In this episode of Ask Pete Anything I explain all of the expressions and slang terms used in the introduction to The Aussie English Podcast.

Ask Pete Anything: Can You Explain The Slang Terms Used In The Aussie English Intro?

Welcome to this episode of Aussie English. I’ve finally decided to get around to discussing what I’m saying in the introduction to a lot of these episodes. So, I’m sorry there’s been such a delay and I haven’t gotten around to actually discussing or talking about the different expressions and slang that I use in the introduction, because I know a few of you have asked me in the past, “Can you explain what these certain things are in there, or just all of it all together”. And, one of you spoke to me today and said, “Can you just describe all of it”. SO, I’m going to finally get around to doing it. So we’ll do it today, we’ll do it now.

So, the introduction is “G’day guys and welcome to Aussie English.“. So, that’s easy enough.

“My objective here is to teach you guys the English spoken down under“.

And, “Down under” is just a slang term for Australia because we are, at least in the English speaking world, one of the only English speaking countries in the Southern Hemisphere. So, we’re down under everyone in the Northern Hemisphere. So, that’s why Americans and a lot of Europeans like English, Scottish, Irish might refer to us as “the country down under” or just as “down under”. So, “You going down under?”. You’re going to Australia. So, that’s that phrase.

“So whether you want to speak like a fairdinkum aussie…” So, that just means whether you want to speak like a real Australia.

So, “Fairdinkum” is just another way of saying true or real, and this is a very Australian word, fairdinkum. “Is he fairdinkum?” that’s like, “Is he serioius?” “Is he, um… trustworthy? Is he a real person? Is he fairdinkum?.

Um… “…or you just want to understand what the flippin’ hell we’re on about when we’re having a yarn.”

“Flippin’ hell” is just sort of like a polite way of saying “Fucking hell” and I’ll swear there just because I want to describe to you the… the different ways of using those things. So, “Flippin’ hell” is a very sort of polite way of saying “Fucking hell” and both of these expressions are just ways of sort of accentuating the thing that you’re talking about. So, you could say to someone “What the flippin’ hell are you doing?” and it’s sort of to show that you’re angry about whatever it is they’re doing and you want an explanation, and if you say, “Flippin’ hell” it’s not that bad, but if you said “Fucking hell”, “What the fucking hell are you doing?”, that shows that you are incredibly angry and it’s very rude. So, you wouldn’t use that in any kind of formal situation at all. Um… so “Flippin’ hell” is just a polite way of saying, sort of accentuating that “What are you doing”, “What the flippin’ hell are you doing?”, “What the hell are you doing?” or if you want to take it to its extreme, “What the fucking hell are you doing?” or “What the fuck are you doing?”.

“To be on about something”, “To be on about something” is just to be talking about something. To be saying something. So, for instance, if someone was talking to me and I didn’t understand what they were trying to say or trying to explain I could say, “Look mate, I… I don’t know what you’re on about.” Or if someone was accusing me of something saying something like, “You were at my friend’s party last night, weren’t you?” and I really really didn’t want them to know that I was actually there I could say “Look mate, I don’t know what you’re on about. I wasn’t there. Don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t know what you’re on about.” So that’s “To be on about”.

If you’re “having a yarn”, “To have a yarn”, “A yarn” is an Australian term or slang term for a chat, a talk, a conversation, a discussion. So, if you sit down and have a yarn with someone it just means that you’re having a chat with them. So, “A good old yarn” is just like a good chat, you know, it could be about anything.

So, “You’ve come to the right place.” that’s obvious.

“So, sit back…” that just means obviously, literally sit back in your chair, sit back in your sofa, relax, sit back and relax, sit back.

“Grab a cuppa and enjoy Aussie English.”. “Grab a cuppa” means grab a cup of tea, grab a cup of coffee. “Cuppa” is a very Australian slang term for “A cup of something” and that’s where that “A” at the end of “Cuppa” comes from. It’s just “Of” and it’s been reduced to an “Ah” sound. So, yeah, a cup of tea or a cup of coffee often just gets reduced to “A cuppa”. “So, sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy Aussie English”, that means sit back in your chair, relax, whatever you’re doing, grab a cup of coffee or a cup of tea and enjoy listening to the podcast.

So, I hope that helps guys. I’ll keep this one short. Enjoy guys. Chat to you soon!