Help with understanding Australian

[Dave Rudy]

I saw this on Kanuk Don's blog on lumberjocks.com and thought some of us might be able to use it:
THE AUSTRALIAN SLANGUAGE

For those of you planning to visit Australian, a lesson on the language might be helpful.

aggro ? aggressive
amber fluid ? beer
ant?s pants ? height of fashion, or to think highly of yourself
arvo ? afternoon
Aussie ? Australian, pronounced Ozzie
av-a-go-yer-mug ? traditional rallying call, particularly at cricket matches
ay ? pardon me

back o?Bourke ? back of beyond, middle of nowhere
barbie ? barbecue
barking up the wrong tree ? labouring under a misapprehension
barrack ? cheer on a team at sporting event, support your team
battler ? trier, struggler
beanie ? ski hat
beat around the bush ? not getting to the point
beaut, beauty, bewdie ? great, fantastic
belt up ? stop talking!
bench ? table top
better half ? husband or wife
bikey ? motor cyclist
billabong ? water hole in dried-up river bed
billy ? tin container used to boil tea in the bush
biscuit ? cookie
black stump ? where the ?back o?Bourke? begins
block ? do your block: get angry
bloke ? man
blower ? telephone: on the blower
blowies ? blow flies
bludge ? do nothing
bludger ? lazy person, one who won?t work
blue ? argument or fight: have a blue
bluey ? swag, nickname for a red-haired person
bonzer ? great, ripper
boogie board ? half sized surf board
boomer ? very big, large male kangaroo
boomerang ? curved flat wooden instrument used by Aborigines for hunting
booze ? alcohol
booze bus ? police van used for random breath-testing for alcohol
bottle shop ? liquor shop
bottler ? something that has gone the way you want: you little bottler
brass ? money
brekkie ? breakfast
brown-eye ? to show one?s bottom, mooning
Buckley?s ? no chance at all
bundy ? Bundaberg rum, also time-clock for employees
bung on ? put on
bunyip ? Australian yetti, or bigfoot
burl ? have a try: give it a burl
bush ? country, away from the city
bushranger ? Australia?s equivalent of outlaw of American Wild West
bush tucker ? native foods, usually in the outback
buzzer ? surface planer
BYO ? bring your own (booze) to a restaurant

cask ? wine box (an Australian invention)
cheerio ? good bye
chock-a-block ? full
chin wag ? to have a good chat
chips ? french fries
choof off ? to go
chook ? chicken
cobber -mate
coldie ? a cold beer
come good ? turn out all right
corroboree ? Aboriginal festival dance
cozzie ? swimming costume
crook ? ill, badly made, substandard
cuppa ? cup of tea
cut lunch ? sandwiches

dag, daggy ? mildly abusive term for socially inept person, nerd, nerdy
damper ? bush loaf made from flour and water, cooked in camp oven
deli ? delicatessen
didgeridoo ? cylindrical wooden Aboriginal musical instrument
digger ? Australian soldier
dill ? idiot
dinkum, fair dinkum ? honest, genuine
dinky-di ? the real thing
dob in ? to tell on someone
docket ? receipt, bill
dole ? unemployment payment
don?t come the raw prawn ? don?t try and fool me
dunny ? toilet

earbash ? talk nonstop
esky ? insulated box for keeping beer etc cool

fair go! ? give us a chance
fairy floss ? cotton candy
fanny ? crude term for female genitalia
flat chat, flat out ? going very fast
footy ? football
footpath ? sidewalk
full as a boot ? drunk
funny farm ? mental institution

galah ? noisy parrot, hence ?noisy idiot?
game ? brave
gander ? look: have a gander
garbo ? person who collects your garbage
gas bag ? talk a lot
give it away ? give up
g?day ? good day, traditional Australian greeting
good oh ? OK
good on ya ? well done
grazier ? large-scale sheep or cattle farmer
grog ? alcohol
grizzle ? complain

hang on a tick ? wait a minute
hoon ? idiot, hooligan, loud show-off
hoo-roo ? good bye
how are ya ? standard greeting
how ya going ? how are you doing
howzat ? asking how something is

idiot box ? television
iffy ? risky or suspect: something a bit iffy
irrits ? irritating: you give me the irrits

jack of it ? fed up with it, had enough (of a situation)
jiffy ? short time: see you in a jiffy
job you ? hit you or punch you: I?ll job you
journo ? journalist
jumper ? sweater

keen ? very interested
Kiwi ? person from New Zealand
knickers ? underwear
knock ? criticise, deride
knock off work ? time to go home
lamington ? square of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and coconut (an Aussie icon)
lift ? elevator
littlies ? children
lollies ? sweets, candy
lurk ? a scheme

manchester ? household linen
mate ? friend, general term of familiarity, whether you know the person or not
middy ? 285 ml beer glass
missus ? your wife
mobile phone ? cellular phone
mozzies ? mosquitoes

nature strip ? strip of grass between the sidewalk (footpath) and street curb
nappy ? diaper
Never-Never ? mythical, remote, isolated place in the outback
nick ? steal
nick off ? go away! get lost!
no hoper ? hopeless case
nose ? on the nose: something stinks
no worries ? she?ll be right, that?s OK

ocker ? uncultivated, uncultured, boorish Australian
off-sider ? assistant or partner
off the beaten track ? on an unused road, in a remote area
oldies ? parents
once over ? looking something or someone over, checking it out
outback ? remote part of the bush, back o?Bourke
Oz ? Australia
Ozzie ? Australian

paddock ? field
Pom ? person from England
pavlova ? meringue and cream dessert
perve ? to gaze with lust
pinch ? steal
piss ? beer
pissed ? drunk
pissed off ? annoyed
piss in your pocket ? brown-nose
piss-weak ? no good, gutless
Pom, Pommie ? English person
pokies ? poker machines
postie ? mail man
prang ? motor vehicle accident
pub ? hotel
pull your head in ? mind your own business!
push bike ? bicycle
put up or shut up ? prove you can do it or keep quiet!

rack off ? get lost!
Rafferty?s rules ? no rules, a mess
ratbag ? friendly term of abuse
rapt ? delighted, enraptured
reckon! ? you bet! Absolutely!
rego ? registration: car registration
rip off, ripped off ? you have been cheated
ripper ? good, also: little ripper
rip snorter ? something that is great
root ? have sexual intercourse
rooted ? tired
ropable ? very angry or bad-tempered
rubber ? eraser
rubbish ? deride, tease: to rubbish

sacked ? fired from work
Salvo ? member of the Salvation Army
sandshoes ? sneakers, joggers
sanger ? sandwich
scallops ? fried potato cake in New South Wales, shellfish elsewhere
schooner ? large beer glass
semi-trailer ? articulated truck
session ? lengthy period of heavy drinking
sheila ? woman (can be somewhat derogatory)
she?ll be right ? no worries, everything will be fine
shonky ? unreliable, suspect
shoot through ? leave in a hurry
shout ? buy round of drinks, or pay for someone
shove off ? go away!
sickie ? day off work ill (or malingering)
sloppy joe ? cotton fleecy-lined sweater
smoko ? tea break, go and have a cigarette
snag ? sausage
Speedo?s ? male swimming costume
spit the dummy ? throw a tantrum
stickybeak ? nosey person
stir ? tease or joke with person
strides ? trousers
Strine ? conversation with a lot of Aussie slang
stubby ? small bottle of beer
stuffed ? very tired, had too much to eat
sunbake ? sunbathe (not recommended)
surfies ? surfing fanatics

take-away food ? fast food, to-go food
tall poppies ? achievers
tea ? evening meal, dinner
thicknesser ? planer
timber ? lumber
tinny ? can of beer
too right! ? absolutely!
tracks ? make tracks: leave to go home
truckie ? truck driver
true blue ? dinkum
tucker ? food
two-pot screamer ? person with low tolerance for alcohol
two-up ? traditional heads/tails gambling game

uni ? university
up yourself ? have a high opinion of yourself
ute ? utility, pick-up truck

vegies ? vegetables
verbal diarrhoea ? talking non-stop, usually nonsense

wag ? to skip school or work: to wag school
walkabout ? lengthy walk away from it all
weatherboard ? wooden house
wharfie ? dock worker
whinge ? complain, moan
wobbly ? disturbing, unpredictable behaviour, temper tantrum: throw a wobbly
Wog ? derogatory term for foreigner
woop-woop ? any remote place
wowser ? spoilsport, puritan, old-fashioned
write-off ? car involved in an crash that is not worth repairing

yabbie ? small freshwater crayfish
yacking ? talking non-stop
yahoo ? noisy and unruly person
yakka ? work
yobbo ? uncouth, aggressive person
yonks ? ages, a long time
youse ? the plural of you

zonked ? really tired
zebra crossing ? painted pedestrian crossing on street

Unfortunately, hard as I have looked, I have come up with absolutely nothing that will help with part Irish, part German Welshmen (or Rotweilers for that matter).  Maybe one of you will do better.

HTH

Dave

 

[TheTassieBFG]

A mate went o/s to country that used some real dodgy lingo  they didn't even know the difference between biscuits and scones... from memory (it was a while ago) what we call a biscuit you call a cookie and what we call a scone you call a biscuit.. caused him allsorts of probs in restaurants.

Not to mention as a young lad I was highly confused that you called Bum Bags, Fanny packs.. I thought you were all rude and crude and didn't know how to wear them.

Now have a go ya mug and learn how to speak english as it was meant to be spoken.. constrain you voice, talk through your nose (don't want to open your mouth too wide the blowies will get in).

 

[Eli]

Forgot:

Parma- chicken parmesan, but the size of a competition frisbee, served on top of a pile of french fries (chips), sometimes with a slice of ham under the cheese. No pasta anywhere to be seen.

Fair Dinkum- an expression of acceptance or disbelief, depending on accentuation.

The G- the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), holy site of Cricket and Aussie Rules Football (Footy)

Middy- (alt meaning) a mid strength beer, less alcohol

Hook turn- something done in Melbourne, essentially waiting on the left hand side of the intersection until the light changes, then go in the direction of oncoming traffic. Very confusing until you white knuckle the first one behind a cabbie.

Noggins- fire blocking, as you would use between wall studs. Named in the manner of a ship's boom.
(You hit your head on both)

Gone troppo- become crazy, in the manner of a Queenslander (tropical Australian, mad from the heat)

 

[ROb McGilp]

And don't forget
Frocking Up (to dress formally.)
Driving the porcelain bus (refers to regurgitating in the toilet)
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic (wasting one's time)

The following link will take you to some poetry by one of Australia's better known poets Mr C.J. Dennis. He wrote of day to day things as seen through the eyes of "The Sentimental Bloke", who falls in love with the fair Doreen.
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/denniscj/sbloke/sbloke.html

Try The Stoush o' Day (Sunrise) and The Stror'at Coot (Stror'at is a straw hat and a coot is loosely a neferious bloke)

You can also try A.B. Banjo Patterson,http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/patersonab/patersonab.html#poetry.

"The Man from Ironbark is good" as is "Clancy of the Overflow" and "The Man from Snowy River" (without Michael Douglas)

And do a google on Henry Lawson. He wrote some beautiful descriptive short stories of life in Colonial Australia. Some are "The loaded Dog" and "The Drover's Wife".

What it is to be the son of a Gaelic speaking Scot (and nae yer whig) and the first Aussie born of our line.

Cheers, with a teary eye,

Rob

 

[Llap Goch]

"Unfortunately, hard as I have looked, I have come up with absolutely nothing that will help with part Irish, part German Welshmen (or Rotweilers for that matter).  Maybe one of you will do better."

No problem Dave Boyo

Professor Bruce O'Schmidt-Jones recently published the "Complete Rottweilers Guide to Australian Grammar". He has been described as barking by some and petulant by others but he has produced a fine guide for the many Rottweilers of German and Welsh parents whose only misfortune in life is to end up with a Single Malt swigging Irishman. The Foreword was written by Simou:

"This is a smashing guide and one which I will recommend to all my friends. I particularly liked the free sample of nutricious Hills Science Diet and the Eukanuba vouchers that were attached as freebies. Prof Bruce is a fair dinkum Herren mit eine beautiful way with words which flow like the glistening waves of the River Shannon or was it the Rhine or was it the Taff? It can be so confusing for unsere gemischt Rotties so we are delighted that Herr O'Schmidt-Jones has taken the time and trouble to produce this guide. I will find it very useful on my future trip downunder where Mr McGilp has kindly agreed to put us up free of charge for two months."

Selected translations:

Point der Percy auf der Porzelain        Go for a wee
Release eine trouser cough                Fart
Fill yer boots                                  Drink until the planet Comotose approaches
Zimmer spin                                    The feeling, after a beverage too far, when the room seems to rotate
Eine kleine porky                              A small pork pie or lie. Usually told when a tool receipt is found.
An Acht pinter                                A Lady whose beauty increases as the eighth beer goes down
Eine Numpty                                    An Irishman, living in Wales with only a Gerwalian Rotty for company.

Good choice of reading matter there Rob. Alway loved the simple and very evocotive books of Nevil Shute especially "A Town Like Alice"

 

 

[ROb McGilp]

I will find it very useful on my future trip downunder where Mr McGilp has kindly agreed to put us up free of charge for two months."
Llap, my son, we work in metric years, which amount to 0.125 Imperial years. But I'll have the barbie fired up for ye. People for miles around speak of my ability to cook a 'roo to perfection without leaving the Joey undercooked.

Good choice of reading matter there Rob. Alway loved the simple and very evocotive books of Nevil Shute especially "A Town Like Alice"

Actually, after the recent tour by a snake bearing rock star, this is now "A Town Like Malice, or alternatively "A Town like Alice Cooper".
And I must point out that the Todd River Regatta is the only boat race in which the contestants contain more fluid (amber) than the Todd river itself.
 

Regards
Uh...Uh... who am I today? What life is this?

 

[Dave Rudy]

No problem Dave Boyo

Thanks Pat.  I knew I could count on you!

 

[Eli]

A motza of Spondool- a lot of money

 

[wow]

For those of you planning to visit Australian, a lesson on the language might be helpful.

buzzer ? surface planer

Was reading through this old thread and saw this and thought it was a great name for a planer. At least it's what mine sounds like. Either that or one ginormous and very angry bee!

 

[Locky]

A buzz is a hair cut, which is also called getting your ears lowered [big grin]

 

[wow]

A buzz is a hair cut, which is also called getting your ears lowered [big grin]

My grandfather called it the same thing, so that's not just an Aussie thing.

 

[Kev]

A buzz is a hair cut, which is also called getting your ears lowered [big grin]

My grandfather called it the same thing, so that's not just an Aussie thing.

... or your grandfather was an Australian spy ... [scared] [eek]

 

[Stephen B]

[size=10pt]

Both my grandfathers, both working with wood called it a buzzer. In fact I have only used the word planner since joining the FOG as I thought US members would wonder what I as referring to!