Sayings and such...

In Australia English is spoken but it's sometimes different than the English I'm used to. When saying the letter Z it's not pronounced zee here rather it's zed, H is said differently too it's pronounced haych. The word Quay is not pronounced kway it pronounced kee.  Tires are spelled tyres.  The hood of your car is a bonnet and the trunk is the boot. Indicators are your signals, blinkers.  A car park is a parking lot, a bowser is a  gas pump. Going to Shell you get petrol instead of gas. While driving you overtake someone going too slow. Bitumen is asphalt. A ute or utility is a pickup truck, but sometimes it's a car that has a flatbed in it, kind of like the El Caminos. Aluminum is spelled aluminium, and instead of being spoiled, you are spoilt. Your last name is your surname, and  the date is the day first, then the month and then the year, I find looking back something harder this way as the day is first, I'm used to this in a way since Croatia has always been that way, though they would put the month in Roman numerals so as not to confuse people. Today would be 21/IX/2012. Moms are called mum, if we have kids I am soo making my kids say MOM, mum to me means to be quiet.

Flavor, honor, favor and favorite are spelled flavour, honour, favour and favourite. A sweater here is called a jumper or a pullover, a tank top a singlet, flip flops are called thongs. We don't go to the movies, we go to the cinemas. Avocados are shortened to avos, and afternoons are called arvo. An espresso is either called an espresso or a short black, depending on the cafe you go to. Whole milk here is called full-cream milk.  Green, red, orange and yellow bell peppers are all called capsicums, though in some restaurants you will occasionally find the word pepper in reference to a bell pepper. Cookies here are biscuits or bikkies, though Oreo makes cookies not biscuits, so the word is recognized but not generally used. The lovely fluffy biscuits I'm used to in McDonald's for breakfast do not exist here. They have scones but they're so not like those biscuits. McDonald's here sells sausage McMuffins, the other day I accidentally ordered 2 sausage biscuits and when the girl looked at me like I had 10 heads I realized my oopsy and said McMuffin. A lolly is candy, plain flour is AP flour, whole meal bread is whole wheat bread, castor sugar is powdered sugar, a cantaloupe is a rockmelon,  a papaya is called a paw paw, spring onions are scallions, silver beet is Swiss chard, sultanas are like raisins but bigger, same taste. Jelly does not exist here, it's called jam and it's a thicker consistency then American jellies. French fries are called chips here, except of course in McDonald's. Cotton candy is called fairy floss here, ketchup is called tomato sauce, an appetizer is called an entree, the entree is called the main course, which has confused many an Australian when visiting the States. They think they're ordering an appetizer and they get the actual dinner. A can of tuna is called a tin of tuna. Sprinkles for ice cream are called hundreds of thousands. Chopped beef, veal, pork, lamb or whatever type of meat here is called minced meat. Some people call peanut butter peanut paste, either word is understood and used. Shrimp are called prawns. If you're buying a roasted chicken you're buying a roast chook. Liquor is called alcohol, and a liquor store is called a bottle shop. If you're going on a picnic instead of taking a cooler, you're taking an Esky. If you're going to have some Chinese take-out, here it's called take-away, which to me makes more sense, you buy it and you take it away from the place. Brekkie is what most people call breakfast. Chewing gum here is called a chewie. Coldie : a beer.

Two weeks is called a fortnight, reading romance novels I often read the word fortnight but never realized it meant 2 weeks. That reminds me here quite a few words we (Americans) use with the letter z like realize where here it's spelled with an s as realise. Walking down the sidewalk, footpath or pavement as it's said here, you might be on your way to the pharmacy, it's called the chemist shop here. If you need drugs here you need to use the word medicine as the word drug would be the illegal kind.  Going to get your hair done? You will sit your bum (butt) down in the chair and perhaps you want your bangs trimmed, they call them fringe here. Make sure you've made a booking for a table for lunch as they rarely call them reservations. Doing laundry? run out of clothespins when you go to the store you need to look for pegs for when you hang your clothes on the clothes hoist instead of a clothes line. A vacation is called a holiday, elementary school is called primary school, they have no distinction of years as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, they are called by the year, as a year 12 student would be a senior in high school. If you're fired, you are either made redundant or sacked. Garbage cans are called rubbish bins, a store is generally called a shop, a shopping cart is called a shopping trolley, a dumpster is called a skip. You don't check the box here, you tick the box. A flashlight is called a torch here, funny I hear the word torch I think a stick with a flame on it, the medieval way. If you need to call emergency don't dial 911 you need to call 000, that's triple zero. A closet is a wardrobe, a zip-code is called a postcode here, a mail-carrier is called a postie. Sunbathing here is called sun-baking. A baby carriage is called a pram, diapers are called nappys, babies are called bubs. When you complain, you whinge, I actually like that word. A dishtowel is called a tea-towel, a sandbox is called a sandpit, an eraser is called a rubber. If you line up for something here you form a queue, a shopping mall is called a shopping centre. A bulletin board is called a noticeboard, a wall plug is called a powerpoint. You can only get lotto tickets at the newsagency which closes at 6pm most days unless it's in the mall then it's open till 9pm on Thursday nights. But if you win say the $22 Million jackpot, that's what you win $22 Million, you don't get hit with taxes and all the BS with winning money in the US.  You cannot buy alcohol at the 7-11, or at your local deli, you can only get them at your local bottle shop.Though the legal drinking age here is 18 and they so need to make it 21 as the younger you start to drink the more chaos you cause.  Santa Claus is called Father Christmas here. A doona is a comforter as the one you place on your bed when it's cold.  If you own property you don't pay property taxes you pay rates, water is paid as water rates also. A living room here is called a lounge room and a couch/sofa is called a lounge and the Kitchen counters are called Kitchen benches, which is funny as I asked then what are those things in the park that we sit on called? They too are called benches. An apartment is called a flat or a unit, though I have seen the word apartment used. A roommate is called a flatmate. If you get into an elevator, you're getting into a lift. 

A bludger is a lazy person, someone that always relies on others to do things for them or get them stuff. A bogan is someone that has no care about their appearance spends his days slacking and drinking beer. Budgie-smugglers are basically Speedo's. A bull bar is a stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also roo bar). BYO : unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own grog, also similar party or barbecue. Chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy. Dingo's breakfast : a yawn, a leak and a good look round (i.e. no breakfast). Dole bludger : somebody on social assistance when unjustified. Drink with the flies : to drink alone. Dunny : outside lavatory. Fair dinkum : true, genuine.Freckle : anus. G'Day : hello! Galah : fool, silly person. Named after the bird of the same name because of its antics and the noise it makes. Gobsmacked : surprised, astounded. Good onya : good for you, well done. Hotel : often just a pub. Hottie : hot water bottle. Kindie : kindergarten . Lippy : lipstick. Lunch, who opened their? : OK, who farted? Maccas (pron. "mackers") : McDonald's (the hamburger place) Mate's rate, mate's discount : cheaper than usual for a "friend". Mozzie : mosquito. Muddy : mud crab (a great delicacy) Naughty, have a : have sex. No worries! : Expression of forgiveness or reassurance (No problem; forget about it; I can do it; Yes, I'll do it) Pash : a long passionate kiss; hence "pashing on". Piece of piss : easy task. Piss : beer. Hence "hit the piss", "sink some piss". Pokies : poker machines, fruit machines, gambling slot machines.Pom, pommy, pommie : an Englishman. Pommy shower : using deodorant instead of taking a shower. Pommy's towel, as dry as a : very dry - based on the canard that Poms bathe about once a month.  Prezzy : present, gift. Rego : vehicle registration. Rellie or relo : family relative. Rock up : to turn up, to arrive - "we rocked up at their house at 8pm". Root (verb and noun) : synonym for f*ck in nearly all its senses: "I feel rooted"; "this washing machine is rooted"; "(s)he's a good root". A very useful word in fairly polite company. Salvos, the : Salvation Army, bless them. Sanger : a sandwich. Servo : petrol station. Sickie : day off sick from work (chuck a sickie = take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy!) Spag bol : spaghetti bolognese.Stickybeak : nosy person.Sunnies : sunglasses. Tee-up : to set up (an appointment)  Trackie daks/dacks : tracksuit pants.  Truckie : truck driver. True blue : patriotic.  Tucker : food. Uni : university. Vedgies : vegetables. Vee dub : Volkswagen. Vinnie's : St. Vincent De Paul's (charity thrift stores and hostels) White pointers : topless (female) sunbathers. Wog: person of Mediterranean origin. A milder insult than the same word in the UK and perhaps elsewhere. XXXX : pronounced Four X, brand of beer made in Queensland. Yabby : inland freshwater crayfish found in Australia. Yewy : u-turn in traffic ("chuck a yewy at the next traffic lights"). Funny we Americans say that too. 

These are some of the words I've come across in my almost 6 months here, though I had to do some research as there is no way I could possibly remember all of these sayings as many are slang. 

My First Birthday in Australia...

Oysters Kilpatrick 

Main Beach - Surfers Paradise

Almost a month later and I'm writing about my birthday. It was really memorable so I still have a vivid memory of it. My husband had to work, but he was doing the breakfast show and that would mean by noon he would be home. We left and drove down to the Gold Coast, he took me to lunch to the Currumbin Vikings Surf Life Saving Club, we had oysters kilpatrick and I had a BLT and  my husband had some fish sandwich, which looked pretty good. I also had a lovely glass of Riesling, all this right over the water, it was breathtaking to say the least and considering it's winter it was a very beautiful day. After lunch we got back into the car and went up to Surfers Paradise, and I walked in the water, it was beautiful, the water was warm and so soothing to walk in it, knowing full well it was still winter, but the water temperature was beautiful . We watched the sky change colors as the sun started to set. 

On Saturday we got up early and we drove to Kingaroy where we booked a hotel for overnight. We arrived in Kingaroy and talk about a one horse town. It reminded me of a little town in the middle of nowhere. They have a peanut silo where they manufacture  peanut butter or peanut paste as some call it. We went to this place called Taste South Burnett and they have samples of wines and cheeses, though because the cheese factory was relocating they didn't have much cheese. We tried some really nice wines and the guy that owned that bottle shop knew stuff about New York, actually calling it Manhattan and he knew of some of the Long Island wineries which totally impressed me. He makes his own fudge and I tried a few but I loved the butterscotch one and he gave me a chunk for free. How nice, though we did spend just over $100 in the store, so a square of fudge was not going to break him. He gave us some ideas and pointers as to which wineries to hit and which to miss. We had dinner at the Kingaroy RSL which stands for retired service league. A place where veterans come to eat, hang out and gamble. We ordered dinner and my husband went to play some Keno. My dinner was average, I had beef stroganoff, which was very bland, I should have had the tortellini alfredo, and my wine was below average. When we left we went to check our Keno ticket and we won about $700 which was beautiful, it paid for our weekend. We went back to our spa room at the hotel and the tub was a hot-tub and it was very relaxing. Sunday we woke up had breakfast at McDonald's (2 sausage mcmuffins and 2 hash browns for me and a cappuccino)  and went to The Captains Paddock for more wine tasting we found a few that we liked and bought a few bottles. After Captains Paddock we went to Crane Winery. Crane Winery is where we got engaged last year so it was great going back there, and the woman remembered us, plus I kind of gave them free publicity in the Sunday Courier Mail, saying we got engaged up there. I love their wines and the owner gave us a free bottle of sparkling rose' because of the free publicity we gave them. We will definitely be going back there as I love their Hillside White, the Hillside Red wasn't too bad and I'm not a fan of the red wines.