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Aussie ABCs: ratbags & snags

October 15th, 2007 · 3 Comments

   

Well it’s time to learn more of how we aussies abuse the English language. Today is brought to you by the letters R & S…

R is for

  • Rapt [or wrapped] : pleased, delighted (I’m rapt that you came to visit me and brought me a box of chocolates)
  • Ratbag : mild insult
  • Raw prawn, to come the : to con or stretch the truth, to be generally disagreeable
  • I Reckon! : you bet! Absolutely!
  • Ya Reckon?!: “do you really believe that what you’re saying is true?”
  • Rellie or relo : family relative
  • Ripper : great, fantastic - “it was a ripper party”
  • Right, she’s : it’ll be all right
  • Right, that’d be : Accepting bad news as inevitable. (”I went fishing but caught nothing.” “Yeah, that’d be right.”)
  • Rock up : to turn up, to arrive - “we rocked up at their house at 8pm”
  • Row: [rhymes with cow] An argument, shouting match, loud disagreement
  • Rubber: An eraser, for the Americans in my audience. Australian Architects working with Americans need to be careful of using this one in the office.

*Remember, those of you of North American or Irish persuasion, that Aussies tend to drop the letter “r” from the middle of a word. Hence anger is pronounced anga here and my city - though spelled Melbourne - is actually pronounced Melb’n.

S is for

  • Sanger : [pronounced sanga] a sandwich
  • Skull/Skol : to drink a beer/coke in a single draught without taking a breath
  • Shonky : dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky practice, shonky business etc
  • Servo : petrol station, gas station
  • Shout: to pay for (”I’ll shout lunch” “No it’s my shout today”)
  • Sook: [rhymes with look, cook] Noun. A soft, timid or cowardly person. A frequent complainer.
  • Sooking: Verb. Whining, particularly about petty or inconsequential matters.
  • Smoko : smoke or coffee break
  • Snag : a sausage
  • Spit the dummy : to get very upset at something
  • Squizz (noun) : look - “take a squizz at this”
  • Stoked : very pleased
  • Stuffed, I feel : I’m tired
  • Stuffed, it’s: It is broken, it’s worn out
  • Sunnies : sunglasses

Tags: Aussie ABCs

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