Random Aussie slang

[BTM]

At my public library they have a section for free books that they don't want anymore.  A lot of times it's just old crap no one's ever heard of, but every now and then they get something really good.  Well, last week I was there and they had a small paperback called "Aussie Slang Dictionary."  I thumbed through it for a bit, not sure why I'd want a book like that, but then I figured, "Hey, it's free."  So I took it.

I gotta say, it's rather interesting.  Now, keep in mind, it was published in 1992, so I dunno how many of the phrases are still being used around there.  Plus a lot of the so-called "Aussie" slang is pretty much common usage nowadays, guessing either it originally came from Down Under and then traveled across the world (insert your own joke here), or Aussie's are just claiming it for there on.

For instance, I'm sure we've all heard the following expressions: ankle-biter, beef (as in compliant), beer gut (why am I not surprised that came from Australia?), not all his dogs are barking, croak (as in die), etc, etc

But here's a someone cool ones I've never heard before:

To vomit:
drive the porcelain bus
liquid laugh
technicolor yawn (I like that one!)
park a tiger on the rug (say what?)

To die:
See your last gum tree (er.. okay)

Slow witted/stupid:
doesn't know if his Arthur or Martha
silly as a two bob watch
snag short of a barbie
so slow he couldn't get a job as a speed bump
thick as the dust on a public servant's out tray (ha!)
if all his brains were dynamite he couldn't blow his hat off

Weak:
Couldn't last a round in a revolving door
weak as cat's p**s (don't even want to know how someone thought of that one)

Crazy:
barmy as a bandicock
mad as a gumtree full of galahs
kangaroos in the top paddock

Neatly enough, there's about 29 expressions listed for being drunk, and around 30 for being crazy.

Here's other random good ones...

rare as rocking horse s**t: extremely rare

I've seen better head on a glass of beer: someone you consider ugly

cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey: very cold

done up like a pet lizard: well dressed (or overdressed)

dull as a month of Sundays: very boring

face fungus: beard or mustache (guess beards aren't highly thought of down there)

happy as a bastard on Father's Day: miserable, depressed

like a pick pocket in a nudist camp: out of place

poets' day: Friday (p**s Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday)  

As I said, dunno how many of these are still used, but it was an interesting read.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

To quote Terry Pratchett's the Last Continent:
'Something very strange is going on here,' said Rincewind. 'This is a very strange country.'

'We've got an opera house,' Crocodile volunteered. 'That's cultcher.'

'And ninety-three words for being sick?'

'Yeah, well, we're a very . . . vocal people.'

-Ed

[dean]

Wow there's alot of old terms there that don't get used much anymore.  Alot of those would have been big in the 70s and 80s but alot just get used by the baby boomers and the country folk.  Haven't heard of a few, but shall try them out tonight for funsies.

I imagine, as with most language, alot of these sayings get stolen from other places, but just happen to take hold here and become popular.


Ed: that reminds me of someone in the UK interviewing Barry Humphries [aka Dame Edna] The talked about 'real men' [this was in the 70s/80s] and the interviewer said: 'isn't Australia just full of homosexuals?" to which Humphries replied: 'That's just a rumour started by the Government to encourage English Tourism'

 

[Trevor]

In James Oram's biography of Paul Hogan, there's a whole lot of phrases, including some devastating insults such as

"May all your chooks [chickens] turn out to be emus and kick your dunny [toilet] down!" 

"If it was raining palaces, I'd get hit by a dunny door." 

"That was a shouse [sh*thouse] meal." 

"He's as tight as a shark's arse and that's tight." 

"Upya for the rent, mate." 

"Ive been up since sparrowfart."