E020 Strewth!

Welcome to English with Kimberley.

In this episode, I want to introduce you to slang and especially Australian slang. For example, ‘strewth’. ‘Strewth’ is an Australian way of saying something like ‘wow’ or ‘gee’ when you’re surprised.

So, in our first quiz, which one of these sentences uses ‘strewth’ correctly?

a) He put his strewths on backwards.

b) Kimberly just loves the strewth he hears in Australia.

c) Why don’t we just say, ‘strewth’ and forget about it.

or d) Strewth! Put some strides on mate and cover up those pins!

This is perhaps not so difficult, but let’s hear the question again and make sure we’re happy with the answer.

Which one of these sentences uses ‘strewth’ correctly?

a) He put his strewths on backwards.

b) Kimberly just loves the strewth he hears in Australia.

c) Why don’t we just say, ‘strewth’ and forget about it.

or d) Strewth! Put some strides on mate and cover up those pins!

Well, did you guess d) ‘Strewth! Put some strides on mate and cover up those pins!’

In fact, there is a lot of slang in this sentence with ‘strewth’, ‘strides’, ‘mate’ and ‘pins’. But first, what is slang?

Slang are words and phrases that are very informal and more common in speech than writing.

In Australia, slang is often referred to as ‘strine’ and is very often spoken in a broad Aussie accent.

We’ve already said that ‘strewth’ is a way of expressing surprise. But ‘mate’ is how Australians great each other as in ‘g’day mate’, ‘strides’ is Aussie slang for pants or trousers and ‘pins’ is a way of saying legs.

So, ‘Strewth! Put some strides on mate and cover up those pins!’ could be said as, ‘Wow! Put your pants on and cover up those legs!’ This being possibly because they are not a pleasant sight to look at.

Some people think using slang can sound a bit uneducated wherever you are, but I think it makes you sound a bit more colourful and like a native – which is what you want to sound like, isn’t it!

Just be careful, you need to use less slang in certain situations that require a slightly more formal style, like when talking to your children’s teacher, or a when talking to someone about returning something that you have bought in a shop.

So, to our final quiz – remember it’s just for fun.

A very common expression in Australia is ‘fair dinkum’, but what does it mean?

a) Doing some really good work.

b) Being someone or something that is genuine and true.

c) Having an open mind.

or d) Being a great mate.

Let’s repeat the question.

What does the Aussie slang ‘fair dinkum’ mean?

a) Doing some really good work.

b) Someone or something that is real, genuine and true.

c) Having an open mind.

or d) Being a great mate.

Well, if I were to say, ‘his Aussie language is really fair dinkum’. I would be saying that he really sounds like an Australian. So, the answer is b) ‘Someone or something that is real, genuine and true.’

If you want some more information on Aussie slang, then type ‘Aussie slang’ into your search engine and see what comes up. You can also search for the site ‘e-phrase’ too, and if you go the GoAustralia website and check out the script to this podcast you’ll find a link to a downloadable Aussie slang dictionary from Tourism Australia.

If you like English with Kimberley, then tell your friends about it.

You can also leave feedback about this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

You can also find a script of this podcast at www.goaustralia.biz

I hope you have enjoyed this podcast and you’ll join me again.

Resources:

E_phrase. (2017). Learn English Online. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from http://www.e-phrase.com.au/

Tourism Australia. (2017) Aussie Dictionary. Retrieved June 15, 2017, from http://canguroenglish.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/AussieDictionary.pdf