Aussie Slang is a richly-textured, often ribald world of understatement and laconic humour. This guide aims to do three things; (a) to help the traveller decipher what they hear around them in everyday Australian life, (b) give the causal reader some insight into informal Australian culture, and (c) make a record of some old Australian expressions that are slipping into disuse now that English has become a global language. Readers will recognize both British and American terms in this list. Australian English has absorbed much from these two great languages. For depth of knowledge of their own language, no-body beats the British. Its their language after all. A thousand years in the making, the English language is embedded deep in the DNA of the British. No-one uses their language more skilfully than they do. On the other hand, American English has a creative power that recognizes no boundaries. Americans have taken a very good all-purpose language and extended it in all kinds of directions with new words describing the world as it is today. They do not generally cling to old forms out of respect for tradition. As Winston Churchill observed, Britain and America … two great nations divided by the same language. Australian English sits comfortably in the space between the two. Australian English began in the early days of settlement as English English with a healthy dash of Celtic influence from the many Scots, Irish and Welsh settlers who came to Australia. Large numbers of German settlers also came in the 1800's,and their influence on the language is also clearly evident. For over a hundred years, Australia developed in splendid isolation its unique blend of English, tempered by the hardships of heat and cold, deluge and drought, bushfires and cyclones. The harsh environment united people in a common struggle to survive. People helped each other. Strong communitarian loyalties were engendered. It is from this that the egalitarian character of Australia evolved. There is a strong emphasis on building a feeling of solidarity with others. Strangers will call each other "mate" or "luv" in a tone of voice ordinarily reserved for close friends and family in other parts of the world. Everyone was from somewhere else, and no-one was better than anyone else. A strong anti-authoritarian attitude became deeply embedded in Australian English. This was mainly directed towards their British overlords who still ran the country as a profitable colony. The Australian sense of humour is generally understated, delivered with a straight-face, and is often self-deprecating in nature. No-one wants to appear to be “up themselves”. Harsh or otherwise adverse conditions had to be met without complaint, so when discussing such conditions, it was necessary to do so with laconic, understated humour. Anyone not doing so was deemed a “whinger” (win-jer).Following World War II the American influence came increasingly to influence Australian culture and therefore the language. No-one is better at selling their popular culture to the world than the United States of America. Their pop culture is a beguiling instrument of foreign policy, so pervasive and persuasive it is. Young Australians enthusiastically embraced American culture, and since the 1940's the old established British language and customs have become blended with the American. If Australian English has a remarkable quality, it is the absence of regional dialects. It is spoken with relative uniformity across the entire nation. Brisbane on the East coast is a 4,300 kilometre (2,700 mile) drive from Perth on the West coast, yet there is little discernible linguistic difference between the two places compared with the difference, for example between Boston and San Francisco in the US. Nowhere else in the world do we see such linguistic uniformity across large distances.

Hello or G'day.English to Australian Slang Dictionary.Enjoy over 1001 + Aussie slang words A to Z.Easy to find words and phrase's to impress your friends in Australia and Overseas.After studying this dictionary and working on a couple other things.Maybe you can pass as an Aussie in the Big Smoke.EnjoyHoorooMr Bennett Books

A direct and informative Wordbook of Idiom and Slang which is directed at giving explanation to the meaning of and the correct usage of the Australian English language. There are some words used that may offend as they have converse meanings to other English Speaking countries; however, there is no intent to offend or malign or denigrate anybody. This book is designed to be informative, educational, and full of humor and will give the reader insight to a unique and colorful language.

Australian Military Slang is a window into the rank and file culture of the Australian Army and to some extent the Navy and Air Force. It is an honest, confronting and often humorous look into a culture that most civilians never experience. Australian military culture has its origins in the traditions of the British military, though over more than a century it has evolved into its own distinct culture. The Australian military has the fundamental values of courage, initiative, respect and comradeship. There is an ethos of courage and toughness built on a foundation of loyalty and fairness. Around the world, the Australian military is respected for its professionalism, integrity, initiative and esprit de corp. Though relative small compared with other countries, the Australian military is known to “punch above its weight” as the old boxing metaphor goes. Like any military, there is strong hierarchy. Much of the language is concerned with establishing and reinforcing the military hierarchy. It is essential that everyone accepts their place in the hierarchy. There is hazing implied in the language. A fighting unit depends on each member to withstand the pressure of combat and do their job. Everyone is tested, and tested again. Anyone found wanting is weeded out before they have a chance to get anyone killed. The men and women of the Australian Defence Force have a colorful language all their own. Full of profanity and wry humor, it has developing over time, taking influences from the broader Australian dialect, as well as the militaries of other nations, principally Britain and the United States with whom Australia has worked most closely over time. Readers of Australian Military Slang are warned that there is much strong language. If you are likely to be offended by this, then you have been made aware. This dictionary makes no judgment on the appropriateness of the language in relation to community standards. It simply documents it as it is. It is worth preserving for posterity. In recent times, the Chief of the Defence Forces has made it clear that the culture of 'bastardisation' must end. The military has to be able to recruit new members from the community, competing favourably with civilian careers. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It is comprised of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) plus a several 'tri-service' units. While the Australian military is relatively small compared to many of its Asian neighbors, it is one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world, giving it the capability to operate effectively in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) operates around 70 vessels of various sizes, from frigates, submarines, to patrol boats. There are two parts to the RAN's structure; Fleet Command (operational) and Navy Strategic Command (support).The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. While the Australian Army is principally a light infantry force, it is in the process of being 'hardened and networked' to enable it to conduct higher-intensity operations. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the ADF. The RAAF has up to date combat and transport aircraft plus a network of bases in strategic locations across Australia.

The Essential Lingo Dictionary is a warts-and-all look at the notoriously hilarious (and occasionally a little bit naughty) canon of Australian slang words and phrases, casting light on the quirky, intriguing and often bizarre Australian Aussie language. A must-have for every bookshelf!If you have wondered why his girlfriend is a 'Sheila' even though her name is Sophia, or why your colleagues in Melbourne's suburbs are said to live 'beyond the black stump', then this book is for you.The author, John Miller, has been a journalist for over thirty-five years and is passionate about Australia's history and heritage. As well as making extensive use of written references to compile this book, John interviewed Australians from all walks of life - from outback characters to school kids - to ensure he captured every nuance of Australia's unique language as it is spoken today.

This dictionary brings together a colourful collection of colloquialisms from Down Under, including humorous rhyming slang, inventive insults and comical curses. Celebrating a distinctive and often irreverent language, Australian Slangis a ripper of a read that will delight visitors from OS, as well as true-blue Aussie blokes and sheilas. Read this book to discover the meaning behind perplexing Australian discourses such as this one- G'day mate! How've ya been, you old bastard? Take a butchers at that galah playing aerial ping-pong on the telly. He's about as useful as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking competition. The drongo'll get the spear if he doesn't pull his socks up.

Slang permeates Australian society–it can be found in pubs and RSLs, at footy matches and on TV soapies, in the hallowed halls of parliament, in schoolyards (often behind the dunnies), and up the backyard round the barbie no less. From the racy and rude, to the lighthearted and charming, from the hip and happening language of city-dwellers to the dry wit of the true laconic bushy–it's all here in the new Macquarie Australian Slang Dictionary.An entirely new dictionary covering slang from its earliest convict utterances right up to the very latest word. Editor James Lambert is one of Australia's foremost experts having made the study of Australian slang his lifetime occupation.Some features of this edition:- completely up-to-date - definitions written in accessible colloquial English–simple and easy to understand- historical treatment of important items of Aussie slang: fair dinkum, swaggies, Anzacs, humping the bluey, bonzer, Pommy, bludger, etc.- extensive coverage of rhyming slang- special attention given to slang phrases - lists of slang synonyms- regional slang gathered from contributors from all over the country, including hundreds of dinky-di terms never before recorded.

What Australian say – and what they really mean. Australia has given the world thousands of colouful words and expressions. From the back of Bourke to the rough end of the pineapple, it's all here. Aussie Slang is the phrase book for visitors to Oz. It's ideal reading for local blokes and sheilas, too.

With its unparalleled coverage of English slang of all types (from 18th-century cant to contemporary gay slang), and its uncluttered editorial apparatus, Cassell's Dictionary of Slang was warmly received when its first edition appeared in 1998. 'Brilliant.' said Mark Lawson on BBC2's The Late Review; 'This is a terrific piece of work - learned, entertaining, funny, stimulating' said Jonathan Meades in The Evening Standard.But now the world's best single-volume dictionary of English slang is about to get even better. Jonathon Green has spent the last seven years on a vast project: to research in depth the English slang vocabulary and to hunt down and record written instances of the use of as many slang words as possible. This has entailed trawling through more than 4000 books - plus song lyrics, TV and movie scripts, and many newspapers and magazines - for relevant material. The research has thrown up some fascinating results

The astonishing story of James Hardy Vaux, writer of Australia's first dictionary and first true-crime memoir If you wear 'togs', tell a 'yarn', call someone 'sly', or refuse to 'snitch' on a friend then you are talking like a convict. These words, and hundreds of others, once left colonial magistrates baffled and police confused. So comprehensible to us today, the flash language of criminals and convicts had marine officer Watkin Tench complaining about the need for an interpreter in the colonial court. Luckily, by 1811, that man was at hand. James Hardy Vaux - conman, pickpocket, absconder and thief, born into comfortable circumstances in England - was so drawn to a life of crime he was transported to Australia ... not once, but three times! Vaux's talents, glibness and audacity were extraordinary, and perceiving an opportunity to ingratiate himself with authorities during his second sentence, he set about writing a dictionary of the criminal slang of the colony, which was recognised for its uniqueness and taken back to England to be published. Kel Richards tells Vaux's story brilliantly, with the help of Vaux's own extraordinarily candid memoir of misdeeds - one of the first true-crime memoirs ever published. Kel's book combines two of his favourite subjects: the inventiveness, humour and origins of Australian English, and our history of fabulous, disreputable characters. With echoes of The Surgeon of Crowthorne as well as Oliver Twist, Flash Jim is a ripping read - especially for those who appreciate the power of words and the convict contribution to our idiom. PRAISE 'James Hardy Vaux was a con-man with a talent for words who wrote the first dictionary of Australian English. Kel Richards is a word-man with a talent for telling a stirring story about the con-man. In Flash Jim Kel Richards brings James Hardy Vaux to life as we haven't seen him before' - Emeritus Professor Roland Sussex, School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, University of Queensland 'An engaging tale from a great student of our language about one of the conmen who gave Australia its character - and its distinctive slang' - Andrew Bolt, broadcaster and columnist 'One of the strongest bonds binding the people of Australia together is the Australian language. We speak a dialect of English richer and more colourful than most. When we call someone a "hoon" or invite a friend to a "barbie" we know immediately what we're talking about - but we have to translate for overseas visitors. This powerful cultural bond was, as Kel explains, built on four foundations. And the most colourful of those four was convict slang. The role that it played, and still plays, in the Australian language, and the story of the man who first recorded it is - as we used to say - a "ripping yarn". It makes a page-turning story' - Alan Jones, broadcaster and columnist 'There's never been a more important time to truly understand our Australian history and this book is a great introduction to the richness of our language and a wonderful window onto the real life of colonial Australia from my favourite wordsmith, Kel Richards' - Peta Credlin, broadcaster and columnist