Aussie Slang, How to understand Aussie #7
OK so I haven’t written one of these in a while, and man are there some great Aussie-isms out there! I love the Aussie Translation Guide series. I hear-by promise to keep these coming. When you are traveling Down Under, you will undoubtedly hear slang that is very uniquely Australian. I provide this series to give you a fighting chance at understanding what is being said. Some slang phrases are pretty obvious, but others, you definitely need a translator. I picked a couple of particularly colorful ones today.
- Australian = North American Translation
- Flat out like a lizard drinking = Really Busy. Pretty good visual on this one don’t you think? You also hear the shortened phraes Flat out. “I have been flat out at work lately!”
- Cunning as a Dunny Rat = Really Cunning. Now I’m not sure that a rat who lives in a dunny (outdoor toilet) is all that cunning… but hey- who am I to judge?
- Dry as a Dead Dingo’s Donger = Really Dry. He He He, poor Dingo…..
- Mad as a Cut Snake = Really Mad. Pretty obvious here folks.
- Stands out like Dogs Balls = Really Obvious. Oh I love this one! I’ve actually heard this one used in normal conversation. In Manly Beach there was a HUGE Blue Building (it has been repainted beige) that obstructs the view. Loads of people who talk about it- call it the Dogs Balls Building
- Cross as a Frog in a Sock = Sounding angry. Can be a person or a piece of macinary that doesn’t sound good.
- Fair Suck of the Sav = Exclamation of wonder, awe, disbelief. similar to “You don’t say” “No way”
- Kangaroos Loose in the Top Paddock = Not quite mentally all there- a little crazy. “Woah! Bob’s got a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock if you know what I mean….”
- Who Opened Their Lunch? = Who farted? He He He- 8 year olds everywhere will be using this one!
If you liked this one- check out versions 1-6.
By Heather | Permalink
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Comments
I don’t know where you got your translations from but dare I say your source needs a shafting.
Mad as a Cut Snake - does not refer to anger. When you cut the head off a snake it’ll still move but without control because he’s lost his head so what he does next can’t be predicted. Hence the term. If you’re as mad as a cut snake it means you’re a person whose actions are not predictable. This could relate to mental instability or sheer force of personality eg. “Oh don’t expect Bob to hang out the washing on a Sunday. He’s as mad as a cut snake that one. Liable to do anything..”
While it’s accepted to use the term for how busy someone has been, ‘flat out like a lizard drinking’ actually refers to speed. A lizard when he drinks moves his tongue at lightening speed, hence the term. “Look, I’ll try to get it in by 5pm - I’m goin’ flat out like a lizard drinking okay?”
Fair suck of the sav - means fair go. Means don’t take more than what is fair. A ’sav’ is short for the word saveloy which is a type of sausage. During the war when everything was rationed, a saveloy was a delicacy as it was rare and to savour this, people bit it off and sucked the flavour from it. Of course you shared what you got back then and if you took a big bite people would cry in indignation: “Oy! Fair suck of the sav, mate!” and it’s still used today in that context.
Never heard cross as a frog in a sock used anywhere in conversation. ‘Going off like a frog in a sock’ refers to increased action such as sexual activity, responding to a bite or being insulted. eg. “She went at it like a frog in a sock..”
Who opened their lunch is definitely an Americanism, not Australian slang. ‘Who cut the dog in half?’ relates to farting.
Crikey, mate, if you’re going to speak Strine, get it right eh?
Onya.
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The Australian slang is really something else. I emigrated 1,5 years ago from Holland to Australia and am astounded to the differences of slang. But in the end you get used to them and … no worries mate !