Subject: BS: words from Australia From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 22 Aug 07 - 01:16 PM I checked out a good mystery story last week. It's Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood, and the action centers on a bakery in Melborne AU. I thought it would be fun to share with Catters the language in the book that I (an American)found new or unusual. Some of it can be surmised from context, but I'd still be interested in what those from Oz know or think about the words. ======== 1. ...as though they had been trapped in a life for days with Philip Ruddock talking about border protection. Australia hasn't got any borders, has it? 2. I found it hard to imagine this cat-like spunk as a social worker. spunk? 3. ...get a soapie part which requires them to gain two stone. how big is a stone? 4. ...concocted a gin and tonic from my Esky... 5. Then I put on my trackie and went down to start breakfast. 6. ...a thing which looks like a coffee scroll... "coffee scroll" sounds delicious! What is it? 7. ...tell Kylie to tone down the goss for Professor Dion. goss? 8. ..a kurta, still in its packet... 9. We made his bed with new sheets and his own doona. 10. "It's a fried egg and chili sauce sandwich. They're well sick." well sick? 11. How they did their GST I could not imagine. GST? 12. "Shall we pack the chateau collapseaux and a few glasses?" is there really a wine called that, or is it a joke? 13. "When did you tell Daniel about your two mates...?" "Yesterday arvo." arvo? |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: gnu Date: 22 Aug 07 - 01:51 PM Hey... this could be a contest! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: gnu Date: 22 Aug 07 - 01:57 PM 1. ...as though they had been trapped in a life for days with Philip Ruddock talking about border protection. Australia hasn't got any borders, has it? nope 2. I found it hard to imagine this cat-like spunk as a social worker. spunk? Young one full of piss and vinegar. 3. ...get a soapie part which requires them to gain two stone. how big is a stone? 14 pounds 4. ...concocted a gin and tonic from my Esky... I dunno 5. Then I put on my trackie and went down to start breakfast. Track suit.... leisure wear 6. ...a thing which looks like a coffee scroll... "coffee scroll" sounds delicious! What is it? I dunno 7. ...tell Kylie to tone down the goss for Professor Dion. goss? Gossip.... chitchat 8. ..a kurta, still in its packet... I dunno 9. We made his bed with new sheets and his own doona. I don't wanna know. 10. "It's a fried egg and chili sauce sandwich. They're well sick." well sick? decadent and delicious 11. How they did their GST I could not imagine. GST? general Sales tax 12. "Shall we pack the chateau collapseaux and a few glasses?" is there really a wine called that, or is it a joke? the plastic bag in a wine box 13. "When did you tell Daniel about your two mates...?" "Yesterday arvo." arvo? Harvey So... Ozzies... how did I do on the ones I thought I had a clue about? |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Joybell Date: 22 Aug 07 - 06:31 PM 1. ...as though they had been trapped in a life for days with Philip Ruddock talking about border protection. Border is the outside coastline of the whole country. Used mostly in political-speak 2. I found it hard to imagine this cat-like spunk as a social worker. Spunky = Sexy. Virile. 3. ...get a soapie part which requires them to gain two stone. 14 pounds 4. ...concocted a gin and tonic from my Esky... Brand name of a cooler-box 5. Then I put on my trackie and went down to start breakfast. Track-suit abrieviated. 6. ...a thing which looks like a coffee scroll... Bun made by rolling the dough into a flat spiral with spice. Frosting on top. Eaten with coffee. 7. ...tell Kylie to tone down the goss for Professor Dion. ??? (I'm just too old I guess) 8. ..a kurta, still in its packet... Ditto to number 7 9. We made his bed with new sheets and his own doona. Doona = brand name for a down-filled/synthetic-filled bed cover that replaces blankets. 10. "It's a fried egg and chili sauce sandwich. They're well sick." I think this sentence should be punctuated like this: ...They're -- well--- sick". It's a statment about someone's eating habits. There should be pauses inserted. Sick = weird. 11. How they did their GST I could not imagine. Goods and Services Tax 12. "Shall we pack the chateau collapseaux and a few glasses?" Yes, it's a joke. 13. "When did you tell Daniel about your two mates...?" "Yesterday arvo." arvo = afternoon. Cheers, Joy |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Leadfingers Date: 22 Aug 07 - 06:38 PM And I always thought it was England and America that were the two nations diuvided by a common language ! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Joybell Date: 22 Aug 07 - 07:15 PM Oh -- and -- yes number 7 is "gossip" as gnu says. Joy |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: gnu Date: 22 Aug 07 - 07:16 PM I got one right! Yippee. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 22 Aug 07 - 08:14 PM Australia does have borders - it's called the seashore... :-) But seriously - 'borders' - apart from the recent new premises of the bookchain - can refer to airports, as well as all the little islands off shore. These have cleverly been excised from 'the border' for legal purposes, for 'illegal immigrants' trying to claim asylum - now they must reach the physical above high tide mark on teh main continent - some clever Govt dickheads tried to remove that too, but saner heads prevailed... |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 22 Aug 07 - 08:47 PM "chateau collapseaux" pronounced 'chato collapso' - a tent... :-) 14 pounds weight = 1 stone. trackie dacks - are the pants of a track suit. "tell Kylie to tone down the goss for Professor Dion." Kylie - either the world famous Kylie (singer/moviestar/etc) whatsername :-) or 'Kylie Moll' a TV comedy skit teenaged girl - 'goss' = gossip. "Professor Dion" - obviously a 'critic' in the media - or could be Céline Dion - singer or http://www.dionforbrides.com.au/ or http://www.bridesselection.com.au/ "kurta" - that's new on me... would need more context. "10. "It's a fried egg and chili sauce sandwich. They're well sick." I think this sentence should be punctuated like this: ...They're -- well--- sick". It's a statment about someone's eating habits. There should be pauses inserted. Sick = weird." Sick has undergone many transformations - similar to the above, but the context would be important as now, 'sick' can also mean what 'cool' once meant - :-) |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 22 Aug 07 - 09:02 PM "as though they had been trapped in a life for days with Philip Ruddock talking about border protection." This one is actually subtle political comment. The Howard Govt - Ruddock has sometimes been the Minister who thinks he's responsible for protecting Australia from being overwhelmed by various 'foreign hordes' (we've been terrified of this since the 'Yellow Peril' and resultant 'White Australia Policy' and 'Domino Theory' days! - incidentally The Labour Unions and thus The Labour Party were responsible for the White Aus Policy!) which has now 'migrated' (get it?) into proecting us from Big George's 'Islamic Terrorists'... Little Fascist Johnny has manipulated the electorate previously with several various incarnations, such as 'Tampa' and 'children overboard' - thus we are constantly berated by people such as Ruddock about such issues as 'border protection' to the point that many (especially the 'young') turn off on such subjects... :-) |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Gurney Date: 22 Aug 07 - 09:33 PM Just to add even more confusion... Trackies I have seen in a South African book. They seem to be plimsolls/pumps/tennis shoes. Spunk, in England, is/was slang for a male emission that I'm not going to discuss further. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: John O'L Date: 22 Aug 07 - 11:30 PM Gurney, that's what spunk originally meant here too, and it was in an incredibly short time (five, maybe ten years at the most) that it turned from being absolutely obscene, to being acceptable, even cool. I remember watching in amazement as it happened. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennieG Date: 23 Aug 07 - 04:04 AM Trackies may be shoes in South Africa, but in Oz 'trackies' is the very comfortable and slightly daggy tracksuit into which one chages when one gets home from work. 'Tracky daks" is the bottom part only, 'daks' = trousers. And for those of us who will admit to having survived the 60s-70s, I think a 'kurta' was an embroidered voile or cheesecloth top, usually worn with frayed jeans? In this context I am wondering if she is using the word to refer to something else - like a condom perhaps? Kerry Greenwood is a Melbourne writer and some of the terms she uses don't survive in other states. Cheers JennieG |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: goatfell Date: 23 Aug 07 - 04:31 AM what the Australians do is that they take long words and shorten them and short words and lengthen them. weird I know but then it's a weird country. and border I think that he meant state/terrotry border. there a town in western Australia called Broome, and that is where a lot of these criminals go, so when you're at Broome you could sittinf beside a murderer. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 23 Aug 07 - 05:45 AM "and border I think that he meant state/terrotry border." No mate - see my post of 22 Aug 07 - 08:14 above. Robin A definite Aussie... |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Little Robyn Date: 23 Aug 07 - 05:58 AM A doona is also known as a duvet. Two stone seems an awful lot to gain - I weigh 8 stone - that's just over 50Kg so they'd have to gain about 13Kg. I couldn't do that! Robyn |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Helen Date: 23 Aug 07 - 07:23 AM "Chateau collapseaux" is, as gnu said, a type of wine packaging which is a cardboard box containing a plastic bag with a sort of spigot-type dispenser attached. Called a wine cask and described as a bag in the box. The bag collapses as the wine is used up, keeping the wine in a vacuum and therefore keeping the air away from it and preventing it from going off too soon. It radically increased the domestic consumption of wine in Oz - positively influenced the wine industry's profits. (Invented by a South Oz man called George Malpas. How do I know that, and why do I still think Google is absolutely wonderful? Because as a reference librarian in the early 80's I spent months trying to find out who invented the wine cask - reading books, looking up encyclopedias, any possible info source I could think of. I finally found it. By that time the customer who wanted the answer was probably just a pile of dust somewhere. ) Since wines are often given fancy labels like Chateau de Whatever, that's where this apt description comes from. Spunk (male emission) => spunky (a man who is good in bed) => a spunk (a sexy man. "Fully sick" is the term for something or someone who is especially impressive - or something like that. It's possibly youthful contrariness, turning a negative word into something positive. Esky is a brand name for the original portable cooler. It was metal, with an inner and outer layer, made on the same principle as a thermos flask. Put ice in it and you can keep your coldies (cans or bottles of beer) cold at a barbie or picnic or the footy. Helen |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: John O'L Date: 23 Aug 07 - 07:33 AM ...Also known as an iron lung. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 23 Aug 07 - 08:12 AM I still have an original Esky at home... |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Bee Date: 23 Aug 07 - 08:39 AM spunk /spʌŋk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spuhngk] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation, –noun 1. pluck; spirit; mettle. 2. touchwood, tinder, or punk. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Origin: 1530–40; b. spark1 and obs. funk spark, touchwood (c. D vonk, G Funke)] —Related forms spunkless, adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source spunk (spŭngk) Pronunciation Key n. Informal Spirit; pluck. Punk, touchwood, or other tinder. Vulgar Slang Ejaculated semen. [Scottish Gaelic spong, tinder, from Latin spongia, sponge; see sponge.] (Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source spunk 1536, "a spark," Scottish, from Gaelic spong "tinder, pith, sponge," from L. spongia (see sponge). The sense of "courage, pluck, mettle" is first attested 1773. A similar sense evolution took place in cognate Ir. sponnc "sponge, tinder, spark, courage, spunk." Vulgar slang sense of "seminal fluid" is recorded from c.1888. Spunky "courageous, spirited" is recorded from 1786. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper WordNet - Cite This Source spunk noun 1. material for starting a fire [syn: kindling] 2. the courage to carry on; "he kept fighting on pure spunk"; "you haven't got the heart for baseball" [syn: heart] WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 23 Aug 07 - 09:31 AM I remember my parents had one of the original Eskies too. I have a smaller one here somewhere - about lunchbox size, or about the size of the ones they call a sixer. It's metal-lined and quite heavy. As for the word meanings - I know I'm repeating some of the answers already given here, but here goes anyway. 1. About the borders, I'd agree with Foolestroupe, that it's subtle political comment, and the borders are our shores. 2. Spunk, a sexy guy as someone else said. 3. Yes, a stone is 14 pounds, and unfortunately it is possible to gain two of them :-( 4. The Esky as already explained, is an insulated cooler. "Esky" is a brand name. We have other brands now, like Coleman. They come in an assortment of sizes, and some of them (like mine) have wheels, which makes them easy to move around. I always take mine to folk festivals. 5. Trackie, or trackie-daks - probably just the pants of a tracksuit. 6. Coffee scrolls - I remember them - they were a yummy sweet biscuit swirled with spices and coffee and they had a blob of pink icing on them. Not sure if you can get them now. I might have to do some research in the supermarket ;-) 7. Goss is gossip. Without seeing that line in context it would be hard to tell if it was any ole Kylie or one of the famous Kylies - Kylie Mole from the Comedy Company or Kylie Minogue. 8. Never heard of a Kurta. Maybe it is a Melbourne thing. 9. Doona is a quilt filled with feathers or down, a duvet. 10. Well sick - I think Helen is right, that it is something impressive or really good. I've heard my son say "sick" in that sense, but "well sick" sounds more English to me. 11. GST - Goods and Services Tax as someone has said. That sentence suggests that maybe "they" were employers who were having a hard time with the extra calculations involved when the GST was brought in a few years ago. There was a lot of complaint about that. I think the VAT is the same thing. 12. "The chateau collapseaux" would be as Helen describes it. If you want it to take up less room in the Esky, you could take the bag out of the cardboard cask and squish it in somewhere, especially as the wine gets used up. Some of the old 4 litre cask wines were pretty evil, but the quality has improved over the years. There's so much reasonably priced good wine in Australia now, that there is no excuse for bad wine. Some of the cask wines - especially the 2 litre ones - are really quite decent now, and a good solution for people who may only want a glass now and then but don't want to open a whole bottle. I believe the new packaging with twist top bottles keeps the wine fresher a bit longer though, so who knows how much longer we'll have casks. 13. Arvo is afternoon. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:12 AM Thanks,everybody. This is most interesting. I made a typo in the first example. It was supposed to be "trapped in a lift," not "life." I had thought that "doona" would be an aboriginal word, but apparently it's derived from "down." It just goes to show that you never can tell. Kylie was nobody famous, just an assistant in the shop, an anorectic who needed to gain some weight so her brain would start functioning properly. Then she would be more judicious about what gossip she'd pass on to the frail and elderly professor. Clearly the phrase "well sick" is the newest, most variable usage. It was spoken by a teenage boy who was living on the streets. It's fun to get together with other people and discuss language, isn't it? |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:30 AM I didn't realise that we in Oz were the only ones to refer to them as doonas, and that it is actually a registered trade name. Wikipedia says: In Australia it is called a "Doona", from a trademarked brand name derived from the Old Norse dunn meaning "down feathers". Though still registered to the Tontine company, the name "Doona" has become a generic term for a duvet or down quilt. Originally the term continental quilt was the standard name used across Australia; some regions of Australia still use this term today. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Amos Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:51 AM Definitions of kurta: Variously described in the dictionaries as "a tunic, waist coat, jacket, shirt", the kurta became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries essentially as a slightly loose-fitting garment for outer wear, often with a round neck, of knee-length or even longer, with side-slits at the hem and generally flared skirt. It acquired great elegance as a garment in centers like Lucknow and Hyderabad. www.fashionindia.net/glossary.htm tipper garment worn by both men and women in North India, generally A-line shaped and calf length. www.coop4coop.org/highlight/dastkar/glossary.htm long shirt worn by both men and women in the northern sub-continent, over a pajama (men) or salwar (women) www.subir.com/rushdie/glossary.html India A loose, long shirt www.britishempire.co.uk/glossary/k.htm |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Backwoodsman Date: 23 Aug 07 - 12:28 PM Whatever you Ozzies or Yanks think 'spunk' means, absolutely nobody in the UK would ever dream of using it as a compliment. Or using it at all in mixed company. We apply it to only one thing - semen. It's NOT IN ANY WAY a compliment. If you told a handsome UK rugby player he was a spunk, he'd rearrange your facial features immediately before detaching your head from your body and urinating down your neck. "Spunk"! Doesn't it just sound so filthy and vile! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 23 Aug 07 - 12:59 PM Now we know what a kurta is. It's that long, round-necked shirt that looks good over loose pants. Thanks for the headsup about "spunk," in the UK, Backwoodsman. In the U.S., spunk is a noun meaning initiative mixed with courage. Well, not exactly courage, because courage is too big a word. Nonetheless it is good to have spunk. Both males and females can have it. ====== So doonas are made by the Tontine corporation. A tontine is an agreement in which the last of the group to survive gets the prize. Sounds like a strange basis for a corporation. "There's no point in me working hard; I have high blood pressure." Anybody who's ever seen the movie "The Wrong Box" knows about a tontine. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: goatfell Date: 23 Aug 07 - 01:06 PM So in Australia you don't have states or terrortories either, it's just on big country so you don't have WA, SA, QUEENSLAND, VICTORIA OR NEW SOUTH WALES OR NT OR TAS (ISLAND). PARDON MY SPELLING TOM WHO HAS BEEN TO AUSSIE |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 23 Aug 07 - 01:13 PM Plenty of doonas are made by other companies than Tontine, though now I think about it, they never CALL them doonas. I suppose Tontine would sue them if they did, since the name is trademarked. The Tontine Group make other bedding as well - particularly pillows. A Tontine pillow is one of the better pillows you can get here. There doesn't seem to be any information about why they chose that name. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 23 Aug 07 - 01:25 PM Tom, of course we have states with borders, as you well know, but the borders referred to here with Philip Ruddock talking about border protection are the country's borders. It was about Philip Ruddock, who was the Minister for Immigration, and his attitude to refugees. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Backwoodsman Date: 23 Aug 07 - 03:19 PM No problem leeneia! I knew of the 'proper' meaning of course, that's the dictionary definition here too. But, because of its misuse in a sexual context, it's never used in it's true meaning because people would think the user was just being crude and vulgar! Hey ho! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Rowan Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:23 PM I posted on this at this time yesterday (JohnO'L was the last on the thread at the time) but somehow it got lost, and Helen has explained wine casks and Leenia has found her typo so the main bits are no longer 'required'. But I have a couple of relevant diversions for you. Ozspeak is strong on 'taking the piss' and one element is to use pseudoFrench. Target (the chain store) is often pronounced as though it were a French and I once went into a bottleshop (what UK 'catters call an off-licence) and asked the young bloke behind the counter "Do you have any Chateau Cardboard?" "I don't think so," he replied. Going further into the establishment to find a bottle then, I saw the whole back wall was stacked with wine casks. C'est la vie! I confess to reusing the cardboard shells in my library shelves as a way of keeping collections of unbound periodicals and photocopies tidily restrained. Spending any time at all in a lift with Philip Ruddock is a sure way of sending any sane person 'round the twist! But there's a relevant joke that would make no sense to Americans, who use "elevator" for what we call a "lift". A bloke from Tibooburra (well beyond the black stump) had to go to Sydney to visit the head office of his insurance company. When he got to the address, like most such imposing buildings, it had a vast wall of glass with a few doors in it, each with a sign "Push"; he pushed on one and it opened so he went through. A few metres inside this was another, similar wall of glass with similar doors; these each had the sign "Pull". He pulled on one and it opened so he went through and entered a large atrium. The wall opposite was similarly large, was faced with beautiful marble and had a series of stainless steel dooors set into it. He was there for hours, struggling with a door signed "Lift". Cheers, Rowan |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Helen Date: 24 Aug 07 - 02:24 AM "But, because of its misuse in a sexual context, it's never used in it's true meaning because people would think the user was just being crude and vulgar!" Backwoodsman, this is Oz we are talking about! We'll say anything to push the boundaries of common decency if we think it's funny. (As Rowan said, "Ozspeak is strong on 'taking the piss'".) You've got to admit that there is a funny sort of logic to it: spunk (semen) to spunky (an adjective descibing a sexy man) to a spunk (a sexy man). :-) "I confess to reusing the cardboard shells in my library shelves as a way of keeping collections of unbound periodicals and photocopies tidily restrained." Oh darnit, Rowan, my secret is out! I use them to support the lump of shelving on which my computer monitor sits. Empty, of course. I had to drink the contents so that I could use the casks for constructive purposes. As JennyO said about wine casks, the quality of the wine has definitely improved, although buying a cask of red is a sure-fire way of knowing there'll be some left to use in cooking, because my hubby doesn't leave much left in the bottles but won't drink the cask stuff. Helen |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: goatfell Date: 24 Aug 07 - 05:23 AM oh right, your country's borders. however how can you when you're country is an island not unless it is international borders which include the ocean that surrounds you're island |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Backwoodsman Date: 24 Aug 07 - 05:49 AM Yep, you're so right Helen! But to a Pom it just sounds so weird hearing pubescent girls on 'Neighbours' talking about a boy being 'spunky'! Like, how does she know?! Wink wink! LOL! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Backwoodsman Date: 24 Aug 07 - 05:50 AM Oops! That should have been 'pre-pubescent'! D'oh! |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 24 Aug 07 - 06:46 AM An Australian Political Joke... (for those who keep up with the news...) What's the difference between Howard (PM) and Rudd (Opposition Leader)? Well Howard says Rudd is a Cunning Stunt, whereas Howard is ... |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Gurney Date: 24 Aug 07 - 07:17 AM Aussies seem to have a predilection for baby-talk. You can hear a 16stone league front-rower say "Oh good. Bikkies for brekky!" I liked Mike Harding's terms for alcohol: Lunatic Soup and Milk of Amnesia. He also had a lovely story about the generic Oz name for adhesive tape. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 24 Aug 07 - 08:08 AM sticky tape? or do you mean Durex? |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Ebbie Date: 24 Aug 07 - 10:56 AM Innocent use of a sexually charged word or phrase is common, of course. (I remember the first time I was laughed at for saying, "I got a bang out of that." And I was in my 20s.) Spunky, however, in the US has been a legitimate word for generations. One is as likely to use it in connection with a mouthy or brave 2 year old as an 80 year old. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Joybell Date: 24 Aug 07 - 07:07 PM Yes Gurney, True-Love (American) often points out the baby talk idea in the endings of Aus. words. It seems to have developed over the last 50 years. I've wondered about it. Cheers, Joy |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Gurney Date: 25 Aug 07 - 12:17 AM Sandra, yes, Durex. Mike Harding did a tour in Oz, and when he got home, did some Beeb programmes, which my Mum recorded for me. Durex: Generic name in England for condoms. "Oh. Do it yourself kit, eh?" Root: Means, search, look for, in England. "Dip your bread, that's what it means!!!" "Do yew know what you said, sport? On nationwide television!" Roo bars. "You can't go bush without roo bars, they said. I thought they said rhubarb bars, so I tied some to the car. Luckily there were some iron bars on the front of the car to tie it to." Siphon the python: "It means, to have a Jimmy Riddle." |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 25 Aug 07 - 12:33 AM "Spunk"! Doesn't it just sound so filthy and vile!" That is something Backwoodsman just wrote. The DH and I have had a discussion about English speakers' dislike of the "unk" syllable. We came up with the following: junk lunk - a large, clumsy man punk gunk bunk - meaning lies, nonsense clunker - a bad car skunk sunk - as in "We're sunk!" Some unk words are not actually pejorative, but still not nice. One would not go to a state dinner and find Hunks of Chicken on the menu. Nor would be see anything suitable for dunking. ==== You know, I never have known what "to take the piss" means. What's it mean? |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 25 Aug 07 - 01:16 AM "To take the piss" means to make fun of something, Leeneia. 'Unk' words aren't always nasty. Bunk beds are okay, and thick soup with big pieces of vegetables is often described as chunky. Then there are tuna chunks. A big chunk of something CAN be good. And I like to dunk my biscuits. On the other hand there is flunk, slunk, stunk, drunk, and funk (a blue mood). There are some not very nice 'Ank' words too. Dank, lank, skank (dirty or promiscuous female), stank, wank, mank(y) (dirty or disgusting), spank, sank (well if your boat sank it wouldn't be nice), prank, etc etc. |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Rowan Date: 25 Aug 07 - 03:47 AM The "Durex" connotation (our name for sticky tape and the Poms' name for frangers) was known in Oz in my circles in the 50s, probably because of the influx of immigrants from Albion's Isle. But, because we had a high school teacher who'd been on a Fulbright Exchange to the USA we became informed about other, similar, confusions with American-speak. He was teaching in a school with windows that didn't open (air conditioning was common in the USA then but unheard of in Oz school) and one of the girl students complained about being too hot (ah, for such innocent times); he suggested she take off her jumper and was surprised at the shocked reaction from the students. One took him aside and explained that he'd suggested she take off her dress. What an Australian understands by the word "jumper" in this context, is called a "pullover" in the UK and a "sweater" in the USA; he told us that what an American calls a "jumper" an Australian would call a "gym tunic". There was also a different understanding about the word "slated" that he described as well but that may have changed. Leenia, when an Australian is "taking the piss", it is usually "out of something or someone" and a similar expression you might know is "taking the Mickey out of ....". It may be meant in fun, is a staple of satire, and may be even more pejorative. Cheers, Rowan |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: goatfell Date: 25 Aug 07 - 08:33 AM my father knew a guy from Largs in Scotland and his name was JImmy Riddle and my dad worked with him as well. And thongs on yer feet I mean imagine wearing a g-string on your feet. tom |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: JennyO Date: 25 Aug 07 - 10:33 AM Just a thong at twilight When the tights are low.... |
Subject: RE: BS: words from Australia From: Alice Date: 25 Aug 07 - 10:53 AM Here in the US, as posted above, spunk can be an attribute for male or female. It has been used for a very long time, and usually is "spunky". As in she is really spunky, meaning energetic and ambitious, but SEX was NEVER in the connotation as far as I have ever experienced. I'm surprised to read its real source. In fact, I usually have heard "spunky" to describe a young girl or woman. The image that comes to mind is Katherine Hepburn as the spunky personality. Alice |