Comments on: Shrimp on the Barbie

By: Veronica

Veronica — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:23:28 +0000

I’m glad that the above commenters mentioned “budgie smugglers” and “fanta pants” which are two of my favourite additions to the Aussie lexicon. I’d like to add:
Prawn: an ugly person with a good body
S/he’s got a face like a half sucked Mars Bar
and, from my always appropriate step-father, ‘sweating like a pedophile at a wiggles concert”.

I love your blog – it’s terrific!

By: Loz

Loz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:34:14 +0000

I just got back from Oz and it’s hard to go back to the Canadian way of speaking!
My favorites were:
Chuck a sickie= calling in sick!
Ranga= red head (seems a lot of people like this one!)
Jumper= sweater
Togs= bathing suit
Sparrow’s Fart= crack of dawn!
And I could never get enough of saying heaps and reckon! I think I’ll keep those around for a while!

By: Olivia

Olivia — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:23:20 +0000

A few more Aussie terms – ‘fire crotch’ is another one for a ranga. A ‘snag’ is a sausage. ‘Dead horse’ is rhyming slang for tomato sauce (what you call ketchup). A few more are ‘saucepan lids’ for kids, ‘trouble and strife’ for wife.

We toally do shorten absolutely EVERYTHING, usually by adding an ‘o’ – arvo for afternoon, servo for service station, smoko for a ciggie break.

Also just to clear it up, ‘pants’ here are like slacks or trousers. For underwear we say ‘undies’ or ‘knickers’. And a g string is a g string, not a bikini, no idea where you got that one from.

Although a lot of typical Australian slang we don’t use in an every day situation, it is fun to use it around foreigners! It’s also interesting to notice how many sayings or just words we have that you don’t realise no one else understands.

By: movin down the road

movin down the road — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:31:45 +0000

“Uncle Chester” makes me howl with laughter!

By: breagha

breagha — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:33:44 +0000

I couldn’t agree with you more re: being a little anal retentive about the English language. I won’t repeat your words, because you summed up my feelings quite well, but I just _loved_ your wee list of the Aussie slang. I, too, stayed in Scotland for a bit and dated a Scottish beau for a little over four years, and consider myself quite familiar with Scottish slang. But wow… I also would have had great difficulty understanding the native Aussies. I need to travel more

By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:30:52 +0000

Don’t forget “arvo” which means afternoon. how they got arvo from that, I’m not sure…

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:55:38 +0000

how about: ‘Ranga’ or ‘Fanta pants’ for a redhead.

By: ummmmheyyyy

ummmmheyyyy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:21:57 +0000

‘I can’t be arsed’ is just so damn catchy – the most versatile response ever invented! I hope it catches on here in the US..

By: slynnro

slynnro — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:03:08 +0000

I’m generally not big on abbreviations either, but I am a fan of “obvs.” But not “obvi,” for that is horrible.

By: Terry Ward

Terry Ward — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:59:47 +0000

I love the Aussie terms bogan for redneck, and wopwops for boondocks.
And hatever you do in Australia, don’t call that thing around your waist a fanny pack (better yet, don’t even wear one!).