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Newsgroups: alt.fan.robert-jordan
From: bruce <mort...@deadspam.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 01:45:33 +1000
Local: Wed, Jun 19 2002 11:45 am
Subject: Re: Dinkum Aussie Slang (P-S)
On Wed, 19 Jun 2002 21:42:16 +1000 bruce <mort...@deadspam.com> wrote:
> Paddington Leftie: An upwardly and greedily mobile 'parlour' socialite. I'm thinking Paddington must have changed a bit in the 15 years or so since > Perve: In its most general sense the male habit of eyeing up a woman. Not necessarily a child molester. I'd call myself a perve. > However, a _perve_ or someone thus named is a child molester. > Petrolhead: One who is obsessed by his or her car far and beyond the The picture is a lot more accurate than the text. > medallion of the Blessed Virgin and the pyjama puppy in the back seat > behind the venetion blinds. One who decorates his or her car in the taste > of idiocy. > [picture of a bloke in racing leathers proudly standing by his car, which > is extremely modified (supercharger, spoilers, aerials, mags, lights, you > get the idea), and has the license plate 'I WANK 2'; various tools are > scattered around the car] > Phoney: Normally used in the somewhat archaic phrase '_phoney_ as a two It is used for objects, and means fake. > bob watch,' meaning that the person being referred to is a trickster or > otherwise dud. Always used in reference to bipeds and never when talking > about inanimate objects. > Piece: Of Western and Southern Australian origin now found only in the Never heard of this, but I'm an easterner. Fanta is foul shit. > realms of literature by those authors who are attempting to be stylishly > nationalistic. The literal translation is 'a piece of bread, jam and > butter.' A young child was normally given a _piece_ when he or she came > home from school. Nowadays they are either given a Fanta and a bickie or > they go out and buy themselves a snort of coke with Mum's sherry money. > Pig Iron Bob: An obscure and more then somewhat fat leader of the Politics again. At least he lets us know who it is this time. I'm still > Australian Federation in the 1950s and 1960s who fancied himself in > double-breasted suits. His phrase-making fame came from the fact that he > sold a lot of scrap iron to the Japanese empire shortly before the start > of a minor matter known as World War II. The Japanese returned his favour > in the form of shells. hence the phrase _Pig Iron Bob_. His full name was > Robert Gordon Menzies. wondering who the last one was. > Piss in the same pot: The same as 'pee in the same pot' which is very Never heard this. > nearly the same as the Americanism to whit, 'to piss in someone's pocket,' > or, to use another Americanism, in a slightly different sense, 'to have > his pecker in my pocket' (Lyndon Baines Johnson, circa 1978). In general > terms to be a crawler or to suck up to someone. > Pitt Street Farmer: A Sydney expression which had some original sense when Haven't heard either of these, but then, neither street has a high > all the banks were in Pitt Street of that city. Means that someone is > using country property losses for city advantages. The Melbourne > expression is Collins Street Farmer. concentration of banks. > Plonk: Cheap wine. One who is _plonko_ gets drunk on the stuff. Haven't heard of plonko. > Poddy-dodger: A cattle stealer who specialises in calves. A cattle duffer Nor this. > who confines his activities to immature beasts. > Poultice: If one 'puts a _poultice_' on something one has invested a I've only heard this in the medical sense, from fantasy novels. > serious amount of money (usually on a horse). > Pub: An hotel. More accurately, a public hotel. > Puftaloon: A fried version of damper served with _Cocky's Joy_. Puftaloons Never knew these had a name other than 'deep-fried damper.' Yum. > were often fried in deep mutton fat. This combination at times caused > death. Amazingly enough, in past years many bushmen regarded puftaloons as > excellent puddin'. > Punch the bundy: Literally to arrive at work on time and check in at one's Haven't heard this, but I avoid work like the plague. > appointed hour. However, in popular parlance _punching the bundy_ meant > that one was unwillingly doing a lot of 'hard _graft_' in an effort to > 'make a _quid_.' > Push: Member of a sect. Now somewhat archaic except in the sense of 'a I may have heard this, in the dim, distant past. > member of the literary _push_.' Members of a _push_ were once regarded as > larrikins or 'street stoushers.' The Australian word for a street gang. > Quid: Formerly a one pound note, still occassionally heard in the phrase No idea why he bothered putting this in. > 'not worth a bloody _quid_' (worthless), or 'not the full _quid_' > (insane). > Rabbit: Used by either male or female about another male who is held to be Haven't heard this. > weak, normally in the phrase, he's a 'bit of a _rabbit_.' > Rabbits also Have heard these. > have the distressing tendency to _rabbit on_; to talk about nothing at all > over an interminable period of time whereupon they are told to 'stop > rabbiting.' > On the other hand a 'rabbitoh' (now archaic) was one who sold The only Rabbitohs I've heard of are the South Sydney footy team. > rabbits for a living from door to door. > He was normally accompanied by a What Aussie would dry their clothes on anything but a Hills Hoist? > mate who sold clothes props which were not used to prop up clothes, but > rather the line that held the said garments on washing day. > Rapt: If one is _rapt_ in something it is really good. This isn't just Australian, surely. > Rat up a rope: If one does something like a _rat up a rope_ one has moved Haven't heard this. > exceedingly quickly. > Real Yarra: Slightly older version of the above phrase meaning that the Interestingly enough, I haven't heard this since I moved down here. Only > person is boring and muddy or unclear, in reference to the River Yarra > which runs through the city of Melbourne. heard it a few times when I was on the Central Coast (of NSW). > Reds under the bed: All right-thinking middle class Australians were Um, yeah, whatever. I've heard it, but this explanation is a bit much. I > terrified of finding reds (or communists) either under the bed or > dominating the unions and running the country. The fear actually has > nothing to do with the rise of the Soviet Communist Party. Australians > have constantly feared invasion by the Soviet Union since the days of the > Tsar. The country's coastline is littered with useless nineteenth century > forts that were built to thwart this. This is despite the fact that the > northern and frozen nation has shown no interest whatsoever in claiming > Ayers Rock as its own. The phrase _reds under the bed_ is now used as a > term of derision by members of the Labor Party's left wing when their > political opponents are kicking up a stink about something or other. always thought the reds were the Chinese. They're a lot closer and a lot more likely to invade. Ayers Rock isn't called that anymore. It's officially known by it's Koori > Room in a railway station: An unusual but not archaic phrase meaning that Haven't heard this, but most stations don't have waiting rooms anymore, just > someone is down on his or her luck. The only place to sleep is the waiting > room of a railway station. platforms. > Rort: An enjoyable party with dancing and violence (and of course grog). I hadn't heard this usage until a couple of weeks ago. A rort is like a shady business transaction, like embezzlement or tax evasion. > Rough as guts: A bad turn, a piece of bad sportsmanship or a deliberately Also, a strong alcoholic drink might be rough as guts. > nasty act, as in 'Did you see what the _bastard_ did? That was _rough as > guts_.' > Saltbush: Marginal and virtually useless sheep-grazing country invariably Never heard it. > settled by battlers, such as the cartoon character Saltbush Bill. Anyone > in the bush who is locally known as Saltbush Bill is regarded as a > failure. > Salvo: A member of the Salvation Army of either sex. A female Salvationist Or just a Sally. > is sometimes called a Sally Anne. > Sarky: Bad tempered, as in, 'Don't get _sarky_ with me you _bastard_.' I've heard these both as 'snarky.' > Snaky: Irritable. > Sav: Short for a largish dyed sausage known as a saveloy, which is a sort A battered sav on a stick sounds like a good idea. I always used to burn my > of inflated frankfurter or hot dog. A battered sav on a stick (for the > uninitiated: a saveloy covered in a flour and water paste, impaled on a > popsicle bat then deep fried) is still an esteemed Australian fair ground > snack. This culinary horror is invariably dipped in tomato sauce before > being thrust into the fingers of the unwary. fingers. I say 'used to' because down here they've got 'sausage in batter' but it's not quite the same thing and tastes foul (must be a different sausage, or something). > Scrubber: A cow or steer that has gone wild in the scrub. An ugly woman. Never heard the first meaning. > Selection: A land grant. Now found only in nationalistic literature and Archaic. > starting witht he words, 'Things were crook on our selection...' The worst > selection in Australia was farmed by the literary figures Dad and Dave who > were the heroic battlers of Steele Rudd's _On Our Selection_ and _On Our > New Selection_. I thought 'Dad and Dave' was a radio play from the 40s. > Shagged: Exhausted from hard work. Flogged, buggered, fucked, stuffed, fagged, knackered, and more I can't think of. > She's Jake: An expression meaning that things are all right, which they Or they are. > are not. Same as 'She's apples.' > Shicker: If one gets 'on the _shicker_' one intends to get drunk, hence Haven't heard this. > _shickered_. > Shivoo: A party similar to a _rort_ except that in the first instance I haven't heard this since I left Sydney's western suburbs (yes, I was once > dancing takes place over fighting. a westie), many long years ago. > Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use by Not that archaic. I use it. > those who remember the days of Sydney trams with affection. The Bondi tram > was notorously the most dangerous and fastest. It means therefore that the > person has 'pissed off at the high port' or fled very quickly indeed. Sydeny has trams again. Or one at least, though they don't call it a tram. > Shouse: Something not very nice. Short for shithouse. Never heard this. > Shout: To stand around in a school of drinkers in a pub, hence, 'It's my Heh. You never say when it's your own shout. More like, 'It's your shout > _shout_.' One whose turn it is to _shout_ is said to be 'in the chair.' mate, I got the last round.' > Shout for Ruth: To go for the 'big spit.' To vomit. Hadn't heard this. > [picture of a couple of blokes out fishing on rough seas in a motorboat; > one is hanging over the rail vomiting (a fish swimming in his chunder > says, 'Wow! Yum!'), the other saying, 'No flamin' use shouting for Ruth > out here mate, ...she won't hear yer!'] > Sickie: If one 'takes a _sickie_' one pretends one is ill while actually Or one might actually be sick. > attending the races. To sadly misplace the trust and generosity of one's > employer. > Silvertail: A member of the upper classes or anyone who is richer than the Haven't heard this. > person making the accusation. The adjective _bloody_ normally precedes the > use of the word. > Sin Bin: A place where a sportsman is sent after being ordered off the Is this used for any sport other than footy? > field for appalling behaviour. > Sit up like Jacky: To brightly and conspicuously pay attention to what one Haven't heard this. > is being told. In the main, dogs and children _sit up like Jacky_. Adults > seldom do. > Smell of an oil rag: An expression applied to any newcomer to Australia if ... > she or he works hard and does well. People who are said to be able to > 'live off the _smell of an oil rag_' are those who, in other words, > sacrifice present comfort to future prosperity. This makes no sense whatsoever. A car is said to run on the smell of an oily > Snags: Snorkers or sausages. Rarely if ever used in the singular form. Haven't heard 'snorkers.' Some of us also use the English word 'bangers,' especially if we're having them with 'mash.' > Sool: To encourage one dog to attack either another dog, animal or person Haven't heard this, but I'm not a dog person. > as in, 'Go on then, get into 'im, _sool_ the _bastard_.' The dog in > question is encouraged to do serious injury, if not cause actual death. > Squattocracy: A member of the colonial landholding aristocracy. A rich Nor this. > land owner. Derisive term. > Starve the lizards: An expression of amazement or incredulity. A These are all much the same. 'Stone the crows' would be the most common. > downmarket version of the English expression, By Jove! > Stone the crows: Used in conjunction with _starve the lizards_ or by > itself as an expression of amazement about either good or bad events. In > actuality both expressions have no meaning whatsoever. > Strike a light: An expression of very little meaning usually inserted at > the beginning of a sentence simply to give the speaker time to collect his > thoughts, as in, '_Strike a light_, but she's a bloody beaut day.' > Stoush: A punch up or fight. Hadn't heard this. > Strong: As in, 'What's the _strong_ of this?,' meaning, 'What in the name Haven't heard this. > of hell is going on?' If used in the personal sense it is normally > expressed as, 'What's the _strength_ of that bastard?,' meaning, 'What is > the swine up to?' > Stubby: A small Australian beer bottle. Never used in reference to foreign Stubbies are 375mL, longnecks are 750mL, throw-downs are 250mL. Tinnies are > beers even if they do come in stubbies. 375mL cans. > Swan: One can either be 'on a _swan_' or '_swanning around_.' Swanning is Haven't heard these. > loafing, although if one is swanning around one is a travelling loafer or > _swaggie_. To confuse the issue if one '_swans_ around all day' it usually > means one has had an agreeable time at several different boozers. Swanning > around at work means hiding in the bog. -- Joshua "bruce" Crawford Replace deadspam with hotpop for email. "Are you into casual sex, or should I dress up?" - fortune You must Sign in before you can post messages.
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