A bit OT - Strine (was B5)

> Los wrote:

Obviously he knows us.

Some Strine for you:

Strine - Australian variety of English (obsolescent, not often used)

Oz - God's Own Country, also the Dags on the Arse end of the world. The
only people to accurately chart the Australian love/hate relationship
with Oz were Dr Paul Linebarger (Nostrilia) and funnily enough Paul Theroux
(The Happy Isles of Oceania).

Aussie - Denizens of Oz. NOT Ozzies (married to Harriets) or Ossies
(German term for the denizens of the late unlamented East Germany).

Septic - Rhyming slang for Septic Tank, hence Yank, hence citizens of
the United States of America. As in "A Septic MBT on the wrong side of the
road".

Reffo - short form of Refugee, hence any immigrant whatsoever, from Boat
People to Billionaires.

Septic Reffo - an immigrant to Australia from the USA. Oz is unique in
that there's about as many USAians coming here permanently as Aussies leaving
for the US.

Ex-pat - Expatriot, usually an Aussie permanently or semi-permanently
domiciled overseas, especially SE Asia.

Fair Dinkum? - "Really?" "Is that true?" As in "His dice were loaded?
Fair Dinkum?" Without the question, becomes affirmation "That's lower than a
snake's belly, Fair Dinkum!" or exclamation of amazement, as in "And his
Frigates all had Futtock Guns? Fair Dinkum!"

Galah, Drongo, Dill, Nong - Idiot, Moron. (A Galah is a Rose-breasted
Cockatoo) With a subtle change of pronunciation, a Gala performance can be
accurately described for the cognoscenti and literati.

Squizz, Gook, Decko - A look. As in "Have a gook at this".

Wankology - Intellectual Self-Abuse.

Wanker - practioner of (usually intellectual) self-abuse, similar. As in
"I saw a telecast of the US Senate yesterday. What a bunch of Wankers!"

Bullshit Artist - a Wanker

Vegemite Miners, Turd Burglars - practicers of sodomy (not exactly
insulting, but use with care to avoid giving offence)

Bloody - Sometimes used as an afirmation, more often just a space
between words.

US - Unserviceable. As in "This bloody tap's US"

Karked it, Pegged it, Fell off the twig, Kicked the Bucket - Died.

Bugger - person. Often used as suffix for Old, Mad, Poor. As in "He ran
into a tree at 90, Poor Bugger." "Some Old Bugger karked it there." "Some Mad
Bugger shot a bunch of people."

Silly Bugger - person engaging in horseplay, skylarking or innatentive,
as in "Stop playing Silly Buggers and get on with it, you Bloody Dill!"

Poofters - Gay Males. Use with care to avoid giving offence, really only
usable by Gays themselves, or by anyone when jokingly referring to the Third
Rule.

And two suprises for Septics....

Coon - Australia's Favourite Cheese. Really.

Rubber - an eraser, something for rubbing out pencil marks.

Finally..... Dr Paul Linebarger mentiopned above (better known as Cordwainer
Smith) had a good inkling of the Australian Defence mentality. Read "Mother
Hitton's Littul Kittons", then have a squizz at
JORN :-)

> You wrote:

> Septic Reffo - an immigrant to Australia from the USA. Oz is unique in

This is what we call "Balance of Trade", right?

> Wanker - practioner of (usually intellectual) self-abuse, similar. As

Useful--I may have to adopt.  "Saw Jesse Helms on C-SPAN yesterday.
What a Wanker!".

> Bloody - Sometimes used as an afirmation, more often just a space

Do ya'll compound with Fuckin'?

> Coon - Australia's Favourite Cheese. Really.

Not going there any time soon.

> Rubber - an eraser, something for rubbing out pencil marks.

Hence leading to confusion when an Aussie mentions a small child eating
a "Strawberry-flavored rubber" which causes an American to immediately
call Child Protective Services and an Aussie to say "Silly Bugger.":)

> John A. wrote:
[snip]
> Wanker - practioner of (usually intellectual) self-abuse, similar. As

It is quite wonderful that not many denizens of the US seem to know this term.
To the point where WEG managed to print it (in biggish letters) on the back
cover of their Tank Girl RPG.....:)

There is also an amusing anecdote in SF Fandom of a "charades" game held some
time ago at an SF Con, during which a respected author (sorry, dunno who) was
given the subject of "Servants of the Wankh", an
interestingly-titled novel by Jack Vance; what the poor unfortunate did
NOT know was that the rest of the teams had been briefed in advance that
NO-ONE
was to guess it, no matter WHAT he did......

It's little things like this that reaffirm one's belief in human nature.