The way that cars dominate our lives even for those of us who don’t drive is hard to deny or ignore. They are everywhere, all the time, and we dedicate massive amounts of our public space to their use. Though they’ve existed for little more … Read more
The most common Australian slang word for sandwich is sanger. This word refers exclusively to sandwiches. You do hear other terms, such as sarnie, used in Australia, to a lesser extent. The slang phrase “cut lunch” typically also refers to a sandwich, though it can … Read more
Slang terms are often used to refer to those parts of language that are somewhat less acceptable areas of discussion in general discourse. Slang thrives under these conditions, and depending on the word, you may end up with countless examples of slang for a thing, … Read more
Slang terms for men and boys are perhaps some of the most universal and fundamental to any language. Almost any language will have colloquial ways of referring to men and boys at all ages, and British English is no exception. Today, we’re going to look … Read more
For good or ill, it’s a fact that there is virtually any given vernacular with a good amount of slang to describe a fat person. From the heartwarming and endearing things you might call your friend to the more derogatory and unpleasant things others might … Read more
The main slang term for Americans in Australia is “seppo”. This is a slightly teasing slang term that Australians use for any American. However, they do also use other terms, such as the more common “yanks” or some borrowed slang terms such as “septic”. But … Read more
Pajamas are one of those things which simply tend to attract slang terms, for one reason or another. Among other things, with pajamas, it’s the simple linguistic elasticity of the word itself that lends it so well to so much varied slang. In Britain, this … Read more
Australians refer to the afternoon colloquially as the ‘arvo’ or ‘s’arvo’. This is simply a shortening and rearranging of the word afternoon, as well as a consonant change—switching F to V. So, an Australian might say “I’ll see you this arvo” to mean I’ll see … Read more
The police are an organization that tends to attract a lot of slang names and terms for themselves. Whether that’s because of criminal activity or just a broad tendency towards a certain perception of the police, the result is the same. There are many different … Read more
To be weird is not always a bad thing. It can carry a fairly vast array of subtly different connotations depending on the context and the person using it, and so out of this arises also an equally vast lexicon of slang terms to describe … Read more