Australians have ways of saying things that can confound other English speakers: boiling the billy in the outback; planting a wattle in the nature strip; saying g'day to a dingbat.

The Dinkum Dictionary tells the stories behind the origins of a rich mix of distinctly Australian words and phrases, and with more than twenty new entries the third edition is an essential reference for the home, the office, the classroom, for anyone curious about how and why we use words.

'Proof positive that the Australian language still fizzes and sparkles like fireworks. Sue Butler's Dinkum Dictionary is a little bottler.' Kel Richards, ABC Radio