Aussie-speak

D and I have been quite amused by all of the Aussie-speak over the past couple of weeks. Some of our favorites:

"head luggage" - When the Qantas rep was telling us that our bags were overweight, she suggested we put more stuff in our "head luggage" since it wouldn't be weighed. So helpful!

"chilly water" - Australians don't drink cold water or iced water, they drink "chilly water".

"gorgeous" - Australians apply this adjective to food quite often, to mean delicious or tasty. I tend to think of it as a visual descriptor, but I guess they don't.

"cheers" and "that's okay" - D and I often say "thanks" and get a "that's okay" in return. Apparently it's the equivalent of our "you're welcome" or "no problem". We also noticed other people don't say "thanks" at all; they say "cheers".

"fuzzy wuzzy angels" - This one came up when our guide was explaining some history to us at Kings Canyon. Apparently during World War II, when ANZAC soldiers were injured and had to be smuggled back through Japanese enemy lines, they would be guided by Papua New Guineans. The soldiers' nickname for these guides was "fuzzy wuzzy angels", because their hair was fuzzy, and they were like guiding angels.

"silly o'clock" - On the day before our early morning Uluru tour, our guide said goodbye to us by saying she would pick us up the next day at "silly o'clock", meaning really really early. I don't know if this is a common term or just her being funny.

"wet bum" - D was very amused every time our snorkelling guides told us not to sit down with "wet bums" on our boat.

"aces" - We'd heard this one before, but it's used much more frequently here.