To My North American Friends
To My American and Canadian Friends
An old friend sent me an email containing a number of things that are uniquely Australian.
I thought they might be good for a laugh.
You are welcome to point out any you don't understand and I'll be happy to enlighten you lol.
YOU KNOW YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN IF:
* You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn.
* You're liable to burst out laughing whenever you hear of Americans "rooting" for something.
* You pronounce Melbourne as 'Mel-bin'.
* You believe the 'L' in the word 'Australia' is optional.
* You can translate: 'Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas.'
* You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.
* You think 'Woolloomooloo' is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.
* You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife.
* You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin.
* You understand that 'Wagga Wagga' can be abbreviated to 'Wagga' but 'Woy Woy' can't be called 'Woy'.
* You believe that cooked-down axle grease makes a good breakfast spread. You've also squeezed it through Vita Wheats to make little Vegemite worms.
* You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.
* Beetroot with your Hamburger... Of course.
* You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again' and "Living next door to Alice".
* You believe that the confectionery known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.
* You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them.
* Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.
* You understand that 'excuse me' can sound rude, While 'scuse me' is always polite.
* You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.
* You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle and a seat belt buckle becomes a pretty good branding iron.
* Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules for beach cricket.
* You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call 'Anzac cookies'.
* You still think of Kylie as 'that girl off Neighbours'.
* When working in a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.
* You know how to abbreviate every word, all of which usually end in -o: arvo, combo, garbo, kero, metho, milko, muso, rego, servo, smoko, speedo, righto, goodo etc.
* You know that there is a universal place called "woop woop" located in the middle of nowhere...no matter where you actually are.
* You know that none of us actually drink Fosters beer, because it tastes like sh*t. But we let the world think we do. Because we can.
* You have some time in your life slept with Aeroguard on in the summer. Maybe even as perfume.
* You've only ever used the words - tops, ripper, sick, mad, rad, sweet - to mean good. And then you place 'bloody' in front of it when you REALLY mean it.
* You know that the barbecue is a political arena; the person holding the tongs is always the boss and usually a man. And the women make the Salad. * You say 'no worries' quite often, whether you realise it or not.
* You understand what no wucking furries (often abbreviated to no wuckins) means.
* You've drunk your tea/coffee/milo through a Tim Tam.
* You own a Bond's chesty. In several different colours.
* You know that roo meat tastes pretty good, But not as good as barra. Or a meat pie.
* You know that some people pronounce Australia like "Straya" and that's ok.
* You have a thong tan...not on your butt!
Enjoy!
Recent Comments
107
What is "Stubbie" drunk or worn?
* You're liable to burst out laughing whenever you hear of Americans "rooting" for something.
* You pronounce Melbourne as 'Mel-bin'.
* You believe the 'L' in the word 'Australia' is optional.
No.
Where is all this coming from?
This is not good for the North American Image.
Take care.
Paul from Canada.
"Stubbie" is both a type of beer bottle and a pair of shorts.
"Root" in Australia is an alternative to the "F" word. There's a book/movie from many years ago called "Puberty Blues" when the visiting American female student says "Shall we all go out on Saturday and root for the boys?". The other girls have a fit of the giggles and the teacher says "I'll leave it to you to explain the language differences".
Only tourists say "Mel-born".
We often say "Oss-traya".
It just reflects the humor of language differences, Paul.
HaHa, I had no idea the word root had a double meaning! I'll have to remember not to say that if ever in Australia! 🤪🙂
I got the majority of them, Phil. 👍
I particularly like the one about the steering wheel and seatbelt buckle. 😂
Frank 🎸
At 18 feet long and weighing a ton, the largest saltwater crocodile is a pretty fearsome Apex predator.
But we have some pretty small ones too.
A Pommy tourist posted a photo to Facebook of a small blue-ringed octopus on the palm of his hand, saying "look at this pretty little thing I found in the shallows".
Locals were quick to let him know that if it had decided to bite, he was minutes away from death.
There's no antivenom.
And the new anchor of "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here".
And yes, now pretty much the face of Australia Zoo.
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Love it, Phil! 😂😂😂 I needed a good giggle. And I surprised myself that I’m actually familiar with a few of these on your list.
Susan
Lovely. Do let me know of any you'd like more information on.
What are Anzac cookies…
What you call "cookies" we call "biscuits". So they're really called Anzac biscuits and when a supermarket calls them "cookies" it just seems non-genuine. And they taste non-genuine too, unlike the home-made ones. They're made from golden syrup, oats, brown sugar and coconut and traditionally eaten on Anzac Day. the 25th of April. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. It stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
That makes sense. They sound delicious too. Thanks for the info, Phil. Great to learn about different cultures and linguistic nuances. 🍻🦐
Attached.
Biscuits...biscuits......Nahhh...bikkies.
I stand corrected. Better than cookies, though.
I may just need to find a recipe for those. Yum :-)
They are one of the few biscuits (cookies) that I like. There are basically two varieties, Soft/squishy and hard/crispy.
I don’t like many either but those look good. I’ll have to have a look online unless you have a family recipe you would share. ;-)
I don't, sorry. But you'll find some good recipes online.
But search Anzac biscuits (not cookies).
Will do, Phil. 👍
They were made specially for the troops because they keep well; and incidentally they should contain bicarbonate of soda. They don't last long in our house! The combined Aussie and NZ troops left in convoy from King George Sound in Albany in Western Australia, for the battle fields of Europe. Many of them did not come back. Anzac Day, 25th April, was the day they landed at Gallipoli in what is now called ANZAC Cove. The day is celebrated world wide every year with a Dawn service when we gather to remember those who did not return. In Albany, a small boat goes out onto the harbour after the Dawn Service and a wreath is laid on the water. Every year without fail. The rest of us watch from the highest spot on the coast and you can hear the silence. So many young men gone in such a short time. Lest we forget.
The addition of this detailed history is most appreciated, Janet.