The Footy Dictionary

The final siren has sounded at Dictionary HQ, but the boys are in the studio to give one last worthy hurrah in radio junk time.  Thanks for listening this season, DicHeads. Catch Harper every Friday from 8am on SYN's breakfast show Get Cereal , and Hamish riding his camel to get to Bishkek in time for the Central Asian Australian Football League grand final.  If you've liked the show, gi...

Harper's coming into the studio at his highest point this week, still buzzing off Essendon's streak-snapping win over Port. Hamish is not so happy - at least until he hears a football media great's name in an Arabic-language 2000s pop banger.  Stick around for a show-closing poem dedicated to the reserved seat members who you always hear but never see.  We're live on SYN 90.7FM every Sun...

A hush has gone 'round Dictionary HQ after Carlton and Essendon were consigned to 0-2 starts ahead of their primetime fixtures this weekend.  Hamish has some melancholy melodies and Harper is bringing some early-season commentary faux pas to the table. Tune in to find out the precise definition of a 'cricket score', what's gone wrong with the MCG LEDs and why we met be set for a new age of ha...

Hamish O'Brien and Harper Pestinger have a lot to say about the final week of AFL pre-season. Stadium MCs, sponsor contract negotiators and tropical weather systems are all in the firing line.  We're live on SYN 90.7FM every Sunday from 6pm. Our Instagram is @DictionaryHQ   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pre-season action is gaining speed, Robert Menzies is ramping up and The Footy Dictionary is hitting its straps this week. Join Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien for another powerful hour of niche footy chat that'll make you go "wowzer". We're live on SYN 90.7FM every Sunday from 6pm. Our Instagram is @DictionaryHQ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing brings people together like a match sim at Whitten Oval.  All it took was four-goal second half from Tom Edwards, and just like that Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien are back, reunited on the airwaves.  What classifies as a big week? What's the etiquette for on-field team photos? And how did another talkback caller find our number?  We're live on SYN 90.7FM every Sunday f...

'What's this whole Dictionary show even about?'  Well, it's definitely not on-field analysis, and we've stretched beyond just the language of Aussie rules. To kick off the new season, The Footy Dictionary presents the definitive, hour-long answer to this oft-asked question.  From banner/song synchronisation to Africanised bees, footy card facts to Fable Singers, this show is quite someth...

It's come to this.  Six weeks of scouring the depths of history to find football's greatest journeymen. Today, we finalise our All-Journeyman line-up, including, crucially, the fabled ruck position. Harper Pestinger, Hamish O'Brien and Connor Buttigieg are in the studio to name their contenders, read out the most romantic of love letters and partake in a musical quiz that surprised EVERYONE....

In this crafts and textiles edition of The Dictionary, art aficionado/ABC Sport commentator Ben Cameron joins Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien to tear through his favourite footy quirks.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marnie Vinall - of ABC and  The Footy with Broden Kelly fame - is in the studio with Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien to present her greatest niche loves and hates of Aussie rules. We're live from 5pm every Sunday on SYN 90.7 FM with footy guests who nerd out on the niche. All the cool cats listen, so we'll see you there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see it, but I don't believe it! Don't adjust your set! It's the greatest miracle since Brendan Fevola's 2006 Grand Final sprint triumph! Your mainstream footy media is off on holidays. But as you well know, when the experts are away, the DicHeads come out to play. That's right: the Footy Dictionary is back with a Danny Frawley BANG and, goodness gracious, have we got a summer treat for you. Big-...

Back and energised after a three-week suspension for failing to acknowledge Josh Walker's journeyman credentials, Harper Pestinger, Hamish O'Brien and Connor Buttigieg convene to call out football's linguistic rule breakers and headline makers. Can a home team take home a win? What's the most over-discussed, frenzy-sparking rule in the AFL? And should clubs post about opposition players being sent...

Fresh off their best performance of the season, Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien are back to tackle the footy questions you didn't know needed answering. Why has Connor made himself unavailable for selection? What makes certain sirens great? Which members of the animal kingdom should list managers be considering? And what was going through David King's head when he made the year's biggest blund...

You thought the journeymen deep dives were over. We thought the journeymen deep dives were over. Anthony Hudson, though, had different plans and has thrown us the biggest, juiciest bone that we've yet chewed on. This week, Harper Pestinger, Hamish O'Brien and Connor Buttigieg reconvene to hear more media misconducts sent to our Tribunal.  Why is Mason Cox so bad at describing footy to foreigners?...

Harper, Connor and Hamish are back again to over-analyse this week's critical talking points and shake up Greg Champion's tyrannical footy song monopoly. Why should Josh Schache grow out his hair? How wriggly must the score worm be for a game to be considered see-sawing? And how exactly does one pronounce Kolodjashnij ? Perhaps Dwayne Russell can give us a better idea. The Dictionary Boys are danc...

All the way back in November, journalism students and future media big dogs Jack Langdon and Joe Horrigan ventured north of the Yarra to detail their Things About Football  with Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien. 2:30 - Sunday afternoons at Docklands 12:13 - Post-coin toss sirens when the captain runs back to the huddle 22:38 - The futility of goal umpires 27:37 - Channel 7 and Fox Footy's score...

The Footy Dictionary is back, in a big, Elliott-Himmelberg-kick-into the-Torrens kind of way. For our debut SYN Radio episode, Harper Pestinger and Hamish O’Brien are joined by Connor Buttigieg to chew the fat on the heinous linguistic misdemeanours from the week in footy . Can teams really ‘feel each other out’? Is it possible for defenders to ‘take it up’ to small forwards? And can commentators...

Sarah Black from AFL Media joins Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien at Footy Dictionary HQ to dissect and discuss footy's niches on The Things About Football. A quick debate on correct usage of the "saga" tag, and then we get into the serious stuff: 6:00 - The roar immediately following the national anthem 10:47 - A perfectly timed crumb and goal 15:36 - “He’s been doing it all day” in the first...

The Age 's Peter Ryan jumps on The Things About Football to talk through the niches of footy with Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien. Before that though, the tribunal: 0:18 - Can the 52-game "milestone" be celebrated on a banner? 2:02 - Shameful in-ad footy language misuse ft. Shaquille O'Neal Then the main event: Peter's niche footballing loves and hates: 4:24 - The smell and feel of a new Sherr...

Back from a post-finals bye, Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien are joined by 7 News Perth's Ryan Daniels for The Things About Football . The tribunal is first: 0:29 - What makes for a poorly abbreviated footy ground? 2:29 - Which animals have been shunned by football nicknamers?  And then Ryan's niche footballing loves and hates: 7:12 - Footy songs' brass instrumentals 16:20 - Premiership m...

Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien are joined by CODE Sports' Daniel Cherny for the inaugural episode of The Things About Football series. First up, the tribunal: - What is a sealer? - Why Geelong's premiership has been irreparably tainted - The language of the trade period Then, Daniel's things about football - three niche loves and three niche hates: - The reading of scores in simple goal and b...

Who's eligible for the "former TEAM X" tag? When is it appropriate to say "game over? And is there a formula for journeymanality? Hamish O'Brien, Harper Pestinger and Connor Buttigieg reconvene to address these so-far-unresolved issues, right here on The Footy Dictionary: Big Dance Review Edition . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much would Buddy Franklin's arm oil sell for per millilitre? When can you say "a Grand Final like no other"? And does the ladder have a pointy end? Harper Pestinger, Hamish O'Brien and faithfuls member-turned big fish Connor Buttigieg break it all down in appropriate detail, right here on The Footy Dictionary: Big Dance Edition . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the criteria for an attacking bombardment? Can a 34-year-old commit to a club for life? And is the royal family in a rebuild? Harper Pestinger, Hamish O'Brien and prized recruit Gerald Lynch discuss it all so you can add to your Footy Dictionary . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After prolonged discussions, The Footy Dictionary higher-ups have decided to give Harper Pestinger and Hamish O'Brien one more go. How deep is "deep into the finals"? When does "already" stop being acceptable? And what counts as spare seats in the house? Harper and Hamish are here to guide you through the obstacle-laden field of Aussie rules vernacular, so tune in to boost your footy IQ. See omnys...