David Astle
David Astle is the crossword compiler and Wordplay columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is a broadcaster on ABC Radio Melbourne.
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Jump, pivot, circle back: Is this an office meeting or a basketball game?
Our daily jargon has become more physically active than we are.
- David Astle
Latest
Kiwis can keep pavlova but if they come for democracy sausage, they’re in for a grilling
With tongs snapping, New Zealanders are now coming for the phrase “sausage sizzle”.
- David Astle
OMG, most of today’s new slang goes unspoken
Where Romeo and Juliet once uttered pledges on the QT, serenading in shadows, the modern Romeo is as likely to slide into Juliet’s DMs.
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Are chatbots making things more difficult than old-fashioned transactions?
These days as consumers, we are often locked into these false amities with chatbots, our to-and-fro reliant on what previous questions and responses have been digested by the software.
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Why do we find it so difficult to talk about dying?
Death is how mortals do things, yet how often do you broach the topic?
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
We lost a literary giant and I had nothing to do with it, I swear
The timing of my last email to David Malouf was a strange coincidence.
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Believe it or not, I’m lost for a word
What do you call it when a thing is not really a thing?
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Sour grapes: Why your favourite ‘estate’ might not have a single vine
Call me prejudicial, but when I see “estate” in a rural setting, I think barrels and cellar doors.
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Business up top, party below: The origins of Donald Ducking
Be honest, how often have you Donald Ducked?
- David Astle
- Opinion
- WordPlay
Why does everything feel so surreal? The word that defined a decade
Ten years ago, the world changed. It’s hard to pinpoint the moment, but hints lie in the dictionary updates.
- David Astle