It's been a deadly, sick Australia Day today - lots of language, lefts and laughing. Over here, words like "deadly" and "sick" have two, opposite meanings - excellent and wonderful on one hand or fatal and unwell on the other, so tonight I'm celebrating our ever changing Aussie version of the English language.
My late grandfather grew up on a farm and used to call me his cobber. He was born over 100 years ago. I haven't heard Aussies using that term lately, but "mate" or "friend" is about the same.
I like the bonzer surfboard idea - three or five fins with big single to double concaves. The
Campbell Brothers have built some deadly sleds over the last 40 years. They look like they would rip. "Ripper" and "bonzer" both mean roughly the same as "excellent" over here.
Lately I have seen some Aussie slang books in the shops. Hopefully, they explain the correct use of phrases like these - most of which have fallen on hard times and unused as our language continues to morph:
1 Silly as a two bob watch or
Falcon short of a car park
means
Not much common sense or intelligence.
2 Mad as a meat axe
Mad as a gum tree full of galahs or
Bit of a crank
means
Very mad, odd or eccentric
3 Crack a mental
means
Lose one's temper
4 Flat out, like a lizard drinking
means
Extremely busy
Hope you had a bonzer Aussie Day cobbers.
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