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Australianism Primer: The term Australianism is defined as "an English word, phrase, or meaning peculiar to, or first employed in, Australia."

You can tell a lot about a people by how they treat their language. Give an Australian a word, and in a minute they'll have turned it into a plaything: breakfast becomes brekky, wishful thinking becomes airy-fairy, waving flies from in front of your face becomes the Aussie salute. An umbrella is a brolly, an ambulance driver is an ambo, a garbage truck driver is a garbo; a bricklayer is a brickie, so a visible butt-crack is a brickie's cleavage.

Names get the same treatment, even in the media. Michael Jackson is Jacko, Arnold Schwarzenegger is Arnie, Paul Hogan is Hoges (rhymes with "rogues"). The name Barry becomes Baz or Bazza, Gary becomes Gaz or Gazza, Teresa becomes Tez or Tezza.

Some words are Cockney rhyming slang. Lie (as in an untruth)  rhymes with Pork Pie so a "lie" is a porky. Yank rhymes with "tank", as in "septic tank"; they Australianize "septic" and an "American" becomes a Seppo.

Some terms are British: back-to-front, means backwards, anti-clockwise means counter-clockwise. Ta means thank you, as does Cheers. Whilst is used instead of "while", a "jersey" is a guernsey, gasoline is petrol.

Some words come from other languages:  abattoir is a slaughterhouse, short-term day care is creche, a snack bar or ticket booth at a theater is a kiosk.

Some words are just plain unique, like arvo for "afternoon" which becomes sarvo for "this afternoon". A promoter is a spruiker. To defraud is to rort. Trousers are strides or daks.

Some words are from Aboriginal languages. A yonnie is a large rock. A humpy is a shack. A parakeet is a budgerigar or just budgie. Many place names are Aboriginal, especially in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, like Mundijong, Gidgegannup and Uluru.

Sometimes a noun becomes a verb: to "work hard" is to beaver, to say "goodbye" to someone is to farewell them.

Sometimes a verb becomes a noun. To "wet" something becomes give it a wet. A "good question" is described as a good ask. To try something, you give it a go. To decide against something is to give it a miss.

Some adjectives become verbs: clear weather is called fine, so you'd say, "The weather is fining up." A hot political situation is described as "hotting up."

Some Australian words are subtly different. You think you know their meaning, but you soon come to realize you were dead wrong. For example: in Australia your partner is your mate, and your mate is your partner. In the U.S. one's partner is a person with whom one shares a project, be it a business, a trip, a boat, etc. In Australia, one's partner is their spouse--married or not, gay or straight. In America, you'd call that person your "mate", but in Australia, your mate is your best friend. If a man introduces you another man and says, "This is my partner." You might think they were business partners instead of a couple and might say something unnecessarily embarrassing.

Another crucial opposite meaning: To "table" a subject in an American business meeting is to remove it from discussion until a later date. In Australia, to table something is to put it on the table to discuss immediately.

The lesson: assume nothing. Don't let apparent linguistic similarities lull you into a false sense of confidence. You're not in Kansas (or Manitoba) anymore. When in doubt, smile and say nothing, then look it up in this dictionary. If you're not online, buy a copy of my book and keep it handy.

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