The Macquarie Dictionary says it will offer an alternative definition of the word after Abbott threat

Tony Abbott’s threat to “shirtfront” the Russian president during an international summit this month has prompted a dictionary to broaden its definition of the word beyond its Aussie rules meaning.

Russian officials ridiculed the threat made by the Prime Minister at a news conference last month, warning that President Vladimir Putin was a judo expert.

Susan Butler, editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, the definitive authority on Australian English, said Monday that the controversy made editors realise the word had taken on a broader meaning in recent decades than just an Australian football term for a shoulder charge to an opponent’s chest.

Starting in January, the Macquarie Dictionary online will offer alternative definitions of “shirtfront,” including “to confront someone with a complaint or grievance.”

Previously the dictionary made it two words and put the definition as: shirt fronter, a head-on charge aimed at bumping an opponent to the ground.