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Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, arrives with her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, at the Indian Presidential palace for ceremonial reception, in New Delhi, India , Wednesday, October. 17. Manish Swarup/AP/Press Association Images

Australian PM outburst prompts misogyny definition update

Dictionary updating definition, after Prime Minister Julia Gillard lambasted opposition leader Tony Abbott as a misogynist in parliament last week.

AUSTRALIA’S PRIME MINISTER did not define “misogyny” wrong in a blistering attack on a male rival — the dictionary did.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s fiery speech last week in which she branded conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott a misogynist for a string of allegedly sexist comments he had made in recent years has been lauded by feminists around the world.

But Gillard’s critics have accused her of hyperbole, pointing to dictionary definitions of misogyny as hatred of women.

Sue Butler, the editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, which is regarded as the definitive authority on Australian meanings of words, said Wednesday that the political furore revealed to her fellow editors that their dictionary’s definition was decades out of date.

The dictionary would broaden its definition from a hatred of women to include entrenched prejudice against women, she said.

“Since the 1980s, ‘misogyny’ has come to be used as a synonym for sexism — a synonym with bite, but nevertheless with the meaning of ‘entrenched prejudice against women’ rather than ‘pathological hatred,’” Butler said in a statement.

Gillard’s speech in Parliament last week came after Abbott attempted to move a motion to oust the House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper over crude and sexist terms Slipper made in text messages that came to light in a court case.

“If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn’t need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror,” Gillard told Parliament.

“Misogyny, sexism — every day from this leader of this opposition,” she added.

She complained Abbott had questioned in a media interview whether it was a bad thing that men had more power than women in Australian society and had described abortion as “the easy way out.”

Gillard said she was offended when Abbott once said to her in Parliament : “If the prime minister wants to, politically speaking, make an honest woman of herself …”

The term “making an honest woman” in Australia traditionally refers to a man marrying a woman with whom he has had a sexual relationship.

As well as being Australia’s first female prime minister, Gillard is also the first to share the prime minister’s official residence with a common law partner, former hairdresser Tim Mathieson, who is widely referred to by his unofficial title “first bloke.”

Female lawmakers in the conservative Liberal Party defended Abbott, who is married with three daughters, saying he did not hate women.

Butler said while the Oxford English Dictionary had expanded its definition of the word from a psychological term to include its contemporary meaning a decade ago, it took the debate over Gillard’s speech to prompt Macquarie to review its definition.

“Perhaps as dictionary editors we should have noticed this before it was so rudely thrust in front of us as something that we’d overlooked,” Butler told Associated Press.

She said the decision had drawn complaints.

“We’ve had various emails accusing us of a political stance in this,” Butler said. “Our changes to the dictionary usually don’t cause quite so much public interest.”

Among the critics is Sen. Fiona Nash, a member of Abbott’s coalition, who accused Macquarie of making the change to suit Gillard’s center-left Labor Party.

“It would seem more logical for the prime minister to refine her vocabulary than for the Macquarie Dictionary to keep changing its definitions every time a politician mangles the English language,” Nash said in a statement.

Gillard and Abbott declined to comment on the change.

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    Mute Maurice Whelan
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:45 PM

    News headlines all day ffs.thats not news, news is Ukraine, Gaza, immigration issues, violence in Dublin city centre…etc etc

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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Aug 27th 2024, 9:14 PM

    @Maurice Whelan: So we are not allowed to talk about anything else

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    Mute The Kenn
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    Aug 27th 2024, 9:39 PM

    @Maurice Whelan: News is anything that is of interest to the wider public. World events, politics, sport, entertainment, finance, technology, weather, arts. All news.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Aug 27th 2024, 10:08 PM

    @Maurice Whelan: Give it a rest maurice will you. Sour little man.

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    Mute Pip morgan
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    Aug 27th 2024, 10:14 PM

    @Maurice Whelan: Millions of people across the UK and Ireland are going to experience something they thought they would never see again. It’s going to bring joy to millions of people. It’s good news for a change.

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    Mute Bernard Connolly
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    Aug 27th 2024, 10:40 PM

    @Maurice Whelan: Maurice you are

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    Mute well done to all the rescue teams
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:41 PM

    can’t stand them…!
    only my opinion…

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    Mute Alexa Reborn
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:31 PM

    They must be Skint the poor things so the need to squeeze a few quid from everyone outweighs any disagreement they have between them.

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    Mute patrick lanigan
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    Aug 27th 2024, 9:04 PM

    Tossers

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    Mute honey badger
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:33 PM

    Saw them in Slane in 1995. They were good, but REM were better! I’m sure their fans will be delighted, though.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Aug 28th 2024, 1:21 AM

    @honey badger: Shiny happy people delighted i recon.

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    Mute Gerard Carey
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:15 PM

    Saw them in 2000 in Dublin.
    They were brutal, they didn’t want to be there, worse gig ever and I love Oasis.

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    Mute Ruth
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:28 PM

    @Gerard Carey: build a wonder wall & get over it …… :-)

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    Mute Paul H
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    Aug 28th 2024, 8:47 AM

    @Gerard Carey: same i was at that gig it as awful but I seen Liam in limerick recently and it was a superb gig.

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Aug 27th 2024, 9:23 PM

    Like a man with a fork in a world of soup! I love it noel brilliant!

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    Mute Darragh O Loughlin
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:07 PM

    Fukin In the bushes I hope they open with that!

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    Mute Laurence Cavanagh
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    Aug 27th 2024, 11:11 PM

    Don’t look back in anger? Yeah right. Won’t take long to implode.

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    Mute Keth Tgi
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:18 PM

    Forget the Stone Rises, this IS the second coming.

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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:36 PM

    @Keth Tgi: I already have. Can’t remember the Stone Rises at all.

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    Mute Matt Rogers
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    Aug 28th 2024, 11:25 PM

    @Keth Tgi: Stone Roses groupies was their high point
    !!

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    Mute Hector turtlehead
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    Aug 27th 2024, 10:15 PM

    Irish at its best.
    Massive eyebrows, big mouth, swaggering on side of feet.
    Cmon, I’ll Ave ye.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:07 PM

    GLORY!!!!

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    Mute David Busher
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    Aug 28th 2024, 7:17 AM

    Who cares… they are old farts now…find a rocking chair guys …. at least the stones stuck together with their fans since 1962.. these dumped their fans and now their broke they want them back as a cash cow lol yeah blure were better ….

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    Mute Simon Eales
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    Aug 27th 2024, 11:43 PM

    They should wind up their fans and play Be Here Now in its entireity.

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    Mute brian o'leary
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    Aug 27th 2024, 8:15 PM

    Poc noogle

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    Mute offside again
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    Aug 27th 2024, 9:48 PM

    Check out ‘Hi-Vis’. Bit of an Oasis vibe about them.
    0151
    Fever Dreams
    Talk For Hours

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Aug 28th 2024, 4:15 AM

    Was lucky enough to see the lads half a dozen times,and experienced the brothers on there own ,if you get a chance to see the lads do there thing you won’t forget

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Aug 28th 2024, 5:26 AM

    Live long and prosper

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    Mute vxQ6cYzh
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    Aug 28th 2024, 3:17 AM

    COMMENT CLOSED

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    Mute Paul Hayes
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    Aug 28th 2024, 8:06 AM

    Oasis returning after 15 years is like going back to that house you left a massive dump in at the house party and hoping they’ve forgotten the absolute stink you left in your last visit. Of course I’ll go if I get a ticket though. That said this smells of cancelled after about 5 shows

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    Mute Peter Gaffney
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    Aug 28th 2024, 11:43 AM

    Heard the stage is being built like a boxing ring just incase so fans can get there monies worth

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Aug 28th 2024, 6:49 AM

    Any idea how much tickets will be?

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