Landing in a new country has always meant finding plenty of surprises but I would have never expected to be awed by a completely new use of the English language.
The Australian version of the English is a rich tapestry, full of colourful words and phrases which have obvious meanings to the locals, but are basically incomprehensible to anyone else. To make things easier for visitors and backpackers trying to understand what everyone is talking about, I spent a weekend with a true Aussie person and here is a list of some fully Aussiest of Aussie phrases.
1) GO OFF LIKE A FROG IN A SOCK (when a party is going off)
A mysterious phrase meaning that something – a party, for example- is particularly entertaining and vibrant. Though it’s hard to trace its origins precisely, you have to imagine that at some point, some curious little Aussie put an actual frog in an actual sock, and those who witnessed it were all in agreement that it “went off”
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”22428″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]2) HAVE A SQUIZ
To take a look at something. Sounds perfectly natural to Australians but to everyone else it kind of sounds like you need to urinate.
3) PULL YA HEAD IN
In Australian culture, one must never overstep one’s boundaries. A footballer, for example, who decides to express a political opinion will be told to “pull his head in” by everybody. The concern is obviously that, like a tortoise which extends its neck too far, the footballer is exposing himself to being attacked and killed by a wily predator.
4) TA
In the rest of the world “ Ta” is taught to babies because “thank you” is too difficult to say. In Australia adult people use “ta” because “thank you” is too long to say.
5) SWEET AS
Meaning “ that is very good news” or “ I am happy with that”. This expression tantalisingly declines to reveal the end of the sentence; sweet as what?! It is fun to imagine how people could finish it.
6) YEAH, NAH
Probably the most beautiful expression in the Australian dictionary. No two words placed together in the English language can convey such a depth of meaning. A real translation would take thousands of pages of text, but trying to briefly explain “yeah, nah” can be used for everything and nothing at the same time. We should translate it as the common “ whatever”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22426″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][vc_column_text]7) RIGHTO
Righto is a simple- looking word that contains a complex set of meanings. In this case, it is mostly dependent on how it is delivered. Find some variations of this expression below:
Righto: OK
Righto: Enough of this, let’s get going.
Righto: Easy! Easy! Farken ease up, turbo.
And more and more that came across random conversations..
8) HE WAS SPEWIN’! = very unhappy/agitated
9) AS MAD AS A CUT SNAKE = very angry
10) WHAT A STINKER OF A DAY! = It’s a hot day
11) SHE’LL BE RIGHT = it will be ok ( reflective of their supposed generally relaxed attitude)
12) IT’S GONE WALKABOUT = it’s lost, can’t be found
13) FLAT OUT LIKE A LIZARD DRINKIN’ = very busy
14) WE’RE UP THE CREEK! = in trouble
15) BOG IN AND HAVE SOME TUCKER = let’s eat.
16) I RECKON = yes, absolutely!
This all sounds wierd, right? But as the first step to become local is starting to swallow their language and slang, let’s start to familiarize with these terms! Once you got them, you can start explore this unique country.