Colourful language - Strine (Australian Slang)

It takes overseas visitors to pull us in our tracks and make us Aussies aware how much of our language is strine when they ask us, "What do you mean?" Would be interesting to see the type of slang unique in your country or part of your country. How would you compare with our colourful language? Below are samples of strine.....

She’ll be Apples.....Everything will be alright
Amber fluid.....Beer
Anklebiter.....Young child
Av-a-go-yer-mug.....Encouragement to someone who you think is not yrying hard enough
Awning over the toy shop.....beer belly on a man
Blue heeler.....Police (from Australian cattle dog that won’t let you get away)
To bludge.....Being lazy, or to beg off others
Bum nuts.....Eggs
A bush pig.....Ugly woman
A Captain Cook at..... a look at (rhyming slang)
To cark it.....To die
China plate.....Good mate (friend)
Cockie.....A farmer; also a Cockatoo (type of bird); or cockroach
Cossie or Cozzie.....Swimming wear
Crook.....Wrong; or sick; or a criminal
You need to take a cut lunch and a water bottle.....You have a long trip ahead of you
Dacks.....Trousers or shorts
Duds.....Clothes
You’re a dag.....Literally, "you are the s**t on a sheep’s rear"; or if offered in a friendly manner – “You dress awfully” or as a friendly reproach
Dead marine.....Empty beer bottle
Dead horse.....Sauce (usually tomato, often on a dog’s eye (ie meat pie)
A Dill.....Someone not too smart
Dingbat.....Fool
Drongo.....Idiot
Dudded.....Ripped off, conned
Dunny.....Toilet
Dunny budgies.....flies
Fair crack of the whip!.....Come on, give me a fair chance
Fair suck of the sav!.....Come on, give me a fair go!
Flake out.....Lie down, collapse
Legless.....Too drunk to stand
Five finger discount.....shoplifting
Full as a boot.....Drunk
Bloody Galah obnoxious, noisy, often stupid person ( from a noisy parrot like bird )
Have a gander.....Have a look
The good oil.....The truth
Googie.....Egg
To be jack of something.....To be fed up with something
Joe Blake.....A snake
Long neck.....Large bottle of beer
Mystery bags.....Sausages (because you don’t know what went into them)
Noah’s ark.....A shark
Off like prawns in the sun.....To leave quickly
Pat Malone.....On your own
Rat bag.....Obnoxious person
Ridgie didge.....Really, honestly, fair dinkum
Sanga......Sandwich
Snag short of a barbie.....Short of commonsense ( also sanga short of a picnic, a stubbie short of a sixpack, The light’s on but no one’s home; One short of a pack (of beer); etc. )
Thunderbox Toilet

 

Check out http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=121509 (post #9) if you want to investigate further. Bazza

 

Thanks Bazza. Good stuff. Amazing how the English language can be "bastardised". Really have to tip your hat at people with English as a second language.:wave

 

We "Anglophiles" are really lucky to have "English" as our first language.
Unfortunately, most of us are too spoilt to learn another language.

Bazza

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That is indeed a colorful language.
Unfortunately the slang spoken in the place I leave cannot be understood by anyone, and of course translating slang expressions is impossible. Just try to stick to the official English if I ever visit you Aussies, I have already enough idiomatic phrases in my mind .

 

In actual fact, most of us speak very little "strine" but we know most of the phrases listed earlier. Bazza

 

Very true, especially women, unless you want to sound like you're from the bush or western suburbs.

 

Don't worry....it is only a list of some expressions used and not all at once (unless you're watching a "Crocodile Dundee" movie when all the expressions appear to be used! Even I have sometimes wished they had sub-titles when watching some of old Hoge's movies.). It's just a play on words - colloquial stuff.

We do speak proper English down here. Frankly, I have been stumped at some expressions upon hearing them and received odd looks when I asked: "Please explain."confused And I'm an Aussie!

As for your comment: translating slang expressions is impossible, I know what you mean, things can get lost in translation, particularly when there is a humourous meaning.

Cheers

LS