Crikey. What it means: An expression of surprise. Nothing is more Australian than the word "crikey" — especially since it's associated with our beloved Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin (may he rest in peace).
Aussie Word of the Week
Brace yourself for the cultural cringe. Out first word is crikey. This euphemism for the blasphemous exclamation Christ! isn't exclusively Australian but was taken on board by Aussie swearers with great gusto and could now be said to belong to Aussies.
Crikey. An exclamation of surprise.
"Crikey" is a "very British expression of surprise," according to the online English-to-American Dictionary at www.english2american.com.
crikey in British English
C19: euphemistic for Christ!
The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person.
With England about to take on Australia in The Ashes, Martin Fone ponders the derivation of the Aussies nickname for us: Poms.
While some Australian speakers would pronounce “no” as a diphthong, starting on “oh” as in dog and ending on “oo” as in put, others begin with an unstressed “a” (the sound at the end of the word “sofa”), then move to the “oh” and then “oo”.
Traditional IPA: ˌəʊˈkeɪ 2 syllables: "OH" + "KAY"
"Naur" is "no" spelled in an Australian accent. More accurately, it's "no" spelled in what an Australian accent sounds like to Americans.
Contributor's comments: The term 'povo' comes from the word poverty. Contributor's comments: [North Geelong informant] I would also say that this is used to describe someone who is tight arsed but not necessarily poor. Contributor's comments: poor and despised person: "Take no notice of him - he's just a povo."
To “throw shade” means to insult or say something unkind about someone.
Aussie is Australian slang for Australian, both the adjective and the noun, and less commonly, Australia.
“My research shows the British and Irish working-class introduced most of the swearing we have in Australia,” Krafzik says. “It was cemented in those early colonial days.” The British officer class tended to rotate in and out of the colonies. The working-class settlers – and convicts – stayed.
1. to do a poop: I gotta goona. 2. gunna (pronounced 'goona') = manure: I stepped in dog gunna; That kid is in deep gunna.
Australian slang is not dying, it's making its way up in the world.
If you're feeling unwell, you could say you are crook. If someone is angry, you could say they've 'gone crook'.
It surely sounds strange to those who are familiar with American or British English, but it is a very common expression in Australia. G'day is a shortened form of 'Good Day' and it is the equivalent of 'Hello.
Modern IPA: tətʉ́wz. Traditional IPA: təˈtuːz. 2 syllables: "tuh" + "TOOZ"
Up on the board there's Stigz, Butch, Rat, Pook, Wozzel, Boof, Bullpit, Foxy, Snake, Sparra, Nobby, Froggy, Bear, Ferret and Stall. And it doesn't stop at nicknames for people.
Why do Australians say capsicum? Australia, New Zealand, India and Pakistan all call the vegetable capsicum in reference to its scientific name, capsicum annum.