Thanks, guys. Art, I searched for 'slang' in the forum and found a gazillion threads listed. I got lost in some interesting stuff and links to links, but ...

Ozmacca was more to my point, if -- are you really talking that way when you're not being humorous. I think I know everything except 'arvo'; is that at all like 'aggro'?

I love slang and have dictionaries of it and I use 'my' local slang without a thought, but my point is that other people's slang is hard to take seriously, and certainly can't be used comfortably by an alien without looking like a fool. "Yo, homie!" I think not.

THe old American joke is that if you wake one of those Englishmen with the fancy accents up in the middle of the night, he'll talk just like a normal person. If I want to try it, will the Cockney commisaire really say, "His titfer's on the rack, so take a run up the apples, he must be home."? ReallY??? Would he say it to another Cockney?

And do Aussies really say, "G'Day, cobber", and call girls 'sheilas' and all that Paul Hogan stuff? Really???