A Visitor's Guide to the Real Australia
...More Colloquialisms
Lollies: sweets or candy, not a frozen ice on a stick which is usually called an icy-pole or paddle-pop.
Mate: same as buddy or friend, but often said to a complete stranger. Tone of voice is probably the only way to tell if the term is amiable or reproachful; cobber is an older form, uncommon these days.
Pearler: the best, great, outstanding, wonderful, priceless.
Pie floater: a unique Adelaide snack which is a small bowl of pea soup with a meat pie sitting in it; can be enhanced by a generous squirt of tomato sauce.
Ron: an abbreviated form of later on.
She'll be right: it will turn out okay in the end. Can be applied to almost anything.
Splurge: splash out, or overindulge oneself (usually costing money).
Ticket of leave: a written declaration that a prisoner had served his or her sentence and was, under certain conditions, at liberty to seek shelter and employment within the colony. It did not, however, grant permanent freedom and could be rescinded for the slightest misdemeanor, seeing the unfortunate back behind bars again.
Tinnie: a can, usually of beer, which must be ice cold; also a small aluminium dingy, or runabout.
The Coathanger: The Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Outback / The Never-Never: areas of native bush, desert, or anywhere away from town that seems uninhabited; also Woop-Woop.
The Rum Corps: the military force charged with keeping order in the colony following early settlement. The name derives from the Army’s control of the import and distribution of this liquor. The common practice of payment in rum rather than money exerted a strong hold over civilians, many of whom would trade their goods for it, then drink away the proceeds, leaving themselves, once again, at the mercy of the Corps.
True Blue: a genuine Australian, born and bred, as opposed to a naturalised immigrant; also applied to objects, products, in fact anything that is unique to the country.
You right? Are you okay? Do you need serving, want something, can I help you in some way?
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