Yep. One of the many phrases you've probably heard before that exemplifies Australian lingo. A bit stereotypical but nevertheless accurate. So, what do Australians/Tasmanians even speak anyways? Sure, its English but is the English we use in the U.S.? Not quite.
Lets talk Aussie.
Common Words:
Lets talk Aussie.
Common Words:
- Ace! - excellent!, splendid! (You found it? Ace!)
- Ankle biter - small child
- Arvo - afternoon (We are leaving in the Arvo)
- Aussie - an Australian (Mel Gibson is an Aussie (pronounced ah-zee))
- Aussie salute - brushing flies away (Picnicking requires Aussie salutes)
- Barbie - barbecue (Yes. They do throw shrimps on the barbie)
- Beaut - terrific, fantastic (The movie was a beaut!)
- Bush - remote inland area (You'll be lonely in the bush)
- Bities - annoying biting insects (Buy some repellent for the bities)
- Captain Cook - look (I'll give it a quick Captain Cook)
- Chook - chicken (Have some roasted chook)
- Coldie - beer (Let's stop in and have a coldie)
- Cuppa - cup of tea or coffee (Give me a cuppa)
- Cut lunch - sandwich (I'm hankering for a cut lunch)
- Down Under - Australia and New Zealand (Have you seen the Down Under?)
- G'day - hi, hello (G'day (pronounced gid'day) everyone!)
- Good on ya - well done, good for you (You won? Good on ya!)
- Lollies - candy and other sweets (I have some lollies for you)
- Mate - buddy, friend (Loan me a dollar, mate)
- Never, Never - the distant hinterland (I'm moving to the never, never)
- Outback - remote inland Australia (You can get lost in the Outback)
- Oz - Australia (I was born in Oz)
- Pommy - Englishman (The Pommy likes our beer)
- Ripper - sensational, fantastic (It was a ripper game)
- Road train - truck pulling several trailers (Road trains intimate car drivers)
- Seppo - American (A busload of Seppos disembarked)
- Sheila - young woman (A sheila broke his heart)
- She'll be apples - it will be all right (Forget your error, she'll be apples)
- Snag (or "mystery bag") - sausage (Are you cooking snags on the barbie?)
Ettiquitte:
- Goes without being said but I'll say it anyways... If you don't understand just ask!
- If someone explains to you the meaning of a word, don't comment on how strange or "wrong" their usage is. Our English isn't the "correct" English it is simply one of several versions.
- Be open to trying out their lingo! It will make communication easier and impress the Australians you interact with
Wondering if there are any other words you should know how to use? Check out this link, which is basically an Australian lingo dictionary!
http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
Don't be shy!
Look at how friendly this Aussie is!
Don't be shy!
Look at how friendly this Aussie is!
Author: Alicia Menendez
This is awesome! I might start picking up some of this lingo...
ReplyDeleteJessica
This is so cool Alicia, what a good idea for a blog post! I wonder where Americans being called Seppos comes from.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Hallawell
This is an awesome post. We should include on the take home final so we all learn and use these words in tasmania hahaha
ReplyDeleteAlicia, this is a really cool post. I think it's awesome how we all have different lingo. I wonder if there is a study on where different lingo originates and whether or not they have similar roots. Definitely looking forward to hearing and potentially picking up some of this lingo.
ReplyDeleteCarlos Aguilar
A follow-up to this post is how to act Australian. They seem so casual, cool, and down-to-earth!
ReplyDelete