by Christine WellsAnyone who has suffered through one of my seemingly endless linguistic battles with Bandita Anna Campbell knows how much I love language, its etymology and its usage.
I love rhythm and rhyme, double entendres, plays on words, and... dare I say it... puns? I've even been known to dash off a limerick or three--strictly within the confines of the Lair.
And I love slang.
The slang or unique expressions a person uses says so much about them, doesn't it? My critique partner, Denise Rossetti, knows she has nailed down a character once she discovers how or if they swear. What a person says when they drop a heavy object on their foot gives you a real insight into their personality, I always think! If you were a Professor Higgins type, you could probably track someone's personal history via the expressions they use.When I read my first Georgette Heyer, I fell in love with everything about the Regency period, but a standout for me was all of the cant phrases and amusing expressions her characters use. I sprinkle them sparingly in my own novels because I don't want a reader to have to go and look them up, but I enjoyed them immensely in Heyer's works.
The legal firm I worked in was another hot spot for slang and jargon, from both the legal and business world--latin phrases became everyday usage in a rather quaint fashion ("that's very ejusdem generis of you") Sadly, a lot of lawyers are unimaginative in their jargon, especially when in meetings--"touch base", "win-win situation" and "we're not on the same page" are just a few catch-phrases that used to make me roll my eyes. My boss participates in a lot of teleconference calls and I caught him one day marking off a bingo card entitled "Wank Words Bingo" Take a look! Print it out! You'll never suffer through a meeting in boredom again.Australia (my native country) is rich in colloquial sayings that sometimes take a bit of thought to understand unless you're accustomed to hearing them. It's colourful, irreverent, laconic and often a bit rude--and that seems to sum up the national character. Of course, many of our sayings originated in Cockney England but many are uniquely ours.
When I became a Bandita, another part of my education began. Although I speak the same language as my American counterparts, there's a cultural gap that seems to span an ocean sometimes in terms of meaning and usage. The simplest things can trip me up when I'm in the States. For instance, for elevator, I say lift; for trash I say bin or rubbish and for sweater I say jumper, which can lead to confusion!
I've learned some fabulous expressions from my American colleagues and my favourites of those are mostly southern--*Amen and a hanky wave
*All y'all
*I'm just sayin'
There are many others, but I'd love to learn more!
So I thought it might be fun if I give you Yanks a list of Aussie slang, and you can try to translate them for me. And then give me one from your own neck of the woods. You can let me guess or you can translate for me if you like! If you're Australian and you know all the answers, why don't you tell me one of your favourite Aussie sayings and I'll add it to the list?
Ready? Here we go:
1 Fair dinkum
2 Strike me pink!
3 Flat out like a lizard drinking
4 How did you pull up this morning?
5 Budgie Smugglers
6 Love in the Sand
7 Deborah Kerr (only Queenslanders will probably get this one!)
8 Chockers
9 Gone walkabout
10 Kangaroos loose in the top paddock
11 Chunder
12 Maccas
13 Acker Dacker
14 A Clayton's
15 Two Pot Screamer
136 comments:
Hmmmmm
Ok I'm not going to tackle the list of slang now. Need sleep for that.
Hmmm keep it on the down low could be one. Or "natch" - some people use it as a short form of "naturally" others (like myself) use it as a term of dissent. Kinda like the buzzer sound.
Oh snap is a bad thing, but snaps is a good thing.
Chi-town throws off a lot of people. Like "shy-town" not like "China" - so a lot of people think Chinatown, but Chi-Town is actually Chicago. (Which does have a Chinatown...)
And a lot of bad legal Latin I think is used mostly among 1L's. >.<
OMGOSH CHRISTINE!
This is so cool! I've considered doing a post much like this, as (mostly because of you and Fo) I've recently been using "Flat Out Like a Lizzard Drinking" although I'm not certain I've been using it properly at all.
Of course, I'd have to do the American Versions, since the lizzard one is the only one I actually know from Oz.
Okay the only one I can even half guess at might be Kangaroos loose in the top Paddock.
Any chance that means you're crazy?
Like "a few bricks short of a load".. "Her cheese has slipped off her cracker" or "Lights are on but nobody's home"?
That's my best and only guess, but this is a GREAT post!
Oh, and Lime.....I think you and the rooster need to commit and quit this on-again off-again thing you have going....
;0)
OH...I spelled lizard wrong....
Lizzzzzard.....
Congrats lime on getting the rooster, people are talking about you to, maybe you two should tie the knot!
I couldn't even begin to tell you what your slang is but here is a few of ours.
Tie the knot
Snug as a bug in a rug
Fit as a fiddle
Fit to be tied
Has horse sense
Green backs
Bread Basket
Rug rats
River rats
If I think of more I will come back!
Hey, Lime, congrats on the rooster!
Love those expressions, especially Chi-town! I haven't heard that one before. What is 1L's?
LOL Cassondra, I'm sure you can do a masterly post in answer to mine!
Yes, the lizard drinking one is from Foanna, whose name incidentally rhymes with goanna, but I'll leave that for another rhyme... Fo is a lizard lover from way back. Blech! I hate lizards almost as much as I hate Cherry Ripe!
Anyhoo, yes, correct on the kangaroo one! Great going!
Oh, i love the cheese slipping off the cracker one! Way cool as Nancy would say:)
Snork about Lime and the rooster. It has become a bit of a saga, hasn't it?
Hey, Virginia, thanks for your list! I think I know a few of those, but what is a river rat?
OH, good ones, Virginia!
How about
"By the skin of your teeth"
"Keep your nose clean"
"Go over like a lead balloon"
And do you guys have "Keep your ducks in a row"?
He really loves you lime have fun with him
Christine
You have me cracking up here LOL even as an Aussie I don't know all of them but I will let all the others try and decifer them LOL
This is going to be really funny. Another one from my Mum when we were kids and asked what was for dinner pigs bum and gooley gum which from her meant wait and see LOL
Cassondra
I love your cheese has slipped of the cracker
Have Fun
Helen
Cassondra, yep we have all of those ones. I like the ducks in a row--presumably you're meant to line them up to shoot them, right?
I think I might be more familiar with your sayings because we have so much American TV here.
Haha, Helen, you must have been bewildered at that as a child!
Yes, I hope this will be fun. Come on, people, have a go! Otherwise, I'll have to get the Aussies to help you out:)
Hey, Lime, got the chook!
Christine, I must say I'm shocked. SHOCKED!
Is that a picture of a LIZARD???!!!!
You hate my darling, handsome, charming, gorgeous, well-mannered lizards. And what do I see? You putting up a poster of the opposition! Shocked!!!!
I love Aussie slang. Some of my favorite sayings are as flash as a rat with a gold tooth; disappeared faster than a rat up a drainpipe; windy enough to blow a dog off a chain; so surprised, I nearly swallowed my teeth.
And I agree about the charm of Regency cant. I have a book I love to dip into called a Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue from 1811. Partly because it's full of extremely rude stuff - he really does mean VULGAR! But so much of it is incredibly colorful! Yeah, and naughty! That's its charm, snigger!
By the way, what does that Latin phrase you quoted mean?
Ha! And as I explore further into this den of iniquity, I see you put the lizard in merely to taunt me! By the way, our foreign friends, that's a blue tongue (very imaginatively named as they have a blue tongue) lizard, not a goanna. Goanna's are horrifically ugly! We have blue tongues in the garden. I don't love them as much as my bearded dragons and they're as dumb as bricks but they have their place in the great pantheon of lizardry!
Virginia, what's a river rat?
Love the cheese and the cracker! It's like a sandwich short of a picnic!
Helen, love pig's bum and gooley gum.
Mum had a million of those. I've spoken about this one before but I asked 'why?' a lot. Her answer? Because Y's a crooked letter and Z's (pronounced zed) not better!
Or a woman who whistles is good for neither God nor man. Never worked out why that is, frankly!
Rare as hen's teeth was one of her faves.
Huh, I only know gone walkabout and that is thanks to Crocodile Dundee
Hey Christine!
Before I start, first let me say mega cograts on finaling in the Oz equivalent of the RITA. Will be barrackng for you on RUBY night!!
Okay - know them all (of course) except #7
What about -
you bloody drongo
A over T
ankle biter
argy bargy
be with you in a jiffy
pash
piker
togs
Wow - this is fun!
Ooops, meant to say - shame on me for not knowing #7 as I AM a Queenslander....
Hi Christine,
My cousin's neighbors are from Australia and I've heard them say "ta" and "lollies" often. We have our own language here in NY. A regular coffee here means two sugars and cream. When we order a gyro we say "jairo" instead of "heero."
Hi Anna, I live to shock you! Had to wear gloves while I put up that lizard photo, but it's there:)
Your expressions are so colourful. Love the rat with the gold tooth!
The vulgar tongue dictionary is also online on the Gutenberg Project. It's fun, isn't it? I think it must have more synonyms for prostitute than any thesaurus I've seen!
Ejusdem generis means you read part of a contract/clause/act etc in context of the whole. I hope that's right--I'm a leetle rusty! But saying it in the way we used to--generis is punning on generous. So you get a gift and you say, That's very ejusdem generis of you!
There's a pantheon of lizardry? Who knew?
And I think goannas must rank among the ugliest animals in the world. Especially when they've just swallowed an entire possum or something. Blech!
Oh, Fo, I'll have to try that Y's a crooked letter one with Itchy. He never stops asking why!
Wonder what the whistling one means? But I hate it when people whistle, so I won't argue:)
Ah yes, rare as hen's teeth. That's a good one!
Hi Blodeuedd. Well, you're equal first so far. Don't give up! Why don't you guess a couple?
Hey, Amy! Congratulations right back atcha for the RUBY final! I'll be cheering for you, too!
Oh, you've got some great ones there.
Funny--I read a historical recently that called someone a piker but meant they were a loser, rather than the meaning we give it. Wonder if that was accurate or they just hadn't understood.
I think piker might come from the Regency cant, actually. They used to say 'pike on the bean' when they meant get the heck out of somewhere. I love this game!
Oh and togs! That's pretty much a Queensland expression isn't it? I never know what other people call swim suits.
Amy, for #7 you would have had to follow Rugby League in a certain era and listened to Roy & HG! Not easy but so clever I had to include it.
Hi, Jane! Thanks for giving me some good old NY lingo!
Yes, lollies are candy, but usually don't refer to chocolate. More boiled sweets, jelly beans, that sort of thing.
I'm showing my ignorance but what is a gyro?
And when you say cream do you mean cream or do you mean milk? I can never work that out.
These vital questions continue to puzzle me...
A gyro is sort of like a Greek sandwich. It consists of meat(lamb or beef), tomatoes, onions and tzatziki(yogurt) sauce on a pita. As for the coffee regular, cream can mean cream/half and half or milk. I guess it depends what's available.
Ooh, Jane, a gyro sounds yum!
Interesting about the cream. I always read in historicals written by Americans that the ladies are drinking tea with cream and think ew! But I suppose they must just mean some kind of tea whitener.
Thank you for clearing up that mystery. It's been on my mind!
1 Fair dinkum=Pretty good
2 Strike me pink!=Dip me in buttermilk and call me happy
3 Flat out like a lizard drinking=finer than frog's hair
4 How did you pull up this morning?
5 Budgie Smugglers
6 Love in the Sand
7 Deborah Kerr (only Queenslanders will probably get this one!)
8 Chockers
9 Gone walkabout=went exploring/walking
10 Kangaroos loose in the top paddock=two fries short of a happy meal
11 Chunder
12 Maccas
13 Acker Dacker
14 A Clayton's
15 Two Pot Screamer
I didn't even give most of them a shot and the rest were just best guesses.
Anna Campbell said: so surprised, I nearly swallowed my teeth.
That is one I say a lot and I am not Aussie, well I sorta say that...what I say is "I nearly swallered my teeth." EG
HI Christine! Egads, what a great post!! What do you say when you get up at 4:30 to write every morning for 10 days and are so tired your teeth might fall out? Is there an expression for that?
Gah...
Anyway, 1Ls are first year law students. And your law firm was waaaay fancier than mine if you went around muttering Latin phrases. Ha!
I adored that bingo chart! I am definitely passing it around for our next big conference call. What a hoot! I bet we strike bingo within 10 minutes. For real. I don't know how many times I hear those words every day.
Oh no. Not going to do it. Because most of mine are profane.
See, the Banditas may or may not be aware of this, but I swear like a sailor. Constantly. I often do it in inappropriate venues, too. Sometimes I do it just BECAUSE it's an inappropriate venue.
It can be quite the linguistic hammer. You ever drop the f-bomb in a multi-million dollar contract negotiation? Oh man is that fun. And, most importantly, it brings attention to the point I'm attempting to make. That is of course, after the shock wears off about how I made it.
Okay...here's some baseball terms
"A can of corn"...that's when a ball is hit to the outfielders, but is floating like a heavy can...an easy catch.
A Brouhaha: a bench clearing fight between the teams
"Sitting In the cat-bird's seat": Ahead and in charge of the game
"Around the horn": The ball is hit to the third baseman and he throws to second, who throws to first, usually resulting in either a double or triple out for the hitting team.
Chunder is barf, isn't it?
That's the only one I know (I think). Guess I'm the mom of little kids,huh? :-)
As for local expressions where I live, well. Up here in Minnesota, there's a strong Norwegian/Swedish thing going on, so they're masters of understatement. Here are a few of my favorites:
Uff da (pronounced Ooooof dah). You'd use it like whoops. My 3 yo dropped a crayon off the table & said "Uff da." I thought, "Cripes, she's a true Minnesotan. Where the heck did she pick that up?" Pre school teacher, I'm guessing.
"Oh for________" fill in the blank. Only it's not with "pete's sake" or "crying out loud." It's with a descriptor of whatever you're reacting to. Like, "Oh for CUTE!" or "Oh, for SAD!" "Oh for FUNNY!" That one took some getting used to.
The word DEAL. It's a stand in for situation, I think. It's nuanced. Maybe they'd see a car side-swipe another on an icy street or a guy get clocked with a flying baseball & say, with an utter lack of expression, "Well, that wasn't such a good deal." Or supposed you won sixty bajillion dollars in the lottery? "Heck of a deal, there."
I love my adopted home state.
We have a country saying, he was "grinning like a coon eatin' briars", which is also like saying, "shit-eatin' grin"
There's also the colorful: "f*ck me runnin' backwards."
I don't know any of yours...but I can't wait to find out what they are. *LOL*
I know #11 Chunders- to throw up. I know it because I happened to read that word in a book by an Australian author.
Here is some Southern slang for y'all-
They’re off like a herd of turtles.
He's meaner than a rattle snake.
Hell, she could even depress the devil.
My granddaddy's fav: He’s not particularly intelligent.
My daddy's fav: You lyin' to me son?
My fav: Hot damn!
Thanks for the fun post, Christine. I know a couple of the Aussie
phrases.
Are we talking strictly about slang phrases or the way to refer to different things regionally? For example, in Iowa we say pop, but out east they say soda, and in Texas they say coke. Or hay rack ride versus hay ride. Or crick versus creek. Stuff like that.
Squirrel bait--as in, "The kids were squirrel bait today." Meaning, nuts, bouncing off the walls, crazy. Um, yeah, I'm a teacher.
Crash or cash it in--"I'm going to cash it in (or crash)." I'm tired, going to bed.
For cryin' in the beer!--Really, are you kidding, no way.
Maybe I'll think of some more later. :)
p226: You ever drop the f-bomb in a multi-million dollar contract negotiation?...
Uh, no...But I have said it in a cluster**** emergency or two, usually because the doc wanted to wait to go to the OR and the nurses new better. Both times the families were present and later another family member asked, "Is this the F***-that nurse?", when they met me. :)
Christine said:
I like the ducks in a row--presumably you're meant to line them up to shoot them, right?
Well, I've only heard it as keeping yourself on the straight and narrow--(oh wait, maybe you don't have that one either....) You know how baby ducks follow their mama all in a little row? That's how I've always thought of it. Do what you're supposed to and don't get out of line. It's often said to people who are trying for something or have a tendency to sidestep boundaries or rules. You know, a cop on a tv show who tends to veer slightly away from procedure to get the job done, and thus gets in trouble for same, might be told to keep his ducks in a row.
Like "If you'll only keep your ducks in a row you'll get along fine."
Never thought of it as shooting the ducks, but perhaps that's another interpretation and I just never caught it!
Anna Campbell said:
Rare as hen's teeth was one of her faves.
OH! My grandmother used "Scarce as hen's teeth!"
Christine said:
Interesting about the cream. I always read in historicals written by Americans that the ladies are drinking tea with cream and think ew! But I suppose they must just mean some kind of tea whitener.
NOOOOOOO! When I visited the UK, it was so common to have heavy cream, but more usually half and half, on the table for tea. Almost everyone drank cream in their tea except for a few who took it black. I have to have cream for my tea.
Don't y'all use cream in tea in Oz?
Yummmm...Same as cream in coffee, it offsets the bitterness.
Everyone has their preference of course, but I make cake out of both tea and coffee by using lots of cream and sugar. In fact, I've won some non tea-and-coffee drinkers over to the brews by fixing them a proper cup. I hosted the Duchess of Atholl for tea here at a Highland Games because nobody here knows how to brew a proper cup of tea and she was starving for tea which had not been made in a coffeemaker and reeked of coffee.
It wasn't a proper tea of course, because I don't know how to set out one in real experience, but I have this cool little thermos set to carry just the right amounts of tea or coffee with all the fixings. I took her a china cup. She lapped it up like a starving child! I felt so bad for her that she had been here for over a week and there was no place for her to get decent tea. When you need tea, you just NEED it, you know?
Anyway, that's the long way to say she took it with cream. Half and Half to be precise. She lives in South Africa, so I know at least that cream in tea has made it that far south of England!
Do y'all know Charlie Foxtrot?
It's the military euphemism for ClusterF*ck.
Because the military uses the phonetic alphabet when on radio and telephone so that strings of letters and numbers are always understod. You know, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot.
So a Charlie Foxtrot is a ClusterF*ck--meaning a totally screwed up situation.
"Dont' you just know we're gonna walk into the middle of a Charlie Foxtrot here?"
Deb said:
Squirrel bait--as in, "The kids were squirrel bait today." Meaning, nuts, bouncing off the walls, crazy.
OH, I love this one! I haven't heard that before either! *grin* I'm gonna use that.
Funny post, Christine! Did we find out what #7 means? I want to know!
Budgie smugglers sounds like baggy pants. Whatever it means, I like the image!
The only slang that comes to my mind is all the ways my mom used to tell us to hurry up.
"Do it PDQ" (pretty damn quick)
"Lickety-split"
"Move it or lose it"
"Sh*t or get off the pot" :-)
She would also tell us to "Watch our P's and Q's" when we were at the dinner table. There are a bunch of possible derivations for that one, but the one I like best has to do with advice given while drinking in pubs, i.e., watch your pints and quarts. Brilliant advice, I'd say!
Lime and the GR - there has to be some sort of slang we can come up with for that!!
Fabulous post, Christine!! Here are my guesses on the Aussie phrases.
1 Fair dinkum - Pretty darn good !
2 Strike me pink! Means I am happy! Same as “tickle me pink?”
3 Flat out like a lizard drinking. - As hard or as fast as you can?
4 How did you pull up this morning? No clue!
5 Budgie Smugglers - Men’s bathing suit
6 Love in the Sand No clue! Sounds uncomfortable!
7 Deborah Kerr (only Queenslanders will probably get this one!) No clue, but I want to know!
8 Chockers Full with room for no more.
9 Gone walkabout Gone away.
10 Kangaroos loose in the top paddock - Crazy or as we say “Crazy as an outhouse rat.”
11 Chunder - Regurgitate or “worship at the porcelain altar or “calling Ralph”
12 Maccas McDonald’s Quite an adventure with some cute Aussie guys in Amsterdam taught me this one.
13 Acker Dacker No clue!
14 A Clayton's No clue!
15 Two Pot Screamer - I know “pot” means glass of beer, so does this have anything to do with getting really drunk?
Military slang? I grew up hearing - SNAFU (Situation normal - All f*cked up!) and SOL (Sh*t out of luck)
And I believe I have instructed La Campbell in the subtleties of "Bless his/her heart." It CAN mean, "you poor thing," but it often means "You are just too stupid to live, aren't you, honey?" or when spoken of someone else it can mean "She is SUCH an idiot!"
A few french fries short of a Happy Meal
His bucket ain't full.
Madder than a wet hen.
Dropped her basket.
That girl's like a doorknob. (everybody's had a turn)
Slow as homemade Christmas.
Meaner than a junkyard dog.
Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
A knockdown dragout.
I love those sayings, though I don't know what most of them mean.
We do have some fun sayings in the South. English is this endlessly changeable language. We've got Banditas in Australia, England, Canada and just about every region of the U.S. (all of which have different sayings), and the English spoken in all of those countries is distinct.
Here's a Southernism for you:
cattywampus -- crooked or askew
Christine, what fun! I've heard it said of us and the Brits that we're two countries divided by a common language, and I think that applies to us and Oz as well.
I assume the "kangaroos loose" phrase corresponds roughly to being a few bricks shy of a load.
In the South, we say things like, "you go down the road a piece," which can mean anything from a block to a mile or two, and the hearer usually judges it by context.
And, as Trish notes, "catty-wampus."
And then there's "y'all," which is not slang, per se, but is a southernism that more than half the universe, including Southerners, chronically misspells and Hollywood constantly misuses. It is never, never, ever, in any universe existing, applied to ONE person. It is not a singular but cutesy-pie, hick pronoun.
If I said to you in a one-on-one email, "Y'all stop by when you're in the States," the correctly understood meaning would be that you and your family were invited to my house.
When addressed to a group, "y'all come over in this line," it can mean anything from the last few people in the line to the entire waiting group. If "all y'all come over here," is used, it means the entire group. Meaning comes from context.
But it is never, ever singular! Ever!
Roy Blount, Jr., wrote a terrific essay about the use and misuse of "y'all."
Nancy said:
It is never, never, ever, in any universe existing, applied to ONE person. It is not a singular but cutesy-pie, hick pronoun.
But see? I've heard it used in some regions of the country to mean one person. Not that I agree with this. I most assuredly do NOT. "Y'all" as one person strikes me about the same way "You-uns" hits me....And in Western North Carolina, they say "Are you-uns comin' over tonight?" Meaning just ME. If they mean more than me, they say "you-uns-es" And that just drives me batshit crazy. I can actually make sense of "you-uns"--You ones (which sounds plural to me). But "you-uns-es" I decipher as a contraction of "you oneses". This, I cannot abide.
Anyway, I've had y'all used on me to mean JUST me--not around here though. Personally I think their cheese has slipped off their crackers. Much like the queen referring to herself as "we," although since she is the queen, and thus representative, potentially, of a whole group of people, I suppose that could be argued.
Everyone knows the group plural of y'all is "all y'all." As in "All y'all who are makin' fun of my accent can kiss my lily-white a**."
When I saw "Gone walkabout" I thought maybe it meant somebody was cheating or "stepping out" on his/her spouse.
Louisa, snickering at the door knob one.
We have milk in our tea. Heavy cream curdles in tea!
Actually this could be cultural, but that dairy whitener muck they give you in hotels is just POISON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, Cassondra, the Duchess of Atholl?
I don't know the Deborah Kerr one either. Are you pronouncing it 'car' or 'cur'?
Christine, I never thought of shooting the poor ducks! I thought it just meant getting them on the straight and narrow and then doing something nice like taking them for a swim! Oh, poor little duckies!
Helly, love that coon one! That's so colorful!
Deb, love yours too! Wow, this is fun. Great post, Christine!
I thought of one my DH's family made up. His mom and uncles like to go to the casino, but Grandma didn't like it, so they'd say they were "going to the mall." Grandma said to me once, "They must really think I don't know anything. Men don't like to shop and they're over using that mall phrase." She never let on that she knew, though.
Cassondra said: Everyone knows the group plural of y'all is "all y'all." As in "All y'all who are makin' fun of my accent can kiss my lily-white a**."
Rock on, Cassondra! I will take your word for it that some people apply "y'all" to you alone. However, I suspect they've been contaminated by Hollywood.
Since y'all is a contract of you+all, I don't see how anyone ever assumes that to be singular. I suspect they've seen southerners address it to each other and failed to grasp the context of including people not physically present at that time.
Oh my gosh, I love that Wank Words Bingo! Hahaha!
Slang's fun as long as you don't have to stop every two seconds in the conversation to explain the slang. *grin*
Uh, I'm not even going to try to guess at that list of Aussie slang. I haven't a clue what most of those mean! :D
As for Canadian slang, off the top of my head, there's a double-double, which is a coffee with two creams and two sugars and a two-four which is a case of 24 beers(hence the Victoria Day long weekend, which falls on or before May 24, often being referred to as the May Two-Four).
I love language too, Christine, and I find this sort of thing fascinating. The only terms on your list I know are #1 and #9, and I owe my knowledge of those to all those Australian-set romance novels I read in the 70s.
I hope the American South never loses its colorful language. One of my best friends is Greek and her husband is German, They boast that their children are fluent in four languages--Greek, German, English, and Southern. :)
Some of my favorite Southernisms are:
the aforementioned Bless your heart! (which can mean anything from an expression of sympathy to a warning that you're about to get a knife in the back, figuratively speaking).
He's only got one oar in the water.
That dog don't hunt.
I 'preciate it.
I'm fixin' to cook up a mess of greens.
Sure looks like a cloud's comin' up.
I take just a little sweet milk in my coffee.
And, Anna, my grandmother used the whistling women phrase to when she wanted to indicate behavior inappropriate for the ladies she thought her female grandchildren should be: "Whistlin' girls and crowin' hens / Always come to some bad end."
Anna said:
Wow, Cassondra, the Duchess of Atholl?
Yes, the Murray Clan was the honored clan at our Highland Games a couple of years ago, and she and the His Grace were there to preside. Such nice people! She emails with some of us still. But I felt so sorry for her, not having any decent tea. I really did wish I'd had time to look up how to set a proper afternoon tea for her.
She apperciated my thermos of just-brewed English Breakfast with choices of milk or half and half, but it was a little rough. It was a very, very hot day though. I thought her very gracious to drink it in spite of the heat.
Most places over here don't even know HOW to brew a good pot of tea. They have lipton tea bags which produce a disgusting weak sort of putrid....something....that I've never liked even when I was a kid. I had real tea for the first time in the UK and Fell. In. Love. With. It. Quizzed every B&B owner where we stayed for his or her secrets and brought them all back with me.
Hard to find the right supplies here though--I have to search for a teapot made in England to get one which does not drip and dribble all over everything when I go to pour. The ones made in china are just crap for pouring. The lip is too fat and shaped all wrong. No taper. I have a Royal Albert now, which I guard with vigor, and an older English-made one with a broken, glued-together lid. It works. I'd like to have a good suppier for tea supplies, but the mail order ones are so expensive. I have to wait for stuff to appear at TJ Maxx.
Janga said:
Sure looks like a cloud's comin' up.
OH, I almost put this one in. That's a good one. Here we say, "It's comin' up a cloud."
And actually, as I sit here, it IS comin' up a cloud. Fixin' to rain.
Oh lordy, the list alone made me LOL!
Congrats on nabbing the chook, Lime! Now, I'm off to read everything.
Hi Dianna, thanks for having a go at the lingo!
You got #10 right!
Wow I didn't realize these would be so difficult. It just shows you how accustomed you become to your own expressions.
LOL, Dianna, I think the way 'swallered' is pronounced makes all the difference!
Um, Kirsten, snap on the early morning rising! Although thankfully I don't have a day job to go to.
Oh, ok 1Ls. I get it. Maybe our firm was just more pretentious than yours.LOL
Yes, isn't the bingo chart the coolest thing? Brings back memories...
I'm guessing Deborah Kerr is a reference to the scene in From Here to Eternity when she rolls in the surf with the hero. So does it mean sex on the beach?
Oh, and I love cattywampus. I married a man who uses that word!
Christine, I never thought of shooting the poor ducks!
Thanks for clarifying, Fo! I was worried about those poor little duckies!
Okay, I'm giving it a go:
Strike me pink! I guessed the same as Louisa - happy
Flat out like a lizard drinking. - I knew this from Anna C - going full out
How did you pull up this morning? I'm guessing How's your day going? (Did the horses run, or pull up lame?)
Budgie Smugglers - SNORK! Okay, the images coming up with this one are so x-rated...the mens tight swimsuits - Speedo - that Louisa suggested?
Love in the Sand- this does sound scratchy - a summer romance?
Deborah Kerr - You'll have to give us this one
Chockers I'll echo Louisa again on this one, is it chock-full?
I knew Gone Walkabout from Crocodile Dundee
The Kangaroo one is funny. There's so many good ones for someone being nuts.
Chunder - I gather that Louisa got this right and it's upchucking. Now Louisa, I have to tell you that the US phrase “calling Ralph” is partly why the name Ralph fell from one of the top most popular boys names in the 50's to almost non-existant. My DH is Ralph and we know only one other Ralph in his generation. The other reason it fell out of favor is Ralph Kramden of the Honeymooners.
Maccas - Louisa got this one - McDonalds has some colorful names here too: MickyD's Rainbow Room, McHash, McSlops
Acker Dacker - is this all in a mess? Like Higgelty-pigglety, cattywampus, or addlepated?
A Clayton's - Is this a brand?
Two Pot Screamer - again, I'd second Louisa's drunk guess, either that or in this context it means "the trots", "the runs" or the "screamin' sh*ts"
Grins.
As to Amy's...
you bloody drongo - idiot?
A over T - arse over teakettle
ankle biter - children
argy bargy - mish-mash
be with you in a jiffy - I'll be right with you!
pash - no idea
piker - a loser or an inept
togs - clothes
Hey P226, great to see you! They must be a lot more polite in negotiations over where you are than they are here, because with all the stress everyone is usually under in that type of negotiation, the f-bomb is pretty much the norm here rather than the exception. Not that I ever used it... well, only sparingly. It's amazing how a sweet looking twenty-something girl can command attention when she says a rude word. Strategic dynamite! LOL
Hey, Suz! Oh, cool, baseball terms!
I've heard of brouhaha and the cat-bird's seat (never really knew what that was except it seemed like a good place to be)
Thanks for playing!
Here's one from our football. A hospital pass is when you throw the ball to someone who has an opposing team player coming right for them. He's going to get wiped out. It's what we call it when someone passes on a job that you just know is going to end badly.
Christine, some others from the South:
Hotter than Hell's doorknocker
Mash the light
All momicked up
Ugly as a mud fence, dipped in misery
Louder than a breeding bull
Happier than a pig in slop (or mud)
Crazy as a loon
Bigger than God's Army - as in "that meetin' over to Dr. Joe's house was bigger than God's Army"
Dark - blacker than a coonhound in a closet at midnight
Woohoo, Susan! You got another one. Yes, chunder is barf. And another popular name for McDonald's here is McChunder. Lovely, isn't it?
Haha, I had to laugh about the "Oh, for CUTE!" I've never heard that one before. I fell in love with your region when I read Connie Brockway's contemps. It's fascinating the way the Norwegian/Swedish culture is so strong there.
Hi MsHellion! Those are really punchy sayings. My husband is going to love the one about running backwards! One of his faves is f* my old dog. Which is just awful, but very expressive!
I'll post the answers toward the end of the day, for anyone who's interested!
Great blog, Christine! I think I know a few but most of them are WTFs for me. ;-)
Nancy, love your explanation of y'all. That's exactly how I understand it.
Cassondra, laughing at the lily white A. I hear that a lot where I live. "Don't lie to me, boy" is also quite popular around here.
Another popular saying here is "full as a tick."
Of course, as Louisa and Janga mentioned, the women of the South have the use of "Bless yer heart" honed to perfection.
My Georgia friend is fond of having a "throwdown" in the kitchen. That means massive amounts of cooking, not throwing someone down in the kitchen.
Janga, I hear many of your sayings pretty much on a daily basis where I live.
Hi Okie! Yup, you got #11.
I can just hear all those expressions with a good ol' southern accent in my head. LOL
Oh, I love hot damn! too!
Christine, we'll have to make sure you get a gryo sandwich while you're here. They're YUMMY!!
Suz, I'd not heard the Catbird's Seat used in baseball, but it's general usage is the same thing - well ahead and grinnin' about it. It's from a James Thurber story that I just adore. Grins.
Others from baseball that I know:
The Keystone sack - second base
The Hot corner - third base
Hi Deb! You can talk about any regional differences you like!
I've heard the pop/soda/coke debate in the lair. Funny how these things develop, isn't it?
Hey, I'm going to use squirrel bait. THat's what my boys are like most of the time. Sigh.
Love for crying in the beer! Thanks, I'm learning a lot today.
Suz, I don't blame you for swearing under pressure. I used to find it relieved a lot of tension! LOL your fame obviously preceded you:)
PJ Said: My Georgia friend is fond of having a "throwdown" in the kitchen. That means massive amounts of cooking, not throwing someone down in the kitchen.
We say that in NC too. "Let's have a tho'down" which means lets have a big party.
Christine, another US Football one is Hail Mary Pass - this is a last ditch effort, long bomb pass during which one has time to say a hail mary and pray that the reciver catches the ball in the end zone! Heehehhee. Now its used in business a lot too. As in, "That ad campaign is their Hail Mary Pass, if that doesn't bring up their numbers...well..."
Cassondra, here, lining up your ducks in a row means getting everything in order so you can do something. Like I've got my passport, tickets accommodation, I'm lining all my ducks in a row so I can get to National. Maybe I'm just bloodthirsty, but it always reminded me of one of those shooting galleries at carnivals! They're all lined up so you can knock them over, get done what you need to do. However, your explanation makes more sense!
Cassondra, I think there's just this basic miscommunication about what cream is. Here, it's the stuff you whip to slather on scones or swirl on top of a parfait. No way do they serve that to whiten English tea in Britain. That's the stuff they serve to put on your scones--although usually it's clotted cream, which is another thing again.
What you are calling cream, we call milk. Half and half--that's milk! Can you see why I'm so confused?
Love the Charlie Foxtrot! I'd never heard that term until I read DON'T LOOK DOWN and from that time on I heard it everywhere I went. But Charlie Foxtrot sounds more polite.
Heya, Kate! Love those expressions from your mom.
#7 -- We have this legendary footballer (Rugby League) in Queensland called Wally Lewis. They called him 'the King'. His wingman was Alfie Langer and so a commentator called Alfie Deborah Kerr because of The King and I. I loved that!
We have lickety-split here, too!
Watch your pints and quarts. Oh, you were taking mom's advice to heart there!
Hi Louisa! Wow, that's great going. Those cute Aussie guys taught you a thing or two!
You got these ones right #5, #8, #9 nearly there but not quite, #10 #11, #12, #15 nearly there but not quite.
You're winning so far, m'dear!
I never knew what SNAFU stood for! Thanks for that. Oh, I LOVE Bless her heart! I should have added that to my list in my post. Brain a little fried trying to finish the ms that won't end!
HAHAHAHAHA on the doorknob one. Must tell dh. THanks for that list. Isn't this fun?
Hey, Trish! Yes, English is a fascinating language. I find it endlessly amusing.
Cattywumpus. Love it!
Hi Nancy, yep you got the kangaroos one!
Ahaha, love the understatement of you go down the road apiece! Sounds like Irish directions.
Nancy, I totally get all y'all but I didn't know y'all was never singular. Thanks for that! I'll remember it.
Everyone knows the group plural of y'all is "all y'all." As in "All y'all who are makin' fun of my accent can kiss my lily-white a**."
Snork!! I can just imagine you saying that. I love the story you tell about the female superior at some kind of army training. That comes to mind any time I hear y'all.
Actually, that's a very good guess for 'gone walkabout' and it could apply, but it's not that specific to cheating.
Anna, you probably had to be a fan of Roy and HG to get the Deborah Kerr one. I think they pronounce it Car don't they?
Um, yep, I think you're right about the ducks. I've been hanging around with bloodthirsty banditas too long!
Haha, Deb, love the "Going to the mall" euphemism.
I think the "ugly" expressions merit their own book. The one I hear most often is "You're so ugly that when you were born the doctor slapped your mama."
Another favorite is "directly," sometimes pronounced "terectly" as in "Just have a seat and make yourself at home. I'll be back terectly."
And someone actually did a study in the U.S. comparing the ways different regions gave directions. Southerners wee the most accessible, always willing to give directions, but the least helpful since the directions they gave went something like this.: "You go down this road a little piece and turn where Old Man Johnson's store used to be and right near the big oak tree that got struck by lighning sometime back, you'll see the house you're looking for."
Christine, I love the Deborah Kerr thing! Thats great!
Cassondra - They have lipton tea bags which produce a disgusting weak sort of putrid....something....that I've never liked even when I was a kid.
That's it! I've never been able to describe Lipton tea bags aside from making a horrible face and a gagging noise but you've described it to a T! *snicker*
Hi Pissenlit! Isn't the bingo great? Yes, I think slang can be overused in fiction.
Cool on the double-double and the May Two-Four. Reminds me of that Star Wars convention on May 4. May the 4th be with you.LOL
Janga, I'm sure the tradition in the South is so strong it won't fade. I've so enjoyed learning more about the different regions of the US since I've made so many friends over there. Many Australians don't realize how diverse your country is because we get the stereotypes in movies and on TV.
Those are great expressions! I think I know what they mean except the cloud's comin' up--does that mean a storm's coming or something else?
It sounds like you did the Duchess a huge favour, Cassondra! Tea drinking is such an addiction and many people (my grandmother included) maintain that it actually cools you down on a hot day. When I was a child, she didn't trust me with her teacups so I always had 'tea in a glass'. She and my mother brew mean pots of tea. I have to have two tea bags in a cup to even approach the strength and flavour.
Hi Mo! Great guess, but it was a reference to DK in The King and I. You were so close! See above for the explanation. I'll post the answers at the end of the day.
PJ, oops, that's just me being bloodthirsty! Yikes! Funny how you form these impressions with absolutely no basis and then they stick in your head.
OK, I had to look the ducks one up and actually, my theory of the origin is borne out on at least one online source. So I'm not crazy after all! They say that there are a number of possibilities, including the ones we've mentioned here. Phew! I thought I was really sick there for a minute.
http://www.wisegeek.com/where-did-the-term-get-your-ducks-in-a-row-come-from.htm
Jeanne, thanks for taking a punt, luv!
You have Budgie smugglers right, and chockers, two pot screamer is also sort of correct--a pot is a small beer so a 2 pot screamer gets drunk quickly--what you might call a cheap date! Clayton's is a brand, and the saying comes from the advertisement for the brand. And of course, Macca's. Well done!!
Haha, you did very well on AA's, although arse over tits is the saying here. Pash is a good snog or a passionate kissing session, used by teenagers mainly.
Piker is someone who gives up too easily or goes home while the party is still rockin'
Togs means swimsuit or bathers.
Jeanne, these are fantastic. What does mash the light mean?
Is all momicked up like being dolled up or something else?
We have ugly as a bucket of smashed crabs, which I always think is very evocative.
Heehee, love the coonhound one!
We also have FIGJAM which stands for f* I'm good, just ask me.
Hi PJ! Thanks for stopping by! We have full as a tick, too! Or full as a boot.
Love the throwdown. There's something so old world charming about those expressions, isn't there?
Woot! Another thing for me to savour when I get to the States. Jeanne, I'd love to try a gyro.
So when you talk about bases is that a euphemism... or are you really talking about baseball?
Jeanne, the Hail Mary pass is a great one, isn't it?
We also have the flick pass, which means you delegate a job to someone so fast, it barely hits your desk before it's gone.
It's from a James Thurber story that I just adore. Grins.
Jeanne, I love James Thurber! When we were kids, we'd lose the power a lot during summer thunderstorms. We'd gather around the coffee table in the living room, my mom would light candles and my dad would read to us from a book of James Thurber short stories. Great memories!
LOL, Janga, that one about the doctor slapping mama is just cruel!
Laughed about Southern directions. They cannot possibly be as bad as Irish ones!
Woot! Another thing for me to savour when I get to the States. Jeanne, I'd love to try a gyro.
One of my top five favorite sandwiches!
Jeanne, we have two comedians here called Rampaging Roy Slaven and H.G. and they are dry as the desert with their humour. One of our biggest sporting events here has always been the State of Origin, Queensland vs New South Wales which they used to call on the radio. It made entertainment for those of us who weren't too interested in the actual game.
Pissenlit, I go for Twinings afternoon tea, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast. I like my tea as strong as it can be.
Laughed about Southern directions. They cannot possibly be as bad as Irish ones!
Christine, visit our part of the country for a spell and I'm pretty certain you'd change your mind, especially in the rural areas! lol
PJ, I'll have to look for James Thurber. Another addition to my edcuation.
Hmm, this talk of gyros is making me hungry! Might trot off and have some breakfast. Back soon!
Cassondra, what I love are military anachronyms...
SNAFU: Situation Normal All F*cked Up
and
FUBAR: F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition.
:)
Suz, I hadn't heard the FUBAR one! These are so great. I need pen and paper to write them all down.
Hi, Christine,
You got me on most of the Oz slang.
Only ones I know or can guess:
1. Means for real
4. How are you this morning?
9. Taking unauthorized leave of absence.
10. Means the same as our "bats in
the belfry."
15. An all-out spousal battle.
Our slang:
1. Thingamajig, when you can't remember the name of something.
2. Long drink of water, a tall fellow.
3. Not on my watch, not when I'm in charge.
4. Madder than a wet hen, when a person is extremely angry.
5. Deader than a doorknob, when someone's brain is extremely not
alive!
(Must stop now, my brain is suddenly deader than a doorknob)
Pat Cochran
Hi Pat, great going! 15 isn't correct, but the rest are spot on.
Haha, we have a few expressions mentioning birdlife and doorknobs. Wonder what that says!
I love the long drink of water one. That's so cool. Here we say 'a yard of pump water' for tall and skinny have no idea why.
Thanks for playing!
So Deberoh Kerr is a Roy and HG ism? Well that makes sense. The only time the State of Origin is paltable to me is when you turn down the sound on the TV and turn up the radio and listen to them commentate. But yes, as you can see, dont do that very often :o)
Doncha just love the term pash?? It's sooo descriptive - takes me back to my high school years. Did he pash ya? Was that you who was pashing up with so and so...
Sigh...
I'm a weak tea girl - no milk and my favourite is Lady Grey. Earl Grey is awful, give me the female counterpart any day!
Clusterf$%k is one of my dh's fav expletives. He's said it for as long as I can remember. Another very descriptive phrase, dont you think?
Another Aussie expression along the ugly variety is "ugly as a hatful of arseholes"
:o)
Put another shrimp on the barbie and the dingo ate my baby (sorry influenced by movies).
I come from Pgh. and we seem to have our own slang.
gum bands
yuns
pop
chipped ham
crick
Don't get me started on uglyisms. My brothers are the champions of uglyisms.
If ugly was a hamburger he'd be a Big Mac.
She's so ugly, when she was born her Dad went down to the zoo and threw rocks at the stork.
He's so ugly you could cut his head off, roll it in dough and make gorilla cookies.
And about a person who is a real downer. She'd depress a hyena.
I have a couple of Aussie medical shorthand terms too - although they may be known world wide.
PFO. Pissed and fell over. Used like - thats a pfo injury
and FLK - funny looking kid, for those babies/kids that just dont look quite "right"
Oh, Louisa, this one cracked me up!
And about a person who is a real downer. She'd depress a hyena.
Christine, you'll like both Thurber and Gyros, I promise. :>
Amy, I love PFO and FLK. Those are just great!!
Do you have the ones for cars?
FORD - Found on Road Dead; Fix or Repair Daily
Saab - Somebody Aughta Aim Better; Shoot An Auto Beast
Amy said: Clusterf$%k is one of my dh's fav expletives. He's said it for as long as I can remember. Another very descriptive phrase, dont you think?
I love this one too. My DH and I, having the kids, don't use it, but we'll say "It's a cluster" and smirk to ourselves.
Grins.
AA, yes, Roy and HG are great. I think they're still around? Haven't seen them recently, so I don't know. Remember they used to have that fictious racehorse, Rooting King?
Yes, pash is so evocative, isn't it?
Yes, I always want to like Earl Grey but the bergamot is too strong for me. If I feel like weak tea I go for Jasmine/green tea.
Yes, there seem to be so many expressions for ugly, don't there?
One my FIL uses is 'she has a mouth like a cat's bum'
LOL, Catslady, I always hear the dingo one with that atrocious Aussie accent Merly Streep did!
I know crick and pop but what are the others?
And sorry for my ignorance, but does Pgh stand for Pittsburgh?
LOL on the uglyisms Louisa. There's one here, Ugly as a robber's dog.
Love the hyena one!
Amy, Haha, on the FLK. That's a term you'd need to use a lot, I imagine!
Jeanne, I'm sure I'll love 'em if you say so! Never heard the car ones. Surely you have one for VOLVO?
Jeanne, you're naughty! I like the Charlie Foxtrot euphemism too.
OK, blokes and sheilas! Time to post the answers to our quiz:
1 Fair dinkum - Really, it's true.
Like if I told you I found a Prada handbag on sale for $100 you might raise an eyebrow. I'd say "Fair dinkum!" meaning, It's true!
2 Strike me pink! When someone's mad they'll say Strike me pink! It's like saying For goodness' sake!
3 Flat out like a lizard drinking-- I'm extremely busy.
4 How did you pull up this morning?-- After a hard night (usually drinking) how quickly did you get back on your feet? How are you feeling today?
5 Budgie Smugglers - Men’s briefs bathing suit (I'm sure y'all can figure that out)
6 Love in the Sand -- light beer, because it's f*ing close to water
7 Deborah Kerr (only Queenslanders will probably get this one!) Everyone called footballer Wally Lewis 'the King' so his wingman, Alfie Langer was Deborah Kerr (from the King and I).
8 Chockers -- Full with room for no more. Short for chock-a-block.
9 Gone walkabout -- someone is missing and we don't know where he is or when/if he'll come back.
10 Kangaroos loose in the top paddock - you all got this one, yes it means crazy
11 Chunder - vomit, also known as driving the porcelain bus
12 Maccas -- McDonald’s
13 Acker Dacker The band ACDC
14 A Clayton's -- Clayton's was always advertised as "the drink you have when you're not having a drink". So a Clayton's anything is a fake or replica version of the real thing. Eg the Romance Writers of Australia run an online "Clayton's Conference" for all those who can't get to our annual conference in person.
15 Two Pot Screamer - A pot is a small glass of beer (don't ask me why) so a two pot screamer is someone who gets drunk on very little alcohol. What you might call a cheap date.
So now, I want all y'all to use these expressions whenever you can, OK? Bless your hearts, we might make Bon Aussies of you yet!
ROFLMAO! The Love in the Sand one is hilarious!
Elaine from Seinfield does a good immitation of the dingo line too!
gum bands - rubber bands or elastics in Canada
chipped ham - very thinly sliced ham (Isly's deli in Pittsburgh (yes, Pgh.) started the trend a very long time ago.
yuns - you in plural - not one that I happen to use lol. But I will use you'll (my dad was from the south).
that was you all lol.
Pissenlit, my father-in-law uses love in the sand all the time. Isn't it great?
Oh, yes, catslady, wasn't that impression Elaine did hilarious?
Thanks for the translation!
Chipped ham sounds like it was a might tough pig!
I had no idea about yuns. Here, some people say youse for the plural of you. It irritates the heck out of me.
This has been such a fun post Christine I am glad I finally found out what Deborah Kerr was LOL I have never heard Alfie called that
Have Fun
Helen
Sorry just getting back to you Cassondra, a river rat is a person that lives near the river. I lived about a mile from the KY river when I was growing up and they always called us river rats.
I tried to comment on the new post but the comments must be closed!
Helen, thanks for playing! I've learnt lots of new expressions for my lexicon. I'll be trying them out at National ;)
Hi Virginia, we have water police they call water rats, so a similar concept!
Must check what's happening with the new post. Sorry about that!
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