How to speak like an Aussie on Australia Day

26th January is Australia Day when we celebrate what is great about our country. We have been suffering lately with bushfires and droughts, but the Aussie spirit, mateship, and helping each other, will always come through. 

So I thought for a little light-hearted fun today - How to speak Australian - abbreviate everything. 

 A couple of years ago I shared this brilliant YouTube video on my blog - How Australian Are You? from Josh Hawkins and Rhys Keir. You can see it here How to Speak Australian

 Here is the list, and I've added a couple of my own....

Australia - Straya

Breckie

Hello - gidday
Football - footy
Biscuit - bicky
Chocolate - choccy
Chocolate biscuit - choccy bicky 
McDonalds - maccas
ACDC - Acadaca
Devastated - dvo 
Definitely - defo!
Aggressive - agro
Afternoon - arvo
This afternoon - s'arvo
 Breakfast - breckie
Tomorrow - tomorra 
Garbage man - garbo
Postman - postie
Taxi driver - cabbie
Musician - muso

Sunnies

Service station - servo
Bottle shop - bottle-o
Registration - rego  
Pregnant - preggas 
Swimming costume - cozzie
Mosquito - mozzie
Tracksuit - trackie
Tracksuit pants - trackie dacks
 Underpants - undies
Sweater - jumper  
Running shoes - joggers
Monday - Mundee; Tuesday - Tuesdee; and so on....
Birthday - birthdee

Chook

Vegetarian - veggo
Lipstick - lippy
Sunglasses - sunnies
Eraser - rubber  
Elevator - lift
Present - prezzie
Christmas - Chrissy
Christmas present - Chrissy prezzie
St Vincent de Paul - Vinnies
Salvation Army - Salvos 
Smoke break (or morning tea break) - smoko
Cup of tea - cuppa
Avocado - avo
Have an avocado -  havanavo
Spaghetti bolognaise - spag-bog or spag-bol
Potato - spud
Chewing gum - chewy
Sandwich - sammo

What could be more Australian - making Anzac bickies

Toasted sandwich - toastie
BBQ - barbie
Sausage - snag
Chicken - chook  
Ketchup - tomato sauce 
French fries - chips 
Mentholated spirits - metho 
Turpentine - turps
Fellow - fella or bloke
Husband - hubbie
Give me - gimmie
Trying to - tryna
Going to - gunna  
Thank you - thanks 
Cigarette - ciggie 
Tin can of beer - tinnie
Ambulance - ambo
Fireman - firey
Policeman - cop or coppa

Tasmania, that island at the bottom of Australia

Bricklayer - brickie
Tradesman - tradie
Rubbish man - garbo 
Toilet - dunny
Umbrella - brolly
Sick day from work - sickie
Kangaroo - roo
Champagne - champers
Cabernet Sauvignon - cab-sav 
Bundaberg Rum - Bundie
Relatives - relos
Expensive - exxy
Brisbane - Brizzy
Tasmania - Tassie
Derelict - dero
Kindergarten - kindy
Big city - big smoke 
Cockatoo - cockie
Television - tellie 
 How are you? - how-ya-goin?
See you later - see-ya 
It will be ok - she'll be right  
good job - good-on-ya
 Put another sausage on the BBQ - chuck another snag on the barbie

There's lots more I am sure. Do you Aussies have some more you can add to the list?
Of course we change names too - like - Tom - Thommo, Shane - Shaneo 

And if you are not confused already - there are also differences between America and Australian words - as demonstrated by Christi (an American) and Mark Brown (an Australian) - Australian versus American words - on YouTube

And a few of our unique Aussie animals - clockwise from top left - Thorny Devil, Koala, Numbat, Dingo, Quokka,  Echidna, Bilby, Kangaroo, and in the centre the Emu

Australia Day is the anniversary of raising the British flag in Sydney Cove on the 26 January 1788 after the arrival of the eleven ships of the First Fleet. 

Whatever you are doing today in Australia or overseas, enjoy your day without forgetting those who came before us, the wrongs of the past, the sacrifices, the mateship, the great moments in our history and the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They are all part of what makes us truly Australian. 

 Just found this about 1950s Australia.....

 Someone suggested yesterday that today should be renamed Rum Rebellion Day.
 So I investigated to learn more.... 

Governor William Bligh

Evidently 26 January is also significant as the date marking the only military overthrow of government authority in Australia....
known as the Rum Rebellion, on 26 January 1808, the soldiers of the New South Wales Corps marched with fixed bayonets through the streets of Sydney under the command of Major George Johnston to Government House where they arrested Governor William Bligh. from : Australian National Maritime Museum 

Captain William Bligh was the fourth and last naval officer to be appointed Governor of the New South Wales penal colony....When Bligh arrived the colony was in a poor state. Floods, the lack of supply ships and a reduction in convict labour had severely diminished the self-sufficiency of the colony .....as part of Bligh's reforms, Bligh ordered the destruction of illicit stills and prohibited the bartering of spirits for grain, labour, food or any other goods, especially rum, these orders aroused immediate and heated revolt. From My Place for Teachers

 Interesting! Rum Rebellion Day!

For those wondering about the latest bushfire news from Australia - here is the latest news - 9 News-bushfire updates. Bushfires are still raging, and more bodies are being recovered from burnt out properties.

My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones, and to the families of the American firefighters who lost their lives in an aircraft crash this past week. They were part of a huge outpouring of help that has come to Australia from all over the world. That they lost their lives helping us is tragic. 

Regeneration after the bushfires

  Thank you for visiting today. You might also like - 
Celebrating Australia Day and Waltzing Matilda
How Australian Are You?
Australia Day - Cooee!

Thank you so much for stopping by. If you are Australian, what are you doing today to celebrate Australia Day? Perhaps you would like to tell us in your comments. 
I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit

 
 Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Celebrating Australia Day - 26 January 2013.

26 January is Australia Day – the day we Aussies celebrate what makes us Australian and the things we value about living in Australia – freedom, opportunity, diversity, innovation, education, jobs, good food, healthy lifestyle, the ability to buy your own house, our beautiful country, wide open spaces, clean air - just to name a few – and also the people that give of themselves in all sorts of way and deserve to be honoured in the Australia Day Honours list.   Many immigrants also take the opportunity today to become Australians in ceremonies throughout Australia. 

On Australia Day you will see Aussies getting together in all sorts of ways – the “big” Aussie BBQ breakfast, enjoying community entertainment, going to the beach, playing sport, going camping, families and friends getting together. And in major centres there are often fireworks. 

There are so many ways that people celebrate. But most of all I think it is about family and community and getting together and being thankful.

I love travel - but I love coming home too - and seeing my place with new eyes and appreciation of how lucky we indeed are to live in this wonderful country.  I have posted many times images of some my favourite Australian places before, but I want to recap with this collage from a couple of years ago.  

This Australia Day our day started with an Aussie BBQ breakfast with family that rolled into lunch, a relaxing afternoon, I picked grapes to make grape jam, and we went to the fireworks in the evening. Here is the before the fireworks pic showing our city waterfront along the Leschenault Inlet. There are markets, stalls and entertainment. Some people even take their boats onto the water and watch the fireworks from there.

 It could be said that fireworks are a waste of money - that the money could be better spent elsewhere on community services - and I think they are right - but I enjoy fireworks and the happy shared family atmosphere.

Fireworks are also great to photograph. I don't take a tripod as I like the effects and patterns that can be created with photographing fireworks hand held. All of these are straight out of camera. 

We even had fireworks coming out of the top of a building - a cool effect - and you can see the reflection of other fireworks in the windows. You can see it below in the photo of the RHS.

If you are an Aussie how did you celebrate Australia Day?  

And my overseas visitors - how do you celebrate your National Day? What is it about your country that you love the most?

I send my thoughts and prayers to those in Queensland suffering from the effects of floods and tornadoes that are ravaging that part of the country and all those across the country who have lost their homes or are in the path of devastating bushfires. 

Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you and value your comments. 

Have a wonderful week.

I am linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. It see the work of Mary and other wonderful contributors, please click on the link here - Mosaic Monday

You might also like - It's Australia Day lets celebrate   

Camping in the beauty of Western Australia's National Parks