If you've ever struggled to decipher Australian English, then 'democracy sausage' -- the 2016 word of the year Down Under -- may lead to blank faces with its obscure origins in election campaigning. The Australian National Dictionary Centre defined it as a barbecued sausage served on bread and bought at a polling booth "sizzle" on election day, which fell on July 2 this year. How it came to be selected may baffle all but close observers of Australian politics.
"Arguably, the democracy sausage has been one of the best things to come out of a tumultuous year in politics and political campaigning," said centre director Amanda Laugesen. "Its use was also boosted by a controversial incident where Opposition (Labor) leader Bill Shorten -“ who noted his sausage sandwich was 'the taste of democracy' -“ ate his sausage from the middle," she said.
The term democracy sausage was first recorded in 2012, but usage soared during the forgettable federal election which saw the Liberal-National coalition government cling on to power.
