate reminder that Plain English means avoiding slang terms that readers (particularly on the international forum of the Web) may not understand. This doesn’t mean you can’t marvel at the colourful colloquialisms human beings have created. Have a look at the Australian Slang Dictionary. I particularly like the entries under Y, which include yabber (to talk too much), yabby (a small freshwater lobster/crayfish), yack (to talk), yakka (hard manual labour), and yarn (to have a talk or discussion with someone). Very confusing to those not in the know!
Playing Buzzword Bingo 9 July, 2008
Buzzword bingo is a bingo-style game where participants prepare bingo cards with buzzwords and tick them off when they are uttered during an event, such as a meeting or speech. The goal of the game is to tick off a predetermined number of words in a row and then yell “Bingo!”.
Print off some Buzzword Bingo cards yourself and the next time your boss says “multi-task”, “fast track” or “heads-up”, see if you have the courage to shout “bingo”!
