A Lesson In ‘Strine - The Letter “B”
By: Phoenix Arrien
‘Drier than a dead dingo’s donger’, is not something you hear every day in Australia, though I did hear it the other day and laughed my head off. I wedged it back into position and continued on my merry way.
Here is my first explanation of ‘strine or Aussie slang, an essential part of travelling in Australia.
I bring you the letter ‘B’:
Banana bender: a person from Queensland
Barbie: barbecue (noun)
Barrack: to cheer on (football team etc.)
Bastard: term of endearment
Beyond the Black Stump: a long way away, the back of nowhere
Bloke: man, guy
Bloody: very (bloody hard yakka)
Bloody oath! : That’s certainly true
Bludger: lazy person, layabout, somebody who always relies on other
people to do things or lend him things
Blue: fight (”he was having a blue with his wife”)
Boogie board: a hybrid, half-sized surf board
Built like a Brick shit house: big strong bloke
Brumby: a wild horse
Buckley’s, Buckley’s chance: no chance (”New Zealand stands Buckley’s of beating Australia at football”)
Budgie smugglers: men’s bathing costume
Bull bar: stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also roo bar)
Bundy: short for Bundaberg, Queensland, and the brand of rum that’s made there
Bush bash: long competitive running or motorcar race through the bush
Bushie: someone who lives in the Bush
Bushranger: highwayman, outlaw
And most important of all - when you see ‘BYO’ you are about to enter an unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own grog. This may be true for a party or barbecue where a ‘dry’ visitor may raise eyebrows.
