It's all English.. right???

One of the things I THOUGHT I had going for me when falling in love with an Aussie and moving to Australia was that at LEAST it's the same language.

Right?

Ummmm.. sorta. 

I don't think I make an idiot of myself AS often as I use to, but ohhhh man.  At first, it almost seemed like the people around me were speaking French because I had no damn clue what they were saying.  "Excuse me?"  Seemed to be a term that I used a lot.  Eventually, especially in a group of people, I started to just smile and nod.  That seemed to make me feel like LESS of an idiot.  Then I would get in the car and ramble off words to Wayne.  "What is a fortnight?"  "What is a surname?"  Of course, for Wayne, these were super basic words, so he looked at me like I had a 1st grade education, would ask "do you not call it that?"  (My thought was always if I did, would I have asked? lol).  This would lead to an explanation.  I'm shocked that I have actually retained MOST of these terms.  And now find that I use a LOT of these terms on a quite regular basis without even thinking about them. 

So, for my American friends wondering "what words are you talking about", and for my Australian friends who don't know the words that we are use to, and lastly for my American-Aussie transplants who may have forgotten the language learning curve..... here ya go.... and the following is a SMALL list.... feel free to comment and add your favorites!  Or favourites.  (Don't get me started on the spellings and extra letters! ha)  Thanks to some websites for help on these, if any errors, I didn't write all these myself.  :)

Sometimes, a whole new language seems easier!! haha

OZ ... US

Car

bonnet ... hood
boot ... trunk
bumper bar ... bumper
mud guard ... fender
windscreen ... windshield
indicators ...  blinkers
petrol ... gas
ute, utility ... pickup truck
give a lift ... give a ride
car park ... parking lot
overtake ... pass

Office

A4 ... lettersize (lettersize is shorter and wider than A4)
foolscap ... legal size
rubber ... eraser
sticky tape ... scotch tape
lacky band ... rubber band
post a letter ... mail a letter
postman ... mailman
drawing pins ... thumbtacks
ground floor ... first floor
lift (building) ... elevator
notice board ... bulletin board
toilet ...  restroom, bathroom

Food

biscuit ... cookie OR cracker.  (So, you can have cheese and crackers AND choc chip biscuits...)
scone ... biscuit (nearest equivalent, made with yeast instead of self-raising)
lolly ... candy, treat
ice lolly ... popsicle, ice pop
plain flour ... all purpose flour
whole meal (bread) ... whole wheat
castor sugar ... confectionary sugar
rockmelon ... cantaloupe
shallots, spring onions ... green onions, scallions
capsicum ... bell pepper
punnet of strawberries ... pint, small basket of strawberries
sultanas ... raisins
jam ... jam, jelly
jelly ... jello
chips ... French fries
potato crisps ... potato chips
fairy floss ... cotton candy
cool drink ... soft drink
lemonade ... 7-up (not the same but similar)
lemon juice ... lemonade
tomato sauce ... ketchup
entree ... appetizer
main course ... entree
tea (tea in this context, meaning the main evening meal, may be short for high tea, although no one ever says that in Australia) ... dinner
tea time, morning tea, afternoon tea ... coffee break
half milk, half cream ... half and half
black or white coffee or tea ... coffee or tea with or without cream, coffee light
serviette ... napkin
meat and salad roll ... hero, dagwood, submarine, hoagie sandwich
... blt (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich)
hundred and thousands ... sprinkles (nearest equivalent)
jug of beer ... pitcher of beer
schooner, midi, pot ... small, large beer
tin ... can
mince beef ... ground beef
  

bring a plate (Oz) =pot luck (US) adj

In Oz, one might say "All invited. Bring a plate." In the US, it's a "pot luck dinner". In either case, all guests bring a plate or dish of food which can be shared. In Britain it is apparently called "Dutch treat".

crumpet (Oz) n

1. vaguely like an English muffin, only much better. Commonly eaten in place of toast during winter. 2. woman considered as a sexual object (seldom used now).

vegemite (Oz) n

Wholesome and sharp tasting black spread for toast and crackers. The definitive Australian icon, and there is definitely no US equivalent.

University

1st year, 2nd year etc ... freshman, sophomore, junior, senior
university, uni ... school, campus
at university ... in college
masters, PhD student ... graduate student
thesis ... dissertation
supervisor ... adviser
term ... quarter
autumn ... fall
sit in on course ... audit course
primary school ... elementary school
conch ... nerd
nought (numeral) ... zero
maths ... math
stats ... stat

Home

flat ... apartment
rubbish bin ... garbage can
bucket ... pail
tap ... faucet
letter box ... mail box
veranda ... porch, deck
footpath ... sidewalk
lounge ... sofa
lounge room, sitting room ... living room
wardrobe ... cupboard
dresser, dressing table ... sideboard
cutlery ... flatware
knives ... cutlery
freezer ... freezer, icebox
kitchen bench ... kitchen counter
clothes pegs ... clothes pins
estate agent ... realtor
block of land ... lot of land
cubby house ... tree house, play house
(baby's) dummy ... pacifier
lane ... alley
tomahawk ... hatchet
cotton wool ... absorbent cotton
rates ... local taxes
tidy up room, house ... pickup room, house
heating outlet ... register 

bedsit (Oz) = studio apartment (US) n

An apartment with kitchen/living room and bathroom, but no separate bedroom. The US version can be very comfortable (I had one in Goleta, California), while British-style bedsits are often very cramped. A British style bedsit would probably attract the description "toy studio" if found in the US. I noticed the term "studio apartment" in use in Australia (Brisbane) for the first time in 1992, in a real estate advertisement. Obviously it sounded more impressive than "bedsit". In any case, this type of apartment is relatively uncommon in Australia.

continental quilt (Oz) n

See doona.

doona (Oz) = comforter (US) n

Quilted eiderdown with a down or synthetic filling. "Doona" is an Tradename. "Doona" is apparently used in Australia only, and is unknown in New Zealand and Britain, let alone the US.

Clothes

jumper, pullover ... sweater
polo neck (jumper) ... turtle neck (sweater)
... jumper (in the US jumper means a loose fitting sleaveless dress worn over a blouse. This is an older British usage - it's in the OED of 1933 - but is not in current Australian usage.)
singlet ... tank top, athletic shirt
nappy ... diaper
sanitary towels ... sanitary napkins
hair pins ... bobby pins
press studs ... snaps
track suit ... sweat suit, sweats
clothes horse ... clothes rack (for hang drying clothes)
reel of cotton ... spool of thread

Hardware

spanner ... wrench
torch ... flashlight
oxie welder ... torch

Spellings

ardour, behaviour, colour, honour, glamour, flavour, labour, neighbour, odour, valour, vapour ... no "u"
arse ... ass
analogue, catalogue ... analog, catalog
analyse ... analyze
centre, litre, theatre... center, liter, theater
cheque ... check
computer disc ... computer disk
enquire ... inquire
enrolment ... enrollment
grey ... gray
-ise, -ize (most words which are spelt with the -ize suffix in the US, can be spelt with either -ise or -ize in Australian English, although the -ise is more common) ... ize
modeller, modelling ... modeler, modeling
programme (music etc) ... program
sulphur ... sulphur

 

Measures

Celsius ... Fahrenheit (temperature measure are converted by F = 9/5*C + 32)
stone ... 14 lb
gallon (= 4.5 litres) ... gallon (= 3.8 liters)
metres ... yards
kilometres ... miles
fortnight ... two weeks
Saturday week etc ... a week from Saturday
Saturday last, Saturday next ... last Saturday, next Saturday
1 cent, 2 cent etc ... penny, nickel, dime, quarter
dollar note ... dollar bill
thousand million ... billion

Country

bushwalk ... hike
station ... ranch
droving ... muster, roundup
cocky (not derogatory) ... red neck (derogatory)
swagman, swaggie (not derogatory) ... bum, pan handler (derogatory)
mate (not derogatory) ... sidekick (slightly derogatory)
jackaroo ... cowboy
jilleroo ... cowgirl
woop woop ... boondocks, boonies
behind the black stump, back of Bourke ... podunk
bush bashing ... brush busting

Other

barrack for team ... root for team (root here means to have sex.... lol)
sport ... sports
stocks (ski) ... poles
football ... Australian rules
gridiron, American football ... football
hockey ... field hockey
ice hockey ... hockey
noughts and crosses ... tic tac toe
newspaper cuttings ... newspaper clippings
queue ... line
quay ... wharf
busker ... street artist
unreliable ... flaky, flake out
home and hosed ... home free
homely ... homey
plain ... homely
glandular fever ... mono (nuclesis)
rsi (repetition strain injury) ... repetitive stress syndrome (less serious), carpal tunnel syndrome (more serious, may even require surgery)

doggo ... play dead
galah ... wise guy
drongo ... bore
cinch ... sure thing
Father Christmas ... Santa Claus
g'day ... hi, howdy
ta-ta, seeya ... take care, take it easy
tar, thanks ... thanks
good on you ... good for you
poker machine ... slot machine
chemist's ... drug store
caretaker ... janitor
warder ... prison guard
engine ... locomotive
shareholder ... stockholder
disembark (from plane) ... deplane
sus (that's a bit sus) ... suspect

sus out (we'll have to sus it out) ... check out

bloody (general emphasis, not polite but not real bad either) ... damned

tick off (items in a form) ... check off

tick off (the teacher caught the boy and ticked him off) ... scold, dress down

piss off ... go away, get lost, shove off
irritate ... tick off "his bogoted attitude really ticks me off!", miff "That screaming child really has me miffed.", piss off (very common but also vulgar, borderline profane) "That rude sales clerk pissed me off."

 

dole (Oz) n

Unemployment benefits.

Father Christmas (Oz) = Santa Claus (US) n

Although never used when I was a child, "Santa Claus" is now, in 1997, in common use in Australian department stores.

funky adj

1. Oz and US: eccentric, stylish, pleasant, as in good jazz or folk music. 2. US only: dirty or smelly, as in "the bicycle chain is funky".

innings (Oz) = inning (US) n

Turn to bat, as in cricket or baseball.

gaol (Oz) = jail (US) n, v

Same pronunciation.

often times (US) adv

The emphatic form "often times" in place of simply "often" is virtually never used in Australia, but it's quite common in the US (usually pronounced "offen-times"). The Oxford concise lists it as an older usage in British english.

paye-as-you-earn (PAYE) (Oz) v

Pay income tax automatically at source. Employer deducts a standard amount from each salary or wage payment, and forwards to the tax office.

rafferty's rules (Oz) n

no rules at all, as of a chaotic contest or organization.

reckon (Oz) v

In Oz,  "I reckon" translates simply to "I think", but there is no real US equivalent for this very common Australian construction. (September 1999: Kent Parks of Raleigh, NC, writes that "reckon" is also used in the same sense in the Southern US.)

*I take no credit for the above words and definitions.... source: http://www.statsci.org/smyth/ozus.html (prior to deleting and editing some terms)