Ozzities

Australians claim to speak English. That’s disputable. They call themselves Aussies, but pronounce it “Ozzies” and frequently refer to Australia as “Oz.” Here are some “ozzities:”

white bait- deep-fried tiny fish the size of a guppy
paw paw- papaya
bums- rear ends e.g. a bum bag is a fanny pack
road train- semi-truck pulling 3-5 trailers
Australian Salute-waving hand to ward off flies
station-ranch
torch-flashlight
jumping the queue- taking cuts in line
tomato sauce- ketchup

abseiling (pronounced ab-sailing) involves workers who are on a scaffold that is suspended by ropes from the roof. They explained that it was also a rock climbing term. We call it rappelling.

country killed meat-slaughtered on the farm
10 Dhuri Place turned out to be a restaurant called Tandoori Palace- the accent strikes again
A round trip to L.A. would be phrased as “a return ticket to L.A.”
short soup is wonton & long soup has long noodles in it
rorting is to cheat
larrikin- loveable scoundrel & is aspired to by the Aussies of the male persuasion

hoon & a yabbu young men who like to drive fast & make a minor nuisance of themselves. They stay within the law

wanker - another word for hoon
gone crook- that’s being sick
fan bake ovens- convection
ute- pick-up truck

lagerphone is an outback musical instrument made from a stick to which has been loosely nailed as many beer caps as you can. Pounding the end of the stick on the ground jingles the bottle caps & produces the “music.”

that’s dear-expensive
hinterlands-after the city but before the bush and outback
whinging-whining
maths-mathematics

cobber- pal or mate- It was common with Australian troops stationed in Palestine during WWI & II. The Hebrew term for friend is “chaver.” The Aussies couldn’t pronounce the guttural “ch” sound, so it came out like a “k.”mispronunciation by non-Jews. The “v” in Hebrew is soft & easily confused with a “b” sound. There you have it. Chaver became cobber.

refuse tip- where garbage was dumped
overtaking-cars overtake each other on the roads; they don’t pass
Pom-pejorative for British meaning Prisoner of Her Majesty
stuff-up-screw-up
boob tubes- tube tops
traditional Australian dessert treat is called Pavlova- base is angel food cake Its sides are ladyfingers topped with meringue

potty-crazy
cossies - swimming costumes
over the moon-extemely happy
hotel-tavern or pub
spruiker (sprew’-ker) is someone who stands outside a business & promotes or hawks its wares.

slasher ahead- We were a little nervous that they would have warnings of demented murderers on their highways, but we soon saw that it only referred to a highway maintenance machine that cut tall grass at the side of the road.

piss up- a drunken party He’s so dumb that he couldn’t throw a piss up in a brewery.
collected- to pick up as at an airport
littlies-kiddies
expirary date-expiration date
rumble strips- edge lines that make noise when you drive on them.

road slump- Due to changing weather conditions, roads become undermined and start to lean one way or another.

autogas-propane tanks like we use for gas grills
tall dark- is a double espresso
sister- nurse goods
lift- a service elevator
In Australian banking lingo non-negotiable means “depositable” but not “cashable.”
bities in the water- jellyfish
unsealed roads-unpaved
McOz - burger (with beetroot)
chooks-chickens
cattle duffers-cattle theives
capsicum-green pepper
indicator- directional signal

billy tea and damper- That’s tea brewed over a campfire and bread baked in coals. Any resemblance to bread is purely a function of Australian imagination

Danger Smoking! No Naked Lights. What is a clothed light?
robot- in S. Africa-a traffic light
jumper- cardigan thirsty for a fizz (soda) or ice-cream spider (soda with ice-cream)?
spotted dick- pudding

burger with the lot- beef-mince (hamburger), fried egg, beetroot (beets to us), Canadian bacon, cheese, rocket (leaf lettuce), tomato, avocado, and onion.

globes or lamps (light bulbs) can be screw-in or bayonet. The latter pops into the socket and is secured by two protrusions on its base.

trucker’s brekkie- liver, black pudding, steak, bacon, sausage, chips, egg, fried tomato, and toast. What’s an amusement park without fairy floss (cotton candy)?
cucumbers- pickles
scheme- positive reference to a government plan, e.g. health care scheme.
serviettes - paper napkins
napkins- cloth serviettes
nappies- diapers

linens and bedding are Manchesters derived from the area of England where they were manufactured

bowser - a fuel pump at a gas station
poppers -juice boxes

jelly - Jell-O. It caused one child some stress when trying to assemble a peanut butter and “Jell-O” sandwich.

dobbers- tattle-tales- they don’t hesitate to dobb in someone they suspect of a crime

There really are towns called Barrumbuttock, Tittibong, and Blackbutt.
sandwich combos include: bacon, banana, & cheese or bacon, pineapple, & cheese.

A sign in a store said,” Does your credit card shout you up to 62 days?” To shout is to treat or pay for. The sign means there’s no interest on charges for 62 days.

lippie- lipstick
sunnies -sunglasses
swimmers -bathing suits
littlies -toddlers
lolly shop - a candy store
Here our adapters are usually grounded. In Oz they’re earthed.
Their Imodium helps with wind pain.

Instructions on our long-distance calling card made sense when we figured out their hash mark is our pound key.

When you check a hat or coat at a coatroom (cloakroom) it’s cloaked.
Intermission at the theater is an interval.
Hot dogs are bangers and are usually served with mash (mashed potatoes).
It may sound better, but the knackers is still a slaughterhouse.