Questions tagged [australian-english]
Questions about English used in Australia.
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Sink vs Basin distinction
In australian-english, a sink is a fixture for washing dishes (kitchen sink), clothes (laundry sink, or for big ones, laundry tub), or buckets (cleaner's sink) while a basin is for washing hands (hand ...
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Who uses "uni" for "university"?
I think much has been clarified by the many interesting comments this post has received. In Edit 5 below, I've tried to summarize what I think I've learned and what questions are still outstanding.
I'...
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Origin of the expression “turn the card” meaning to pass on an opportunity
I recently dropped the phrase “turn the card” meaning to pass on an opportunity in an answer of a sister site. While not a common expression, I would have expected most people that I converse with in ...
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What is the origin of the Australian slang “pommers” to refer to English people? [duplicate]
What is the origin of the Australian slang “pommers” to refer to English people?
(I’m uncertain as to the spelling)
Why is this the term that is used?
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Is it appropriate to contract text names in a possibly informal sense in an English literature essay? [closed]
I am writing a an essay comparing The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice in English (Australian English style), and to save on word count I wondered if it would be appropriate to refer to them, ...
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Word that sounds like 'stircus,' means 'frenzied/frenetic
There's a word people around me used to use a lot, phonetically it would spell 'stercus' or 'stircus', I think.
It was used in a context meaning excitable, frenzied, frenetic, that kind of thing. Like,...
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Confused about compound nouns vs. adjectives
I was taught that "ball-point pen" = compound noun, but "ball-point" is NOT an adjective because it doesn't pass the primary tests for an adjective (has adjective-making morpheme, ...
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Struggling with participle phrases - adjectival vs adverbial
I'm struggling to identify when a participle phrase is adjectival vs. adverbial.
For example: Turning into the parking lot, the girl could see that lines were already forming.
^ "Turning into the ...
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1
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When is "Northern fall"?
One of my favorite Australian YouTubers keeps saying "Northern" to mean one of "early" or "late", and I don't know which. For example:
The new Pokémon DLC is coming ...
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2
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Meaning of the word "star" in Australian English?
This is "star" in the context of talking about celebrities. My impression from talking to one Australian is that the word has a negative meaning to refer to a "prima donna" -- ...
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Where does “work your ring off” come from?
I’ve heard the expression “work your ring off” my whole life in Australia. It means (as I understand it), to work until exhaustion.
But trying to find the origin of the expression has come up empty; ...
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Informal Australian use of "as" at the end of a sentence
In Australia I have heard expressions such as “It's fully stressful as.” and “All are really skux(?) as.”
What is the meaning or force of this use of “as” at the end of a sentence?
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Usage of "suss out" in Australian English
What's the meaning of "suss out" in Australian English? (Sydney, specifically) How does it compare with "figure out"?
I've heard the verb used slightly differently than normal in a ...
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Origin of Aussie Slang "Stack" and "Stacked it"
Bit of a weird one but I'm wondering where the slang "stack it" in terms of falling over comes from.
Stack:
(Australia, slang) A fall or crash, a prang.
2016 June 19, Tom Williams, “Watch ...
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More formal way of saying "fighting until the end"
I'm currently working on a history essay and said "Saladin choose to declare a truce with the Crusaders in 1192 instead of fighting until the end."
It gets the point across but I think it's ...
