Word of the week

Published December 19, 2015

Words are very powerful — so become empowered by enhancing your vocabulary! Check out this week’s word ‘Chalkie’, a new entrant to the Oxford Dictionary

Chalkie

Noun (Australian /NZ informal)

Definition: A school teacher.

Examples: “I get three holidays a year, being a chalkie and all!”

“The chalkies’ experiences changed their lives in ways that would have been impossible to predict.”

“Full-scale implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence is nigh and condemned chalkies know there is to be no education governor’s reprieve.”

“But even those destined to become chalkies had to complete a further 10 weeks’ training as infantrymen.”

Opinion

Editorial

Battling hate
15 Mar, 2026

Battling hate

ISLAMOPHOBIA today is not some nebulous concept, but a real-world threat experienced by many of the world’s two...
TB drugs shortage
15 Mar, 2026

TB drugs shortage

‘CRIMINAL negligence’ is the phrase that jumps to mind when one considers the disturbing consequences of the...
Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...
Fragile gains at risk
14 Mar, 2026

Fragile gains at risk

PAKISTAN is confronting an external shock stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran that few of the other affected...
Kidney disease
14 Mar, 2026

Kidney disease

ON World Kidney Day this past Thursday, the Pakistan Medical Association raised the alarm on Pakistan’s...
Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...