"Strine" English

Fair dinkum. Sticky beak. Budgie smugglers. Up at sparrow fart.

Typical country road sign

What the? Yep, that's Australian (pronounced by opening one's mouth really big and lazily combining all three syllables together) s-t-r-i-n-e. Thought I spoke English when I first came here. I was wrong. At least not the English that the natives speak. Strine. Say it with a cheeky grin. Very strange expressions too (see above samples). 

PM in waiting in budgie smugglers

Definitions of the above samples: 
Fair dinkum - (adv) really, seriously (adj) genuine; may be used to express surprise (!) or to affirm a statement (.) e.g. Are you fair dinkum?
Sticky beak - (v) to nose around, have a look see; (n) busybody. e.g. I'll just have a sticky beak in that shop.
Budgie smugglers - (n) speedo swimming trunks or speedos for short. Made even more popular by candidate for PM Tony Abbott (I so admire the fact that at 52 he is so buffed!). Huh? What's a speedo got to do with a smuggler and what the heck is a budgie? A budgie is short for budgerigar, a small colourful bird quite common here. Smugglers with an "s" always. I was laughed at when I used the singular form. It's for the twin things to go into the speedo. Get it?

cute budgies

Up at sparrow fart - Up really early in the morning before the sparrows wake up. They can be quite primal in their expressions methinks.


The hhhhheych for "h". Can be amusing.


Strine has grown on me and has slowly but surely crept into my vocab. Some words are easy. Cuppa (cuppa coffee, cuppa tea, cuppa anything!). Call in for a cuppa my mother-in-law keeps admonishing me. I will, this arvo (afternoon). Silent "r". Wotah, kah, nevah, evah. Fond of nicknames, they shorten everything two syllables and more. The "ie": barbecue - barbie (see last blog post). Christmas - Chrissie. Present - pressie. Politician - pollie. Football - footie. The "o": arvo, smoko, reno, rego, Johno (why not Johnnie?). The "azz"; Gary - Gazza. Sharon - Shazza. Get the drift? It's a wonder I have escaped being nicknamed. Not common enough name for a sheila I guess. Phew!

Me mate & I

Me for my. Me mates. Me shed. Me house. Cute. 


You's. This is one word which I do NOT think is charming, much less acceptable. The plural of "you" is "you". Not "you's" or "youse". How are youse? I couldn't quite figure it out the first time I heard it. Miguel and I were buying ice cream in the local fish and chips shop when the young shopkeeper cheerily greeted us "How are youse?" Since then, I've been on the lookout and notice that it's the norm indeed. Oh well. At least in my house, the plural of you is us. 


People here often times tell me that I speak very good English, usually with a very surprised look as if trying to reconcile their cognitive dissonance. Fantastic, they understand me. I say thanks, so do you. Cheeky. You reckon I will speak Strine like a native soon? Bloody oath. I already got the attitude ha!