This number of Ozwordssees the arrival of a new editor, Frederick Ludowyk, a writer, researcher at the Australian National Dictionary Centre, and co-editor of the forthcoming new edition of the Australian Oxford Paperback Dictionary.The first five numbers of Ozwordswere edited by Nicholas Hudson, and we are grateful to him for making Ozwordsso popular among its readers, and for the experience and wit he brought to his editing and writing.

There are three new features in this number, and they will become regular items. First, there is a report on the activities of the Australian National Dictionary Centre from its Director (including a follow-up, as promised, on your responses to the article on regional Australian English). Secondly, there is a section on Australian words and their origins. Thirdly, there is a historical section which will reproduce comments from the past on the development of Australian English. The Mailbag section continues, so please continue to send in your comments, complaints, and questions.

Our two main features in this issue deal with Australian racing terms and with the folk etymology of some common idioms. Since this number of Ozwordswill appear just before Melbourne Cup, I thought it would be appropriate to examine some of the Australian terms which have evolved as a result of the racing industry. The process of folk etymology ('a popular modifying of the form of a word or phrase to make it seem to be derived from a more familiar word') is quite fascinating to explore. I hope you will find the exploration fun.

Frederick Ludowyk
Editor