Who speaks Australian?

green1 · Post by **green1** » May 7, 2007 11:48 am

My daughter has a few CD's of kid's songs and one of the songs is Waltzing Matilda. There are a few words/phrases that, I assume, are uniquely Australian.

For example:
What is a swag man, Cooleybar and billabong?
I know a tuckerbag is a lunch bag.
There is a reference to an animal that comes down to the water to get a drink and the swagman stuffs this animal into his tuckerbag. What is that animal?
What does Waltzing Matilda mean? When the swagman is confronted by the troopers and yells "you'll never take me alive", he dies and then his ghost is heard to say "you'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me".

Just curious, I love colloquialisms.

ToplessRideFL · Post by **ToplessRideFL** » May 7, 2007 11:55 am

Where is Creeky?

freaky4tiki · Post by **freaky4tiki** » May 7, 2007 11:58 am

I know that Aussies call sweaters JUMPERS...

and I'd love to know the story behind the Austrailian Cheer:

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OY OY OY

say that with some Aussies and you have an instant party on your hands!

chippewa · Post by **chippewa** » May 7, 2007 11:58 am

green1 wrote:My daughter has a few CD's of kid's songs and one of the songs is Waltzing Matilda. There are a few words/phrases that, I assume, are uniquely Australian.

For example:
What is a swag man, Cooleybar and billabong?
I know a tuckerbag is a lunch bag.
There is a reference to an animal that comes down to the water to get a drink and the swagman stuffs this animal into his tuckerbag. What is that animal?
What does Waltzing Matilda mean? When the swagman is confronted by the troopers and yells "you'll never take me alive", he dies and then his ghost is heard to say "you'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me".

Just curious, I love colloquialisms.

from aussiesslang.com

swagman, from the Great Depression Era, a wander who traveled the country side looking for casual work when work was scarce in the cities. He would take along enough possessions in his Swag

Coolabah tree A type of native tree in Australia

billabong, A waterhole, formed when a "U" shaped bend in a river is cut of and separates from the rest of the river. A billabong can sometimes remain after the river itself dries up.

Jumbuck A sheep.

waltzing matilda, to walk or wander aimlessly in the bush or country. See Matilda. Immortalised in the song "Waltzing Matilda", the unofficial Australian National Anthem.

Jenny, feel free to correct any of these!

Desdamona · Post by **Desdamona** » May 7, 2007 11:58 am

Hist'ry lesson... (official!) hist'ry lesson...
http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda

WALTZING MATILDA... an alternate colloquial term is ‘humping the bluey’

green1 · Post by **green1** » May 7, 2007 12:45 pm

Thanks all.
Love my history lessons, though I think I will pass on humping the bluey.

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » May 7, 2007 1:11 pm

One of my most treasured possessions is a dish towel (or a tea towel I think they called it) with Waltzing Mathilda on it that my host mom gave to me after staying with them in Australia. I've never used it because it is so special.

And what makes it even better....my host family was friends with Jenny's family...what a small world indeed.

Desdamona · Post by **Desdamona** » May 7, 2007 3:21 pm

green1 wrote:Thanks all.
Love my history lessons, though I think I will pass on humping the bluey.

Just try singing the song with those as replacement lyrics...

creeky · Post by **creeky** » May 7, 2007 4:27 pm

Desdamona wrote:Hist'ry lesson... (official!) hist'ry lesson...
http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda

WALTZING MATILDA... an alternate colloquial term is ‘humping the bluey’

well I have never heard that

A bluey is a blue heeler dog

creeky · Post by **creeky** » May 7, 2007 4:33 pm

freaky4tiki wrote:I know that Aussies call sweaters JUMPERS...

and I'd love to know the story behind the Austrailian Cheer:

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OY OY OY

say that with some Aussies and you have an instant party on your hands!

I dont think there is a real story behind it - I think someone just thought up a cheer .. and we took it ...

it used to be "cmon aussie cmon cmon" (cmon being short for come on)

phjrsaunt · Post by **phjrsaunt** » May 7, 2007 6:35 pm

There's a lovely version of it on a cd called "The Day the Finger Pickers Took Over the World" by Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel. That's actually how I learned about the song to begin with.

(Wow. Now THERE's a bit of trivia I never thought I'd use!

)

Touch O Parrotdise · Post by **Touch O Parrotdise** » May 7, 2007 7:46 pm

ahhh... nicoles favorite song..

pojo · Post by **pojo** » May 7, 2007 8:48 pm

freaky4tiki wrote:I know that Aussies call sweaters JUMPERS...

and I'd love to know the story behind the Austrailian Cheer:

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OY OY OY

say that with some Aussies and you have an instant party on your hands!

Heck yea.... I was deployed with Aussies in the desert.... they can throw a party with the best of them!!!

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Who speaks Australian?

Who speaks Australian?

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