Soda Fountain of Knowledge Language Edition: Dero Moll

You have Season 3 of Australia's Next Top Model to thank for today's SFoK entry.

dero:
1. n. An unattractive, unkempt, disheveled person, possibly homeless. From derelict. Usually used in a pejorative rather than literal sense.
For example: "She's a total dero!"

2. adj. Having the appearance of a dero.
"You're such a dero moll!"

moll:
n. A woman of low class, in both appearance and behaviour.
For example: "I hope she gets eliminated next, because she's a moll."

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Fun Size Aussie Words

Strewth*! It's been a while since I've done a Soda Fountain of Knowledge post! Here is a collection of Aussie words, very typical in that they are merely shortened forms of existing words - I guess it's too bloody hot to say long words.

hanky: n. handkerchief
As in "Don't put that disgusting used hanky back in your pocket!"

nightie: n. nightgown
As in "I couldn't sleep last night, I was up & down like a bride's nightie!"

chewy: n. chewing gum
As in "Got any chewy, mate?"

ciggie: n. cigarette
As in "Strewth, I need to cut back on the ciggies."


On a side note, why do we ask to borrow cigarettes and tissues and things like that? If you "borrow" a tissue from me, there's no way in hell I'm letting you return it.


*Strewth is an Aussie exclamation that I believe the whitefellas imported from Britain. It comes from a much older oath, God's truth! Similarly, Zounds! comes from God's wounds!

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Kulcha Edition): The Magic Pudding.

The Magic Pudding is an absolute classic of Australian children's literature, written & illustrated by famous author & artist Norman Lindsay.

The pudding himself is named Albert, and although he does enjoy being eaten, as you can see from the picture he is quite a belligerent fellow. He travels about the Australian bush in the company of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners (Bill Barnacle the sailor, Bunyip Bluegum the koala - that's him looking foppish next to the pudding - and Sam Sawnoff the penguin), trying not to get stolen by Pudding Thieves.

The Magic Pudding is magic because he can change flavors to whatever you like, and no matter how many slices you cut off him, he remains whole. How useful would that be? Also, no wonder I liked this book - it's about food, and all-you-can-eat buffet at that.

The Magic Pudding is as charming as Snugglepot & Cuddlepie, but has the added joy of an unpleasant protagonist in the Pudding. Albert is a bit of a rude bastard. The classic Australian sense of humor is cheeky, impudent and irreverent, but can also be very dry, and this is exactly the tone of The Magic Pudding. I don't actually have a copy of the book, so this is the only decent quote I could find via the internet. It gives you some idea of the joy:

"None of the ordinary breakfast rules, such as scowling while eating, and saying the porridge is as stiff as glue and the eggs are as tough as leather, are observed. Instead, songs, roars of laughter, and boisterous jests are the order of the day. For example, this sort of thing," added Sam, doing a rapid back-flap and landing with a thump on Bill’s head. As Bill was unprepared for this act of boisterous humour, his face was pushed into the Puddin’ with great violence, and the gravy was splashed in his eye.

"What d’yer mean, playing such bungfoodling tricks on a man at breakfast?" roared Bill.

"What d’yer mean," shouted the Puddin’, "playing such foodbungling tricks on a Puddin’ being breakfasted at?"

The Wikipedia page on the Magic Pudding is quite good and has a little more detail, whereas I'm working pretty much entirely off memory here!

Soda Fountain of... Soda?

Dr Pepper Cherry: A Review.

At first glance, we see only that Dr Pepper Cherry has a slightly more crimson-infused hue than its parent soda, hinting at the subtle differences to come.

Dr Pepper Cherry has an exciting yet not overpowering fizziness on the tongue, and a sweet, almost syrupy aftertaste. Top notes of dark, plump cherries and Red #40 proclaim a slightly different terroir from the original Dr Pepper - perhaps a different section of the factory? - while familiar undertones of smooth caramel, ripe plums, sunshine and high fructose corn syrup delight the palate.

While certainly a pleasant beverage, Dr Pepper Cherry varies so little from the original variety that this reviewer was left wondering why they discontinued the infinitely superior Dr Pepper Black Cherry Vanilla only to start churning out this pale imitation.

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Kulcha Edition): Snugglepot & Cuddlepie

***Cultural Acclimatization Needed: Read this post first.***


When I was a small child, some of my favorite books featured two little blokes who could not have been dreamed of in any country but Australia.

I'd like to introduce you to Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the most adorable characters in Australian children's literature*.


(They're the two in the front of the gumleaf-toboggan).

Gumnut** hats? Check.

Nuding it up with adorable blossom-skirted girlfriends? Check.

Riding down a gumtree branch on a gumleaf???!!! Check. They are Gumnut Babies, after all.

Although I admit I didn't remember them being quite so fat, Snugglepot & Cuddlepie are ovary-clenchingly adorable.

I would post a ton more pictures here, but I don't want to mess with copyright & stuff. Here is a pretty good site with some illustrations showing their dread enemy the Banksia Man, an adorable gumleaf house, the kangaroo cab-stand and so on.

The author, May Gibbs, did a fantastic job of weaving real Australiana into her stories.
This page, for instance, shows the Gumnut Babies looking at secondhand houses, which are actually cases which are really constructed by real grubs in Australia. We used to see them hanging off the outside walls of the house sometimes. I think the grubs cast off these cases and make new ones as they get bigger.
This page gets its inspiration from a tree called the scribbly-bark gum (here's a real one I found on Flickr). The scribbles on the bark are made by insect larvae burrowing between the layers of bark, but of course in the book, it's really the Gumnut Babies.

The stories might not carry as many levels of meaning for non-Australians, but they're still absolutely charming. I think it's partly because of the era they're from (the first book was published in 1918), but they still work today - they're just adorable and timeless.


*I won't say they're the most Australian, because even though they're totally Oz, they're no match for Albert the Magic Pudding, who will be the subject of a future post.

**For those of you unfamiliar with gumnuts, they are the hard woody fruit of the eucalyptus tree. They come in a few different shapes & sizes, but they're all sort of like little cups.

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Snuggling & Cuddling

In preparation for my next post, I need my non-Australian readers to be aware that in Australia, snuggling and cuddling are quite innocent and do not have any sexual connotation*. I make mention of this because in the past I have made a couple of (male) Americans confused and defensive by suggesting that one give the other a cuddle.

You might snuggle up on the couch with a loved one, watching Survivor. All you're doing is lying there nice and close for comfort. No funny business is going on.

I think a cuddle is pretty much the same as a hug except longer and more personal. You would probably only cuddle someone you know very well.

Do my Aussie readers have anything to add to these definitions?


*Unless you are saying it in a meaningful voice with much raising of eyebrows. Context is everything.

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Chatting Up

Most of my Aussie vocabulary blog posts are for amusement purposes only, but this one is practically a PSA. I was confused and a little shocked when a friend recently told me that a friend of the girl he's seeing chatted him up, until we established that we were at cultural cross-purposes...


To chat someone up:

N. Amer. verb
To make conversation with someone. Basically the same as chatting to someone, or making small talk.

Aust. verb
To make conversation with someone with the end goal of making a romantic or sexual connection. Synonymous with the N. American to hit on someone.

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Shirty

shirty: (idiom) Aust.

Unreasonably bad-tempered or annoyed. As in "Someone's shirty today!" or "Don't get shirty with me!"

The best use of the word shirty was a recurring segment called Shirty the Slighty Aggressive Bear, on a late 90's Australian sketch comedy show called The Late Show (clip here. I have no desire to learn how to embed YouTubes).

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Torch

torch: (n.) Aust.

A hand-held electric light, usually battery operated.

Commonly referred to in North America as a flashlight.

Notes: To North Americans, a torch is a flaming stick usually used by members of an angry mob on the lookout for Frankenstein's monster. Thusly, consternation is caused among Americans when an Australian casually mentions that they need a torch to look for something. Right, husband?

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Doona

doona: (n.) Aust.

A padded bed covering to go on top of bedsheets. Also called a quilt, but is thicker than the traditionally handmade type of quilt.

Commonly referred to in Britain as a duvet, and in North America as a comforter.

Wikipedia offers us this explanation for the etymology of doona (link to full entry here):
In Australia, a duvet or down quilt is often called a "Doona", which is a genericized trademark (registered to the Tontine Group) which is derived from the equivalent common Scandinavian term dyne and popularized by the retailer IKEA in the 1970s. Originally the term continental quilt was the standard name used across Australia, and some regions continue to use this term.

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Ta

ta: (idiom) Aust.

Ta is an expression used in Britain & Australia meaning "thank you".

It is one of the earliest words Australian children learn. I always thought it was one of those silly words that arise from small children not being able to form words correctly, just along the lines of mama, dada etc.

However, a cursory search of the internet reveals that there are various possible explanations.

One, that it is an acronym for Thanks Awfully, or Thanks Again.

Two, (from Yahoo Answers):
The word is a result of the heavy Danish influence on the English language. The Danish word for "thanks" is "tak". In Scotland and upper England it was common to drop the "k" at the end because of the way words were pronounced during the time of old English and Middle English. Hence the slang word "Ta" which should actually be pronounced "TA-k" but over time became "Ta".
(Then I guess the British brought it to Australia with them. More useful than some of the other things they brought, like smallpox & rabbits).

I vote for the second explanation. It seems more likely to me.


I keep forgetting this one is pretty much unknown in the US, but thanks to context it doesn't cause as many furrowed brows as some of my other expressions... Also, I think I'm gonna keep teaching you guys words like this, because I actually learn things along the way too (unlike when I was in school, I enjoy learning things now. As long as there's no maths. Or "math" as you call it).

Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Yobbo.

yobbo: (n). Aust.

Loutish blue-collar person. Often found at pubs and sporting events. Enjoys shouting, bullying, pushing, cutting in line and demanding to be served alcohol whilst clearly intoxicated.



Note: You may have gathered this by now, but Soda & Candy grew up in Australia. She now lives in the United States of America, and enjoys talking about herself in the third person.
The name of this blog, while referring to two of Soda & Candy's favorite things, derives from the fact that American English is not her first language, and so she derives an inordinate amount of glee from referring to things by their American names. Americans, on the other hand, seem to derive an equal amount of glee from learning the Australian words for things. Soda & Candy enjoys this about Americans and encourages their enthusiasm wherever possible.