Ask an Aussie
- Thread starter Thunder's Muse
- Start date
99lamb
New member
A simple key to Understanding that funny language spoken by the Aussie:
Swagman
A swagman or swaggie was (and is) someone wandering the Australian bush, tramping from town to town, farmhouse to farmhouse, usually, but not necessarily, looking for work. In particular, during the Great Depression, unemployed men would do this, frequently working for a meal, or begging the boss for a ‘killer’, a sheep to butcher. In the UK, he might be referred to as a tramp; in the US, his equivalent is the hobo or bum. The swag is a bedroll.
Billabong
A billabong is a branch of a river that has been cut off and forms a long pool of still water.
Coolibah Tree (also Coolabah)
A hard-wooded Eucalypt (Eucalyptus Microtheca) that grows particularly well on seasonally inundated country around swamps, billabongs and lagoons and in open belts along watercourses.
Billy
Apart from his bedroll, the one absolutely essential item that a swagman carried was his billy – a ½ gallon (2 litre) can with wire handle, which might be home-made. A shop-bought billy (still readily available) has a fitted metal lid. Water was boiled in the billy and a handful of tea leaves thrown in.
Waltzing Matilda
This is perhaps the most idiosyncratic term to explain, as it has not been familiar usage in Australia for decades. Matilda was the swaggy’s affectionate name for his swag. The swag was usually tied at each end and looped over the shoulder, so that it hung diagonally across the chest or back. This may have represented the close embrace of the waltz to some (many swagmen were reputed to be mad), so the man was taking his partner on a dance around the country. It also spoke of the lack of feminine company in the lives of these loners.
Jumbuck
A jumbuck is a slang expression for a sheep. According to the Australian National Dictionary, the word is itself a corruption of Aboriginal English. As the original population tried to make sense of these new creatures, they named them ‘Jump ups’.
Tucker bag
A tucker bag is any bag (usually an old sugar or flour bag) in which food is carried. Tucker is Australian slang for food – the word is probably associated with the English word ‘tuck’ as in ‘tuck in’ (eat up, ‘tuckshop’ (school canteen)
Squatter
The squatter was a wealthy landholder who usually owned thousands of acres. In the early days of the colony, farmland was claimed by marking out an area and ‘squatting’ on it. Later, such claims were formalised or re-distributed or sold piecemeal.
Troopers
Troopers, as the modern meaning of the word suggests, were an early mounted police force, recruited and led by former British military officers. One of their principal duties was protecting the far-flung squatters.
Chorus (as above) To non-Australians , it must seem strange that this much-loved Australian song does not refer to the land itself, but rather mourns the suicide of a thieving vagabond. Nevertheless, it somehow speaks to the strong anti-authoritarian and independence streak in the Australian psyche, as it represents the battler struggling against the wealthy and being one with the Australian bush.
https://suite.io/james-parsons/1dmb203
Swagman
A swagman or swaggie was (and is) someone wandering the Australian bush, tramping from town to town, farmhouse to farmhouse, usually, but not necessarily, looking for work. In particular, during the Great Depression, unemployed men would do this, frequently working for a meal, or begging the boss for a ‘killer’, a sheep to butcher. In the UK, he might be referred to as a tramp; in the US, his equivalent is the hobo or bum. The swag is a bedroll.
Billabong
A billabong is a branch of a river that has been cut off and forms a long pool of still water.
Coolibah Tree (also Coolabah)
A hard-wooded Eucalypt (Eucalyptus Microtheca) that grows particularly well on seasonally inundated country around swamps, billabongs and lagoons and in open belts along watercourses.
Billy
Apart from his bedroll, the one absolutely essential item that a swagman carried was his billy – a ½ gallon (2 litre) can with wire handle, which might be home-made. A shop-bought billy (still readily available) has a fitted metal lid. Water was boiled in the billy and a handful of tea leaves thrown in.
Waltzing Matilda
This is perhaps the most idiosyncratic term to explain, as it has not been familiar usage in Australia for decades. Matilda was the swaggy’s affectionate name for his swag. The swag was usually tied at each end and looped over the shoulder, so that it hung diagonally across the chest or back. This may have represented the close embrace of the waltz to some (many swagmen were reputed to be mad), so the man was taking his partner on a dance around the country. It also spoke of the lack of feminine company in the lives of these loners.
Jumbuck
A jumbuck is a slang expression for a sheep. According to the Australian National Dictionary, the word is itself a corruption of Aboriginal English. As the original population tried to make sense of these new creatures, they named them ‘Jump ups’.
Tucker bag
A tucker bag is any bag (usually an old sugar or flour bag) in which food is carried. Tucker is Australian slang for food – the word is probably associated with the English word ‘tuck’ as in ‘tuck in’ (eat up, ‘tuckshop’ (school canteen)
Squatter
The squatter was a wealthy landholder who usually owned thousands of acres. In the early days of the colony, farmland was claimed by marking out an area and ‘squatting’ on it. Later, such claims were formalised or re-distributed or sold piecemeal.
Troopers
Troopers, as the modern meaning of the word suggests, were an early mounted police force, recruited and led by former British military officers. One of their principal duties was protecting the far-flung squatters.
Chorus (as above) To non-Australians , it must seem strange that this much-loved Australian song does not refer to the land itself, but rather mourns the suicide of a thieving vagabond. Nevertheless, it somehow speaks to the strong anti-authoritarian and independence streak in the Australian psyche, as it represents the battler struggling against the wealthy and being one with the Australian bush.
https://suite.io/james-parsons/1dmb203
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Awesome 
Great voice
Yeah. I remember when he and Rickie Lee Jones were an item ... that would have made for an interesting contrast in styles for a duet.
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Yeah, the louts ran off all those pesky Scotch/Irish trouble makers and then tried to tell them what to do. They tried the same thing here in the U.S.
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Yeah, it's a debate that raises it's head now and then.
Posted from the TOL App cause that's how I roll.
I thought I'd start a lighthearted thread about my amazing country, Australia.
Do you have a question you've always wanted an answer to about Australia? Here's your chance.....
do you guys take turns oiling the springs in all those kangaroo's legs?
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Haha! Yeah...
There are always 2 sides to it...but Australia was never a 'gun in every household' place before the gun control came in anyway.
Posted from the TOL App cause that's how I roll.
Koalas...do you seriously consider those bears? Or is it more of a Chucky sort of evil parody of one.
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
No, Koalas aren't bears
Drop Bears are different though...
Posted from the TOL App cause that's how I roll.
Friend of mine has a dog so huge his name is Bear :chuckle:
I house sitted for a week, and one day I woke up and couldn't find the dog. I looked all over the place- inside and out, in the woods, asked the neighbors...
Upon walking back in, I heard a noise. The dog was stuck in the bathroom because he was so huge- he was wedged between the door and the wall. I had to take the hinges off to get him out LOL
#Kujo
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Canis Minor?
Tyrathca
New member
Not sure what you mean. Gun control is fine here, it is widely supported by both sides of politics and gun related violence is rare comparative to the USA.
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
Commonwealth Games, huh? :chuckle:
Posted from the TOL App cause that's how I roll.
Posted from the TOL App cause that's how I roll.