Rooted

Bugger, rooted, strewth...What is it about Australians and swearing? We’ve got an international reputation for using a bloody good swear word or two. From the defiant curses of the convicts to the humour of Kath & Kim, Amanda Laugesen, Chief Editor of the Australian National Dictionary, takes us on an engrossing journey through the tumultuous history of Australia’s bad language.

Bad language has been used in all sorts of ways in our history: to defy authority, as a form of liberation and subversion, and as a source of humour and creativity. It has also been used to oppress and punish. The story of bad language gives us a unique insight into Australia’s past and present – from the insolent to the offensive, with plenty of f-bombs along the way.

‘Australia is built on blood, sweat and swears. Digging up the dirt, Amanda Laugesen finds out why, with flair, ferocity and other f-words.’ – David Astle, author of Puzzled: Secrets and Clues from a Life Lost in Words

‘A colourful tour of more than two centuries of bad language that extends from the mildly offensive to the completely filthy.’ – Frank Bongiorno

‘In Rooted, her appositely titled, exhaustive history of the national use of the obscene, the offensive and the ever-creative slangy, Amanda Laugesen proves that so-called “bad language” makes for some of the most inventive, descriptive and even character-defining in the world.’ – Jonathon Green, author of Green’s Dictionary of Slang

‘This important book shows that Australian “bad language” is inventive, rebellious, and subversive at the same time as it is offensive, abusive and racist. Laugesen’s history of “bad language” in Australia, from convicts to bushmen to First World War diggers and through to contemporary Aboriginal hip-hop artists, provides a new and instructive gateway to understanding Australian culture and identity.’ Bruce Moore, author of Speaking Our Language: The Story of Australian English