Dinkum Aussie Slang (P-S)
bruce
by Crooked Mick of the Speewa
Illustrated by Brendan Akhurst
A Dinkum Aussie Publication
e-book v1.0 by bruce
PS
Paddington Leftie: An upwardly and greedily mobile 'parlour' socialite. Somewhat the same as a _basketweaver from Balmain_ but richer. The Americanisms are WASP and Yuppie.
Pantywaist: A male who is not neccesarily homosexual but someone who nevertheless is regarded as a sissy in the old-fashioned sense.
Pass muster: To be acceptable. Anyone who _passes muster_ can from that time be regarded as a good bloke. One who accepts responsibilities.
Pearler: You little beauty. Very good.
Perve: In its most general sense the male habit of eyeing up a woman. 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 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 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.
Piccaninny: An Aboriginal child.
Piccaninny daylight: Sheperd's or false dawn.
Pie eater: A person of no consequence. A dickhead.
Piece: Of Western and Southern Australian origin now found only in the 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 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.
Piss in the same pot: The same as 'pee in the same pot' which is very 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.
Piss poor: A poor show. The horse performed badly.
Pitt Street Farmer: A Sydney expression which had some original sense when 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.
Plonk: Cheap wine. One who is _plonko_ gets drunk on the stuff.
Poddy-dodger: A cattle stealer who specialises in calves. A cattle duffer who confines his activities to immature beasts.
Pointing Percy at the porcelain: To take a leak, have a piss. To urinate.
Polly: A parrot or politician. The definitions are similar.
Possum: An Australian term of endearment, as in 'You little _possum_, you.' Something soft and cuddly. Unfortunately Australian possums are anything but cuddly, having razor sharp claws.
Poultice: If one 'puts a _poultice_' on something one has invested a serious amount of money (usually on a horse).
Pox doctor's clerk: If one is dressed up in the fashion of a _pox doctor's clerk_ one is deemed to be overdressed, out of character or _lairy_. One is also probably in actual fact a 'mug _lair_.' 'Arse about sideways' in other words.
Pub: An hotel.
Puftaloon: A fried cersion of damper served with _Cocky's Joy_. Puftaloons 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'.
Pull your head in: Shut up.
Punch the bundy: Literally to arrive at work on time and check in at one's 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 'amember of the literary _push_.' Members of a _push_ were once regarded as larrikins or 'street stoushers.' The Australian word for a street gang.
Put the bite on: To ask for a loan of money.
Put the mockers on: To wish or cause bad luck. Anyone who _puts the mockers_ on something is a dead-set _bastard_.
Quid: Formerly a one pound note, still occassionally heard in the phrase '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 weak, normally in the phrase, he's a 'bit of a _rabbit_.' Rabbits also 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 rabbits for a living from door to door. He was normally accompanied by a 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.
Rage: A sort of late-night perambulating party involving anyone fromt he sub-teen acne set through punks and dole-bludging hippies to Yuppies. Normally involves grog, the acceptable social drugs of the day and a little statutory fornication. Not half as much fun as the old-fashioned _rort_ or _shivoo_which not only involved all of hte above but serious fist fights as well.
Rapt: If one is _rapt_ in something it is really good.
Rat up a rope: If one does something like a _rat up a rope_ one has moved exceedingly quickly.
Ratbag: The bush version of a _dickhead_.
Rattler: A train. If one 'jumps the _rattler_' one hides in a cattle truck to avoid paying one's fare.
Raw Prawn: If someone 'comes the _raw prawn_,' one has behaved in an extremely offensive fashion, hence, 'Don't come the _raw prawn_ with me, mate.'
Real drop kick: Someone who is a real _droob_ or nerd (American: wimp), with the added disadvantage that he or she is probably on hard drugs.
Real Yarra: Slightly older version of the above phrase meaning that the person is boring and muddy or unclear, in reference to the River Yarra which runs through the city of Melbourne.
Reds under the bed: All right-thinking middle class Australians were 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.
Ridgie didge: On the level; the good oil. The truth.
Ringer: The fastest shearer in the shed. Also known as the gun or gun shearer.
Ripper: An expression of joy. If someone shouts, 'You little _ripper_,' it means that his horse has won the race.
Room in a railway station: An unusual but not archaic phrase meaning that someone is down on his or her luck. The only place to sleep is the waiting room of a railway station.
Rort: An enjoyable party with dancing and violence (and of course grog).
Rough as guts: A bad turn, a piece of bad sportsmanship or a deliberately nasty act, as in 'Did you see what the _bastard_ did? That was _rough as guts_.'
Rough end of the stick: Someone has had the dirty done on him or her and is thus left holding the _rough end of the stick_.
Rouseabout: A general hand in a shearing shed.
Rubbity: Short for _rubbity dub_ - a pub or an hotel.
Rug rat: A small and obnoxious child under two years of age.
Saltbush: Marginal and virtually useless sheep-grazing country invariably 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 is sometimes called a Sally Anne.
Sandy Blight: An eye infection suffered by someone living in the interior of Australia. The eye disease, trachoma.
Sanger: A sandwich.
Sarky: Bad tempered, as in, 'Don't get _sarky_ with me you _bastard_.'
Sav: Short for a largish dyed sausage known as a saveloy, which is a sort 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.
Scorcher: A bloody hot day. A 'real' _scorcher_ is a _bastard_.
Scrub round it: To avoid or disregard a problem, thus, this exchange:
'Hey Mate! the roof's about to fall in.'
'Don't worry mate, we'll _scrub round it_ and _she'll be Jake_ in no time at all.'
Scrub up well: If one _scrubs up well_ one is deemed by one's peers to have managed to get dressed quite decently and look _not half bad_ after an appalling night on the _turps_. Also some women are said by males to _scrub up well_ which simply means that they have dress sense. This is merely thought and not uttered.
Scrubber: A cow or steer that has gone wild in the scrub. An ugly woman.
See yer later: A typical Australianism which does not mean that the one who utters the phrase has any intention whatsoever of meeting the person in question at a future date. It simply means goodbye. Confusing to foreigners.
Selection: A land grant. Now found only in nationalistic literature and 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_.
Shagged: Exhausted from hard work.
Shake hands with the wife's best friend: A lenghty male euphemism for the act of urination, normally prefaced by, 'Hang on a minute, I'm just going to...'
Sharkbait: A stupid swimmer who body surfs or swims in dangerous areas encouraging attacks by sharks.
Sheila: A member of the female sex. In these days of chairpersons there is no modern equivalent.
She's Jake: An expression meaning that things are all right, which they are not.
Shicker: If one gets 'on the _shicker_' one intends to get drunk, hence _shickered_.
Shirt tearing: A form of male pub fighting in which no one is intended to get hurt and no one does. In retrospect normally spoken of with disgust. 'It was nothing but a bunch of _shirt tearing_.'
Shivoo: A party similar to a _rort_ except that in the first instance dancing takes place over fighting.
Shonky: Goods of poor quality or a job that has been badly done.
Shoosh: A demand for an audience to shut up, as in, 'Let's have a bit of _shoosh_, ladies and gents.'
Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use by 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.
Shouse: Something not very nice. Short for shithouse.
Shout: To stand around in a school of drinkers in a pub, hence, 'It's my _shout_.' One whose turn it is to _shout_ is said to be 'in the chair.'
Shout for Ruth: To go for the 'big spit.' To vomit.
[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!']
Show willing: To indicate that one is prepared to either work hard or fend for one's self as best one can. One _shows willing_ if one is going to _crack hardy_.
Sickie: If one 'takes a _sickie_' one pretends one is ill while actually 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 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 field for appalling behaviour.
Sit up like Jacky: To brightly and conspicuously pay attention to what one is being told. In the main, dogs and children _sit up like Jacky_. Adults seldom do.
Skerrick: If there's not a _skerrick_ left there is nothing. Normally spoken by people who arrive late for a beer and prawn night after everyone else has had a good time.
Skite: To boast.
Sleepout: A half-enclosed verandah where male guests and dogs can doss down for the night. The forerunner of the granny flat.
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.
Smoko: The manual worker's morning or afternoon tea break. Rigidly enforced by the unions it is much frowned upon by captains of industry.
Smoodge: An attempt to ingratiate one's self. Used mainly to animals as in 'Don't come _smoodging_ round here, you'll get nothing to eat from me.'
Snaffle: To pinch or thieve but in a minor and harmless fashion. One might _snaffle a sanger_ from a buffet table, but one definately steals a full bottle of Scotch.
Snags: Snorkers or sausages. Rarely if ever used in the singular form.
Snake's piss: Bad alcohol.
Snaky: Irritable.
Sool: To encourage one dog to attack either another dog, animal or 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.
Spinner: The person tossing the coins in a game of two up, an Australian gambling game once played with two imperial copper pennies.
Spit chips: To be so annoyed that one is capable of chewing up logs of wood and _spitting chips_.
Squattocracy: A member of the colonial landholding aristocracy. A rich land owner. Derisive term.
Starve the lizards: An expression of amazement or incredulity. A downmarket version of the English expression, By Jove!
Sticks out like dog's balls: It does.
Stipe: A stipendary steward at a horseracing meeting, who, sitting in judgement with his peers, has the ability to disqualify a jockey or warn a gambler off the course for life.
Stir the possum: To create uproar. Native possums when sleeping in a hollow log react violently when poked with a stick - hence the expression.
Stirrer: One who sets out to deliberately cause trouble and discontent. Shop floor stewards and members of the left-wing faction of the Australian Labor Party are normally branded as stirrers even if they are attempting to be quite agreeable at the time.
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.
Stoush: A punch up or fight.
Strewth!: A short and supposedly decent form of the English phrases, God's Teeth! and God's Truth! It gave the utterer the right to blaspheme without actually appearing to do so.
Strides: Trousers, as in the phrase, 'Be right with you as soon as I get me _strides_ on.'
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.'
Strike me pink: The Australian version of the English, 'fancy that.' Something unusual has happened, usually pleasant.
Strong: As in, 'What's the _strong_ of this?,' meaning, 'What in the name 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?'
Stroppy: Someone who is _stroppy_ is in a bad temper.
Stubby: A small Australian beer bottle. Never used in reference to foreign beers even if they do come in stubbies.
Stunned mullet: If someone has an expression like a _stunned mullet_ that person is deemed to be both ugly and stupid. However, the Antipodean mullet is an excellent, if somewhat oily, eating fish.
Sundowner: A scruffier version of the normal swagman, inasmuch as although the normal swagman would arrive in time to split a load of wood in order to get his tucker ration, the sundowner deliberately arrived at a station or homestead at dusk so that any thought of work was impossible.
Suss: To search out, thus to '_suss_ out.'
Susso: The pre-World War II version of the dole. 'On the _susso_' was an expression of derision used by _silvertails_, and one of defiance by those on it. Technically one who is receiving a government handout.
Swag: A bedroll containing one's personal possessions and carried by the means of two straps. Balanced on one shoulder only, with a flour sack, termed a tucker bag, used as a counter-balance in front. One of the easiest packs to carry for long distances.
Swagman, swaggie: One who carries a swag. A wanderer. Not much seen walking these days as most swaggies have the brains to hitch rides on 'big rigs.'
Swan: One can either be 'on a _swan_' or '_swanning around_.' Swanning is 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
bruce
>
> Paddington Leftie: An upwardly and greedily mobile 'parlour' socialite.
> Somewhat the same as a _basketweaver from Balmain_ but richer. The
> Americanisms are WASP and Yuppie.
I always thought yuppie was Australian.
I'm thinking Paddington must have changed a bit in the 15 years or so since
the book was written. Paddington, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, King's Cross -
all that area is the gay part of Sydney.
> Perve: In its most general sense the male habit of eyeing up a woman.
> However, a _perve_ or someone thus named is a child molester.
Not necessarily a child molester. I'd call myself a perve.
> Petrolhead: One who is obsessed by his or her car far and beyond the
> 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]
The picture is a lot more accurate than the text.
> Phoney: Normally used in the somewhat archaic phrase '_phoney_ as a two
> 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.
It is used for objects, and means fake.
> Piece: Of Western and Southern Australian origin now found only in the
> 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.
Never heard of this, but I'm an easterner. Fanta is foul shit.
> Pig Iron Bob: An obscure and more then somewhat fat leader of the
> 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.
Politics again. At least he lets us know who it is this time. I'm still
wondering who the last one was.
> Piss in the same pot: The same as 'pee in the same pot' which is very
> 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.
Never heard this.
> Pitt Street Farmer: A Sydney expression which had some original sense when
> 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.
Haven't heard either of these, but then, neither street has a high
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
> who confines his activities to immature beasts.
Nor this.
> Poultice: If one 'puts a _poultice_' on something one has invested a
> serious amount of money (usually on a horse).
I've only heard this in the medical sense, from fantasy novels.
> Pub: An hotel.
More accurately, a public hotel.
> Puftaloon: A fried version of damper served with _Cocky's Joy_. Puftaloons
> 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'.
Never knew these had a name other than 'deep-fried damper.' Yum.
> Punch the bundy: Literally to arrive at work on time and check in at one's
> 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_.'
Haven't heard this, but I avoid work like the plague.
> Push: Member of a sect. Now somewhat archaic except in the sense of 'a
> member of the literary _push_.' Members of a _push_ were once regarded as
> larrikins or 'street stoushers.' The Australian word for a street gang.
I may have heard this, in the dim, distant past.
> Quid: Formerly a one pound note, still occassionally heard in the phrase
> 'not worth a bloody _quid_' (worthless), or 'not the full _quid_'
> (insane).
No idea why he bothered putting this in.
> Rabbit: Used by either male or female about another male who is held to be
> weak, normally in the phrase, he's a 'bit of a _rabbit_.'
Haven't heard this.
> Rabbits also
> 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.'
Have heard these.
> On the other hand a 'rabbitoh' (now archaic) was one who sold
> rabbits for a living from door to door.
The only Rabbitohs I've heard of are the South Sydney footy team.
> He was normally accompanied by a
> 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.
What Aussie would dry their clothes on anything but a Hills Hoist?
> 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
> exceedingly quickly.
Haven't heard this.
> Real Yarra: Slightly older version of the above phrase meaning that the
> person is boring and muddy or unclear, in reference to the River Yarra
> which runs through the city of Melbourne.
Interestingly enough, I haven't heard this since I moved down here. Only
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
> 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.
Um, yeah, whatever. I've heard it, but this explanation is a bit much. I
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
name, Uluru.
> Room in a railway station: An unusual but not archaic phrase meaning that
> someone is down on his or her luck. The only place to sleep is the waiting
> room of a railway station.
Haven't heard this, but most stations don't have waiting rooms anymore, just
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
> nasty act, as in 'Did you see what the _bastard_ did? That was _rough as
> guts_.'
Also, a strong alcoholic drink might be rough as guts.
> Saltbush: Marginal and virtually useless sheep-grazing country invariably
> 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.
Never heard it.
> Salvo: A member of the Salvation Army of either sex. A female Salvationist
> is sometimes called a Sally Anne.
Or just a Sally.
> Sarky: Bad tempered, as in, 'Don't get _sarky_ with me you _bastard_.'
> Snaky: Irritable.
I've heard these both as 'snarky.'
> Sav: Short for a largish dyed sausage known as a saveloy, which is a sort
> 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.
A battered sav on a stick sounds like a good idea. I always used to burn my
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
> 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_.
Archaic.
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
> are not.
Or they are.
Same as 'She's apples.'
> Shicker: If one gets 'on the _shicker_' one intends to get drunk, hence
> _shickered_.
Haven't heard this.
> Shivoo: A party similar to a _rort_ except that in the first instance
> dancing takes place over fighting.
I haven't heard this since I left Sydney's western suburbs (yes, I was once
a westie), many long years ago.
> Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use by
> 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.
Not that archaic. I use it.
Sydeny has trams again. Or one at least, though they don't call it a tram.
It's the SLR (Sydney Light Rail), and runs from Central station to the fish
markets via the casino and it's expensive (shortly after it started I caught
it, just for novelty, from George Street to Central, a few hundred metres at
most, and it cost me $2).
> 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
> _shout_.' One whose turn it is to _shout_ is said to be 'in the chair.'
Heh. You never say when it's your own shout. More like, 'It's your shout
mate, I got the last round.'
> Shout for Ruth: To go for the 'big spit.' To vomit.
> [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!']
Hadn't heard this.
> Sickie: If one 'takes a _sickie_' one pretends one is ill while actually
> attending the races. To sadly misplace the trust and generosity of one's
> employer.
Or one might actually be sick.
> Silvertail: A member of the upper classes or anyone who is richer than the
> person making the accusation. The adjective _bloody_ normally precedes the
> use of the word.
Haven't heard this.
> Sin Bin: A place where a sportsman is sent after being ordered off the
> field for appalling behaviour.
Is this used for any sport other than footy?
> Sit up like Jacky: To brightly and conspicuously pay attention to what one
> is being told. In the main, dogs and children _sit up like Jacky_. Adults
> seldom do.
Haven't heard this.
> 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
rag if it has good fuel economy. I've never heard it applied to a person.
> 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
> 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.
Haven't heard this, but I'm not a dog person.
> Squattocracy: A member of the colonial landholding aristocracy. A rich
> land owner. Derisive term.
Nor this.
> Starve the lizards: An expression of amazement or incredulity. A
> 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.'
These are all much the same. 'Stone the crows' would be the most common.
> Stoush: A punch up or fight.
Hadn't heard this.
> Strong: As in, 'What's the _strong_ of this?,' meaning, 'What in the name
> 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?'
Haven't heard this.
> Stubby: A small Australian beer bottle. Never used in reference to foreign
> beers even if they do come in stubbies.
Stubbies are 375mL, longnecks are 750mL, throw-downs are 250mL. Tinnies are
375mL cans.
> Swan: One can either be 'on a _swan_' or '_swanning around_.' Swanning is
> 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.
Haven't heard these.
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>I always thought yuppie was Australian.
Nah, American term for Young Urban Professional. It exists in Finnish
too - juppi, meaning much the same thing, I imagine. Probably a
borrowed word.
>I'm thinking Paddington must have changed a bit in the 15 years or so since
>the book was written. Paddington, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, King's Cross -
>all that area is the gay part of Sydney.
I didn't know the Cross was gay. Well ... maybe parts of it.
>> Perve: In its most general sense the male habit of eyeing up a woman.
>> However, a _perve_ or someone thus named is a child molester.
>
>Not necessarily a child molester. I'd call myself a perve.
And the sunglasses you wear that allow you to look at women without
them seeing you are looking - perveroids.
(you - generic you, not specific)
>> Petrolhead: One who is obsessed by his or her car far and beyond the
>> 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]
>
>The picture is a lot more accurate than the text.
Yeah. I think of it more as a sort of mechanical thing, than a
decoration fetish.
>> Phoney: Normally used in the somewhat archaic phrase '_phoney_ as a two
>> 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.
>
>It is used for objects, and means fake.
Oh yeah. Heard that, of course. I don't think it's slang, though.
>Never heard of this, but I'm an easterner. Fanta is foul shit.
Over here, they have lemon fanta, lime fanta and pineapple fanta. Lime
fanta is absolutely fantastic, and lemon fanta would beat solo and
traditional lemonade hands-down. Although it's a tough call with that
traditional lemonade. That stuff is great.
>> Poultice: If one 'puts a _poultice_' on something one has invested a
>> serious amount of money (usually on a horse).
>
>I've only heard this in the medical sense, from fantasy novels.
Hee hee, same.
>> Pub: An hotel.
>
>More accurately, a public hotel.
Yeah. Public house, in my lexicon. Meaning a bar, not necessarily a
hotel. But a public house does generally have a place for meeting and
eating and drinking, and rooms to rent upstairs.
>The only Rabbitohs I've heard of are the South Sydney footy team.
Are they in the AFL? Or are they just local? Wait, South Sydney, must
be local, duh. Needless to say, I've never heard of them.
>> He was normally accompanied by a
>> 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.
>
>What Aussie would dry their clothes on anything but a Hills Hoist?
I concur.
>> Rapt: If one is _rapt_ in something it is really good.
>
>This isn't just Australian, surely.
According to the Oxford dictionary, it isn't. And it didn't even say
"colloq" or "slang" in the entry, either.
>Um, yeah, whatever. I've heard it, but this explanation is a bit much. I
>always thought the reds were the Chinese. They're a lot closer and a lot
>more likely to invade.
Yeah, I was just wondering who the Japanese returned the pig iron to
in the form of shells. I never heard of any Japanese bombs hitting
Australia in WW2, but my historical knowledge is less than zero.
>Ayers Rock isn't called that anymore. It's officially known by it's Koori
>name, Uluru.
But the name persists in the older demographic.
>> Rough as guts: A bad turn, a piece of bad sportsmanship or a deliberately
>> nasty act, as in 'Did you see what the _bastard_ did? That was _rough as
>> guts_.'
>
>Also, a strong alcoholic drink might be rough as guts.
Ah yes, agreed. Or rough as just about any other amusing comparison
you choose to describe.
>> Snaky: Irritable.
>
>I've heard these both as 'snarky.'
I've heard "snaky", again, in a Kevin Bloody Wilson song - "Hey Santa
Claus You Cunt (Where's Me Fuckin' Bike?)".
>A battered sav on a stick sounds like a good idea. I always used to burn my
>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).
I never had any sort of sausage at a fair ground or similar even
unless it was a hot dog. Only since I came to Finland have I truly
discovered the sausage. They have these huge ones as thick as your
wrist (as thick as my wrist), which they just give to you in a paper
bag with a big splooge of ketchup or mustard. They're great.
>> She's Jake: An expression meaning that things are all right, which they
>> are not.
>
>Or they are.
>
>Same as 'She's apples.'
That I've heard. "She'll be apples" is another.
>> Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use by
>> 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.
>
>Not that archaic. I use it.
I've heard and used "shot through", of course, but never the last part
about the trams.
>Sydeny has trams again. Or one at least, though they don't call it a tram.
>It's the SLR (Sydney Light Rail), and runs from Central station to the fish
>markets via the casino and it's expensive (shortly after it started I caught
>it, just for novelty, from George Street to Central, a few hundred metres at
>most, and it cost me $2).
This isn't the monorail you're talking about, is it?
>Heh. You never say when it's your own shout. More like, 'It's your shout
>mate, I got the last round.'
I never knew that. I always said "my shout". Probably explains why I
never had any money.
The best part about shouting for a group of five or six people was, as
long as they were decent people (and you should make a habit of going
out with no other sorts), it was an investment that assured a return
of at least five or six free drinks for the rest of the night. Of
course, if you'd just bought the five or six drinks and had them all
yourself, that would amount to the same expenditure, but that's not as
fun.
>> Sickie: If one 'takes a _sickie_' one pretends one is ill while actually
>> attending the races. To sadly misplace the trust and generosity of one's
>> employer.
>
>Or one might actually be sick.
Hah. Yeah right.
>> Sin Bin: A place where a sportsman is sent after being ordered off the
>> field for appalling behaviour.
>
>Is this used for any sport other than footy?
Can't tell you about sport, but I've heard it in a lot of other
contexts. A lot of them were sport-related, though. Remember Elle
McFeast's show, "Live and Sweaty"? It was on ABC before Red Dwarf
while I was at school, and I always got the last ten minutes of it on
the VCR when I taped Dwarf. They had this debate at the end of the
show, about whatever topic they chose, and the debate had a sin bin
for people (usually Mikey Robbins) who were obnoxious.
Of course, it was some sort of Footy/sport show. Still funny, though.
>This makes no sense whatsoever. A car is said to run on the smell of an oily
>rag if it has good fuel economy.
Yeah, that was my thought.
>I've never heard it applied to a person.
I have, a couple of times. But not so often as in reference to a car
or other sort of machine.
>> Stubby: A small Australian beer bottle. Never used in reference to foreign
>> beers even if they do come in stubbies.
>
>Stubbies are 375mL, longnecks are 750mL, throw-downs are 250mL. Tinnies are
>375mL cans.
All bottles, smaller than King Browns (a litre or 750ml or something),
are stubbies. And cans are cans, in my crummy, easily-confused book.
C&J
--
13 & 13b of the CMM Collective
O! Plus! Perge! Aio! Hui! Hem!
(the official AFRJ Latin Motto)
Now go here: www.afrj-monkeyhouse.org
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>Paddington Leftie: An upwardly and greedily mobile 'parlour' socialite. Somewhat
>the same as a _basketweaver from Balmain_ but richer. The Americanisms are
>WASP and Yuppie.
Never heard this. Paddington's in Sydney, right? My brother-in-law is
a former Paddingtonite.
>Pantywaist: A male who is not neccesarily homosexual but someone who
>nevertheless is regarded as a sissy in the old-fashioned sense.
Never heard.
>Pass muster: To be acceptable. Anyone who _passes muster_ can from
>that time be regarded as a good bloke. One who accepts responsibilities.
Yeah, heard it.
>Pearler: You little beauty. Very good.
Yep.
>Perve: In its most general sense the male habit of eyeing up a woman.
Heard this.
>However, a _perve_ or someone thus named is a child molester.
Short for "pervert" of course ... I thought this was an American term.
>Petrolhead: One who is obsessed by his or her car far and beyond the 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.
Never heard this precise definition. I thought it was something like a
rev-head - a guy who worked new engines and special tyres and shit on
his car to make it less of a heap of shit. Sort of like Vamps.
>[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]
Yeah, exactly like Vamps.
>Phoney: Normally used in the somewhat archaic phrase '_phoney_ as a
>two 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.
I've heard the "two-bob watch" bit, but never the "phoney" bit. "Not
worth two bob" is another common one. Extremely ancient, of course,
based on the old pennies and pounds monetary system.
>Piccaninny: An Aboriginal child.
I thought it was a half-caste.
>Piccaninny daylight: Sheperd's or false dawn.
Never heard it. Heard the two definitions, though.
>Pie eater: A person of no consequence. A dickhead.
Nope.
>Piece: Of Western and Southern Australian origin now found only in the
>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.
Bahahahahahahaha - never heard it. But funny.
>Pig Iron Bob: An obscure and more then somewhat fat leader of the
>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.
Hey, at least he named names this time. I suppose he had to, since it
was a specific name.
I've heard it once or twice, but didn't really know the story.
>Piss in the same pot: The same as 'pee in the same pot' which is very
>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.
Never heard any of this, except for the latter phrase, very vaguely at
some stage I can't quite recall.
>Piss poor: A poor show. The horse performed badly.
Yeah. Except for the bloody horse. This guy needs to get down to the
track and leave his dictophone behind when he does.
>Pitt Street Farmer: A Sydney expression which had some original sense
>when 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.
I see. And the Perth expression? Hay Street Farmer?
That's a lot more classy. Hay.
>Plonk: Cheap wine. One who is _plonko_ gets drunk on the stuff.
Heard plonk, of course (the cheap wine before the killfile), but never
heard of getting plonko.
>Poddy-dodger: A cattle stealer who specialises in calves. A cattle
>duffer who confines his activities to immature beasts.
Never heard either of these.
>Pointing Percy at the porcelain: To take a leak, have a piss. To urinate.
Yeah, heard it once or twice from somewhat silly people.
>Polly: A parrot or politician. The definitions are similar.
Ahh, politician. I always thought a polly was a policeman.
>Possum: An Australian term of endearment, as in 'You little _possum_,
>you.' Something soft and cuddly. Unfortunately Australian possums are
>anything but cuddly, having razor sharp claws.
Damn straight they do. Vicious little cunts. And I've never heard it
as a term of endearment.
>Poultice: If one 'puts a _poultice_' on something one has invested a
>serious amount of money (usually on a horse).
*sigh*
Whatever.
>Pox doctor's clerk: If one is dressed up in the fashion of a _pox doctor's
>clerk_ one is deemed to be overdressed, out of character or _lairy_.
>One is also probably in actual fact a 'mug _lair_.' 'Arse about
>sideways' in other words.
Hah, as I said before, I've heard "pox doctor's dog," but never
"clerk". "Clerk" actually makes a lot more sense.
>Pub: An hotel.
Bar? Hotel optional?
>Puftaloon: A fried cersion of damper served with _Cocky's Joy_.
>Puftaloons 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'.
Never heard of this, of course. Although it does make me hungry. Maybe
we could play a version of "fluffy bunnies" with puftaloons instead of
marshmallows.
>Pull your head in: Shut up.
Yeah. Generally "shut up before you get your head punched".
>Punch the bundy: Literally to arrive at work on time and check in at
>one's 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_.'
Hah. Any relation to Al Bundy?
>Push: Member of a sect. Now somewhat archaic except in the sense of
>'a member of the literary _push_.' Members of a _push_ were once regarded
>as larrikins or 'street stoushers.' The Australian word for a street gang.
Never heard.
>Put the bite on: To ask for a loan of money.
Nope. Put the hard word on, I've heard. But that was in relation to
sheilas, earlier on in the dictionary, wasn't it? Janica says it was
also used in the sense of trying to get your friend to buy you a beer,
and that's the sort of hard word I'm a lot more familiar with. I guess
this could be the same thing.
>Put the mockers on: To wish or cause bad luck. Anyone who
>_puts the mockers_ on something is a dead-set _bastard_.
Hah, alright. I seem to recall hearing this somewhere.
>Quid: Formerly a one pound note, still occassionally heard in the phrase
>'not worth a bloody _quid_' (worthless), or 'not the full _quid_' (insane).
Yep. Heard it.
>Rabbit: Used by either male or female about another male who is held
>to be weak, normally in the phrase, he's a 'bit of a _rabbit_.' Rabbits
>also 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 rabbits for a living from door to door. He was normally
>accompanied by a 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.
Hah, I was just thinking that I've never heard this before, but then I
realised I'd heard "rabbiting on" a lot of times, and then I
remembered I'd heard some guys described as being "rabbits". Of
course, I've never heard of a "rabbitoh", but I have heard of "going
at it like rabbits" as another usage...but that one's obvious.
>Rage: A sort of late-night perambulating party involving anyone fromt
>he sub-teen acne set through punks and dole-bludging hippies to Yuppies.
>Normally involves grog, the acceptable social drugs of the day and a little
>statutory fornication.
I'm telling Debs.
>Not half as much fun as the old-fashioned _rort_ or _shivoo_which not
>only involved all of the above but serious fist fights as well.
So now a rort is a party? Never heard of a shivoo, though...
Now, that late-night ABC music show called Rage - must be based on
this, right? I'd never really thought about it. Of courser, having a
rage could be a way of describing a party or a fit of anger, but I
never thought it was an actual slang phrase.
Rage was a great show. The best thing about coming home from a big
night out on an early Sunday morning with a bag of cold greasy
Hungries and a splitting headache.
*sniffle*
>Rapt: If one is _rapt_ in something it is really good.
Heard. But never without a sort of self-mockery. I didn't think it was
slang, and Janica didn't either. Janica looked in the dictionary and
it was there. The real dictionary, we mean.
>Rat up a rope: If one does something like a _rat up a rope_ one
>has moved exceedingly quickly.
Nope ... how about a drainpipe?
>Ratbag: The bush version of a _dickhead_.
Heard "ratbag", but never knew it was a version of "dickhead", let
alone a country version.
This changes everything.
>Rattler: A train. If one 'jumps the _rattler_' one hides in a cattle
>truck to avoid paying one's fare.
So we've heard. But only since this Slang Dictionary started up.
>Raw Prawn: If someone 'comes the _raw prawn_,' one has behaved in
>an extremely offensive fashion, hence, 'Don't come the _raw prawn_
>with me, mate.'
Heh heh heh, yeah, I have heard this.
>Real drop kick: Someone who is a real _droob_ or nerd (American:
>wimp), with the added disadvantage that he or she is probably on
>hard drugs.
Yep. Right down to the drug-affiliation. But this should have been
uder "D", because one can also be a "bit of a drop-kick" and a
"complete drop-kick."
>Real Yarra: Slightly older version of the above phrase meaning that
>the person is boring and muddy or unclear, in reference to the River
>Yarra which runs through the city of Melbourne.
Then this would be an Eastern thing.
>Reds under the bed: All right-thinking middle class Australians were
>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.
Or, alternatively, about nothing at all.
Funny definition, good story.
Of course, nowadays it's come to mean something else entirely - a
hiding place for ecstacy and LSD...
>Ridgie didge: On the level; the good oil. The truth.
Yep. But I've only heard "ridgedy didge."
>Ringer: The fastest shearer in the shed. Also known as the gun or
>gun shearer.
Yeah, heard it. But only from the song "Click go the shears" and
because my uncle is a farmer.
>Ripper: An expression of joy. If someone shouts, 'You little _ripper_,' it
>means that his horse has won the race.
Yeah, but not the horse bit.
>Room in a railway station: An unusual but not archaic phrase meaning
>that someone is down on his or her luck. The only place to sleep is the
>waiting room of a railway station.
It must be archaic.
>Rort: An enjoyable party with dancing and violence (and of course grog).
I thought it was a corporate scam of some kind. And I always thought
it was spelled "raught" as in "fraught (with danger)".
>Rough as guts: A bad turn, a piece of bad sportsmanship or a deliberately
>nasty act, as in 'Did you see what the _bastard_ did? That was _rough as guts_.'
Hee hee, yep. But in reference to something that has been constructed
or otherwise built, rather than any sort of sport.
>Rough end of the stick: Someone has had the dirty done on him or her
>and is thus left holding the _rough end of the stick_.
Well, I've heard that, and "shit end of the stick" of course, but if
somebody has had the "dirty done" on him or her, it means they have
been laid. And that's not a bad thing.
>Rouseabout: A general hand in a shearing shed.
Hee hee, yeah, I've heard it - in a Kevin Bloody Wilson song. I
thought it was "roustabout".
>Rubbity: Short for _rubbity dub_ - a pub or an hotel.
Never heard. Cockney rhyming slang again?
>Rug rat: A small and obnoxious child under two years of age.
As made famous by the cartoon.
>Saltbush: Marginal and virtually useless sheep-grazing country invariably
>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.
Never heard of saltbush or Saltbush Bill, I'm afraid.
>Salvo: A member of the Salvation Army of either sex. A female
>Salvationist is sometimes called a Sally Anne.
Didn't know the Sally Anne thing, but I did the door-knock for the
Salvos ("give it to the Salvos") every year for the first seventeen
years of my life. 'Course, I was carried for the first couple of
years, and was only given a bag and route of my own in the last couple
of years. And I never got any money, because I looked like ... well,
it was me.
>Sandy Blight: An eye infection suffered by someone living in the interior
>of Australia. The eye disease, trachoma.
I've heard of it, but not in what you'd call conversational slang
terms.
>Sanger: A sandwich.
Yep.
>Sarky: Bad tempered, as in, 'Don't get _sarky_ with me you _bastard_.'
Narky and snarky I've heard. And I thought "sarky" was short for
"sarcastic". I've heard it a couple of times, but mainly on this
newsgroup.
>Sav: Short for a largish dyed sausage known as a saveloy, which is a sort
>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.
Heard it once or twice. It really reached my attention in the Roy and
H.G. commentary of the Olympics, where in the male gymnastics any move
that left the guy whacking his bollocks on the floor was known as a
"battered sav" or a "flat-sack". Therefore, I'm thinking it's more of
an Eastern expression. I've never heard it used in Perth, nor have I
seen such a food at fair grounds. And I've seen a lot of food at fair
grounds. My favourite, to date, is the lamb shank.
>Scorcher: A bloody hot day. A 'real' _scorcher_ is a _bastard_.
Yeah. This isn't slang, is it?
>Scrub round it: To avoid or disregard a problem, thus, this exchange:
> 'Hey Mate! the roof's about to fall in.'
> 'Don't worry mate, we'll _scrub round it_ and _she'll be Jake_ in
>no time at all.'
Never heard it.
>Scrub up well: If one _scrubs up well_ one is deemed by one's peers to
>have managed to get dressed quite decently and look _not half bad_
>after an appalling night on the _turps_. Also some women are said
>by males to _scrub up well_ which simply means that they have dress
>sense. This is merely thought and not uttered.
Not in my circles. I always thought a woman "scrubbed up well" if she
was pretty ordinary-looking but once you put her in a tight dress and
lots of makeup, she looked okay.
Also heard it in reference to people of either sex, after a really
long, nasty night drinking.
>Scrubber: A cow or steer that has gone wild in the scrub. An
>ugly woman.
Yeah, heard it. Didn't know it was based on cows in the scrub. I
thought it was something to do with scrubbing floors.
>See yer later: A typical Australianism which does not mean that the one
>who utters the phrase has any intention whatsoever of meeting the
>person in question at a future date. It simply means goodbye. Confusing
>to foreigners.
Hee hee, when you think about it, it's confusing to Australians as
well. It's best not to think about it.
>Selection: A land grant. Now found only in nationalistic literature
>and 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_.
Oh, that's what it means!
Hah, never really heard it, except of course the films, "Dad and Dave:
On Our Selection". Never really understood what it was.
>Shagged: Exhausted from hard work.
Yep.
>Shake hands with the wife's best friend: A lenghty male
>euphemism for the act of urination, normally prefaced by,
>'Hang on a minute, I'm just going to...'
I thought it was a wanking thing.
>Sharkbait: A stupid swimmer who body surfs or swims in dangerous
>areas encouraging attacks by sharks.
Bahahahahahaha - also, tourists. But maybe that's just a Western
thing.
>Sheila: A member of the female sex. In these days of chairpersons
>there is no modern equivalent.
Yeah, I've never actually heard this used in a serious manner.
Usually, it's American morons trying to be Australian.
>She's Jake: An expression meaning that things are all right,
>which they are not.
I've only really heard it in this slang dictionary.
>Shicker: If one gets 'on the _shicker_' one intends to get
>drunk, hence _shickered_.
I've heard "shickered", "shnickered" and "beshnickered", but never
knew where it came from. And I still don't.
>Shirt tearing: A form of male pub fighting in which no one is intended
>to get hurt and no one does. In retrospect normally spoken of with
>disgust. 'It was nothing but a bunch of _shirt tearing_.'
Hee hee, yeah, heard it.
>Shivoo: A party similar to a _rort_ except that in the first instance
>dancing takes place over fighting.
Never heard it.
>Shonky: Goods of poor quality or a job that has been badly done.
Yep. Also, suspicious.
>Shoosh: A demand for an audience to shut up, as in, 'Let's have a
>bit of _shoosh_, ladies and gents.'
Hah, yeah. Is this any more slang than "hush", "shush" or "shh"?
>Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use
>by 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.
Bondi. That's a turd-strewn beach over East somwhere.
>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 _shout_.' One whose turn it is to _shout_ is
>said to be 'in the chair.'
I didn't think this was slang either. It means it's your turn to buy
the round. Never heard "in the chair", though.
>Shout for Ruth: To go for the 'big spit.' To vomit.
I've not really heard this one.
>[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!']
Hmm.
>Show willing: To indicate that one is prepared to either work hard or
>fend for one's self as best one can. One _shows willing_ if one is
>going to _crack hardy_.
Right. Never heard.
>Sickie: If one 'takes a _sickie_' one pretends one is ill while actually
>attending the races. To sadly misplace the trust and generosity of
>one's employer.
Yeah, heard it, but fuck off with the races shit.
>Silvertail: A member of the upper classes or anyone who is richer
>than the person making the accusation. The adjective _bloody_
>normally precedes the use of the word.
Never heard it. Anything connecting this to "silver spoon"?
>Sin Bin: A place where a sportsman is sent after being ordered
>off the field for appalling behaviour.
Yeah. It's since taken over as any sort of place of disgrace that
anybody can get sent to for doing anything. Sort of combination
doghouse, dunce's chair and loser's podium.
F_1 would be sent to the sin bin for telling bad jokes, if we didn't
already have Thogugh.
>Sit up like Jacky: To brightly and conspicuously pay attention to
>what one is being told. In the main, dogs and children _sit up like
>Jacky_. Adults seldom do.
Never heard that.
>Skerrick: If there's not a _skerrick_ left there is nothing. Normally
>spoken by people who arrive late for a beer and prawn night after
>everyone else has had a good time.
Heard skerrick, of course - as verb as well as absentee-noun. To
skerrick around is like fossicking, I guess.
And again, never heard of the prawn thing. But I have heard "not a
prawn" as in "there's nothing left". Since in WA there's never been a
prawn to start with, it makes a weird sort of sense.
>Skite: To boast.
I thought this was British. And I thought it was like a tyke, and
that's being cheeky rather than boastful.
>Sleepout: A half-enclosed verandah where male guests and dogs
>can doss down for the night. The forerunner of the granny flat.
Heh heh. Never heard of this either.
>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.
I heard "smell of an oily rag", for someone or something that will
work for ages for basically zero fuel or reward - essentially, the
same thing as above.
>Smoko: The manual worker's morning or afternoon tea break.
>Rigidly enforced by the unions it is much frowned upon by
>captains of industry.
And the poor cunts who don't fucking smoke, who don't get a fucking
smoko.
>Smoodge: An attempt to ingratiate one's self. Used mainly to animals
>as in 'Don't come _smoodging_ round here, you'll get nothing to
>eat from me.'
Nope.
>Snaffle: To pinch or thieve but in a minor and harmless fashion.
>One might _snaffle a sanger_ from a buffet table, but one definately
>steals a full bottle of Scotch.
*chuckle* Not in my circles. You can snaffle an antique barstool if
you can get away with it. But it is generally only used in reference
to things you eat or drink.
>Snags: Snorkers or sausages. Rarely if ever used in the singular form.
Never heard "snorker", but I have heard "snagger" instead.
>Snake's piss: Bad alcohol.
Never heard.
>Snaky: Irritable.
Yep.
>Sool: To encourage one dog to attack either another dog, animal or
>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.
Anything like "sic him, Rex!"? I've never heard "sool".
>Spinner: The person tossing the coins in a game of two up, an
>Australian gambling game once played with two imperial copper
>pennies.
Yeah, heard it on Anzac Day. "Come in, Spinner" is some sort of phrase
that has relevance, but I don't know what it really means, except for
a general call for the coins to do the right thing and win pappa a new
pair of shoes.
>Spit chips: To be so annoyed that one is capable of chewing up logs
>of wood and _spitting chips_.
Yeah, heard it. Also heard "shitting bricks" in the same situation,
although it is far more commonly used as a phrase meaning you are
scared rather than angry.
>Squattocracy: A member of the colonial landholding aristocracy. A
>rich land owner. Derisive term.
Never heard this one, of course.
>Starve the lizards: An expression of amazement or incredulity. A
>downmarket version of the English expression, By Jove!
Never heard.
>Sticks out like dog's balls: It does.
Yep, heard it.
>Stipe: A stipendary steward at a horseracing meeting, who,
>sitting in judgement with his peers, has the ability to disqualify
>a jockey or warn a gambler off the course for life.
Never heard it, but then I'm not a horse-racing freak like this cunt.
>Stir the possum: To create uproar. Native possums when sleeping
>in a hollow log react violently when poked with a stick - hence
>the expression.
Ahh. Never heard it. Only "shit-stirrer" or "stirrer".
>Stirrer: One who sets out to deliberately cause trouble and discontent.
>Shop floor stewards and members of the left-wing faction of the
>Australian Labor Party are normally branded as stirrers even if they
>are attempting to be quite agreeable at the time.
Yeah, heard it, but not in relation to politicians or shop floor
stewards. And I thought it was derived from "shit stirrer", not
"possum stirrer".
>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.
Heard this one. There was actually a pub in Fremantle where I used to
live, called The Stoned Crow.
>Stoush: A punch up or fight.
Thought this was British. Never heard it in Australia.
>Strewth!: A short and supposedly decent form of the English
>phrases, God's Teeth! and God's Truth! It gave the utterer
>the right to blaspheme without actually appearing to do so.
Hee hee, I should have known that was the origin. Of course, I've
heard this about as often as I've heard "no worries" - that is, so
often I don't even hear it in conversation anymore.
>Strides: Trousers, as in the phrase, 'Be right with you as soon
>as I get me _strides_ on.'
Heard it, but only in a mocking sort of way.
>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.'
Slinky slonky.
>Strike me pink: The Australian version of the English, 'fancy that.'
>Something unusual has happened, usually pleasant.
Heard this and "strike a light", but usually from farmer types.
>Strong: As in, 'What's the _strong_ of this?,' meaning, 'What
>in the name 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?'
Never heard any of these ways of using the word. I've heard "that's a
bit strong" (as in "that's a bit harsh") and "come on strong" as a
form of putting the hard word on somebody or to otherwise be
confrontational ... but never any of this other crap.
>Stroppy: Someone who is _stroppy_ is in a bad temper.
Yep. It's some sort of old barbershop-derived word, isn't it? The
barber strops his razor-blade on the sharpening paper to clear it of
soap and crap, and to make it sharper in the middle of a shave.
>Stubby: A small Australian beer bottle. Never used in reference
>to foreign beers even if they do come in stubbies.
Hee hee hee - that's so true!
>Stunned mullet: If someone has an expression like a _stunned
>mullet_ that person is deemed to be both ugly and stupid.
>However, the Antipodean mullet is an excellent, if somewhat
>oily, eating fish.
I'll take his word for it. On both counts. I've heard the expressio
before, but always thought it was some sort of expression for being
caught by surprise.
>Sundowner: A scruffier version of the normal swagman, inasmuch
>as although the normal swagman would arrive in time to split a
>load of wood in order to get his tucker ration, the sundowner
>deliberately arrived at a station or homestead at dusk so that
>any thought of work was impossible.
Hah. I thought a sundowner was a party at somebody's house that
started in the early afternoon and ended at eight or nine o'clock.
usually poor, civil, girlfriendy-type parties with plates of nibbles
and a minimum of swearing, after which the less sociable males all
fuck off on a pub crawl to get over the nasty shock. Usually ends up
being a sunupper.
>Suss: To search out, thus to '_suss_ out.'
Yep, heard it. Also something that is suspicious.
>Susso: The pre-World War II version of the dole. 'On the
>_susso_' was an expression of derision used by _silvertails_,
>and one of defiance by those on it. Technically one who
>is receiving a government handout.
Never heard this, of course. But I have heard it used as an
alternative to "suss", as in "suspicious" rather than "to check
something out".
>Swag: A bedroll containing one's personal possessions and
>carried by the means of two straps. Balanced on one shoulder
>only, with a flour sack, termed a tucker bag, used as a
>counter-balance in front. One of the easiest packs to carry
>for long distances.
This is over a hundred years old, and is used in literature of all
sorts both modern and historical. How is it slang?
>Swagman, swaggie: One who carries a swag. A wanderer.
>Not much seen walking these days as most swaggies have
>the brains to hitch rides on 'big rigs.'
I didn't know they were still around.
>Swan: One can either be 'on a _swan_' or '_swanning around_.'
>Swanning is 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.
Hee hee, heard "swanning around" but not "on a swan". I thought it was
a sort of "flouncing around" or "pansy-assing around", ie. throwing
yourself into couches and sighing melodramatically, pretending to be
all faint and ill, and basically being a prima donna. Of course, I've
heard it mainly in relation to women, and the sitting on the toilet at
work definitely comes into it.
bruce
> Way back on Thu, 20 Jun 2002 01:45:33 +1000, this dweeb called bruce
> <mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>
>>the book was written. Paddington, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, King's Cross -
>>all that area is the gay part of Sydney.
>
> I didn't know the Cross was gay. Well ... maybe parts of it.
Not so much the Cross, but around that area. Near Oxford St. (because of the
Mardi Gras, I imagine)
>>Never heard of this, but I'm an easterner. Fanta is foul shit.
>
> Over here, they have lemon fanta, lime fanta and pineapple fanta. Lime
> fanta is absolutely fantastic, and lemon fanta would beat solo and
> traditional lemonade hands-down. Although it's a tough call with that
> traditional lemonade. That stuff is great.
I used to drink Tab sometimes, way back when we still had that (late '80s?),
and Passiona is ok in moderation, but apart from that I don't really like
any soft drink except Coke.
>>The only Rabbitohs I've heard of are the South Sydney footy team.
>
> Are they in the AFL? Or are they just local? Wait, South Sydney, must
> be local, duh. Needless to say, I've never heard of them.
Rugby League.
>>Um, yeah, whatever. I've heard it, but this explanation is a bit much. I
>>always thought the reds were the Chinese. They're a lot closer and a lot
>>more likely to invade.
>
> Yeah, I was just wondering who the Japanese returned the pig iron to
> in the form of shells. I never heard of any Japanese bombs hitting
> Australia in WW2, but my historical knowledge is less than zero.
I think they attacked the north coast. Around Darwin. *shrug* i don't know
much history either.
>>A battered sav on a stick sounds like a good idea. I always used to burn my
>>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).
>
> I never had any sort of sausage at a fair ground or similar even
Again, this is from the milk bar..
> unless it was a hot dog. Only since I came to Finland have I truly
> discovered the sausage. They have these huge ones as thick as your
> wrist (as thick as my wrist), which they just give to you in a paper
> bag with a big splooge of ketchup or mustard. They're great.
What sort of sausage? Spicy? (I'm think ing of those big salami sausages)
>>Sydeny has trams again. Or one at least, though they don't call it a tram.
>>It's the SLR (Sydney Light Rail), and runs from Central station to the fish
>>markets via the casino and it's expensive (shortly after it started I caught
>>it, just for novelty, from George Street to Central, a few hundred metres at
>>most, and it cost me $2).
>
> This isn't the monorail you're talking about, is it?
No. That just goes around in circles, and once you've been on once, you
realise it's easier to walk to your destination. And again it's expensive.
>>> Sin Bin: A place where a sportsman is sent after being ordered off the
>>> field for appalling behaviour.
>>
>>Is this used for any sport other than footy?
>
> Can't tell you about sport, but I've heard it in a lot of other
> contexts. A lot of them were sport-related, though. Remember Elle
> McFeast's show, "Live and Sweaty"? It was on ABC before Red Dwarf
> while I was at school, and I always got the last ten minutes of it on
> the VCR when I taped Dwarf. They had this debate at the end of the
> show, about whatever topic they chose, and the debate had a sin bin
> for people (usually Mikey Robbins) who were obnoxious.
>
> Of course, it was some sort of Footy/sport show. Still funny, though.
I think I saw it once or twice.
bruce
> Way back on Wed, 19 Jun 2002 21:42:16 +1000, this dweeb called bruce
> <mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>
>>Paddington Leftie: An upwardly and greedily mobile 'parlour' socialite. Somewhat
>>the same as a _basketweaver from Balmain_ but richer. The Americanisms are
>>WASP and Yuppie.
>
> Never heard this. Paddington's in Sydney, right?
Yeah.
> My brother-in-law is
> a former Paddingtonite.
So am I, amongst many other places.
>>Phoney: Normally used in the somewhat archaic phrase '_phoney_ as a
>>two 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.
>
> I've heard the "two-bob watch" bit, but never the "phoney" bit. "Not
> worth two bob" is another common one. Extremely ancient, of course,
> based on the old pennies and pounds monetary system.
A 'bob' was a shilling.
>>Piccaninny: An Aboriginal child.
>
> I thought it was a half-caste.
It's anyone dark.
>>Pub: An hotel.
>
> Bar? Hotel optional?
Hotel. Rooms optional.
>>Puftaloon: A fried cersion of damper served with _Cocky's Joy_.
>>Puftaloons 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'.
>
> Never heard of this, of course. Although it does make me hungry. Maybe
> we could play a version of "fluffy bunnies" with puftaloons instead of
> marshmallows.
I don't think so. They're hot and crispy.
>>Put the bite on: To ask for a loan of money.
>
> Nope. Put the hard word on, I've heard. But that was in relation to
> sheilas, earlier on in the dictionary, wasn't it? Janica says it was
> also used in the sense of trying to get your friend to buy you a beer,
> and that's the sort of hard word I'm a lot more familiar with. I guess
> this could be the same thing.
Pretty much.
>>Rat up a rope: If one does something like a _rat up a rope_ one
>>has moved exceedingly quickly.
>
> Nope ... how about a drainpipe?
How about a clock? Hickory dickory dock...
>>Ratbag: The bush version of a _dickhead_.
>
> Heard "ratbag", but never knew it was a version of "dickhead", let
> alone a country version.
>
> This changes everything.
Ah, enlightenment can be so cruel..
>>Rattler: A train. If one 'jumps the _rattler_' one hides in a cattle
>>truck to avoid paying one's fare.
>
> So we've heard. But only since this Slang Dictionary started up.
Sydney trains.
>>Ringer: The fastest shearer in the shed. Also known as the gun or
>>gun shearer.
>
> Yeah, heard it. But only from the song "Click go the shears" and
> because my uncle is a farmer.
I'd forgotten the song.
We learnt all this Aussie stuff back in primary school - songs, ballads,
etc. Then nothing in high school and I've forgotten it all. I'll have to try
and get my hands on some Banjo Paterson books or something.
>>Rough end of the stick: Someone has had the dirty done on him or her
>>and is thus left holding the _rough end of the stick_.
>
> Well, I've heard that, and "shit end of the stick" of course, but if
> somebody has had the "dirty done" on him or her, it means they have
> been laid. And that's not a bad thing.
Interesting. Over here if someone has the dirty done to them, that's bad.
But doing the dirty is fucking good, if you'll excuse the pun.
>>Rubbity: Short for _rubbity dub_ - a pub or an hotel.
>
> Never heard. Cockney rhyming slang again?
Yep.
>>Salvo: A member of the Salvation Army of either sex. A female
>>Salvationist is sometimes called a Sally Anne.
>
> Didn't know the Sally Anne thing, but I did the door-knock for the
> Salvos ("give it to the Salvos") every year for the first seventeen
> years of my life. 'Course, I was carried for the first couple of
> years, and was only given a bag and route of my own in the last couple
> of years. And I never got any money, because I looked like ... well,
> it was me.
I did the Red Shield Appeal during high school. I always got people trying
to give me other stuff, like furniture and clothes.
> seen such a food at fair grounds. And I've seen a lot of food at fair
> grounds. My favourite, to date, is the lamb shank.
What would that be?
>>Scorcher: A bloody hot day. A 'real' _scorcher_ is a _bastard_.
>
> Yeah. This isn't slang, is it?
Sounds slangy. I've always thought it was.
>>Scrub up well: If one _scrubs up well_ one is deemed by one's peers to
>>have managed to get dressed quite decently and look _not half bad_
>>after an appalling night on the _turps_. Also some women are said
>>by males to _scrub up well_ which simply means that they have dress
>>sense. This is merely thought and not uttered.
>
> Not in my circles. I always thought a woman "scrubbed up well" if she
> was pretty ordinary-looking but once you put her in a tight dress and
> lots of makeup, she looked okay.
And your definition of good dress sense is ...? :)
>>See yer later: A typical Australianism which does not mean that the one
>>who utters the phrase has any intention whatsoever of meeting the
>>person in question at a future date. It simply means goodbye. Confusing
>>to foreigners.
>
> Hee hee, when you think about it, it's confusing to Australians as
> well. It's best not to think about it.
I usually say, "See ya next time."
>>Selection: A land grant. Now found only in nationalistic literature
>>and 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_.
>
> Oh, that's what it means!
>
> Hah, never really heard it, except of course the films, "Dad and Dave:
> On Our Selection". Never really understood what it was.
It was a movie too? I've only heard of the radio play.
>>Shake hands with the wife's best friend: A lenghty male
>>euphemism for the act of urination, normally prefaced by,
>>'Hang on a minute, I'm just going to...'
>
> I thought it was a wanking thing.
More than 3 shakes..
>>Shoosh: A demand for an audience to shut up, as in, 'Let's have a
>>bit of _shoosh_, ladies and gents.'
>
> Hah, yeah. Is this any more slang than "hush", "shush" or "shh"?
Well, it's not the Queen's English. You're the literary type.. this is
called onomatapoeia, isn't it?
>>Shot through like a Bondi tram: Somewhat archaic although still in use
>>by 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.
>
> Bondi. That's a turd-strewn beach over East somwhere.
In Sydney. The most popular tourist beach in the country.
I vaguely recall hearing one of Tommy G's news stories, when I had the
D-Gen's "Breakfast Tapes" (from when they did 3MMM breakfast, late '80s),
which mentioned a breakdown in the sewage outposts, but locals continued to
swim "undeterred". (for the foreigners out there, that's pronounced exactly
the same as "under turd")
>>Silvertail: A member of the upper classes or anyone who is richer
>>than the person making the accusation. The adjective _bloody_
>>normally precedes the use of the word.
>
> Never heard it. Anything connecting this to "silver spoon"?
I don't know where "silvertail" comes from, but I doubt it.
>>Skite: To boast.
>
> I thought this was British. And I thought it was like a tyke, and
> that's being cheeky rather than boastful.
Is this another type of "tyke?" I say a tyke is a little kid and this book
says it's a Catholic.
>>Smoko: The manual worker's morning or afternoon tea break.
>>Rigidly enforced by the unions it is much frowned upon by
>>captains of industry.
>
> And the poor cunts who don't fucking smoke, who don't get a fucking
> smoko.
We can still take smokos. Call them piss breaks if you want. I won't work
(not that I have a job atm) for more than 3 hours without a break.
>>Sool: To encourage one dog to attack either another dog, animal or
>>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.
>
> Anything like "sic him, Rex!"? I've never heard "sool".
Apparently. I haven't heard "sool" either.
Now you've got me thinking of that underwear ad with the girl, the ants and
the echidna named Rex..
>>Stroppy: Someone who is _stroppy_ is in a bad temper.
>
> Yep. It's some sort of old barbershop-derived word, isn't it? The
> barber strops his razor-blade on the sharpening paper to clear it of
> soap and crap, and to make it sharper in the middle of a shave.
A "strop" is a leather strap for sharpening razors. I suppose if one is
"stroppy" one might take a strop to someone.
>>Sundowner: A scruffier version of the normal swagman, inasmuch
>>as although the normal swagman would arrive in time to split a
>>load of wood in order to get his tucker ration, the sundowner
>>deliberately arrived at a station or homestead at dusk so that
>>any thought of work was impossible.
>
> Hah. I thought a sundowner was a party at somebody's house that
> started in the early afternoon and ended at eight or nine o'clock.
> usually poor, civil, girlfriendy-type parties with plates of nibbles
> and a minimum of swearing, after which the less sociable males all
> fuck off on a pub crawl to get over the nasty shock. Usually ends up
> being a sunupper.
It's also a type of caravan. Probably other things as well.
>>Swag: A bedroll containing one's personal possessions and
>>carried by the means of two straps. Balanced on one shoulder
>>only, with a flour sack, termed a tucker bag, used as a
>>counter-balance in front. One of the easiest packs to carry
>>for long distances.
>
> This is over a hundred years old, and is used in literature of all
> sorts both modern and historical. How is it slang?
Because it's Australian?
*shrug*
>>Swagman, swaggie: One who carries a swag. A wanderer.
>>Not much seen walking these days as most swaggies have
>>the brains to hitch rides on 'big rigs.'
>
> I didn't know they were still around.
Shit yeah. I went walkabout for a while myself. Used a backpack though, not
a swag.
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>> My brother-in-law is
>> a former Paddingtonite.
>
>So am I, amongst many other places.
We've noticed that, in the course of these threads.
>> I've heard the "two-bob watch" bit, but never the "phoney" bit. "Not
>> worth two bob" is another common one. Extremely ancient, of course,
>> based on the old pennies and pounds monetary system.
>
>A 'bob' was a shilling.
Yep.
>> Never heard of this, of course. Although it does make me hungry. Maybe
>> we could play a version of "fluffy bunnies" with puftaloons instead of
>> marshmallows.
>
>I don't think so. They're hot and crispy.
Added skill and toughness required.
>>>Rat up a rope: If one does something like a _rat up a rope_ one
>>>has moved exceedingly quickly.
>>
>> Nope ... how about a drainpipe?
>
>How about a clock? Hickory dickory dock...
I get the distinct impression that you're not taking this seriously.
>>>Ratbag: The bush version of a _dickhead_.
>>
>> Heard "ratbag", but never knew it was a version of "dickhead", let
>> alone a country version.
>>
>> This changes everything.
>
>Ah, enlightenment can be so cruel..
Yes.
But revenge can be sweet.
>I did the Red Shield Appeal during high school. I always got people trying
>to give me other stuff, like furniture and clothes.
And a three-piece suite is a bastard to get into those little plastic
bags.
>> seen such a food at fair grounds. And I've seen a lot of food at fair
>> grounds. My favourite, to date, is the lamb shank.
>
>What would that be?
A shank of lamb. Uh, a leg. Cooked.
The Lamb Van was a mobile slaughterhouse/fast food franchise that
frequents many of the country fairs that the Perth Highland Pipe Band
also goes to. Wonderful place. Terrible for vegans and (presumably)
lambs, but wonderful for human beings.
>> Not in my circles. I always thought a woman "scrubbed up well" if she
>> was pretty ordinary-looking but once you put her in a tight dress and
>> lots of makeup, she looked okay.
>
>And your definition of good dress sense is ...? :)
Hee hee. Okay.
I steered clear of the good dress-sense bit, because I have no
dress-sense. If it's soft and confortable and doesn't squeeze my gut
or testicles, it's good.
And yes, I am still talking about clothes.
>> Hah, never really heard it, except of course the films, "Dad and Dave:
>> On Our Selection". Never really understood what it was.
>
>It was a movie too? I've only heard of the radio play.
Yeah, an Australian movie with all the usual Australian movie people.
B Actors. That old guy who played Wal in the Crocodile Dundee films,
et cetera.
>>>Shake hands with the wife's best friend: A lenghty male
>>>euphemism for the act of urination, normally prefaced by,
>>>'Hang on a minute, I'm just going to...'
>>
>> I thought it was a wanking thing.
>
>More than 3 shakes..
Sounds like somebody's a slowcoach...
>>>Shoosh: A demand for an audience to shut up, as in, 'Let's have a
>>>bit of _shoosh_, ladies and gents.'
>>
>> Hah, yeah. Is this any more slang than "hush", "shush" or "shh"?
>
>Well, it's not the Queen's English. You're the literary type.. this is
>called onomatapoeia, isn't it?
Yeah.
That's right.
>I vaguely recall hearing one of Tommy G's news stories, when I had the
>D-Gen's "Breakfast Tapes" (from when they did 3MMM breakfast, late '80s),
>which mentioned a breakdown in the sewage outposts, but locals continued to
>swim "undeterred". (for the foreigners out there, that's pronounced exactly
>the same as "under turd")
Those guys are gold.
>> I thought this was British. And I thought it was like a tyke, and
>> that's being cheeky rather than boastful.
>
>Is this another type of "tyke?" I say a tyke is a little kid and this book
>says it's a Catholic.
Huh. Little kids can be cheeky, I guess. But the Catholic bit, where
did that come from? Isn't that confusing? I thought "kyke" was slang
for Jew. Maybe it's derivative, although I hardly understand why.
>> And the poor cunts who don't fucking smoke, who don't get a fucking
>> smoko.
>
>We can still take smokos. Call them piss breaks if you want. I won't work
>(not that I have a job atm) for more than 3 hours without a break.
Lah dee dah. I'm not going to join smokers on a smoko, because
cigarettes stink. I'd rather work, and complain about not getting a
"breathe clean airo".
>Now you've got me thinking of that underwear ad with the girl, the ants and
>the echidna named Rex..
Antz Pantz.
I can't remember that ad at all. Nope.
>> Yep. It's some sort of old barbershop-derived word, isn't it? The
>> barber strops his razor-blade on the sharpening paper to clear it of
>> soap and crap, and to make it sharper in the middle of a shave.
>
>A "strop" is a leather strap for sharpening razors.
Yeah. Like I sort of said.
>I suppose if one is
>"stroppy" one might take a strop to someone.
Ooooh. Neat.
>> This is over a hundred years old, and is used in literature of all
>> sorts both modern and historical. How is it slang?
>
>Because it's Australian?
*sigh*
Fair cop.
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>I used to drink Tab sometimes, way back when we still had that (late '80s?),
>and Passiona is ok in moderation, but apart from that I don't really like
>any soft drink except Coke.
Good for you.
We discovered a new flavour of soft drink this weekend. Banana
flavour. It was absolutely bizarre. Mixed with vodka, it was pretty
good. But I have no respect for my tastebuds.
>> I never had any sort of sausage at a fair ground or similar even
>
>Again, this is from the milk bar..
Curse your milk bars with a thousand scurvies! Why do we have such
crap milk bars? Next you'll tell me that they sell flavoured milk.
>What sort of sausage? Spicy? (I'm think ing of those big salami sausages)
Nope, some sort of big fawn-coloured thing shaped like half a bicycle
tyre and the same colour and texture all the way through. They're
pretty good, but the only spice in them is in the mustard.
bruce
> Way back on Fri, 21 Jun 2002 03:45:28 +1000, this dweeb called bruce
> <mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>
>>I used to drink Tab sometimes, way back when we still had that (late '80s?),
>>and Passiona is ok in moderation, but apart from that I don't really like
>>any soft drink except Coke.
>
> Good for you.
Actually not, according to the dentists.
> We discovered a new flavour of soft drink this weekend. Banana
> flavour. It was absolutely bizarre. Mixed with vodka, it was pretty
> good. But I have no respect for my tastebuds.
Fizzy banana just sounds wrong.
>>> I never had any sort of sausage at a fair ground or similar even
>>
>>Again, this is from the milk bar..
>
> Curse your milk bars with a thousand scurvies! Why do we have such
> crap milk bars? Next you'll tell me that they sell flavoured milk.
Big M and Breaka. They don't deserve to be called "flavoured milk" - there's
hardly any flavour in them. And there's no spearmint down here. Mind you, it
was hard enough to find in Sydney. At least they've got real flavour up
there (Moove and Oak). Oak make excellent milkshakes too. They used to have
a store in Chatswood we went to when we visited my aunt. I think the only
one left now is at the factory, in Hexham (on the way up to Newcastle).
bruce
> Way back on Fri, 21 Jun 2002 05:10:57 +1000, this dweeb called bruce
> <mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>
>>>>has moved exceedingly quickly.
>>>
>>> Nope ... how about a drainpipe?
>>
>>How about a clock? Hickory dickory dock...
>
> I get the distinct impression that you're not taking this seriously.
I'm sick of sayings I've never heard that make little or no sense. So let's
make our own.
Off like the mouse down the clock: He or she left at 1 o'clock, after his or
her horse lost the 1st race.
>>> seen such a food at fair grounds. And I've seen a lot of food at fair
>>> grounds. My favourite, to date, is the lamb shank.
>>
>>What would that be?
>
> A shank of lamb. Uh, a leg. Cooked.
*slaps self*
Duh. I just didn't think of a baked dinner as fast food.
> The Lamb Van was a mobile slaughterhouse/fast food franchise that
> frequents many of the country fairs that the Perth Highland Pipe Band
> also goes to. Wonderful place. Terrible for vegans and (presumably)
> lambs, but wonderful for human beings.
I've never heard of anything like this. Only lamb I can think of in vans are
kebabs.
>>> Not in my circles. I always thought a woman "scrubbed up well" if she
>>> was pretty ordinary-looking but once you put her in a tight dress and
>>> lots of makeup, she looked okay.
>>
>>And your definition of good dress sense is ...? :)
>
> Hee hee. Okay.
>
> I steered clear of the good dress-sense bit, because I have no
> dress-sense. If it's soft and confortable and doesn't squeeze my gut
> or testicles, it's good.
If it's soft and comfortable and squeezes your balls..
> And yes, I am still talking about clothes.
Oh, right.
>>> Hah, never really heard it, except of course the films, "Dad and Dave:
>>> On Our Selection". Never really understood what it was.
>>
>>It was a movie too? I've only heard of the radio play.
>
> Yeah, an Australian movie with all the usual Australian movie people.
> B Actors. That old guy who played Wal in the Crocodile Dundee films,
> et cetera.
I think one of my favourite old Aussie movie would have to be "The Cars That
Ate Paris." About a country town that causes car accidents so they can
salvage parts and sell them off.
Either that or "The F.J. Holden". Which has both the car and the actor.
It's been too long since I've seen any Aussie movies. SBS has them from time
to time.
>>> I thought this was British. And I thought it was like a tyke, and
>>> that's being cheeky rather than boastful.
>>
>>Is this another type of "tyke?" I say a tyke is a little kid and this book
>>says it's a Catholic.
>
> Huh. Little kids can be cheeky, I guess. But the Catholic bit, where
> did that come from? Isn't that confusing? I thought "kyke" was slang
> for Jew. Maybe it's derivative, although I hardly understand why.
Your guess is as good as mine.
>>> And the poor cunts who don't fucking smoke, who don't get a fucking
>>> smoko.
>>
>>We can still take smokos. Call them piss breaks if you want. I won't work
>>(not that I have a job atm) for more than 3 hours without a break.
>
> Lah dee dah. I'm not going to join smokers on a smoko, because
> cigarettes stink. I'd rather work, and complain about not getting a
> "breathe clean airo".
You'd work, rather than take a break? Ok...
I still like cigarette smoke. I started smoking 'cos I like the taste. A
nice rich smoke like Port Royal or Drum dark. I quit for financial and
health reasons.
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>I'm sick of sayings I've never heard that make little or no sense. So let's
>make our own.
>
>Off like the mouse down the clock: He or she left at 1 o'clock, after his or
>her horse lost the 1st race.
Hahahahahaha, horse.
>>>> seen such a food at fair grounds. And I've seen a lot of food at fair
>>>> grounds. My favourite, to date, is the lamb shank.
>>>
>>>What would that be?
>>
>> A shank of lamb. Uh, a leg. Cooked.
>
>*slaps self*
>Duh. I just didn't think of a baked dinner as fast food.
It is when there's seventeen lambs simmering in a big metal tray, and
you ask for one and they put it in a bag for you. With fried onions
and gravy.
*dies*
>> The Lamb Van was a mobile slaughterhouse/fast food franchise that
>> frequents many of the country fairs that the Perth Highland Pipe Band
>> also goes to. Wonderful place. Terrible for vegans and (presumably)
>> lambs, but wonderful for human beings.
>
>I've never heard of anything like this. Only lamb I can think of in vans are
>kebabs.
Ooooh, no kebabs. The country shows we go to wouldn't allow kebabs.
>> I steered clear of the good dress-sense bit, because I have no
>> dress-sense. If it's soft and confortable and doesn't squeeze my gut
>> or testicles, it's good.
>
>If it's soft and comfortable and squeezes your balls..
I'm still ... yeah.
>> And yes, I am still talking about clothes.
>
>Oh, right.
Yeah.
>> Lah dee dah. I'm not going to join smokers on a smoko, because
>> cigarettes stink. I'd rather work, and complain about not getting a
>> "breathe clean airo".
>
>You'd work, rather than take a break? Ok...
I'd rather work than passive smoke.
>I still like cigarette smoke. I started smoking 'cos I like the taste. A
>nice rich smoke like Port Royal or Drum dark. I quit for financial and
>health reasons.
Nothing to do with common sense?
Chucky & Janica
<mor...@deadspam.com> kirjoitti viestissä:
>> Good for you.
>
>Actually not, according to the dentists.
Ahh, the plot thickens.
>Fizzy banana just sounds wrong.
And tastes wronger.
>Big M and Breaka. They don't deserve to be called "flavoured milk" - there's
>hardly any flavour in them. And there's no spearmint down here. Mind you, it
>was hard enough to find in Sydney. At least they've got real flavour up
>there (Moove and Oak). Oak make excellent milkshakes too. They used to have
>a store in Chatswood we went to when we visited my aunt. I think the only
>one left now is at the factory, in Hexham (on the way up to Newcastle).
*whimpers*