Aussie English from the sticks

<b>Hey Aussie English fans!</b><br /> <br /> Or more particularly... fans of Australia and all things Aussie!<br /> <br /> I'm&nbsp;<b>stoked&nbsp;</b>that you guys have been hanging out so long for the next word from this blog. In fact, I'm so inspired that I am considering how I can schedule this into my daily/weekly routine. (I've said that before, right?)<br /> <br /> So anyway, here's the big news...<br /> <br /> I'M BACK&nbsp;<b>DOWN UNDER!</b><br /> <br /> Yeah mate, that's right. I was living in Siberia (Russia) with my&nbsp;<b>fam bam</b>&nbsp;for three glorious years. We had a&nbsp;<b>ripper&nbsp;</b>time and managed to make a whole&nbsp;<b>stack&nbsp;</b>of friends. But it was time to&nbsp;<b>mosey on</b>&nbsp;home to where kangaroos roam.<br /> <br /> There's one big difference already... a Summer Christmas!<br /> <br /> We just enjoyed our first Summer Christmas since 2012. There's something to be said for a beautiful white Christmas with snow, ice-skating and all that... but coming home to Oz, it's just like the good old days again.<br /> <br /> Typically, on Christmas day we wake up early (the time is generally dictated by the <b>tin lids</b>) and flop around on the lounge and floor near the Christmas tree.<br /> <br /> Kids rip into their presents and shout for joy as they unwrap toys, gadgets and of course socks and undies. It could be argued that some families overdo it a bit. Personally, I don't like to&nbsp;<b>splurge&nbsp;</b>too much.<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKW9BlnXj-caeR3BqOBbSmSWqCu9LD58UfOKCiFWddCZ9JLq2NkfUyJQnitpMo5zJKvDibdYXi45URUjwIarSW37sK9DmqC1WNGuOAlGTsg4GkwG4tjIOTBPQWvgguJvEBXrvoQ60ino/s1600/christmas+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKW9BlnXj-caeR3BqOBbSmSWqCu9LD58UfOKCiFWddCZ9JLq2NkfUyJQnitpMo5zJKvDibdYXi45URUjwIarSW37sK9DmqC1WNGuOAlGTsg4GkwG4tjIOTBPQWvgguJvEBXrvoQ60ino/s320/christmas+family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>My mob on Christmas morning, 2016</i></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> Some folk head off to church for a morning service where the original Christmas story is lovingly retold and kids often show off one or two of their favourite gifts.<br /> <br /> Following that, we have a&nbsp;<b>whopping&nbsp;</b>big family lunch of salads, sliced meat, maybe a BBQ and then bucket loads of lollies, cakes and ice cream. One of the most well-loved cakes at Christmas time is the pavlova (or "pav" as we say).<br /> <br /> We recently moved to a new town near the beach and not too far from the alpine regions. The temp is a bit cooler here, but even so, Christmas Day is renowned for being a&nbsp;<b>STINKER</b>. That means, very hot.<br /> <br /> If you're lucky, Christmas Day will end with a nice big thunderstorm and cool, cleansing rain.<br /> <br /> Just so you can get a sense of the Aussie Christmas tradition, I'm posting a link to Colin Buchanan's well-known rendition of "Jingle Bells" - aptly retitled "Aussie Jingle Bells".<br /> <br /> Enjoy...<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OnJ8jsw4BSo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OnJ8jsw4BSo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <hr width="100%" /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <b>Useful words:</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <b>Stoked: </b>to be very happy about / proud of / thankful for something<br /> <b>Down Under:</b> Australia<br /> <b>Fam bam:</b> family<br /> <b>Ripper:</b> Awesome, excellent, amazing<br /> <b>A stack of: </b>lots of, many<br /> <b>Mosey on:</b> to leave, go somewhere, walk away<br /> Tin lids: kids (rhyming slang)<br /> <b>Spluge: </b>to spend a lot of money<br /> <b>Whopping:</b> huge, big, large<br /> <b>Stinker:</b> a very hot day, a stinking hot day

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <b>Strewth!</b><br /> <div> It seems a normal habit for me to only post a new blog once a year. Soz!<br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1YNMxvwZHNDNPmUI-5g8DNizztc6aoz75N3GVEpYkJA3D9MnT4eXcHgCB7dy5MaMyAxyJ0zMfiIs_F79rlFIRvFRXq2XEUQmcNvRElT7HEva6b7kYTxKXX552ljE4PdEtsQRm4yqcr7l/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1YNMxvwZHNDNPmUI-5g8DNizztc6aoz75N3GVEpYkJA3D9MnT4eXcHgCB7dy5MaMyAxyJ0zMfiIs_F79rlFIRvFRXq2XEUQmcNvRElT7HEva6b7kYTxKXX552ljE4PdEtsQRm4yqcr7l/s320/IMG_6624.JPG" width="255" /></a>Well, I'm thinking you all might enjoy just a little snapshot of life as we Aussies know it. The thing is, me, the Mrs and our tin lids&nbsp;are actually living in the bowels of Siberia at the moment! That's a bit of a crazy adventure right there!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I reckon if I keep these posts short and sweet, they'll be easy for you mob to read and crapload easier for me to write!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Let me teach you a new phrase. This Chrissy we gave our little daughter a new toothbrush. Here she is. When I was a kid, my dad would always tell us to "Go polish your fangs" - this was his Aussie way of telling us to brush our teeth.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> So, do you <b>polish your fangs</b> after every meal?</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <hr /> <br /></div> <div> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Strewth!</b> - An exclamation of surprise</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Soz</b> - short for Sorry</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>A snapshot</b> - a preview of something</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Tin lids</b> - kids (see <a href="http://aus-eng.blogspot.ru/2015/01/10-aussie-rhyming-slang-phrases-you.html" target="_blank">Rhyming Slang</a> post)</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>The Mrs</b> - wife</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>In the bowels of...</b> - in the middle/deep in...</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Chrissy</b> - Christmas</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Short and sweet</b> - short and not complicated; condensed</span><br /> <br /></div> </div>

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Now this is a track I can picture in my mind! Growing up in rural Australia means that songs like this classic really speak to my heart.<br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> Sometimes music these days is just a bunch of utter rubbish where people sing nonsense lyrics that some other bugger wrote for them to make them another million bucks.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Let's wind that clock back a bit and check out some lyrics from an Australian classic.</div> <div> <br /></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguqDJGWumybzkeKWeYq9moOeQmT-I70vduu7ZH0YRzd2YFjT4j2dT6KDb_w7TOMiDgRUe625oZzXyj_o8Gm1XRu_f4yXpF386_iQC27AsTO7DY0cmpYZy4iuHex0Rwf_JM4j2V1NSJB_D/s1600/track-shack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguqDJGWumybzkeKWeYq9moOeQmT-I70vduu7ZH0YRzd2YFjT4j2dT6KDb_w7TOMiDgRUe625oZzXyj_o8Gm1XRu_f4yXpF386_iQC27AsTO7DY0cmpYZy4iuHex0Rwf_JM4j2V1NSJB_D/s1600/track-shack.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical country "track" with a homestead visible amongst<br /> the gum trees ahead (to the right). Moggill Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane 1921.<br /> Photo credit: <a href="http://bonzle.com/pictures-over-time/pictures-taken-in-1921/page-2/size-3/picture-5hsoy5q8/moggill-road/view-of-moggill-road-indooroopilly-brisbane-1921" target="_blank">Bonzle.com</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div> <b>Along the Road to Gundagai</b> was written way back in 1922 by a true blue Aussie bloke tickling the ivories in a Melbourne music store.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_O%27Hagan" target="_blank">Jack O'Hagan</a> worked for <a href="http://www.allansbillyhyde.com.au/" target="_blank">Allans Music store</a> (which is still around today!). He was a talented musician who played the sheetmusic that customers were interested in buying. In the meantime, this young'n was crafting a little masterpiece of his own that would eventually become an Aussie favourite.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Check out the lyrics and we'll discuss what some of the more obscure phrases mean.</div> <div> <br /></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i>There's a track winding back<br />To an old-fashioned shack<br />Along the road to Gundagai&nbsp;</i></blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i>Where the blue gums are growing<br />And the Murrumbidgee's flowing<br />Beneath that sunny sky&nbsp;</i></blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i>Where my daddy and mother<br />Are waiting for me<br />And the pals of my childhood<br />Once more I will see.&nbsp;</i></blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <i>Then no more will I roam,<br />When I'm heading right for home<br />Along the road to Gundagai.</i></blockquote> <div> <br /></div> <div> And it's that simple!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I dunno about you, but I reckon that's gold. Jack obviously had a love for the countryside and the simple things in life, like his old family shack, the big Aussie gum trees and his schoolmates. Those are the things memories are made of, ay?</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Jack's mate, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Dawson_(bass-baritone)" target="_blank">Peter Dawson</a>, recorded this song a couple of years later. The song sold around 50,000 copies in 3 months and both blokes probably made a motza!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Have a listen to Peter Dawson's recording. Sing along if you want to!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/brn1RggXKuA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> I hope you enjoyed this Aussie classic. I'll end with an explanation of some of the lyrics used. Feel free to comment below and ask me any questions about other words you don't understand.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Til next time, see ya!</div> <div> <br /></div> <hr /> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Track:</b> a narrow country road, usually dirt</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Shack:</b> Old rugged house (not a fancy, expensive one)</span></div> <div> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Gundagai:</b> a country town in rural New South Wales (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundagai" target="_blank">wikipedia</a>)</span></div> <div> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Blue gums:</b> a type of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_globulus" target="_blank"> eucalyptus tree</a> native to Australia</span></div> <div> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Murrumbidgee:</b> a major river in New South Wales</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span> <span style="color: yellow;">Other words...</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Bugger:</b> idiot, jerk</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Bucks:</b> dollars</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>True blue:</b> genuine, real</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Bloke:</b> a man, guy</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Tickling the ivories:</b> playing the piano</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Young'n:</b> young guy, young lad</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>That's gold:</b> that's great, awesome, amazing</span><br /> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Ay:</b> often used at the end of a sentence, meaning "don't you agree?"</span></div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> It's time to hear from YOU!</h3> <br /> So I've been doing a bit of thinkin. You know, just lying there on my back watching the clouds float by. The question is a pretty big one:<br /> <br /> <b><i>Does anybody really give <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_razoo" target="_blank">a brass razoo</a> about Aussie English?</i></b><br /> <br /> I think that's something you could answer, because I need to know.<br /> <br /> Here's some more questions for you, and I encourage you to post a comment and answer them:<br /> <br /> <br /> <ul style="text-align: left;"> <li>Are you ever going to Australia, or have you been there?</li> <li>Do you watch any Aussie TV shows? Which ones?</li> <li>When you hear Aussies, can you understand them?</li> <li>Have you done or wish to do any formal study in the English language?</li> <li>Would you be interested in a short video course in understanding and speaking Aussie English?</li> </ul> <br /> <br /> Once again, these are pretty big questions. As a dad of five tin lids (see <a href="http://aus-eng.blogspot.com/2015/01/10-aussie-rhyming-slang-phrases-you.html" target="_blank">previous blog</a>), I have bugger all spare time, but I'm willing to invest it into one or two important things if I know it's helping someone like you!<br /> <br /> So... please comment below, or at least share this post on FB, G+ etc. Good on ya mate!</div>

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr"> <b>WARNING: Ancient cryptic secrets are about to be unravelled!</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Well, it could almost be considered a secret code. So consider yourself quite lucky that I'm sharing this with you!</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Have you ever heard of "Rhyming Slang"? Well the idea originally came from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney" target="_blank">Cockney</a>&nbsp;England, but considering the Poms sent a lot of their dodgy codgers to Australia in the early colonial days, we soon adopted the idea of rhyming slang. In fact, I reckon we perfected it (like most things we Aussies get our hands on!)</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> So what is it?</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> The idea was to take a word that you kinda wanted to disguise, or encode, and use a two-word phrase in its place that rhymed with it.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Clear as mud? Let me give you some examples with rhyming slang in place. See if you can guess what the phrase represents before you scroll down and check out the answers.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li>Can't watch the footy without a pie with <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">dead horse</span></i></b>.</li> <li>My missus did the <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Harry Holt</span></i></b> with the local plumber.</li> <li>I heard there was a prang up the road. Might go have a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Captain Cook</span></i></b>.</li> <li>Get off the <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>dog 'n' bone</i></b> </span>and mow the lawn!</li> <li>It's getting late cuz, I better hit the <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">frog 'n' toad</span></i></b>.</li> <li>Could I have a dozen roses for my beloved <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">trouble 'n' strife</span></i></b>?</li> <li>The <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">billy lids / tin lids</span></i></b> always give us grief at bed time!</li> <li>Woh, check out that paint job. Looks like the painter had a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Barry Crocker</span></i></b> that day!</li> <li>We're heading to <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">steak 'n' kidney</span></i></b> at the crack of dawn.</li> <li>Don't bother telling me a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">porky pie</span></i></b>, cos I'll find out!</li> </ol> <br /> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> How'd you go? Didn't sneak a Bo Peep did you? Well, are you ready for the answers?</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li><b>Dead Horse</b> = (tomato) sauce</li> <li><b>Harry Holt</b> = bolt (i.e. to run away or disappear)</li> <li><b>Captain Cook</b> = look (for something, at something)</li> <li><b>Dog 'n' Bone</b> = telephone</li> <li><b>Frog 'n' Toad</b> = road</li> <li><b>Trouble 'n' Strife</b> = wife (gents, use this one at your own risk)</li> <li><b>Billy Lids / Tin Lids</b> = kids (children)</li> <li><b>Barry Crocker</b> = shocker (an unfortunate time, lack of success, bad luck)</li> <li><b>Steak 'n' Kidney</b> = Sydney</li> <li><b>Porky Pie</b> = lie (untruth, fib)</li> </ol> <br /> Reckon that's not too hard? Sorry to say, but it gets a bit trickier. Sometimes we'll drop the second word and turn the first word into a plural.<br /> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Say what?</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Check it out. Here are some new examples with rhyming slang in its short forms:</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <ul style="text-align: left;"> <li>I haven't seen Bill all day. Methinks he's done the <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Harrys</span></i></b>.</li> <li>Be blowed if I know where me keys are. Might have a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Captains </span></i></b>in the dunny.</li> <li>Mitch is having a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Barrys </span></i></b>today with his bowling.</li> <li>Yeah right, sounds like you're telling <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">porkies </span></i></b>again.</li> </ul> <br /> <a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=1296&amp;id=9780143009115&amp;affiliate_banner_id=1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Australian Slang" border="0" src="http://www.fishpond.com.au/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=1296&amp;affiliate_pbanner_id=12236959" /></a> I hope that made some kind of sense. Nobody said Aussie English was easy. But neither did they say it wasn't interesting! Don't you just love it?<br /> <br /> <div dir="ltr"> Well, I gotta do the Harry Holt and put the tin lids to bed!</div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> G'night<br /> <br /></div> <hr /> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Dodgy:</b> untrustworthy, unsafe, non-genuine</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Codger:</b> fellow, guy, bloke</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Clear as mud:</b> very unclear, doesn't make any sense</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Footy:</b> football (usually rugby league or Aussie Rules football)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Prang:</b> a car crash</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Cuz:</b> cousin</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Crack of dawn:</b> the first light of dawn</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Bo Peep:</b> a peek, a look at something</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Fib:</b> a lie</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Be blowed:</b> to be surprised by something (<i>Well I'll be blowed!</i>), to be baffled by something (<i>I'll be blowed if I know!</i>)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Dunny:</b> toilet</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> </div>