The first in an entertaining new series of novels.

A 1930s Oxford murder mystery featuring the Inklings

Due to impressive research, 1930s England is beautifully evoked

The English language arrived in Australia with the first motley bunch of European settlers on 26 January 1788. Today there is clearly a distinctive Australian regional dialect with its own place among the global family of 'Englishes'. How did this come about? Where did the distinctive pattern, accent, and verbal inventions that make up Aussie English come from? A lively narrative, this book tells the story of the birth, rise and triumphant progress of the colourful dingo lingo that we know today as Aussie English.

Are you seeing your mates this arvo because it's been yonks? Do you shout 'ave a go, ya mug to your football team from the stands? Or tell your mate his team has got Buckley's chance of winning the AFL Grand Final? Do you mutter 'stone the crows' when surprised? Or have you got your wobbly boots on? Perhaps you've recently developed a verandah bum. Aussie English may be the most inventive and creative language in the world. This larrikin lexicography by Kel Richards tells the stories behind almost a thousand Aussie words and phrases. So if you've ever wondered how 'bloody' became an all-purpose swear word, why 'bludger' means a lazy person, or even what 'dangle the dunlops', 'possum knockers' or 'molly-dooker' might mean, then you need to read this bonzer book.