She’s brilliant at acknowledging local culture and using colloquial phrases to connect with her audiences. And she nailed it with “yeah-nah”.
It was the comic strip and movies that unleashed the legendary Australian comedian, and many of his characters, on the world.
Through characters such as Bazza McKenzie, the late comedian promoted Australian vernacular – the witty, the crude, and both – to new audiences.
Colloquialisms such as barbie and smoko are like accents – part of the glue that brings together Australian English speakers.
Drongos, dickheads and ning-nongs: Why Australia is a nation of nongs, but mightn’t be for long.
It’s one of those hard-working little linguistic scraps like “you know” or “I mean”, but there’s also a rich vein of humour in the little discourse marker “a bit”.
States have long been divided over what to call the humble deep-fried potato snack.
What looks to be a straightforward, simple little expression is anything but.
A study of the newspaper’s regular puzzles content reflects what the general public should recognise as common Australian slang terms.
The beauty of language isn’t always in the words a phrase contains, but in the words it doesn’t.
One of the special things about Australian words is that they’re near and dear to who we are – and we take pleasure in confusing other people about them.
If you were being polite, you’d call it “colourful”. It was once also regarded as “disgusting” and an oath, but really, it’s just a bloody great word.
Australian slang features creative reuse of verbal constructions, and even If no one’s actually using these expressions, it’s easy to imagine them coming from the mouth of a dinkum Aussie.
Whatever you think of gloriously fused idioms, they’re one of the vital signs of the “pulsing life of language”.
It’s so quintessential that it has a habit of slipping into nearly every other phrase without a thought. Yep, it’s …
How do Australians like to talk about alcohol in 2022? Do they get on the turps, or just have a few sherbets? Have a bevvie or a cold one or a cleanser?
Shortly after arriving in Melbourne, Howie Manns was lost looking for a cafe called “Arvo”. Now, together with colleague Kate Burridge, he’s heading a new research project exploring Australian slang.
The Australian summer has provided its own colourful vocabulary over the years, from Spooners to speedos and bush walks to hikes.
An extensive study is underway to catalogue Australian slang, its origins, and why it’s such an important part of our language.
"Karen", the name that has become code for boorish, entitled behaviour, joins a long history of names being appropriated for various purposes – often unkindly.
Times of crisis have always changed our slang, with the help of a little black humour. Coronavirus is no exception.
We may no longer say ‘shiver me timbers’, but we still use plenty of pirate words for other things.
Whether it’s ‘having a naughty’ or suffering from ‘pash rash’, Australians are a descriptive lot when it comes to the act of love.
Every few years there’s a furphy that our beloved 'Strine' slang is doing a Harold Holt.
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