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As the global musical phenomenon turns 50, a hip-hop professor explains what the word ‘dope’ means to him

<p>After I finished my Ph.D. in 2017, several newspaper reporters wrote about the job I’d accepted at the University of Virginia as an assistant professor of hip-hop.</p> <p>“A.D. Carson just scored, arguably, the dopest job ever,” one <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/03/virginia-ad-carson-hip-hop-professor/435032001/">journalist wrote</a>.</p> <p>The writer may not have meant it the way I read it, but the terminology was significant to me. Hip-hop’s early luminaries transformed the word’s original meanings, using it as a synonym for cool. In the 50 years since, it endures as an expression of respect and praise – and illegal substances.</p> <p>In that context, dope has everything to do with my work. </p> <p>In the year I graduated from college, one of my best friends was sent to federal prison for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. He served nearly a decade and has been back in prison several times since.</p> <p>But before he went to prison, he helped me finish school by paying off my tuition.</p> <p>In a very real way, dope has as much to do with me finishing my studies and becoming a professor as it does with him serving time in a federal prison.</p> <h2>Academic dope</h2> <p>For my Ph.D. dissertation in Rhetorics, Communications, and Information Design, I wrote a <a href="http://phd.aydeethegreat.com/">rap album</a> titled “Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics of Rhymes &amp; Revolutions.” A peer-reviewed, mastered version of the album is due out this summer from University of Michigan Press.</p> <p>Part of my reasoning for writing it that way involved my ideas about dope. I want to question who gets to determine who and what are dope and whether any university can produce expertise on the people who created hip-hop.</p> <p>While I was initially met with <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/04/clemson-university-arrests/478455/">considerable resistance</a> for my work at Clemson, the university eventually became supportive and touted “<a href="https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-doctoral-student-produces-rap-album-for-dissertation-it-goes-viral/">a dissertation with a beat</a>.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A Dissertation with a Beat. 🔊🎤 🔊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clemson?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Clemson</a> doctoral student produces rap album for dissertation; it goes viral ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/wgiM9LS6k5">https://t.co/wgiM9LS6k5</a> <a href="https://t.co/r1lmBYXV2S">pic.twitter.com/r1lmBYXV2S</a></p> <p>— Clemson University (@ClemsonUniv) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClemsonUniv/status/845990987440652289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2017</a></p></blockquote> <p>Clemson is not the only school to recognize hip-hop as dope. </p> <p>In the 50 years since its start at <a href="https://theconversation.com/hip-hop-holiday-signals-a-turning-point-in-education-for-a-music-form-that-began-at-a-back-to-school-party-in-the-bronx-165525">a back-to-school party</a> in the South Bronx, hip-hop, the culture and its art forms have come a long way to a place of relative prominence in educational institutions. </p> <p>Since 2013, Harvard University has housed the <a href="https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/institutes/hiphop-archive-research-institute">Hiphop Archive &amp; Research Institute</a> and the <a href="https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/faq/nasir-jones-hiphop-fellowship">Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship</a> that funds scholars and artists who demonstrate “exceptional scholarship and creativity in the arts in connection with Hiphop.”</p> <p>UCLA announced an <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-03-28/ucla-hip-hop-initiative-chuck-d">ambitious Hip Hop Initiative</a> to kick off the golden anniversary. The initiative includes artist residencies, community engagement programs, a book series and a digital archive project.</p> <p>Perhaps my receiving tenure and promotion at the University of Virginia is part of the school’s attempt to help codify the existence of hip-hop scholarship.</p> <p>When I write about “dope,” I’m thinking of Black people like drugs to which the U.S. is addicted. </p> <p>Dope is a frame to help clarify the attempts, throughout American history, at outlawing and <a href="https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/online_exhibits/100_documents/1853-black-law.html">legalizing</a> the presence of Black people and Black culture. As dope, Black people are America’s constant ailment and cure.</p> <p>To me, dope is an aspiration and a methodology to acknowledge and resist America’s steady surveillance, scrutiny and criminalization of Blackness.</p> <p>By this definition, dope is not only what we are, it’s also who we want to be and how we demonstrate our being. </p> <p>Dope is about what we can make with what we are given. </p> <p>Dope is a product of conditions created by America. It is also a product that helped create America.</p> <p>Whenever Blackness has been seen as lucrative, businesses like record companies and institutions like colleges and universities have sought to capitalize. To remove the negative stigmas associated with dope, these institutions cast themselves in roles similar to a pharmacy. </p> <p>Even though I don’t believe academia has the power or authority to bestow hip-hop credibility, a question remains – does having a Ph.D and producing rap music as <a href="https://theconversation.com/hip-hop-professor-looks-to-open-doors-with-worlds-first-peer-reviewed-rap-album-153761">peer-reviewed publications</a>change my dopeness in some way?</p> <h2>Legalizing dope</h2> <p>Though I earned a Ph.D by rapping, my own relationship to hip-hop in academic institutions remains fraught. </p> <p>Part of the problem was noted in 2014 by Michelle Alexander, a legal scholar and author of “<a href="http://newjimcrow.com/">The New Jim Crow</a>,” when she talked about <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/new-jim-crow-whats-next-talk-michelle-alexander-and-dpas-asha-bandele">her concerns about</a> the legalization of marijuana in different U.S. states.</p> <p>“In many ways the imagery doesn’t sit right,” she said. “Here are white men poised to run big marijuana businesses … after 40 years of impoverished black kids getting prison time for selling weed, and their families and futures destroyed. Now, white men are planning to get rich doing precisely the same thing?”</p> <p>I feel the same way about dopeness in academia. Since hip-hop has emerged as a global phenomenon largely embraced by many of the “academically trained” music scholars who initially rejected it, how will those scholars and their schools now make way for the people they have historically excluded?</p> <p>This is why that quote about me “scoring, arguably, the dopest job ever” has stuck with me. </p> <p>I wonder if it’s fair to call what I do a form of legalized dope.</p> <h2>America’s dope-dealing history</h2> <p>In the late 1990s, I saw how fast hip-hop had become inescapable across the U.S., even in the small Midwestern town of Decatur, Illinois, where I grew up with my friend who is now serving federal prison time. </p> <p>He and I have remained in contact. Among the things we discuss is how unlikely it is that I would be able to do what I do without his doing what he did.</p> <p>Given the economic realities faced by people after leaving prison, we both know there are limitations to his opportunities if we choose to see our successes as shared accomplishments.</p> <p>Depending on how dope is interpreted, prisons and universities serve as probable destinations for people who make their living with it. It has kept him in prison roughly the same amount of time as it has kept me in graduate school and in my profession. </p> <p>This present reality has historical significance for how I think of dope, and what it means for people to have their existence authorized or legalized, and America’s relationship to Black people. </p> <p>Many of the buildings at Clemson were built in the late 1880s using “<a href="http://glimpse.clemson.edu/convict-labor/">laborers convicted of mostly petty crimes</a>” that the state of South Carolina leased to the university. </p> <p>Similarly, the University of Virginia was built by <a href="https://dei.virginia.edu/resources">renting enslaved laborers</a>. The University also is required by state law to purchase office furniture from a state-owned company that <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/14/public-universities-several-states-are-required-buy-prison-industries">depends on imprisoned people for labor</a>. The people who make the furniture are paid very little to do so. </p> <p>The people in the federal prison where my friend who helped me pay for college is now housed work for paltry wages making towels and shirts for the U.S. Army.</p> <p>Even with all of the time and distance between our pasts and present, our paths are still inextricably intertwined – along with all those others on or near the seemingly transient line that divides “legal” and “illegal” dope.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-global-musical-phenomenon-turns-50-a-hip-hop-professor-explains-what-the-word-dope-means-to-him-200872" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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British expat shares strange Aussie slang words she doesn't understand

<p>When Charlee moved from the UK to Australia, she never expected for there to be such a language barrier. </p> <p>The 25-year-old expat shared a list of unique Aussie slang words that she had "never heard in her life" until moving Down Under, with the list of Australianisms quickly going viral. </p> <p>“If you’re thinking about moving to Australia. Listen up. But first – Australian’s don’t all come at me,” she said in the video.</p> <p>“I am very aware I am an uncultured British person which is why I have moved to the other side of the world. I am ready to see the sights.”</p> <p>Charlee said despite having lived in Australia for a few months now, there are still quite a few words she hears daily that have her wondering what they mean. </p> <p>“First thing – an eskie. An eskie is a cool box (what they call it in the UK),” she said.</p> <p>“I do actually quite like the word. It sounds better than ‘cool box’ but still, [I’ve] never heard of it in my life.”</p> <p>The word "esky" became common in Australia after a brand by the same name released the first portable coolers in 1952. </p> <p>Another word Charlee struggled to understand was “doona". </p> <p>“A doona is a duvet. I don’t understand why you would just change the last three letters of the word. It’s quite a nice word, ‘doona’, it sounds very Australian … but it’s just a bit of a strange word.”</p> <p>Like most expats, the term “thongs” threw Charlee off when she first heard it. </p> <p>“I know we should all know what thongs are by now – they’re flip-flop. However, on the odd occasion someone will say thong to me and I genuinely think they're asking me about the piece of material wedged between my butt cheeks.”</p> <p>The other words Charlee listed were footy, ‘too easy’, ‘scull’ (ie scull a drink) and pants, which they refer to as trousers in the UK.</p> <p>Charlee's videos about life in Australia have garnered her an impressive following, with comments rolling in from natives saying "Yep, welcome to Australia!"</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p> <div class="media image venti" style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; box-sizing: inherit; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; width: 493.639679px; margin: 24px auto;"> </div>

Travel Trouble

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10 funny vintage slang words people should start using again

<p><span>In 1909, a British writer recorded thousands of Victorian slang words to make sure they were never forgotten. Now it's your turn to use them.</span></p> <p><strong>Mutton Shunter</strong></p> <p>Definition: Policeman</p> <p>Usage: “Is the Queen in town or something? There’s mutton shunters on every blasted corner!”</p> <p><strong>Gigglemug</strong></p> <p>Definition: An habitually smiling face</p> <p>Usage: “These Miss Universe contestants are just a bunch of gigglemugs.”</p> <p><strong>Fly Rink</strong></p> <p>Definition: A polished bald head</p> <p>Usage: “Be sure to wear glasses if you go outside; Grandpa’s fly rink is blinding today.”</p> <p><strong>Juggins-Hunting</strong></p> <p>Definition: Looking for a man who will pay for liquor</p> <p>Usage: “Jess forgot all her cash at home, so she’s off juggins-hunting again.”</p> <p><strong>Sauce-box</strong></p> <p>Definition: The mouth</p> <p>Usage: “When my kids won’t stop talking, I give them some chips just to fill their little sauce-boxes.”</p> <p><strong>Bags o' Mystery</strong></p> <p>Definition: A satirical term for sausages, because no man but the maker knows what is in them</p> <p>Usage: “Hope there’s no intestine in these bags o’ mystery; I’m trying to cut down on intestine.”</p> <p><strong>Arf'arf'an'arf</strong></p> <p>Definition: A figure of speech, meaning “drunk”</p> <p>Etymology: Order an “arf-an-arf” (or “half-and-half”) in a London pub and you’ll receive a malty cocktail of half black beer, half ale. Add one more ‘arf of beer to the mix and your mug suddenly runneth over; you, chum, must be arf’arf’an’arf – that is, drunk.</p> <p><span>Usage: “Charlie ordered another Guinness? He’s already arf’arf’an’arf!”</span></p> <p><strong>Gas pipes</strong></p> <p>Definition: Name given to trousers when tight</p> <p>Usage: “I just saw this poor hipster get his gas-pipes stuck in his unicycle spokes and totally eat kerb.”</p> <p><strong>Pumblechook</strong></p> <p>Definition: Human ass</p> <p>Etymology: From Uncle Pumblechook, a character in Dickens’ Great Expectations described as “that basest of swindlers”; greedy, pompous and piggish.</p> <p>Usage: “This fat Pumblechook totally cut me off in his ute – then he gave me a sneer at the Macca’s drive-through.”</p> <p><strong>Row-de-dow</strong></p> <p>Definition: Riot</p> <p>Etymology: A play on “row” (vintage slang for “quarrel”) or “rowdy.” Also spelled, “rowdydow.”</p> <p>Usage: “When the police arrived to break up the Scrabble feud it escalated into a full-on row-de-dow.”</p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Brandon Specktor. This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/our-language/10-funny-vintage-slang-words-people-should-start-using-again" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Mind

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“G’day from Sydney!”: Kyle MacLachlan shows off his Aussie slang

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">US actor Kyle MacLachlan has been keeping fans updated about his time in hotel quarantine, with his latest clip containing a funny message for Aussie fans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MacLachlan, well-known for his roles in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twin Peaks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sex and the City</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, has showed off the Australian slang he has been learning while quarantining in Sydney in a quirky video shared on social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“G’day from Sydney! It’s Kyle MacLachlan,” the actor began, while holding a coffee in hand and with Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower in the background. “I’m here in quarantine for the next few weeks, and I’m doing OK despite being isolated in my room.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Crikey, my day is choc-a-block,” he said, chuckling.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Once I put on my dacks, from brekky to arvo and even to din din I’m flat out. There’s heaps to do, and even though it’s not hard yakka, I’m no bludger. I reckon it’ll pay off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I finish quarantine the first thing I’ll do is get into my budgie smugglers, slip on my thongs, grab my Esky and head to the beach for a sunbake.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Then after a couple of snags on the barbie with my cobbers, we’ll soak a slab or even a goon bag from the bottle-o, oh it’ll be a right good piss up. No wuckas.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS7oSDCH4Pf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS7oSDCH4Pf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle MacLachlan (@kyle_maclachlan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the background showing Sydney’s rainy weather, he ended the video saying: “Well, it defo looks like we’ll need a brolly today, hmm?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the star has not revealed what has brought him to Australia, Twitter user Andrew Mc suspected it was likely to do with a new comedy series based on Joe Exotic, the big-cat breeder previously depicted in </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new series, written by Kate McKinnon, is expected to film in Queensland, with MacLachlan starring as Howard Baskin - the husband of Carole Baskin, Exotic’s nemesis.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MacLachlan’s Aussie slang comes as the second of his video updates from hotel quarantine, with the first seeing him share wildlife facts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starting the clip with the same greeting from Sydney, Australia, MacLachlan goes on to say: “I’m here starting my 14 day quarantine for work, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you a little Australian trivia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Did you know that the Sydney funnel web spider is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It can kill a human being in 15 minutes, and it’s fangs are so sharp, they can bite through a glove or even a fingernail… ugh!” he shuddered.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS5Dq5JHVHD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS5Dq5JHVHD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle MacLachlan (@kyle_maclachlan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suddenly looking surprised and worried, MacLachlan gets up from his seat in fear that he’s spotted a spider.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Jesus! God almighty, that’s a spider!” he says as he walks out of view, with the camera soon falling over.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the end of the clip, MacLachlan can be heard hitting his coffee cup against a surface, before saying: “That was close”.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Kyle MacLachlan / Instagram</span></em></p>

TV

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8 slang terms that need to make a comeback

<p>There are so many words and terms that we grew up hearing that have escaped our vocabulary today. Take a walk down memory lane as we look at some our favourite slang terms from yesteryear.</p> <p><strong>1. Burn rubber</strong></p> <p>According to <a href="http://onlineslangdictionary.com" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Online Slang Dictionary</span></strong></em></a>, burn rubber means “to accelerate quickly in an automobile, such that the tires don't get traction with the ground and spin freely.”</p> <p><strong>2. Dullsville</strong></p> <p>Dullsville is “a boring place”.</p> <p><strong>3. Egghead</strong></p> <p>An Egghead describes someone who is unsociable, smart and a nerd.</p> <p><strong>4. Get on the horn</strong></p> <p>To ‘get on the horn’ is to use the telephone.</p> <p><strong>5. Rag top</strong></p> <p>A ragtop is “an automobile with a convertible top.”</p> <p><strong>6. Shuckster</strong></p> <p>A shuckster describes a trickster, cheat or liar.</p> <p><strong>7. Square</strong></p> <p>While we all know that a square is a shape, it can also describe someone who is old-fashioned and out of touch.</p> <p><strong>8. Wig chop</strong></p> <p>A wig chop is the slang term for a haircut.</p> <p>What is your favourite slang term from yesteryear? Share it with us in the comments below.</p>

Retirement Life

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Hilarious cheat sheet to help tourists speak like an Aussie

<p>Australian slang is a unique art form that many tourists have to take time to grow accustomed to.</p> <p>One “helpful” writer has created a cheat sheet to help new tourists avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings with the locals.</p> <p>The guide, which was found in an Australian travel book, lists the slang words for 13 common words.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="598" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/44047/1_500x598.jpg" alt="1 (33)"/></p> <p>The list starts off by correctly saying that Aussies will often refer to as a friend as a “mate”.</p> <p>As the list continues, the slang words become even more peculiar with Australians not even hearing of these phrases before.</p> <p>According to the guide, Aussies call snakes “crikey mikey” and the moon is referred to as “mother onion”.</p> <p>Other bizarre translations include calling a cigarette a “koala log” and a sweatshirt a “Sleeve Urwins”.</p> <p>Unbeknownst to tourists, the slang guide is actually a prank.</p> <p>The author created the cheat sheet to continue the tradition of convincing tourists to believe odd things about Australia, just like how we ride kangaroos and have deadly drop bears. </p> <p>Hopefully tourists will figure out the joke before they start using these bizarre words! </p> <p><em>Image credit: Obviousplanet</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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The origins behind some of Australia’s most iconic sayings

<p>Susan Butler, editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, joined <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/iwakeupwithtoday/">Today Extra</a></strong></span> on Tuesday morning to reveal the origins behind some of Australia’s most iconic sayings. And some of these might surprise you!</p> <p><strong>"Fair dinkum"</strong></p> <p>Did you know “fair dinkum” actually originates from Britain?</p> <p>“Dinkum comes from a Midlands dialect in Britain so it's a sort of a Lincolnshire term for the amount of work you're expected to do,” Ms Butler explained. </p> <p>“So if you got sent down to the coal mines and were told to bring out 20 cart loads of coal or something then that was a ‘fair dinkum’. If you were told to bring up 30 or 40 cart loads then that wasn't a ‘fair dinkum’ and you got very upset.</p> <p>“They even had the phrase ‘fair dinkum’ meaning ‘let's be reasonable about this and that's kind of where they stopped it.”</p> <p>But once the phrase was brought over to colonial Australia, fair dinkum evolved to describe an Australian encompassing Australian values.</p> <p>“We have done more with it and therefore claim it as our own,” Ms Butler said. </p> <p><img width="460" height="258" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/09/26/23/44B94B5400000578-4920118-Editor_of_the_Macquarie_Dictionary_Susan_Butler_pictured_offered-a-3_1506465774403.jpg" alt="Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Susan Butler (pictured), offered fascinating insight on Today Extra on Tuesday morning when she delved into the origins of four iconic Aussie phrases" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="i-b7b22b9c5a15c17d"/></p> <p><strong>"They're fit as a Mallee bull"</strong></p> <p>We’ve always wondered why “Mallee bull” was chosen for this Aussie outback phrase.</p> <p>“The Mallee region we know best as one in Victoria, there's a couple of them in Australia. The word Mallee comes from the Wemba-Wemba Aboriginal language of Victoria and it describes the way Eucalypts grow there. They have a thick root under the ground that collects water,” Ms Butler explained.</p> <p>“The Mallee is very dry and if cattle escape into the Mallee there is not much for them to eat out there so they either die or they survive if they're particularly fit and hardy and strong.</p> <p>“So [the phrase] means you are very strong and a survivor.”</p> <p><strong>"Cobber"</strong></p> <p>It’s used to describe a mate or friend in Australian slang, but “cobber” also originated from Britian.</p> <p>“Cobber is one we share with British English and nobody is quite sure, there are two theories,” Ms Butler said. </p> <p>“One is that it comes from the Suffolk dialect where there's a phrase "to cob on to someone" - to make an association with them - so if people ‘cob’ then they become ‘cobbers’ and that means friends.</p> <p>“Equally there's the suggestion that the word comes from Yiddish chaber which means "comrade or friends’.” </p> <p><strong>"More than you can shake a stick at"</strong></p> <p>Now used to describe a situation that is “more than you can handle”, the saying first came from British English.</p> <p>“This phrase has moved a long way from its beginning which was in British English where you could ‘shake a stick’ at someone which means to behave in a threatening way. You could shake various things,” Ms Butler said.</p> <p>“From there it went to America and they were the ones who came up with the phrase ‘more than you can shake a stick at’ with the sense that if there's one cow in the paddock you may well feel inclined to shake a stick at it to make it run away.</p> <p>“But if there's a whole herd of them out there you might feel slightly more doubtful because it's more than you can handle.</p> <p>“Then we changed it and we seem to be more fond of ‘more than you can poke a stick at’ but both of them are around and both have the sense of ‘more than you can handle’.”</p> <p> </p>

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4 grandmothers try to interpret slang words

<p>Do you ever hear people say things and as hard as you try to rack your brains you just think “What on earth does that mean?”</p> <p>These four hilarious grandmothers know exactly how that feels, especially when it comes to words born from the “millennial” generation.</p> <p>In this video, they try to interpret slang words like “bae” and “fleek”. We think they did quite well.</p> <p>Did you understand the meaning of any of these kooky phrases? You’re doing better than us. Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/05/100-year-old-best-friends-unimpressed-with-todays-pop-culture/"><em>100-year-old best friends unimpressed with today’s pop culture</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/05/91-year-old-shares-advice-for-staying-young-at-heart/"><em>91-year-old shares advice for staying young at heart</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/05/105-year-old-volunteer-teacher/"><em>105-year-old proves volunteering has no age limit</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><strong> </strong></p>

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Using Aussie slang makes people more likable

<p>Using Aussie slang will make you more likable to fellow Australians. But only if your accent if fair dinkum.</p> <p>Research from Australian National University has found the use of slang words ending in “ie” or “o” increases the likelihood of an Australian finding you likeable.</p> <p>Dr Even Kidd, says his team was interested in the social effects of these particular kinds of slang, saying, “These terms are ironically called hypocoristics which is a very long name for a very short words. These are words like 'truckie' for truck driver, 'uggies' for ugg boots, 'ambo' for ambulance drivers and things like that.”</p> <p>In the study participants were introduced to an actor, who would use either the shortened slang or the normal terms in their conversation. After the interaction, participants were asked to rate each actor according to their “likeability”.</p> <p>“What we found is that when the actor used the slang words, the participant likes them more after the experiment finished than if they didn't use them,” Dr Kidd said.</p> <p>The research also found that accent was equally as important in terms of influencing the result, but interestingly, gender and race didn’t seem to have a bearing.</p> <p>“Initially we used what you might think of as prototypical Australian, so white Caucasian Australians and we wanted to see if there was an effect of gender on that,” Dr Kidd said.</p> <p>“We found that [gender] didn't have any effect, we still found this likeability effect in general. Then what we did was [get] a person of Asian background who spoke with an Australian accent, but also in another condition pretended to have a different accent.</p> <p>“What we found was that when she spoke with an Australian accent we found the same likeability effect for her, but we didn't find it when she spoke in a foreign accent.”</p> <p>This research is part of a series of studies examining generational change in the way Australians use slang words.</p> <p>The research has found older Australians are more likely to shorten words with an “ie” sound or an “o”, while younger Australians are more likely to clip words to the first one or two syllables and add an “s” sound.</p> <p>We’ve included a list of our 10 favourite Australian slang words below. And, in case you can’t get enough Australiana, <a href="/finance/money-banking/2015/12/20-aussie-suburbs-with-odd-names/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">this article shows 20 oddly-named Aussie suburbs</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><strong>Favourite Australian Slang terms:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Arvo: afternoon</li> <li>Barbie: barbeque</li> <li>Bottle-O: bottle shop, liquor store</li> <li>Chockers: very full</li> <li>Esky: cooler, insulated food and drink container</li> <li>Fair Dinkum: true, real, genuine</li> <li>Grommet: young surfer</li> <li>Mozzie: mosquito</li> <li>Ripper: really great</li> <li>Sickie: sick day</li> </ul> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/03/national-dish-of-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What is Australia’s national dish?</span></a></em></strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/03/experience-turtle-nesting-season-in-northern-territory/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Experience turtle nesting season in NT</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/03/mob-of-kangaroos-confront-cyclist/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mob of kangaroos confront cyclist</span></strong></em></a></p>

Domestic Travel

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Old school dating expressions that have different meanings now

<p>Modern dating culture has evolved so dramatically from the days of courtship in the 50s and 60s that the dating terms used no longer seem applicable. Here’s a handy compilation of old school expressions and their modern-day interpretations.</p> <p><strong>1. Wooing</strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: Pursuing a romantic interest in a romantic way so you could get to know them better to see if there’s a meaningful future.</p> <p>What it means now: Swiping right on Tinder. For those who don’t know, Tinder is a new dating app that the youths are using on their phone. You swipe left if you’re not interested and swipe right if you are. If the other person also swipes right on your photo, you can begin a conversation.</p> <p><strong>2. Going steady</strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: Your relationship has now progressed past the courting phase and you are now boyfriend and girlfriend.</p> <p>What it means now: You’re possibly going steady if you’ve gone on more than five dates in a row but you’re not sure because bringing that conversation up isn’t encouraged in a “hook-up” dating world where most people are dating multiple people at once.</p> <p><strong>3. Dear John letter</strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: A break-up letter.</p> <p>What it means now: Gradually phasing the person out of your life by not returning calls or texts until they eventually give up on you. The term “ghosting” has been coined to describe this popular phenomenon.</p> <p><strong>4. Beau  </strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: A term of endearment for a significant other.</p> <p>What it means now: Beau has been replaced with “bae” which stands for “before anyone else”. Or people are too lazy to even say babe or baby.</p> <p><strong>5. Keen</strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: You’ve got a crush on them.</p> <p>What it means now: You’ve never spoken to them but you’ve Googled them online and found their Facebook and other social media so now you know everything about them.</p> <p><strong>6. Petting/Necking</strong></p> <p>What it used to mean: Kissing and cuddling, especially when seated in the back seat of a car.</p> <p>What it means now: All that plus more. Much more.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/rsvp-what-people-want-from-relationships/"></a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/what-to-expect-on-your-first-date/">What to expect on your first date</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/rsvp-what-people-want-from-relationships/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/how-to-better-communicate-with-your-partner/">5 surprising ways to better communicate with your partner</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/rsvp-what-people-want-from-relationships/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/relationship-myths-that-are-wrong/">8 relationship myths (and why they’re wrong)</a></em></strong></span></p>

Relationships

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Aussie slang words that have the nation divided

<p>Do you say potato scallop or potato cake? Chances are if you’re from Queensland or NSW you’d balk at the term “potato cake” – after all, don’t you know it’s potato scallop? However, Victorians would staunchly disagree.</p> <p>The unassuming deep fried-potato is not the only slang term to cause heated debates within our nation. Is it cossies, togs, or bathers for you? On a hot summer’s day, would you like an icy pole, a “by jingo” or an ice block?</p> <p>What you answer reveals where you come from in Australia, according to a new study. Linguists from Melbourne have documented people’s word preferences gathered through an online survey and then mapped out the responses geographically.</p> <p>And it seems some of our most beloved snacks are the ones that cause the most contention.</p> <p>These are some of the questions the survey asked the 10,000 participants.</p> <p>What do you call a battered, deep-fried potato snack?</p> <p><img width="499" height="360" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11208/1_499x360.jpg" alt="1 (112)"/></p> <p>What general term do you use to refer to swimwear?</p> <p><img width="500" height="354" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11209/2_500x354.jpg" alt="2 (117)"/></p> <p>What do you call the object that you might drink water from in a park or school?</p> <p><img width="500" height="363" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11210/3_500x363.jpg" alt="3 (112)"/></p> <p>What do you call a barbecued sausage, served in a single slice of bread?</p> <p><img width="499" height="349" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11211/4_499x349.jpg" alt="3 (113)"/></p> <p>Which term do you use when someone's nose is bleeding?</p> <p><img width="500" height="358" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11212/5_500x358.jpg" alt="5 (98)"/></p> <p>What do you call a frozen, water-based sweet treat?</p> <p><img width="500" height="348" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11213/6_500x348.jpg" alt="6 (96)"/></p> <p><em>Map source: © <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org" target="_blank">OpenStreetMap contributors</a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/11/kangaroo-on-roof/">Kangaroo stuck on roof for 6 hours</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/11/puppy-custom-made-wheelchair/">Watch puppy with two legs walk for first time</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/11/grandfather-priceless-reaction-to-baby-announcement/">Man’s incredible reaction to discovering he’s going to be grandfather</a></strong></em></span></p>

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Do you still use these “old school” words?

<p>These words were once a dime a dozen but now have nearly all been forgotten. Do you still use these old school slangs? And if you want to share this list with your grandchildren, we’ve provided the modern equivalent so they’re not completely lost!</p><p>Bobby dazzler = someone of something that is remarkable/excellent</p><p>Wash house = laundry</p><p>Dunny or lavatory = toilet</p><p>Frock = dress</p><p>Wireless = radio</p><p>Slacks = pants</p><p>Ice box = fridge</p><p>Pull the chain = press the flush button</p><p>Hooroo or cheerio = goodbye</p><p>Counterpane = bedspread</p><p>Eiderdown = duvet&nbsp;</p><p>Tennis shoes or plimsolls = gym shoes</p><p>Pinny = apron</p><p>Tick = mattress</p><p>Bloomers = knickers</p><p>Port = suitcase</p><p>Perambulator = pram</p><p>Brassiere = bra</p><p>Hoover = vacuum cleaner</p><p>Hanky = tissue (not really, but try telling that to your grandkids)</p><p>Railway stations = train stations</p><p>Goods trains = freight trains</p><p>The box = the TV</p><p>Go to the pictures = go to the movies</p><p>Durex tape = sticky tape (best not to say Durex anymore as it’s associated with a condom brand…how things change)</p><p>Smalls = underpants</p><p>Tea = dinner</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family/2014/11/15-things-kids-of-today-are-missing-out-on/">15 things kids of today are missing out on</a></strong></em></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/education/2014/12/education-through-the-ages/">Remember the days of the old school yard?</a></strong></em></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/dating/2015/02/dating-in-the-past/">In pictures: dating in days gone by</a></strong></em></span></p>

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