Blouse, $1

I never fail to be delighted by the lack of self-consciousness shown by my children when it comes to learning the language. Every week there’s another blithely mispronounced word (and therefore... a new word learnt?)

This is one of my seven-year-old’s favourite items of clothing. After choosing it at an op shop, she held it up and asked, “Is it a brouse?” “Well, your Chinese grandma calls it a brouse," I replied, "but it’s actually a blouse.”