new bora

THEVOCABULARYOFAUSTRALIANENGLISH

BruceMoore

AustralianNationalDictionaryCentre

AustralianNationalUniversity

documentoutlinessomeofthemostimportantsourcesofAustralianwords,

andsomeoftheimportanthistoricaleventsthathaveshapedthecreationof

s,referenceismadetotheAustralianOxford

Dictionary(OUP1999)editedbyBruceMoore.

INGSFROMAUSTRALIANABORIGINALLANGUAGES...2

HFORMATIONS.....................................................................7

VICTERA...........................................................................11

HDIALECT.............................................................................15

HSLANG................................................................................17

.................................................................................................18

.................................................................................................21

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage1of24

INGSFROMAUSTRALIANABORIGINALLANGUAGES

In1770CaptainJamesCookwasforcedtobeachtheEndeavourforrepairs

nearprent-dayCooktown,

andJophBankscollectedanumberofAboriginalwordsfromthelocal

hewordswaskangaroo,theGuugu

12July1770Banksrecordedinhisjournal‘KillKanguru’,andon4August

Cookwrote:‘theAnimalwhichIhavebeforementionedcalledbythenatives

KangoorooorKanguru’.ell's

LifeofJohnsonfortheyear1773wefindanaccountofthefamous

lexicographerDrJohnsonexpoundingonthenatureofthenewcreature:

Theappearance,conformation,andhabitsoftheqwuadrupedwereofthe

mostsingularkind;andinordertorenderhisdescriptionmorevividand

graphic,Johnsonrofromthetableandvolunteeredanimitationofthe

panystared;andMrGrantsaidnothingcouldbemore

ludicrousthantheappearanceofatall,heavy,grave-lookingman,likeDr

Johnson,

stooderect,putouthishandslikefeelers,and,gatheringupthetailsofhis

hugebrowncoatsoastoremblethepouchoftheanimal,madetwoor

threevigorousboundsacrosstheroom.

ThusthewordkangaroohadbecomepartoftheEnglishlanguageeven

dBanksmistakenlythoughtthat

,Banksgave

GovernorPhillipavocabularyofthe‘NewHollandlanguage'totakewithhim

ontheFirstFleet,andPhillipmistakenlythoughtthatitmusthavebeentaken

softheFirstFleetemployedthewordintalking

tothelocalAborigines,butittookthemsometimetorealithatthe

AboriginesoftheSydneyregiondidnotunderstandthewordsthathadbeen

ollins,anavalofficerwhowasappointed

DeputyJudge-AdvocateatBotanyBayin1786,wasoneofthemoreastute

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage2of24

nAccountoftheEnglishColonyinNewSouthWales

(1798),henotesthatthewordsadoptedfromtheSydneyAborigines

pertainedexclusivelytotheexternalworld:‘ourknowledgeoftheirlanguage

consistedatthistimeofonlyafewtermsforsuchthingsas,beingvisible,

couldnotwellbemistaken;butnoonehadyetattainedwordnoughto

conveyanideainconnectedterms’.CollinsrecognidthattheSydney

languagewasverydifferentfromthelanguageCookhadrecordedinnorthern

Queensland:‘ThedialectspokenbythenativesatSydneynotonlydiffers

entirelyfromthatleftusbyCaptainCookofthepeoplewithwhomhehad

intercourtothenorthward,(aboutEndeavourriver,)butalsofromthat

spokenbythonativeswholivedatPortStephens,andtothesouthwardof

Botany-Bay,(aboutAdventureBay,)aswellasonthebanksofthe

Hawkesbury’.

WenowknowthatwhentheFirstFleetarrivedin1788therewereabout

300,000AboriginesinAustralia,dividedintoroughly600tribalgroups,each

re

weremore,

speakofdialectsismisleading—withinthegroupings,therewereinfact

some250distinctlanguages,eachasdifferentfromoneanotherasEnglishis

differentfrom,German,French,Italian,Latin,Greek,Sanskrit,andHindi.

Inthefirst100yearsofEuropeanttlementandexplorationabout400words

the

borrowingswerefromthelanguagesspokeninornearthemajorpointsof

ttlement.

TheDharuklanguagewasspokenintheareaaroundSydney,andthis

clude(with

theyearinwhichtheywerefirstrecordedindicated):

bettong(1802)

boobook(1790)

boomerang(1790)

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burrawang(1790)

corroboree(1790)

dingo(1789)

geebung(1790)

gibber(1790)

gunyah(1803)

koala(1798)

koradji(1793)

kurrajong(1801)

nulla-nulla(1790)

paddymelon(1802)

potoroo(1789)

waddy(1790)

wallaby(1798)

wallaroo(1826)

waratah(1788)

warrigal(1790)

wombat(1798)

woomera(1793)

BorrowingsfromotherNSWAboriginalarefewerandlater,axplorationand

ingsfromthe

KamilaroilanguageofeasternNewSouthWalesinclude:

brolga(1896)

budgerigar(1840)

bora(1850)

gilgai(1867)

BorrowingsfromtheYuwaalaraaylanguageofnorthernNewSouthWales

include:

bilby(1885)

galah(1862)

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gidgee(1862)

BorrowingsfromtheWiradhurilanguagesofsouth-westernNewSouthWales

include:

corella(1859)

gang-gang(1833)

kookaburra(1834)

quandong(1836)

Intermsofnumberofborrowings,theonlylanguagethatcompareswith

wasaEuropeanttlementattheprentsiteofAlbanyin1826,butthe

rdsforfloraand

clude:

boodie(1842)

chuditch(1842)

dalgite(1840)

dibbler(1850)

gnow(1840)

jarrah(1833)

karri(1866)

kylie(1835)

mardo(1839)

marl(1840)

morrel(1837)

mundarda(1840)

noolbenger(1842)

numbat(1842)

quenda(1839)

quokka(1842)

tammar(1847)

wambenger(1928)

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woylie(1842)

ThewordsborrowedfromIndigenouslanguagesarealmostexclusively

nouns,theborrowingsareterms

forfloraandfauna,followedbywordsforreligionandceremony,implements,

andfeaturesoftheenvironment,suggestingthattherewasnointerestonthe

partofthecolonirsinunderstandinganyoftheconceptualaspectsof

Indigenouscultures.

SomeadjectivesandverbswereborrowedintotheAustralianpidginthatwas

thehavenowdisappeared,but

rebung(1841)andyakka

(1847),bothborrowedfromtheYagaralanguageoftheBrisbaneregion.

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HFORMATIONS

ThettlersoftenudtheresourcesofBritishEnglishtoattempttodescribe

example,inBritainapaddockisasmallfencedfield,oftenudforkeeping

ralia,itsmeaningwasgreatlyexpanded,sothatit

hascometomean‘apieceofland,fenced,definedbynaturalboundaries,or

otherwiconsidereddistinct,usuallyactionofaruralproperty’.This

extendednisfirstrecordedin1808.

FloraandfaunawereoftennamedafterafanciedremblancetoEuropean

mash,forexample,wasappliedtotreeswhich

producedtimberremblingtheEuropeanash,eventhoughthetreesarein

firstrecordedexampleofthisuofashinAustraliaoccursin1801:‘Herewe

foundplentyofdifferentsortsofwood,andtheashtreesofconsiderable

magnitude’.Therearesimilartransferredusofapple(1801),cedar(1795),

cherry(1799),mahogany(1792),andoak(1789).Theareoftenfurther

describedbydistinguishingepithets:redmahogany(1817),swamp

mahogany(1817),dertoak(1898),forestoak(1819),she-oak(1792),

riveroak(1817),silkyoak(1836).Similarly,thetermbream(1789)was

appliedtovariousfreshwaterandmarinefish,againoftenwitha

distinguishingepithetasblackbream(1857),redbream(1857),andsilver

bream(1870).

InordertodistinguishtheAustralianplantoranimalfromtheEuropeanplant

oranimalwithwhichitwascompared,theAustralianwordwasoften

:nativeartichoke(1909),native

bee(1845),nativebluebell(1900),nativebread(1831),nativecat(1804),

nativedog(1788),nativecherry(1817),nativecucumber(1859),native

cumquat(1880),nativefuchsia(1860),

nativegrape(1838),native

mulberry(1846),nativeorange(1860).

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage7of24

Thewordbushwassimilarlyud:bushcucumber(1937),bushfly(1838),

bushhay(1827),bushkangaroo(1832),bushmou(1872),bushrat

(1855),bushtomato,bushturkey(1836).Theproductivityofbushin

een

udtoindicatemanyaspectsofAustralianlife,especiallyoutsidetheheavily

ttledareas:bushballad(1895),bushbash(1967),bushbread(1840),

bushcapital(1906),bushcattle(1833),bushhou(1837),bush

medicine,bushmile(1862),bushtelegraph(1864),bushtucker(1895),

bushweek(1919).

Floraandfaunawereoftengivendescriptivenamesofvariouskinds:

beefwood(Grevilleastriataandsomesimilartrees)wasnamedfromthe

rednessofthetree’swood;blackwood(appliedtoveraleucalypts)was

namedbecauofacharacteristiccharredfibrousbarkonthelowertrunk;

bottlebrush(anycallistemon)wasnamedbecauitsflowerspikesare

shapedlikeabottlebrush;muzzlewood(thesmalltreeEucalyptusstellulata)

wasnamedbecauitswoodwasudtomakemuzzlesforunweaned

calvestopreventthemfromsuckling;chef’shatcorrea(Correabaeurlenii)

hasacalyxthatgiveachflowertheappearanceofachef’straditionalhat;

andthepossumbanksia(Banksiabaueri)haslarge,woolly,brown-grey

flowerswhichremainwoollyaftertheydie,remblingpossumsonthebush.

AmongsuchinterestingtermsforfaunaincludedintheAustralianOxford

Dictionaryare:

anvilbird

archerfish

apostlebird

barkingspider

bicyclelizard

bird-eatingspider

catbird

crankyfan

dollarbird

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage8of24

friarbird

holycrosstoad

leafcutterbee

letter-wingedkite

magnetictermite

muskduck

organgrinder

pilotbird

pobblebonk

policemanfly

processionalcaterpillar

maphorecrab

thornydevil

twentyeight

whipbird

whiskydrinker

AmongsuchinterestingtermsforfloraincludedintheAustralianOxford

Dictionaryare:

anthouplant

birdorchid

bitterbark

cheetree

cidergum

coachwood

compassbush

corkscrewgrass

curlywigs

digger’sdelight

emubush

keronebush

lawyerpalm

parson’sbands

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poachedeggdaisy

possumbanksia

raspberryjamtree

sandpaperfig

shatterwood

snow-in-summer

soaptree

tallowwood

wait-a-while

wombatberry

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VICTERA

Between1788and1852some150,000convictsweretransportedfromBritain

toeasternAustralia,withNewSouthWalesandTasmaniaestablishedas

25,eimpending

cessationoftransportationtotheeasterncolonies,theBritishgovernment

commencedtransportationtoWesternAustraliain1850,andthiscontinued

10,000convictswerenttoWesternAustralia.

Manywritersmakecommentsabouttheearlylanguageoftheconvictclass.

In1793WatkinTench,inACompleteAccountoftheSettlementatPort

Jackson,wroteofthe‘flashlanguage’oftheconvicts:‘Insomeofourearly

courtsofjustice,aninterpreterwasfrequentlynecessarytotranslatethe

depositionofthewitness,nguagehas

dexterityofthepickpocket;thebrutalferocityofthe

footpad;themoreelevatedcareerofthehighwayman;andthedeadly

purpoofthemidnightruffian,iachstrictlyappropriateinthetermswhich

distinguishandcharacterizeit’.Tenchisreferringtounderworldlanguage,but

whilethislanguagewasnodoubtcommonlyud,itisunderstandablynot

eptiontothisisthework

oftheconvictJamesHardyVaux,whowrotehisNewandComprehensive

VocabularyoftheFlashLanguagein1812,anddedicatedtheworkto

ThomasSkottowe,thecommandantatthepenalttlementatNewcastle.

Thedictionarywaspublishedin1819whenitwasappendedto

Vaux’hedictionarywasproducedinAustralia,itislargelya

collectionofearlynineteenth-centuryLondonunderworldslang.

Afewoftheunderworldterms,oftenwithtransferredmeanings,became

nthen‘tohide(articles,animals,etc.)

frequentlystolengoods’belongedtothieves’slangfromtheventeenth

nafterttlementwefinditbeingudaspartofthegeneral

arlyexamplesthenisoftenlabelledas

belongingtothieves,asinthixample:

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage11of24

1793Somevillainsdugupeveryoneofthepotatoes…Averystrict

archwasmade,inordertofindouttheoffender,buttonopurpo,

asthepotatoeswere(inthecantphra)Allplanted;in

theground,soastobetakenoutastheywerewanted.

JHunter(GovernorofNSWin1794)

Thetermswagsimilarlyhasitsorigininthieves’inallyreferredto

athief’sbootyorplunder,butbythemiddleofthenineteenthcenturyitwas

udtodescribethecollectionofpersonalbelongingswrappedupina

bedroll,thebeginningoftheswagman

tradition.

Mostoftherecordedterminologyhastodowiththeorganisationand

administrationoftheconvictsystem,anddisappearedwiththedemiofthat

the,however,areincludedintheAustralianOxford

clude:

anti-transportation

assign(n1c)

assignment(n4)

bolter(n2)

BotanyBay(ns2&3)

canary(n2)

chaingang

onthechain

cockatoo

2

conditionalemancipation(orpardon)

convictcolony

convictconstable

convictoverer

convictttler

convictstation

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage12of24

convictsystem

double-convict

educated(n5)

emancipate(n4)

emancipation(n2b)

emancipist

exclusionist(n2)

expiree

FemaleFactory

felonry(n2)

freettler

gentlemanconvict

governmentgang

governmentman

governmentrvant

governmentstation

indent(noun2)

irongang

lag

3

(noun1)

legitimate(noun)

musterbook

muster-roll

overer(n1b)

parramatta(n2)

pass(noun11)

penalcolony

penalrvitude

Pentonvillain

Pentonville

PrisoneroftheCrown

probation(n1b)

roadgang

rvantoftheCrown

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage13of24

vener

ticket-of-leave

transport(verb2;noun4)

triangle(n8)

Vandemonia

Vandemonian

Inadditiontoplantandswag,someotherconvicttermshavefoundtheirway

straliansareunawareofthefactthat

thetermpublicrvant(itiscivilrvantinBritain)haditsorigininthe

iterscommentonthefactthattherewassome

uneaintheearlycolonyaboutusingthewordconvict,andvarious

1826PCunninghamnotedthatconvictswere

‘spokenofundertheloyaldesignationofgovernment-men,thetermconvict

beingeradbyasortofgeneraltacitcompactfromourBotanyBay

dictionaryasawordtooticklishtobepronouncedinthensitivelatitudes’.

In1843CharlesRowcroft,inTalesoftheColonies,wrote:‘Imustwarnyou

thatweneverspeakoftheconvictsinthiscountrybythatterm;wealwayscall

them‘governmentmen’;oronsomeoccasions,prisoners;butweneveru

theterm‘convict’,whichisconsideredbythemasaninsultingterm’.Andsoa

convictwasoftencalledapublicrvant,andthiswaslaterappliedto

dmusterwasudin

StandardEnglishtoreferto‘anasmblyofsoldiers,sailors,etc.,for

inspection,ascertainmentorverificationofnumbers,exerci,display,etc’.In

theAustralianconvictcolonythetermwasappliedtoasimilarasmblyof

convicts,andbythemid-nineteenthcenturyitwasbeingudtorefertothe

gatheringtogetheroflivestockforcountingandbranding.

ThedevelopmentofbushranginginAustraliaisanoff-shootoftheconvict

stbushrangerswereconvicts,escapingeitherfrom

,we

hrangersofthepost-goldrush

arethemorefamiliar‘NedKelly’weowethedevelopmentof

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage14of24

suchtermsasbushtelegraph,cattleduffing,gullyraking,andpoddy

dodging.

HDIALECT

BritishdialectswereanimportantsourceofAustralianwordsinthenineteenth

200words,fromarangeofBritishdialects,losttheir‘dialect’

,mostofthe

ly,

manyofthewordsborrowedcomefromthedialectsofnorthernEnglandand

Scotland.

Surprisingly,shmadeupthe

example,intheperiod1847–1872,35percentoftotalassistedemigrants

wereIrish,andovertheperiod1840–1914,over300,000Irishemigratedto

Australia(JamesJupp,TheAustralianPeople,1988:58,560).Butonthe

availableevidence,kely

thatithasmuchtodowithsocialandreligiousfactors:mostoftheIrish

emigrantswereCatholic,theirlevelsofliteracywerelow,andtherewas

significantprejudiceagainstthemfromtheconvictperiodrightthroughthe

nineteenthcentury(andbeyond).

Manyoftheearlytermshavetodowithagriculture,landttlement,and

mining,andtheymaywellnothavebeenspreadevenlythroughthelanguage

,mostoftheminingtermsintheperiodwouldhave

beenrestrictedtoareaswheretherewereCornishminers,especiallyinSouth

nificantborrowingsfromBritishdialectareconcentratedin

clude:

nugget(1851)

fossick(1852)

lolly(n1b)(1854)

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage15of24

chook(1855)

mullock(1855)

skite(1857)

shanghai(noun)(1863)

eye(inphrapicktheeyesoutof)(1865)

dag(1867)

larrikin(1868)

barrack(1878)

rouabout(1881)

derry(inphrahaveaderryon)(1883)

soursob(esoursopn2)(1885)

littlehou(1886)

kip

4

(1887)

crib(noun7)(1890)

cronk(1890)

gig

4,5

(1891)

nark(1891)

bowyang(1893)

stoush(1893)

smoodge(1898)

wowr(1899)

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage16of24

HSLANG

AustralianEnglish’ssourcesforborrowingsfromBritishEnglishwerenot

sanothergroupoftermsthatismarkedinthe

AustralianNationalDictionaryascomingfrom‘Britishslang’,asdistinctfrom

‘Britishdialect’.Someoftheare‘underworld’words,andnodoubtmanyof

heircolloquial

nature,manyofthemhavedisappearedfromAustralianEnglish,butsome

survive,andsomeothersareincludedintheAustralianOxfordDictionary

clude:

bludger(1882)

car(1825)

chiack(1853)

cow(n3)(1864)

deener(1882)

dona(1874)

joker(n2)(1810)

lumber(verb5)(1827)

moral(noun3)(1873)

pebble(n4)(1848)

prad(1841)

ripper(n3)(1858)

ryebuck(1890)

shake(verb9)(1845)

sheila(1832)

skinner(n3)

stiff(n10)

trap(noun13)(1817)

tucker(noun2)(1833)

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage17of24

GoldwasdiscoveredinAustraliain1851,firstnearBathurstinNewSouth

Wales,lowfever,asit

wascommonlycalled,as

amassiveincreainpopulation,withsome700,000migrantsarriving

ulationwasalsoverymobile,continuallyon

lowfeveralsoaffectedthe

16September1851theGeelongAdvertir’s

correspondentatBallaratreported:‘Goldisrevolutionisingmannersand

language—everythingistincturedwiththeyellowhue,andounces,and

grains,havebecomefamiliarwords’.Similarly,inFebruary1859theColonial

MiningJournalalsoexpresdtheneedforadictionaryofthegoldfields:‘A

meantoristobe

understoodbyagreatnumberoftermsudintheminingregulationsbythe

MiningBoardisbeyondcomprehension’.

them

weretransportedtotheAustraliangoldfieldsfromtheCaliforniangoldfields.

Manyofthem,however,areAustralian,althoughmanyofthetermslasted

especiallytrueoftheterms

associatedwithalluvialmining,thekindofgoldminingwhichattractedthe

greatestnumberandsocialrangeofminers,andwhichceadearliest,asit

gavewaytomachinery.

InthefollowinglistthennumbersrefertotheentriesintheAustralian

OxfordDictionary.

alluviallead

claimjumper

cradle(n4d)

deepleader

dish(noun3;verb4)

dolly(noun2;verb2)

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage18of24

duffer(n3)

goldcommissioner

goldescort

goldwasher

hatter(ehatter2)

jeweller’sshop

joe

2

jump(verb15)

jumper(n1c)

longtom

miner’sright

puddle(verb6)

shepherd(noun3;verb3a)

shicer(n1)

sluicer

specker

storekeeper’srush

tindish

Evenso,thegoldrushesprovidedAustralianEnglishwithsomelastingterms.

TheimportanceofthetermdiggerinAustralianmythderivesfromitsFirst

WorldWarassociations,butitsappearanceinthatwarowesmuchtothe

analogydrawnbetweentheoftendeepholeswhichhadtobedugarduously

inthearchforgold,

politicaleventssurroundingtheEurekaStockadehavesimilarlyleftan

k,whichnowmeans‘to

rummageorarcharoundorabout’,

wordcomesfromBritishdialectwhereitmeant‘toobtainbyasking,toferret

out’.Onthegoldfieldsithadtwomeanings:‘toarchforgoldonthesurface,

sometimesinadesultoryorunsystematicway’and‘tostealgoldfromother

diggers,especiallyfromanunattendedclaim’.Thecondmeaningwas

1853:‘Ifamanwereto

takealogoffire-woodfromaneighbour’sheap…itwouldbesaidhehad

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage19of24

beenfossicking’.Thetransferredusagewasoftenironic:‘Ifoneinwantofa

dinnercalledathisneighbour’stentatmuttontimehewouldbeafossicker’.

ButitisthefirstmeaningwhichhassurvivedintocontemporaryAustralian

English.

Roll-upinthenof‘amassmeetingofminerstoconsideranindividual

grievanceoranissueofcommonconcern’isudinminingcontextswellinto

thetwentiethcentury,butbytheendofthenineteenthcenturyithad

developeditstransferrednof‘anasmbly’,whichisnowitsprimary

meaninginAustralianEnglish:‘Hehopedforabigroll-upatnextThursday’s

meeting’.TheAustralianphratoknockoutalivinghasitsoriginonthe

goldfields,wherethe‘knockingout’kinthen

‘rubbish,nonn’,andespeciallyinthephraaloadofmullock(earliera

lotofmullock),owesitxistencetothegoldminingnof‘miningrefu’.

TheearliesttransferreduoftheterminAustraliapointstotheconnection:

‘Alotofmullock...isagoldfieldsphra,andmeans,accordingtomy

views,anythingofnou’Thephratohumpone’sswagisusually

associatedwithitinerantruralworkersofthefinalquarterofthenineteenth

century,he

earlycitations(1851–1867)uthephrainreferringtodiggers,andthe

diggings’phraistheonewhichlatergivesritothephrastohump

one’sdrum(1870),tohumpone’sbluey(1891),andtohumpone’s

Matilda(1902).Indeed,thetermswagachieveditswidespreaduin

goldminingcontexts.

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage20of24

Militaryslang,aswiththeanykindofslang,hasthefunctionofunitinggroups

heAustralianmilitaryismadeupofmany

groups,eachofthegroupshasitsownspeciallanguage,althoughthere

areoverlapsinterminologybetweentheAustraliangroupsandworldwide

ang,especially,tendstobeinternational(originally

British),somedistinctivelyAustralianNavytermshavebeen

clude:beagle‘asteward’;boyscout’sleave‘abriefshore-

leave’;dimple‘aholeinaship’shullcaudbyatorpedo’;drainthebilge‘to

beextremelyasick’;macaroon‘anewrating’;molly‘amalingerer’;squid

‘femaletrainee’.AirForceslangisalsogreatlyinfluencedbyBritishtraditions,

buttherehavebeenmanyAustralianterms:blear‘(whenlost)flyaboutin

archofalandmark’;blindstabbing‘blindflying’;emu‘memberofthe

groundstaff’;nest‘anaerodrome(towhichallthelittleaircraftflyhome)’;

wags‘signallers’.Suchlanguageisgenerallyknownonlytothemembersof

therviceortogroupswithinaparticularrvice,andtheyaretoo

er

communityveryrarelyhasaccesstothislanguage.

ButitistheArmywhichcarriesthenumbers,anditistheArmywhichhas

producedthebulkofthemilitaryslangwhichhasfounditswaybackintothe

ge-scalenatureoftheFirstandSecond

WorldWarssuddenlythrewtogetherpeoplefromvastlydifferent

backgrounds,peoplewhohadnootherreasonthanthefactofwaritlffor

introductiontohisDiggerDialects(1919)WHDowningcomments:‘Bythe

conditionsoftheirrvice,andbythehowlingdesolationofthebattle-zones,

ourmenwereisolatedduringnearlythewholeofthetimetheyspentin

theatresofwar,fromtheways,thethoughtsandthespeechoftheworld

behindthem’.Indeed,itemsthatthoinvolvedinwarsofthismagnitude

needanewlanguagetoadapttotheirnewsituation,andtoconstructwaysof

mSkeyhillin‘SoldierSongsfromAnzac‘(1915)wrote

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage21of24

‘We’veforgottenallourmanners/Andourtalkisfullofslang’,hepointstothe

linguisticinventivenesswhichwaspartofthewartimeexperience.

Itisinevitablethatmosttermsdonotsurvivetheirwartimecontexts,forthe

illustratedbythefollowingtermsfromWHDowning’sDiggerDialects(mostof

themconfirmedbythe1924typescript‘GlossaryofSlangandPeculiarTerms

inUintheAIF’heldattheAustralianWarMemorial,andavailableinedited

formontheANDC’swebsite):Anzacbutton‘anailudinplaceofatrour

button’;Anzacsoup‘shell-holewaterpollutedbyacorp’;Anzacstew‘an

urnofhotwaterandonebaconrind’;belly-ache‘amortalwound’;boy-with-

his-boots-off‘ashellwhichburstsbeforethesoundofitspassagethrough

theairisheard’;broken-doll‘aninefficientstaff-officerreturnedtohisunit’;

camouflagedAussy‘AnEnglishmanrvingwiththeAIF’;togointocold

storage‘tobekilledduringthe1916winter’;dugoutking‘anofficerwho

remainsatthebottomofadugout,whilehismenareexpodtodanger’;

floatingkidney‘asoldierunattachedtoanyunit,orwithoutdefiniteduties’;

lance-corporalbacon‘baconconsistingoffatthroughwhichrunsathin

streakoflean’.

Yetwhilemanytermshavebeenlost,theFirstWorldWarproducedanumber

ofmajorAustralianculturalicons,especiallythetermsAnzac,digger,and

mAnzacappearsin1915asanacronymformedfromthe

initiallettersofAustralianandNewZealandArmyCorps,originallyudasa

ameyear,itwasudasan

abbreviationfor‘AnzacCove’atGallipoli,andthenasatermforthe‘Gallipoli

campaign’.In1916itwasfirstudtorefertoamemberoftheAustralianand

ndof

thewar,thetermwasbeingudemblematicallytoreflectthetraditionalview

ofthevirtuesdisplayedbythowhorvedintheGallipolicampaign,

m

diggerinthemilitarynisatransferreduofthemeaning‘amineron

theAustraliangoldfields’.Throughoutthecenturyithasretainedthemilitary

associationstablishedintheFirstWorldWar(itwaswidelyudduring

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage22of24

SecondWorldWar,andduringtheVietnamWartheAmericansstillknewthe

Australiansas‘diggers’).Thetermhasalsoundergoneawideningofmeaning

—inmanycontexts‘digger’anditsabbreviatedform‘dig’areuddevoidof

theirmilitaryconnotations(asasynonymfor‘cobber’or‘mate’).Itwasthe

FirstWorldWarwhichproducedthetermAussiefor‘Australia’,foran

Australiansoldier,andthenmoregenerallyfor‘anAustralian’or‘Australian’.

ManyothercommonAustraliantermshadtheiroriginintheFirstWorldWar.

ThefirmJFurphyandSonsPtyLtdoperatedafoundryatShepparton,

Victoria,ater

carts,bearingthename‘Furphy’,

quicklythetermfurphycametomean‘arumourorfalreport,anabsurd

story’—perhapsbecaudriversofthecartswerenotoriousforbringing

rumoursintothecamps,orbecautheconversationswhichtookplace

moilinthen

‘information,news’(atransferreduof‘oil’asthesubstanceesntialtothe

runningofamachine)anditscompoundsdinkumoil,straightoil,andgood

oilallgainedwidecurrencyasFirstWorldWarServices’m

possiefor‘positionofsuppodadvantagetotheoccupant;aplace;ajob’is

nowsoentrenchedinAustralianEnglishthatfewrealiithaditsoriginin

trenchwarfareasthetermforanindividualsoldier’splaceofshelterorfiring

FirstWorldWarAustralianmilitarycontextsthatsouvenirin

then‘toappropriate;tosteal;totakeasasouvenir’

termplonk(probablyacorruptionofFrenchblancinvinblanc‘whitewine’)

FirstWorldWarAustralianmilitarycontextsthatmanyAustralianidiomsare

firstrecorded:hisblood’sworthbottling,giveitaburl,hopinforone’s

chop,comeagutzer,roughasbags.

rin

ArmyMagazine(June1944)commentedontheexperienceofsoldiersin

northernAustraliaandintheislandstothenorthofAustralia:‘thousandsof

Diggerscomplainhumorouslythattheyare“goingtroppo,”whichmeans

ewar

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage23of24

endstherewon’tbesomanytowhomthoconditionsapply,buttheman

withafishygazeandsluggishlimbsisalmostcertaintobeforeverdescribed

as“troppo”’.Thewriterwascorrect,andtheterm,especiallyinthephrato

gotroppo,lian

wordsandidiomswhichhavetheiroriginintheSecondWorldWar,andwhich

arelistedinthebodyoftheAustralianOxfordDictionary,include:

wouldn’tit

acre(n4)

blot(n5)

blue(n6)

bronzed(Aussie)

don’tcometherawprawn

cruet(n4)

doover

cut-lunchcommando

fuzzy-wuzzyangel

gameasapissant

it’son(foryoungandold)

no-hoper

nong

shiny-ar

shoofty

retread(n2)

spine-bash

©AustralianNationalDictionaryCentrePage24of24