cover of episode Bunyip

Bunyip

2021/7/21
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Word of the Day

Shownotes Transcript

Bunyip is a noun that refers to a counterfeit or imposter. It's also an adjective that means phony.

Our word of the day comes directly from an Australian aborigine language and refers to a mythical monster. By the mid-19th century, it had come to be used to describe things that are imposters or pretenders.

Here’s an example of bunyip in a sentence: I was delighted to see I’d gotten my hands on an authentic penny from 1890. But when I looked closer and realized the face on it belonged to Bill Clinton, I discovered it was a bunyip.