Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Jun 9th 2009, 1:09 am
#61
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Jun 9th 2009, 3:49 pm
#62
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
There have been a few mised so far:
"Ordinary" (or "average")- To me this means unremarkable - not bad, not good, just plain.. If I have an 'ordinary' meal, that may be just what I wanted... To Australians "ordinary" is the lowest form of insult you can imagine. Something can 'suck', or be 'terrible' but it'd still be better than being described as 'ordinary'. Use of the word 'average' to describe something as being unusually poor is VERY confusing if you want to talk about anything where you want the mathematical average - .e.g "He was driving at an average speed" - could mean pretty much anything to an Australian, 'average' could imply unacceptable low, could mean unacceptable high, or could actually mean 'average'....
Couple of things to remember at the supermarket:
1) If you tell a butcher you're having a dinner party and want to do roast pork, so need a 'joint big enough for 6 people' - he will get the giggles and refer you to some dodgy guy who sells illicit substances...
2) Dont ask for 'Gammon' - they wont understand and you cant get it anyway.
3) Be very cautious about mince pies at xmas time. Australians will assume "mince" is made of beef unless you specifically note "fruit mince" (which makes pretty good sense really).
"Ordinary" (or "average")- To me this means unremarkable - not bad, not good, just plain.. If I have an 'ordinary' meal, that may be just what I wanted... To Australians "ordinary" is the lowest form of insult you can imagine. Something can 'suck', or be 'terrible' but it'd still be better than being described as 'ordinary'. Use of the word 'average' to describe something as being unusually poor is VERY confusing if you want to talk about anything where you want the mathematical average - .e.g "He was driving at an average speed" - could mean pretty much anything to an Australian, 'average' could imply unacceptable low, could mean unacceptable high, or could actually mean 'average'....
Couple of things to remember at the supermarket:
1) If you tell a butcher you're having a dinner party and want to do roast pork, so need a 'joint big enough for 6 people' - he will get the giggles and refer you to some dodgy guy who sells illicit substances...
2) Dont ask for 'Gammon' - they wont understand and you cant get it anyway.
3) Be very cautious about mince pies at xmas time. Australians will assume "mince" is made of beef unless you specifically note "fruit mince" (which makes pretty good sense really).
Jun 9th 2009, 4:11 pm
#63
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Pommey Shower = spray yourself with deodorant 
Jun 9th 2009, 4:15 pm
#64
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Yep quite a few
Dunni - toilet
Smoko - tea break
Ferrel - poor dirty type of person (This could mean a wide range of things)
The same happens in the UK an aussie mate was at his inlaws going to the beach for the day and was looking for his thongs, they were horried at the thought of wearing a thong to the beach.. He meant his flip flops.
I think Queensland is the worst for this type of language!
Dunni - toilet
Smoko - tea break
Ferrel - poor dirty type of person (This could mean a wide range of things)
The same happens in the UK an aussie mate was at his inlaws going to the beach for the day and was looking for his thongs, they were horried at the thought of wearing a thong to the beach.. He meant his flip flops.
I think Queensland is the worst for this type of language!
Jun 9th 2009, 7:34 pm
#65
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Jun 9th 2009, 7:37 pm
#66
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Jun 9th 2009, 8:30 pm
#67
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
One person's gammon is another's pork.
Jun 9th 2009, 10:42 pm
#68
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Uncooked, unpickled gammon, otherwise known as pork, can be purchased from Woolworths almost without fail marked "Pork Roast Leg" or "Pork Roast Shoulder". Similarly whole leg (cooked) hams, boned or not. Pickled (corned) raw pork can be purchased from butchers with less certainty as corned beef is more popular.
One person's gammon is another's pork.
One person's gammon is another's pork.
Jun 9th 2009, 10:44 pm
#69
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
"Ordinary" (or "average")- To me this means unremarkable - not bad, not good, just plain.. If I have an 'ordinary' meal, that may be just what I wanted... To Australians "ordinary" is the lowest form of insult you can imagine. Something can 'suck', or be 'terrible' but it'd still be better than being described as 'ordinary'.
Jun 10th 2009, 7:37 am
#70
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Jun 10th 2009, 12:52 pm
#71
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
My 2 year old was described that other day as having a 'sooky la la' - means to took an absolute paddy when he didn't get his own way! I was so bloody confused!
Jun 10th 2009, 1:28 pm
#72
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
The shop workers laughed some more and gave me a bandaid!
Gems
Jun 10th 2009, 1:49 pm
#73
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
Actually that's Australian baby talk. The Australian adults vocabulary hasn't progressed/expanded enough to include the phrase "having/throwing a tantrum". Instead they parrot what their parents said to them when they were babies and they haven't grown out of it.
Jun 10th 2009, 1:52 pm
#74
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Re: Aussie Alternatives to UK words...
They definitely say 'bandaid', I had rather embarrassing experience in PM hospital shop. I cut my foot on new shoes and hobbled in asking for plaster/elastoplast. The two women gave me funny looks, then started laughing. A woman came into the shop and said 'I think you mean bandaid.'
The shop workers laughed some more and gave me a bandaid!
Gems
The shop workers laughed some more and gave me a bandaid!
Gems
Last edited by Deancm; Jun 10th 2009 at 1:56 pm.
Jun 10th 2009, 1:57 pm
#75
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