Australian Slang

I have just read a cc newsletter that has an overview of Brisbane as a port of call. There is some excellent information there, except for the paragraph on Australian language. Don't know which archaic dictionary the writer sourced the information from, but the words are definitely not in common current usage. In all my life, I have never heard anyone refer to a sandwich as a 'sammie', nor sausages as 'mystery bags'. A swimsuit is a 'swimsuit', although in the past it may have been called a 'cozzie' or 'togs'. Food is 'food', but 'tucker' was used in the past. In fact school canteens were called 'tuckshops'. There may be some quaint expressions you will come across, just as there are variations in any English speaking country. However, the advice in the cc overview is of historic interest only. You may have more problems understanding the accent rather than individual phrases or words.

Cheers!

I have just read a cc newsletter that has an overview of Brisbane as a port of call. There is some excellent information there, except for the paragraph on Australian language. Don't know which archaic dictionary the writer sourced the information from, but the words are definitely not in common current usage. In all my life, I have never heard anyone refer to a sandwich as a 'sammie', nor sausages as 'mystery bags'. A swimsuit is a 'swimsuit', although in the past it may have been called a 'cozzie' or 'togs'. Food is 'food', but 'tucker' was used in the past. In fact school canteens were called 'tuckshops'. There may be some quaint expressions you will come across, just as there are variations in any English speaking country. However, the advice in the cc overview is of historic interest only. You may have more problems understanding the accent rather than individual phrases or words.

Cheers!

A sandwich isn't a " sammie"....it is a "sanger"!! lol

DH will occasionally call a sausage a "mystery bag" but normally they are referred to as a "snag"

Swimsuits are "bathers" here in Vic

Definitely sanger, sammie is POM

What's wrong with a snag sanger, good tucker.

Swim suit can be bather's togs, swimmers or cozzie, have heard them all in the last year.

Sorry but you will hear these things maybe not a lot, but hear them you will, just like maggot bag and snot block.

I am no longer surprised when visitors don't understand what we say, had a Canadian once totally bamboozled by "Let's go to Macca's for tea". She thought t was some type of coffee shop.

But agree there are other phrases more likely to confuse than those mentioned.

Cossies in NSW….

(i remember asking for cossies in Vic once… the girl looked at me blankly until I said costume…. then directed me to the fancy dress shop 3 doors down)

My dad calls a pie a mystery bag

The biggest issues are parts of a car and tools…

arvo is one that always baffles.. as in Th sarvo I'll pick you up

purse and wallet are also confusing….

lets not even mention the fanny pack

Cossies in NSW….

 

(i remember asking for cossies in Vic once… the girl looked at me blankly until I said costume…. then directed me to the fancy dress shop 3 doors down)

 

My dad calls a pie a mystery bag

 

The biggest issues are parts of a car and tools…

 

arvo is one that always baffles.. as in Th sarvo I'll pick you up

 

purse and wallet are also confusing….

 

lets not even mention the fanny pack

I'm in New South too and they were always swimmers

and yes let's not mention fanny packs

The rest of the world needs to learn that any word can be inproved by shortening it and adding "O" unless it's a short word in which case it should be lengthened.

The rest of the world needs to learn that any word can be inproved by shortening it and adding "O" unless it's a short word in which case it should be lengthened.

I meant to include that in the first post. Australians frequently shorten long words and lengthen short words, including people's names.

Try not to take offence when you tell someone your first name and they immediately shorten it. Must admit it is presumptuous, but also very common practice.

Whenever I get called my full name I think I'm in trouble.

Also if your name is Robert be ready to be called Bob, John = Jack, Patrcia = Pat or Trish, Julie = Jules, Michael = Mick or Mike, James = Jim, shall I go on.

In fact I recently read a book that included a bit about my family and it took me a while to realise that the Thomas they were talking about was my grand father Tom.

The type of sausage you get all greasy and tastes like particle board chips with essence of meat flavouring is well known in Victoria as a mystery bag as no one quite knows what the Supermarkets put in them .

A meat pie and sauce in Victoria is a dogs eye with dead horse !!!

A sandwich here is a sanger .

A vanilla slice with sticky white icing is known as a snot block !!!

The type of sausage you get all greasy and tastes like particle board chips with essence of meat flavouring is well known in Victoria as a mystery bag as no one quite knows what the Supermarkets put in them .

 

You must know by Butcher.

A meat pie and sauce in Victoria is a dogs eye with dead horse !!!

I think I said earlier or a Maggot Bag.

A sandwich here is a sanger .

Yep, nothing better than a snag sanger with dead horse.

Cossie… the further south you go the more likely it is to be corrupted

the further north you go the same

Swimmers/Bathers is a north shore thing, togs when you head south…

DONT dare shorten a child's name today…. unless the parent already has… Benjamin is Benjamin, Lucas is Lucas, Jack will be Jack,

Robert's these day are more often Rob

James are rarely Jims… more often J or Jamie

Blueys are rangas

Suburbs get shortened depending on the dominate vowel

Sutherland is Sutho

Cronulla is Nulla

Mortdale is Morty

Newtown can be Newo

Helensburgh would down the burg

Wollongong is the Gong

Even within Sydney the slang changes by area

But Newcastle would never be Newie.

Not sure about swimmers being North Shore, my mob came from a long way from the North Shore [Coal miners from the coal fields], but they were always swimmers.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Newie

I almost wrote and that defines it from Newie

the great aussie cossie

Wagga Wagga can be Wagga

Kurri Kurri can be Kurri

Wangi Wangi can be Wangi

BUT

Woy Wou can NEVER be Woy

Go figure.

Cossie… the further south you go the more likely it is to be corrupted

 

the further north you go the same

 

Swimmers/Bathers is a north shore thing, togs when you head south…

 

 

DONT dare shorten a child's name today…. unless the parent already has… Benjamin is Benjamin, Lucas is Lucas, Jack will be Jack,

 

Many of the ones seen cruising from Sydney all have the same name......little bastard ! (you know the ones, parents AWOL, running amok and every button in the lifts hit ) :D:D:D