This is the second entry in which I deal with idiomatic Australian English. It comes to mind because this week I got a haircut and I had the darnest time understanding what the barber was saying to me. Now this can be problematic when he asks you "How short you want your hair cut?" and you think he is asking you how long you have been in Australia! I survived this challenge and got a decent haircut anyway. But the point is that not only do they speak with a funny accent (note the American prejudice here) but they have different phrases than we do. This requires the astute visitor to really learn and decipher the local speech patterns.
All in all, I am catching on, but here’s a few more idiomatic phrases:
G’day = Hello
Mate = friend, used often to refer to others “me and my mates…”
Bloke = a man, not used as often as mate
Give way = Yield (as in a traffic sign)
Take away = take out ( as in food)
Good on ya’= good for you
Mozzies = mosquitoes
The loo = bathroom or (“rest room”)
Brass razoo= top dog or top banana
Car park = parking lot
A booking = a reservation
The boot = trunk of the car
CBD = Central Business District (downtown!)
1 comment:
Fr Ed,
When in Ireland, I made the distinction that "mate" is like "buddy" where as "bloke" is more along the lines of "guy." The difference illustrated: "My buddy and I went out for a pint, where this guy hit on me."
Love reading about your time with the Aussies, keep up the good blogging!
- Meg Nupp
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