Though New Zealand & Australia have felt very much like home, I experienced more than a few instances where I had no idea what anyone was talking about… and likewise. To help you avoid similar confusion, I wrote up the following paragraph and included translations below. With these easy additions to your vocabulary, you’ll be more than ready to take on both the Land Down Under and the Land of the Long White Cloud.
If you’re planning an arvo beach barbecue with your mates, stop at the bottle-o for some Cab Sav or grog (don’t forget your stubby holders!), or go to the milk bar for some fizzy. Stick your beverages in the esky/chilly bin right next to the chook, rocket & capsicum salad and you’ll be prepared for a delicious evening tea. If there’s a barbie, bring some prawns and bangers, and don’t forget the basics, like serviettes, tomato sauce and Vegemite. Maybe get some icy poles, biscuits, hokey pokey ice cream, lollies, fairy floss or fairy bread for dessert. Pack all that in the boot of your ute, but be sure to take out your whipper snipper if it’s still in there from yard work earlier in the day. Definitely remember to fill up the tank with petrol before you leave. If it’s warm out, wear thongs/jandals, bathers, sunnies and a singlet – that’s really all you need aside from repellant for mozzies. Pick a cozy spot away from the footpath and the car park, and enjoy!
If all that is too complicated, just go to Macca’s for heaps of chips. Just don’t forget to put your rubbish in the bin!
Arvo | Afternoon
Mates | Friends
Bottle-o | Liquor Store
Stubby Holder | Coozie
Cab Sav | Cabernet Sauvignon
Grog | Beer
Milkbar | Convenience Store
Fizzy | Coke (Pop to all you Wisconsinites)
Chilly Bin/Esky | Cooler
Barbie | Grill
Bangers | Sausages
Fairy Bread | White bread with butter & sprinkles
Fairy floss | Cotton candy
Whipper Snipper | Weed whacker
Hokey Pokey | Honeycomb/toffee
Lollies | Candy
Icy Poles | Popsicles
Rocket | Arugula
Capisicum | Bell peppers
Tomato Sauce | Catchup, sort of
Biscuit | Cookie
Scone | Biscuit
Muffin | English Muffin
Vegemite | Disgusting
Petrol | Gas
Boot | Trunk
Ute | Utility vehicle/truck
Serviettes | Napkins
Morning tea | Coffee break/2nd breakfast
Evening tea | Dinner
Thongs/Jandals | Flip-Flops
Sunnies | Sunglasses
Singlet | Tank top
Car park | Parking lot
Foot path | Sidewalk
Chook | Chicken
Chewy | Gum
Macca’s | McDonald’s
Heaps | Lots
Chips | French Fries
Rubbish | Trash
Bin | Trash can
BONUS – these two can really get you into trouble if you aren’t prepared.
Pot plant | Potted plant
Jugs | Pitchers
This post gave me quite a laugh! Love it! John Key (PM of NZ) did Letterman’s Top Ten List a few months (years?) back and one of the numbers was something like this. I am such a nerd, I felt so proud that I could ‘translate’ it without having to look anything up.
(This is from someone who only speaks English, but wishes she could speak other languages!)
I never realized just how different English can be until I went to NZ!
vegemite=disgusting=true.
seems my middle school infatuation with silverchair paid off, as many of those were familiar to me.
good stuff ang.
OMG – I was obsessed with Silverchair. How hot is Daniel Johns, even to this very day? (Let’s be honest – he’s the real reason I came to Oz!)
Hahaha love it! That’s only just the tip of the surface too, I think we’ve just about got our own language here in Oz.
Angie I Love it. You nailed all the words well 🙂 There are probably a few more you could have included but any of your visiting friends will get by on the list you have provided. There was even a couple of Aussie ones in there I didn’t know 🙂
Bonza
Cliff
It has been quite an education these past two months =)
Please explain the sprinkles on the fairy bread. Thank you.
Stay tuned, my dear. There’s a post with details just around the corner…
A good mix of Aussie terms, only some of these are used in New Zealand. Did you get these from a guide book?
Nope, I got them from 3 weeks in New Zealand & 5 in Australia… but I presume they can also be found in a guidebook!