I received a comment from Jesslyn who asked after I mentioned eating a Choc Top a the cinema what it was, and even though I try to make the terminology I use fairly international, I thought it would be good to share a glossary of terms so that my Australianisms don’t confuse (plus a whole lot of other Australian idioms for fun)!
choc top – ice cream treat available at the cinema, usually vanilla icecream in a flat bottom cone covered in a hard chocolate topping shell.
jumper – sweater
thongs – flip flops (not underwear)
pants – trousers (not underwear)
lift – elevator
skivvy – long necked (turtle necked) tight jersey long sleeve top
bludger – someone who doesn’t work and relys on social security payments
chemist – pharmacy or drugstore
lolly – candy/sweets
shonky – dodgy, bad quality
arvo – afternoon
bathers – swimmers, swimming costume
bogan – someone without class, chav
dag – term of endearment, but for a kind of nerdy act or person
buckley’s – no chance
coathanger – Sydney Harbour Bridge (not that I’ll be using it in this way on this blog)
grundies – underpants (rhyming slang from Reg Grundy who was a tv producer)
jug – electric kettle
nuddy – naked
trackies – track suit/sweat suit
togs – swimmers
piker – someone who cancels all the time or leaves early from social situations
sunnies – sunglasses
singlet – undershirt/vest
Is there any word I’ve used that you’ve wondered what it meant?
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These translations are good. I guess if you speak and use an odd word, I´d have difficulties. The word "arvo", is it commonly used, a total new one for me?
Whaaat! I am shocked to hear about polo. In Canada it's like in the US, a golf shirt. Which way do you use it, Imogen?
- tall & slim anon
THANKS! And I was right – a tasty treat we can't get at the movies here. At least not at any theater near me!
"Shonky" What a great word!!
It's amazing that we all speak English.
Great list, Imogen. Also, what about 'skivvy' (which means maid/servant in the UK) but means high-necked long-sleeved top here …
Metscan – yes we use Arvo all the time – like "see you in the arvo"
Mary – Polo – yes we call polo shirts the same as you, but we have a polo jumper which is like a turtleneck jumper.
Jesslyn – there are heaps more great descriptive words in the Australian/English dictionary!
Tiffany – great – I'll add in skivvy!
"Is there any word I've used that you've wondered what it meant?"
Yeah – "H Shape." And "8 Shape."
But you've done a great job of explaining what those mean, too, so I'm not confused any more. (Now I'm just craving a Choc Top!)
Great! I'll be emailing this list to some of my US friends. I once came unstuck when I said on an email list that I was putting on a jumper because it was cold. To them "jumper" meant what we would call a pinafore — over there you have to say "sweater" (And of course what my English grandmother used to call a pinafore is what we would call an apron!)
But "grundies"? Must be a Melbourne word, I've never heard that here in Sydney!
Skivvy: that's funny, 'cause "skivvies" in the US was a military slang word for underwear. It may have started out as what your "skivvy" means but came to be used for mens' undergarments only.
Lots of words for underwear aren't there…
What about swimwear .. in Australia we say cossies, swimmers, budgie smugglers (men's swimmers), or even Speedos … are they foreign words in other places?
I had never heard of "grundies" either.
In WA swimmers are "bathers"
Thanks for this fascinating post, Imogen. I love linguistics and work origins and am memorizing these great new words! Many are the same as in the UK, like jumper but some are unique to Oz.
…and Budgie smugglers…lololol!!!
Thanks for the list of words. These are so interesting to know. Now I can understand more of my Australian friends better than before.
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