To help some non aussies understand our language when coming down here, thought id post this for you all..
http://www.aussieslang.org/
http://www.dunway.com/html/aussie_slang.html
Couple of sites that will tell you what a couple of our words mean.
Most names here are shortened… For example, my name is actually Renata, but my family just decided to call me Renee.. Then Renee gets shortened to Ren, Nee, Nay, etc.
Sharon = Shazza = Shaz
Cheryl = Chezza = Chez
Anthony = Tony = Tone
Barry = Bazza = Baz
Etc.
We shorten names of stores and places…
What most people call a gas station, we call a service station, shortened to a Servo.
What you guys call a Liquor store, we call a bottle shop, shortened to Bottle-O.
Place eg, I live in a place called Wollongong, shortened to The Gong.
There is a place there called North Wollongong Hotel. Shortened to the North Gong Pub.
So chances are, if you can’t understand something we say, its a shortened word. Yeah, we’re lazy in our speech. Most of you probably realised that when you met me.
Actually one thing that is very important (and i realised this when I was in Barcelona)…
If someone says ‘I’ve got the ****s’ or ‘You give me the ****s’ they dont mean literally.. They mean they are angry, or you make them angry. LOL
EDIT: BTW Thanks to Graham for the links above…