He said what?!?

Australian to Canadian Dictionary -- Part 1

It is a commonly known fact that Australians speak English, but of a different variety than that used in North America. This should help any that are conversing with Australians, or happen to come here for a visit (like you, ma and pa).

Mate: Sometimes it’s not a verb, but a term of endearment as in ‘G’day, mate’ (see g’day). Of course, sometimes it *is* a verb.

Thong: Don’t be alarmed if dress code is described as shorts and thongs. No need to get butt-floss. You would know things better as flip-flops.

Jumper: Not someone who leaps off something. It’s a sweater. Won’t be needed between the months of October and May.

G’day: A classic example of the ‘remove a syllable if you can’ syndrome. Of course it means ‘good day’, but the syllable removal or shortening of words syndrome can be seen in other words too, most notably Canberra. It’s spelled with three syllables (can-ber-ra) but is pronounced as two (can-bra). I think this has to do with the large number of flies present in the hot dry summers that are looking for moisture, usually in your mouth. Aussies learned quickly that the faster you could say something, the fewer flies you ate.

Fair dinkum: No idea what the roots of this are, but is means ‘genuine’ or ‘true, I wouldn’t bullshit you’ as in

“Are you serious that he drove from Melbourne to Brissie in one go?”
“Fair dinkum, and with only two flats of beer!”

Hope this helps and clears a bit up. I'll collect some more and post next week.