"Sharkwater" & Aussie lingo

I don't have much to report this week. Finals are coming up in November but for now I pretty much took it easy, playing some polo and watching some movies. I would like to recommend one in particular, about sharks and environmentalism, two of my favorite things! It's called "Sharkwater" and it's a documentary about sharkfinning. The film features good information, stunning footage, and even Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd. It has won a bunch of awards and it's a really good movie about a critically important issue. Everyone should check it out.

I’ve enjoyed discovering some of the (generally subtle) cultural differences between Aussies and Americans. So for the next few posts I'll share some of the things I've found. Hope you find my observations interesting… For starters, here is a sample of some of my favorite bits of Aussie lingo.

AJ: army jerk (relevant because there’s an army base in Townsville)
AGB: after-grog bog, or the dump you take the morning after drinking a lot
arvo: afternoon
bludger: slacker, lazy person
bogan: redneck, hillybilly (adj.)
bottle-o: bottle shop, liquor store
budgie-smuggler: speedo (also see "togs" below)
keen: interested, eager
jam: jelly
jelly: jell-o
jumper: sweatshirt, hoodie
franger: condom
Macca’s: McDonald’s
pokies: slot machines
seppo: American; comes from “septic tank” because it rhymes with Yank and they're both full of shit
shrapnel: loose change, coins
stinger: jellyfish
togs: swimsuit, especially of the competitive form like a one-piece or speedo; also - "dick togs" or "DT" for speedo in particular
tumbleturn: flipturn
woop woop: far away, the middle of nowhere, the boonies

The general greeting is "How you goin'?" and they pronounce tomato as "tomahto." There's the obvious "mate" and people do end their sentences with “eh” but people do not say “crikey.”