Aussie Translation Guide #5

One of the fun things of Travel is learning the local lingo. Australia has no shortage of their very own Aussieisms. They are fun and inventive, though occasionally hard to translate. I endeavor to help ease your transition into this upside down language. This is the fifth in a series to come. This one is devoted to blokes and beer. YES! What fun! Feel free to add a few of your own in the comments section.

Australian = North American Translation
• Kimberley Cold = Room temperature beer
• Tinny = Beer in a can
• Stubby = Beer in a bottle. The bottles are shorter than the standard long neck… therefore…the birth of the Stubby!
• Stubby Holder = The foam thing you put a beer into to keep it from getting Kimberly Cold I’ve been told lately that real men don’t need stubby holders. They drink their beer before it gets warm. From that on to the next category please Maestro….
• Ripper = One of my favorites I have to admit. A VERY Good Thing. As in “That Horse ran a Ripper of a race.” No matter how hard I try it still makes me think of good old fashioned toilet humor. I’m not so sure that it didn’t start that way… a couple of guys out in the bush….”MAN George! That was a real ripper!”
• Corker = On a related note…Another term for A VERY good thing. You figure out how they are related.
• Ball Tearer = Also means a Good Thing (Apparently). As in “That wave was a ball tearer” (I’m still unsure about this one…leave it to the guys I tell you)
• Slab = A case of beer
• Hotel = A place where Blokes can be found. A pub. May or may not have accomodation. Generally has a bistro or pub counter meals. You have to order at the bar or bistro counter and collect your own silverware and condiments. They generally have some sort of meal, drink, or entertainment special on. Modern Australian hotels are pretty sleek, expensive and may have a childrens play area, while a good old fashioned Hotel has beer stained carpet, cigarette stained wall paper, a TV playing sports, and very cold beer. The later are more difficult to find in the big cities, but if you look hard enough they exisit. Strangely enough they generally have a Bottle-o attached to them. Must be a VERY long night in modern times when you end up staying in a room at the Hotel…oh dear! A ripper of a place to look for $6 steak dinners

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