Day 10

Day ten, we're calling it day ten, but it is actually a few days in Ceduna. The pattern seems to be drive for a few days, arrive at a new location we like, find all the relevant services in town, have a few days to our selves and compile all the notes and pictures to post.

But before we go on to the Nullarbor, just a quick refresher on the 'local speak'.

Here are some of the more colourful terms that may creep in to our blog and an explanation of what they mean –

amber fluid – beer
arvo – afternoon
back of Bourke – back of beyond
barbie – barbecue
beaut, beautie, bewdie – great, fantastic
billabong – waterhole in dried up riverbed, more correctly an ox bow bend which has been cut off
billy – tin container used to boil up tea in the bush
bitumen – sealed road
black stump – where the ‘back of Bourke’ begins
blowies – blow flies
blue (as in ‘to have a blue’) – to have an argument
bottle shop – liquor shop
bull dust – fine dust on outback roads, also ‘bull-s..t’
bunyip – mythical bush animal – Australia’s yeti or Loch Ness monster
bush – country, anywhere away from the city
bush (as in ‘go bush’) – go back to the land
BYO – bring your own (liquor) to a restaurant
cobber - mate
cooee – bush call, signal
come good – turn out all right, recover from illness
crook – criminal
crook (as in to be ‘crook’) – to be ill
damper – bush bread made from flower and water
deli – general store, corner store
didgeridoo – long, tube like aboriginal musical instrument which emits a low, vibrating note
dill – idiot (friendly term)
dingo – native Australian wild dog
dinkum, fair dinkum – honest, genuine, really
dinky-di – the real thing
drongo – idiot (unfriendly term)
dunny – outside lavatory
fair go! – give us a break
fossicking – hunting for gems (opals) or semi-precious stones
give it away – give it up
G’day – good day, traditional Australian greeting
good on yer – well done
grog – any liquor
grog – (as in ‘giving up the grog’) giving up drinking
joey – baby kangaroo
lamington – square cake covered in chocolate icing & coconut
larrikin – rogue, rascal, rebel
mate – a good friend, anyone you meet in the outback
milkbar – deli, corner shop
mozzies – mosquitoes
no worries – she’ll be right
ocker – basic, down to earth Aussie
off-sider – assistant
postie – person delivering mail
ratbag – (as in ‘you ratbag’) – friendly term of abuse
ripper – good (also ‘little ripper’)
road train – semi trailer – trailer – trailer
schooner – large beer
sealed (road) – surfaced road
‘semi trailer’ – articulated truck
she’ll be right – no worries
sheila – woman
shoot through – leave in a hurry
shout – by round of drinks (as in ‘It’s your shout’)
station – very large farm, ranch
stubby – small bottle of amber liquid
tinny – a can of amber liquid
too right! – absolutely!
true blue - dinkum
tucker – food
ute – utility, pick up truck
veggies – vegetables
walkabout – lengthy walk away from it all
whinge – complaint, moan
yabbie – small freshwater crayfish

Often, aussies seem to roll many words into one.

“Djahavagoodweekend ?” - “Did you have a pleasant weekend ?”
“Whadayalookinat ? - “I don’t like you looking at me or my girlfriend for that matter”, “Keep your nose out of my business”
“Djabringtheherald ?” – “Why are you late ?”
“Knockyourselfout” – “Go ahead, do as you please”, “Do your best”