Wednesday 9 May 2012

Random stuff - Part III

I have been having fun with the words! I really can't see me picking up the accent but I am having to get to grips with new words and the alternative meaning of others.

Ice lollies are ice blocks, sweets are lollies, crisps are chips and candy floss is fairy floss.

Somethings seem quite American and others very British, it is definitely a melting pot.

Thongs are not G-Strings, they are flip flops and a cool box is an Esky, that totally threw me and cling film is called Glad wrap.

To say you are shattered does not mean you are tired here it means you are totally broken emotionally. Definitely one to be careful with.

Understanding the traffic news is fun!

They drive on the left like us, great result but that is really the end of all similarity, terminology is definitely US influenced.

A main road is a highway, a motorway is a freeway, a pedestrian crossing is a cross walk, a pavement is a footpath and the central reservation is called a median whereas the verge is called a nature strip.

A lorry is a truck, a saloon car is a sedan and an estate car is a station wagon. HGV lorries are called road trains.

If there is an incident on the road and everyone is rubber necking you will also hear it being referred to as sticky beaking. Sticky beaking is also the term given to people who go and view houses just to have a nose.

The kitchen work top is called a bench

Most words you get the gist of what they mean but others have completely thrown me.

If you bum something, it means you 'begged' it from a friend ie  'I'm short. Can I bum a dollar from you?'My friend from Brisbane referred to her daughter as being a proper Ranga. We call redheads, gingas here they call them rangas. The term comes from an abbreviation of orangutan, who of course have red fur.

I was looking to buy some fitted sheets in the department store and was told they would be in the 'Manchester'  section. What??? This is the word used for the bed linen department. Apparently it goes back to when Manchester was famous for it's textiles in colonial times. Interesting one.....

and finally Dead Horse is tomato sauce so you can imagine how bemused I was when the waitress asked if I wanted some Dead Horse with my fries!

Yesty arvo our furniture arrived from the UK.

Slowly but surely "straya" (Aussie for Australia) is becoming home.
 
...and Radders is getting his own post
 
"well of course I am, it's all about me!"

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