‘Kwaussie’ chosen as Australia’s word of the year … and Twitter scratches its collective head
Choice of ‘Kwaussie’ was inspired by a dual citizenship crisis plaguing politics in Australia
Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe is one, and so is Barnaby Joyce, Australia’s deputy prime minister whose dual citizenship almost brought down the government.
They can both describe themselves as “Kwaussie”, a portmanteau term that refers to a person who is both Australian and a New Zealander and was named on Monday as Australia’s word of the year.
It means someone who is both a “kiwi”, or a New Zealander, and an “Aussie”.
Researchers said Crowe, the star of the films such as Gladiator and Les Misérables, was one of the original “Kwaussies”.
Crowe lives in Australia but was born across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand.
“We were able to trace it back to print in a Wellington newspaper in 2002 referring to Russell Crowe,” said Amanda Laugesen, director of the National Dictionary Centre.