Philologist Sidney John Baker was born on 17 October 1912 in Wellington, New Zealand, to English-born parents Sidney George Baker and Lilian Selby (née Whitehead). He attended Wellington College and Victoria University College, though did not graduate from the latter. He moved to Sydney in 1935 and worked as a journalist for multiple publications including ABC weekly (1941-1942), Daily telegraph (1943-1946), Melbourne herald, Sun news-pictorial (1946 to 1947) and Sydney morning herald (from 1947). While working he developed an interest in Australian and New Zealand slang, and interpreting colloquialisms as a manifestation of national character. He published works that explored the inventiveness of Australian and New Zealander, including New Zealand slang (1941), Popular dictionary of Australian slang (1941), The Australian language (1945), Australian speaks (1953) and The drum (1959). His meticulous research and correspondence with hundreds of Australians cemented his reputation as a pioneering lexicographer. Despite struggling with multiple sclerosis from the early 1940s, Baker remained committed to his work, writing extensively for reference works and newspapers. He also wrote two novels and a biography of Matthew Flinders biography. He died of cancer on 2 February 1976 in Sydney.