Special Sub-Topic: Aussie Lingo Click Here To Play: Aussie Lingo

If you're "flat out as a lizard drinking" you are what?

Really busy. You're really busy, working at full capacity, going at top speed if you're flat out as a lizard drinking!

If you had "a few roo's loose in the top paddock", what would you be?

Mentally incompetent. Also "a few bricks short of a load", "not the full quid" and "a sandwich short of a picnic"!

What is "aerial ping-pong"?

Australian Rules Football. Aussie Rules, a very popular form of football played in Australia, is colloquially called aerial ping-pong.

If you're "cactus", you're what?

Dead. You're dead, you're "pushing up daisies", you're "as dead as a doornail" or even "carked it"!

If you've got a "bad case of the trots" what is wrong with you?

You've got diarrhea. Diarrhea usually makes you run to the toilet, hence, the trots!

If you're "out the back of Bourke", where are you?

A long way from a populated area. Bourke is an inland country town in New South Wales, so, colloqially speaking, if you were out the back of Bourke, you would be in a remote, sparsely populated area of the countryside.

If you're as useful as "hip pockets on a singlet" how useful are you?

Not very. Hip pockets on a singlet would not be very useful, nor would "an ashtray on a motorbike"!

You're "like a f*rt in a bottle", means what?

You can't keep still. Like having "ants in your pants", you can't keep still, especially used to describe over-active children!

What's a "cackleberry"?

Another name for an egg. Hen's, chickens, "cackle" and berries can be ovoid in shape, hence, a cackleberry!

If you "come a gutser", what's happened to you?

You've had an accident. Children often come a gutser off their bikes, skateboards, scooters, big "kids" often do the same off motorbikes, horses etc!

What are, colloquially, "after darks"?

Sharks. Sharks often cruise the beaches at night, hence the rhyming slang, after darks!

What would you describe as a "dog's breakfast"?

A real mess. Yet again, self explanatory really, well, it is if you've ever had a dog, especially a puppy!

What happens if you "cark it"?

You die. You're dead, you're "pushing up daisies", you're "as dead as a doornail" or even "cactus"!

If you "haven't got a brass razoo" what's your situation?

You're poor. You'd be as "poor as a churchmouse", "skint", without any money. A "razoo" is a fictitious coin made of brass, origin unknown.

If "you're not within cooee", where are you?

Not even close. You're not even close, your far away, like the Kiwi (New Zealand) Test Team (Rugby League) they were not within cooee of beating Australia in the October 2002 Test, well, at least not in the second half!

"Rissole" is a colloquial term for an RSL Club. What do the letters RSL stand for?

Returned Services League. The Returned (&) Services League support service men and women from all the defence forces, past and present and they do a great job as well as being a great social club!

If things are "crook in Muswellbrook" what's the situation?

Not good. Rhyming slang, if things are crook in Muswellbrook (New South Wales) or Tallarook (Victoria), the situation is not good!

In Australia, Queensland and New South Wales particularly, what are "Mexicans"?

People from south of the border. In New South Wales it's a person from Victoria and in Queensland it's a person from Victoria or New South Wales, i.e., south of the border!

If you're as "rough as bags" what are you like?

Rude or ugly. When describing a person as rough as bags you mean they are extremely rough in either manners or looks, either rude or ugly!

What, in rhyming slang, are your "Warwicks"?

Your arms. This is rhyming slang, Warwick Farm is a racecourse in Sydney. Farm rhymes with arm, so, "Warwicks" is the plural, arms! Not in very common usage.

If you're "as crook as Rookwood" what is your physical state?

Very ill. You'd be extremely ill, considering this phrase is a reference to Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney!

If someone asked you to "take a butchers at this", what would they want you to do?

Take a look at something. Butchers is rhyming slang, "butchers hook", look! Also, "crook", or sick. Another term for take a look is to have a "Captain Cook" at something!

If something has gone "walkabout" what has happened to it?

It has disappeared. Australian Aboriginals are renowned for going "walkabout", i.e., wandering off, disappearing without a word. So if something's gone walkabout it has disappeared, just like the sock that never comes back from the washing, or the remote control for the television!

"Don't come the raw prawn with me" means what?

Don't try to deceive me. Don't try to deceive, delude, or lie to me.

What are you doing if you use the "bush telegraph"?

Communicating by word of mouth. The bush telegraph is way of communicating by spreading information and/or rumour by word of mouth. Also, "bush telegram" and "bush wireless".