If that sentence made absolutely no sense, it might be time to reacquaint yourself with the Australian National Dictionary. Officially updated for the first time since 1988, the dictionary's second edition immortalises 6000 new Aussie words and phrases: from "dagwood dog" to "goon of fortune" and "rurosexual".

Launched with academic formality at Parliament House on Tuesday, the dictionary commits to permanence much of the political lingo that has become commonplace in recent decades, including the infamous "captain's pick" and the enduring "Howard's battler".

Editor-in-chief Bruce Moore proudly described the finished product as "the schmickest dictionary of all", reflecting our collective identity, history and values.

"I see it as a document that tells the history of Australia through the words it has created and the words that have created it," he said. "Australian words so often embody and carry Australian values and attitudes – quite overtly and quite deeply."

With no comprehensive update in 28 years, the new edition of the dictionary takes in phrases whose eras have probably come and gone, such as Hawkespeak ("a prolix style of public speaking ascribed to Prime Minister Bob Hawke").

But it also includes a number of words perhaps unfamiliar to modern Australians, including Indigenous terms such as bunji ("a mate") and minga ("a tourist"), and words in common parlance in certain states or regions.

Published by the Australian National University and Oxford University Press, the tome cements classic idioms such as "dry as a dead dingo's donger" and "doing a Bradbury" – a reference to when Australian short track speed skater Steven Bradbury won an unlikely gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all the other competitors fell over.

Here are some highlights from the new entries.

Australian politics

Aspirational voter: A voter who is mainly concerned with material improvement or gain.

Branch stacking: The practice of improperly increasing the membership of a local branch of a political party to ensure the preselection of a particular candidate.

Captain's pick: A unilateral decision made by the captain of a team, usually regarding the choice of a team member. In a political context, a decision made by a party leader etc. without consultation with colleagues.

Chardonnay socialist: A person who espouses left-wing views but enjoys an affluent lifestyle. Probably derived from the British "champagne socialist".

Howard's battler: A person (especially working class), traditionally regarded as a Labor voter, who was instrumental in electing John Howard's conservative Coalition to power in the 1996 federal election; such a person who continues to vote for the Coalition.

Mortgage belt: An area where many people are paying off a mortgage on their home, regarded as electorally volatile. First noted in The Sydney Morning Herald in 1966.

Negative gearing: The act or process of borrowing money and investing it (especially in property) to make a loss that is tax deductible. First reported in The Courier-Mail in 1984.

Small-l liberal: An upholder of the principles of liberalism although not necessarily an adherent of the Liberal Party; a non-conservative member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Australia, with progressive views on social issues etc.

True believer: A person with strong faith in the ideals and values of the Australian Labor Party. Popularised by the ABC television drama The True Believers in 1987.

Wombat trail: An election campaign trail pursued by leaders of the Nationals (formerly the Country Party). First described in The Courier-Mail in 1984.

State-based terms

Double-cut roll (South Australia): A bread roll cut horizontally three times to allow two layers of filling.

Goose club (Queensland): A fundraising raffle in a sporting or social club. From an English tradition in which members would pool funds for a Christmas goose.

Hook turn (Victoria): At some Melbourne intersections where trams cross, a right-hand turn made by a vehicle from the far left hand lane.

Houso (NSW): Especially in Sydney, a public housing tenant. First reported in The Sydney Morning Herald in 1994.

Jennings German (ACT): A German migrant recruited to Canberra to work as a building tradesman for the A.V. Jennings construction company in the early 1950s.

Skimpy (Western Australia): A noun used to signify a scantily-clad woman employed to serve drinks at a bar.

Stubloon (Northern Territory): A brass token with an exchange value of one stubby of beer.

Yaffler (Tasmania): A garrulous person; a long-winded speaker; a loudmouth. From the British dialect "yaffle" meaning "to bark sharply, as a dog".

Other phrases

Battered sav: A saveloy coated in batter and fried.

Callithumpian: A member of an unspecified noncomformist religious sect; a person of unspecified political beliefs.

Gosford skirt: A very short skirt, named after the NSW central coast town of Gosford.

Mexican: A person from a more southern region. In New South Wales, a person from Victoria; in Queensland, a person from NSW or Victoria; in northern Queensland, a person from southern Queensland, NSW or Victoria.

Migaloo: A white person, in Biri and other Indigenous languages of northern Queensland.

Rurosexual: A fashionable young man living in a country area. Modelled on the term "metrosexual".

Follow us on Twitter