This
is not supposed to be an exhaustive list of Australian
expressions, just some that I use within the GRAYnomad
chronicles and other articles on this site.
|
| barra |
| |
Short for "barramundi", supposedly one of THE
great eating fishes to be caught in Australia. |
| bash |
| |
A car rally, usually on dirt roads, usually for vehicles
of sixties vintage or older, and usually in aid of a charity
or other good cause. In this case it was to raise money
for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. |
| bloke |
| |
A person, usually male, and usually your friend. "He’s
a good bloke", "You blokes going down the pub?" |
| bloody |
| |
The great Australian adjective. Can be used to describe
just about anything. "That’s a bloody heavy
camera", "I got some bloody good photos even
though the bloody weather was no bloody good". The
last sentence is a valid Australian sentence, albeit a
bit bloody contrived. |
| bludge |
| |
Having an easy time of it. A short walk could be considered
a "real bludge", when you’ve made camp
you can "just bludge around", but you don’t
want to be known as a "bludger" or someone who
won’t work. |
| Brown
snake |
| |
One of Australia’s (the World's for that matter)
most venomous reptiles. |
| bush,
go ~ |
| |
The woods, the forest. Just about anywhere that is not
the city. You can "go bush" for a pee, a weekend
camping trip, or the rest of your life. |
| bushwalk |
| |
Walking in the bush. Hiking, tramping. |
| bushbashing |
| |
Bushwalking where there are no trails. |
| cobber |
| |
Your friend or mate. Used only in B grade movies about
Australia. In forty years of listening to Australians
talk I have never heard the term actually used. |
| cooee |
| |
A call used in the bush to locate people you can’t
see. Also used to indicate proximity, "He was within
cooee of shelter but died of hypothermia anyway". |
| cruiser |
| |
Depends on the context, possibly kind of boat, but most
of us aren't discussing vessels that large. Normally the
term refers to a Toyota Landcruiser 4x4. |
| dunny,
long drop ~ |
| |
A loo or toilet. Usually, but not necessarily, refers
to the outside variety. A large strong object may be "Built
like a brick dunny". A person of little use may be
"As useful as a glass door on a dunny". A dunny
not connected to sewerage usually has a deep pit beneath
it, hence the "long drop dunny" (work it out
for yourself). |
| esky |
| |
A cooler, normally used for beer. "Esky" is
actually a brand name, but the term has become generic
for almost any kind of cooler. |
| freshy |
| |
A freshwater crocodile, generally harmless to humans but
can inflict a severe bite if aggravated. See salty |
| galah |
| |
A type of cockatoo that is renowned for its comical antics
such as sliding down tents. A person considered to be
a little crazy could be described as "mad as a gum
tree full of galahs". |
| Gallipoli |
| |
A First World War battle of particular significance to
Australians and New Zealanders. The birth of the Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps who became known as the ANZACs. |
| g’day |
| |
General purpose greeting equivalent to "hi"
or "hello". Most common form of Australian greeting.
Short for "good day". "I just thought I’d
drop in and say g’day", "G’day mate,
owzitgoin?" (Hi, how’s it going). |
| jump
up |
| |
Flat topped hills that "jump up" from the surrounding
countryside. |
| mate |
| |
Your friend, or buddy. "He’s a good mate",
"You don’t let your mates down". |
| mud
map |
| |
A quick map used to give directions. Usually very rough
and hand drawn in the dirt with a stick, hence the name. |
| ocky
strap |
| |
Elastic
tie down strap with hooks on each end. |
| road
train |
| |
A semi trailer with three or four trailers instead of
the usual one. The longest I know of are around Mt Isa
in central Queensland where they can be about 55 metres
(178 feet) long. |
| roo |
| |
Short for ‘kangaroo’. If you were unlucky enough
to hit a kangaroo with your car you may have, "Hit
a bloody roo on the way home". |
| salty |
| |
A "saltwater" or "estaurine" crocodile,
unlike the freshy these fellows will eat you until you're
dead. Despite the name, salties are found everywhere up
north, even in fresh water hundreds of kilometres from
the sea. See freshy |
| scrub,
~bashing |
| |
Like the "bush" but usually refers to thick
bushes that impede a bushwalker’s progress. Scrub
bashing is similar to bush bashing. However, while bush
bashing just means that there is no trail, scrub bashing
refers to the fact that you have to physically force your
way through the scrub. |
| slab |
| |
A carton of beer usually containing 24 stubbies. |
| station |
| |
A large farm or ranch. You can own a "sheep station"
or a "cattle station" but it had better be pretty
big to deserve the term "station". |
| stubby |
| |
A small bottle of beer, usually 375ml or 250ml. |
| tanimi |
| |
The Tanimi track, a shortcut from Alice Springs to the
Kimberly, exiting near Halls Creek. 800-odd kilometres
of bull dust, corrugations and almost no services. |
| the |
| |
"The" is used as per normal in the English
language, but is also used as a form of shorthand,
usually for double-barrel or long place names. For
example,
Mount Isa » the Isa
Alice Springs » the Alice
Woolongong » the Gong
Northern Territory » the Territory
|
| tinny |
| |
Either a beer in a can, or a small aluminium boat. |
| ute |
| |
Short for utility, a two-door work vehicle with a tray
at the back. What the Americans would call a pickup. |
| VB |
| |
Victoria Bitter, one of the more popular brands of beer. |
| wedgies |
| |
Nothing to do with your undies, a wedgy is a Wedge-tailed
eagle, Australia's largest (two metres or so wing span)
and most regal bird of prey. |
| |
