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Learn Aussie slang with our Australian language guide for iPods

Learn Aussie slang with our Australian language guide for iPods

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DATE : Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:52:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2009-04-16 02:52:00
length : 19999269
Link to the Show / Show Notes

Yes, even for native English speakers, travels to Australia can be confusing!  Why is it so hard to order a drink?  Is it true that you lop off the last syllable and add an 'ee' on the end to almost everything. 

This Aussie Slang podcast will help you navigate your way through all the local jargon. Join our regular nomad Scott and Anna, a friend he met whilst travelling as they work it out over a beer.

This podcast is FREE to download and will work on your iPod or any MP3 player.

(The Aussie Slang App for your iPhone will also be live in the iTunes store in a few days - find our other iPhone language guide apps here)

Download Here

•   Aussie Slang Language Lesson for any mp3 player (MP3 | Size: 20MB)

Australian Slang Language Guide Script

For those of you keen to have a written version on the podcast, here is the script below:

Anna: Vorsicht!
 
Scott: I know that voice.... Anna?!?!  
 
Anna: Scott??
 
Scott: What the hell are you doing here? And what’s with the swearing.... Talk about de ja vu! And... look at all the clothes you’ve got on!  
 
Anna:  My LoveParade outfit is at home I’m afraid! I just dropped all my change on the floor – I was counting it out to get a beer!  
 
Scott:  That’s a bit sad! I’m about to knock off anyway, don’t worry I’ll share my staffies with you!
 
Anna: Staffie – is that a beer!!?
 
Scott:  Well, sort of, when you knock off work you can have a couple of drinks on the house – we call them staffies! What would you like?
 
Anna: Umm... how about a Fosters?
 
Scott:  Ummm, how about not?!?! Aussies don’t really drink Fosters.  
Anna: But I thought it was your number one beer!
 
Scott: Yeah, overseas maybe... but not here, to look a little less like a tourist ask for a schooner of Resches.  
 
Anna: A schooner of Resches
 
Scott: Yeah, that’s right or you could say a Schoey of Resches
 
Anna: A Schoey?! I think you need to teach me some Australian!  
 
Scott: Well, after the Love Parade weekend I think I owe you that at the very least! C’mon lets go sit in the beer garden.  

Anna: I thought you worked in advertising?!
 
Scott: Ah, yes... well I think I told a few pork pies that weekend...  
 
Anna: A pork pie?!
 
Scott: A lie – it’s rhyming slang – I’d better teach you some of that too as most Aussies use it without even thinking about it. Also, you should probably know I’m not really a nightclub owner... 

Anna:  I kinda figured that one out at the time! Why do you use rhyming slang?
 
Scott: Good question! It’s just part of being an Aussie I suppose, most people say the convicts bought the slang with them and it’s just grown from there.  
 
Anna: Tell me some more.  
 
Scott: Ok, but as this IS a lesson you’ve got to try and guess, ok?
 
Anna: Ok – go!
 
Scott: Frog and Toad
 
Anna:  What!?!
 
Scott: Frog and Toad – Road!!
 
Anna:  oh, I see! Give me another one!
 
Scott: Dog and bone
 
Anna: Dog and bone?!?! ... um....  
 
Scott: Phone!
 
Anna: Ah! Dog and bone... phone! So would I say “He’s on the dog and bone”
 
Scott: Very good! Ok – one more and we’ll move onto some local words. Now, you will hear this one at barbies (that’s a big give-away by the way)
 
Anna: Hang on... what’s a barbie? You don’t mean the doll do you?
 
Scott:  See, Aussie is a very hard language to learn... we call BBQ's barbies.  
 
Anna: Barbies
 
Scott: Good – but try to really sound out the “arr” in Baaarrbie – most Aussies do this, particularly Queenslanders!
 
Anna: Baaarrbie! I feel a bit like a pirate!  
 
Scott:  Yeah, I know... but that’s how most Aussies speak! So, back to the rhyming slang, which you will hear at barbies.... Dead Horse....  
 
Anna: Dead Horse, umm, Dead Horse... I know... SAUCE!
 
Scott: Well done! Just for that I’ll shout us another round!
 
Anna: Round?
 
Scott: Round of drinks! It’s common when you go out with Aussies to shout a round of drinks – each person in the group is expected to be part of the shout – so everyone buys one round of drinks each. But, in this instance I’m shouting you as you’re my guest now!
 
Anna: Ok, well a schoey please.  
 
Scott:  Very good!  
 
Anna: Aussie isn’t so very difficult!
 
Scott: Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself... we’ve only just begun!  
 
Scott: Right, we may as well stick to a theme and introduce you to words you might come across at a barbie. First, when you are invited to a barbie you should assume that it’s BYO.  
 
Anna: BYO?
 
Scott: Bring Your Own – bring your own grog. It’s customary to take wine or beer or both when you go to someone’s place for a meal.   
 
Anna: Grog?
 
Scott:  alcohol. Now, this might be a Cab Sav, or a cleanskin or some stubbies and you may even take it in your own esky!
 
Anna: Ok, now you really are speaking a foreign language! Cab Sav, stubbie, esky?!?! What ARE you talking about?!
 
Scott: Ok, from the top – Cab Sav is short for Cabernet Sauvignon – red wine – which granted you probably wouldn’t take in your esky – a chill or cooler bin.  
 
Anna: Ahh you mean a cool box... esky..
 
Scott: Very good.  
 
Anna: So, cab sav is red wine, esky is cool box. What were the others?
 
Scott: A cleanskin is wine that hasn’t got a label from a vineyard, some bottle shops buy wine in bulk and put it into plain bottles, sometimes they are really good wines other times not so good – it’s a bit of a lottery. A stubby is a small bottle of beer.  
 
Anna: Like a schooner?
 
Scott: Mmm, not really. A schooner is the size of the glass you are drinking from and a stubby is a small bottle of beer –not to be confused with a long neck, which is a large bottle of beer!  
 
Anna: Ok. So would I drink a stubbie or a long neck at a pub?
 
Scott: A stubbie maybe, a long neck no. At a pub or a bar if you drink beer from the tap you will have either a schooner; a middie (a small glass of beer);  or a jug (a jug full of beer). But, if you get a bottle of beer from the fridge then yes, you are drinking a stubbie. You wouldn’t drink a long neck at a pub – that’s more of a home drink!  
 
Anna:  My God, there is so many rules!
 
Scott:  C’mon, you’re German – rules are good aren’t they!?!?
 
Anna:  Steady!!
 
Scott: By the way, on the way to your Barbie you would have probably stopped at the Bottle-O to fill your esky....  
 
Anna: Bottle-O must be a bottle shop yes?
 
Scott: You’re a natural!! Now, once you are at the barbie if it’s in the summer you will definitely encounter some blowies!  
 
Anna: ....Cocaine?!?!?
 
Scott: Well, that depends... probably not at a barbie! I’m talking about Blow Flies! A blowie is a blow fly – a fly – and they are always at barbies!
 
Anna:  Blowie!
 
Scott: Ok, so when you get to the barbie you might be offered a sanger; a snag or a coldie – or maybe even all three.  
 
Anna: Sanger, snag and coldie.... Is this food?
 
Scott: Very good – sanger is a sandwich – which at a barbie is most likely to be a steak sanger
 
Anna: Steak Sanger
 
Scott: A snag is a sausage – and being German I don’t have to tell you what a sausage is! Sometimes they are called Mystery bags.  
 
Anna: So – snag or mystery bag.... Why Mystery Bag?
 
Scott: Cause you never really know exactly what’s in a snag!
 
Anna:  Oh ok... Mystery Bag.. that’s funny! What’s a coldie?
 
Scott: A cold beer.  
 
Anna:  You have so many words and phrases for beer – schooner, middie, coldie, stubby!  
 
Scott:  Of course, beer is very important! In fact, you’ll find that different States favour different beers, for example when you head up to Queensland 4X is the beer of choice. In Melbourne its Melbourne Bitter and most real Aussie blokes in NSW drink VB – which confusingly stands for Victoria Bitter.  
 
Anna: So there are only a few varieties of beer then?
 
Scott: God No – there’s a huge number of brands and varieties and also a large number of local boutique beers are coming up – there are even low calorie beers now!  
 
Anna: For the girls?!?!
 
Scott: And guys!! Ok, lets stick to the grog theme – something very close the heart of most Aussies! Another phrase you might hear in relation to drinking is a Two Pot Screamer.  
 
Anna:  What in the world is a Two Pot Screamer?!?!?
 
Scott:  Yeah, it’s pretty funny isn’t it... a Two Pot Screamer is someone who gets drunk very quickly by drinking very little!  
 
Anna: I like that – Two-Pot Screamer! Why Pot?
 
Scott: Ok, now it’s going to get a bit more complex... here in NSW we call a small glass of beer a middie but in Victoria it’s called a Pot.  The Pot of Two Pot Screamer refers to someone who gets drunk on two pots or two middies – so two small glasses of beer!  
 
Anna: Oh no – so I have to learn different words for different Australian states and Territories??
 
Scott:  ‘Fraid so – although really you probably shouldn’t bother with the Banana Benders!  
 
Anna: the What?!?!
 
Scott: Queenslanders... we call them Banana Benders! In fact this is probably a good time to teach you a few location words...
 
Anna: Hang on... Banana Benders?!?!? Why????
 
Scott:  ‘Cause they grow Banana’s up there... and really they’re a breed of their own!  
 
Anna:  Aussie is the craziest language I’ve ever learnt – it makes no sense at all!  
 
Scott:  And, to confuse you even more Aussies love exaggeration, irony and sarcasm – so you may never know when we are being serious! 

Anna: That’s not funny!   
 
Scott:  It really is!
 
Anna:  Ok, maybe just a little! What else do I need to know?
 
Scott: As we’re talking about Queensland, most Aussies call Brisbane Brissy or Bris-Vegas
 
Anna: Brissy I get, but why BrisVegas?
 
Scott: ‘Cause It’s all a bit shiny and new and trying to be a bit like Las Vegas
 
Anna: That seems a bit unkind!
 
Scott: Yeah, I know – it’s sort of meant in an affectionate way. But we are champions of the Tall Poppy Syndrome here – and I guess the rest of Australia just thought Brisbane was getting above itself!  

Anna: Tall Poppy?!
 
Scott: Yeah, it means when someone’s ego is getting too big – they are bragging about their achievements or big noting themselves
 
Anna: So this is a bad thing?  
 
Scott: Yeah, in Australia it is. You won’t find many Aussies who talk about their achievements or success – it’s kind of frowned upon. We are very firm believers in equality, that everyone  is good at something. You’ll also find this when you meet people – you might end up talking to the CEO of one of Australia’s most successful companies or an incredibly wealth person – and you’d never know it as they won’t let on, it’s just not done.  
 
Anna: So it’s not good to be successful in Australia?
 
Scott: No, it’s great to be successful – and we are the first to acknowledge and support success  – but it’s not good to big note yourself and let your ego get out of control.
 
Anna: Oh, I see – it’s a bit subtle but I understand. My head is beginning to hurt – this whole Aussie language is more complex than I was expecting! Are there any other rules I should know about?
 
Scott: I good rule of thumb to remember is that Aussies love to shorten things – names, places, phrases – anything that can be shortened will be.  
 
Anna: Like?
 
Scott: Um, ok – off the top of my head....(quickly) arvo, footy, chewie, Tassie, Brissie, Rego, Crocs, Roos, sunnies, Chrissie, servo...umm and cossie!  
 
Anna:  What the hell did you just say?!?!
 
Scott: Arvo – afternoon, footy – football, Tassie – Tasmania, Chewie – chewing gum
 
Anna: Brissie is Brisbane I know that one! Rego? Crocs – aren’t they shoes?
 
Scott: Yes they are shoes but they are also crocodiles. Rego is registration. Sunnies – sunglasses.... Chrissie Christmas and what was the last one?
 
Anna: cossie!
 
Scott: Costume – swimming costume. But, they are also known as togs, budgie smugglers, Speedos, boardies and cosies!
 
Anna: What so many names – are they for both men and women??
 
Scott: Nah – womens are mainly cosies and togs. Mens are Speedos, budgie smugglers or boardies.  
 
Anna:  Budgie Smugglers?!
 
Scott:  Ah, yes... strange name I know... they are Speedos, you know the swimmers that are just like undies - underpants – budgie smugglers refers to what is inside them!
 
Anna:  That is so bizarre!!
 
Scott:  Yeah I know!   
 
Anna: What are boardies?
 
Scott: Board shorts – swimming shorts.  
 
Anna: There’s much more to Aussie than I was expecting – is there much more?
 
Scott: Anna:, we’ve only just scratched the surface! How about we go and get a counter meal and take a break?

Anna: Counter meal?
 
Scott:  Pubs that serve food generally call it counter food because you order and pay at the counter. C’mon they do a great steak sanger here!
 
Anna: Ok – but what about the rest of the lesson?
 
Scott: How long are you over for? We’ve got loads of time don’t worry! For now lets eat and you can catch me up on all your LoveParade mates I had such a great time with!
 
Anna: Deal! 

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