Some Central Australianisms.

When I first moved from New South Wales to South Australia, it seemed that every day I would come across a new phrase, a distinct regional lexicon or pronunciation that stood out like a long vowel to a newcomer like me.

I soon became used to most of these; although I'll never call a telegraph pole a 'stobie' pole and I still find the concept of a pie floater just plain weird.

So when I moved to the Northern Territory a year and a half ago, there were a swag of new phrases popping up all over the place. Many of these I have grown to love, or at the very least, become quite fond of. Some of them even enough to bravely use in conversation.

Here are a few of my favourite Central Australianisms.

proper flash
means when something is fandangled, fancy, or new
usage "Have you seen their new car? It's proper flash."

oh, true
means really, is that correct
usage "Did you see the Todd River's flowing?" "Oh, true"

mob
means group of people (collective noun), lots of [something]
usage "Hey you mob, get over here", or "I love my crumpets with big mobs of butter"

look here
means can I have your attention
usage "Hey you mob, look here!"

grew up (by), grown (him/her) up
means to be raised/reared by someone
usage "His grandmother grew him up", "I was grown up by my aunty"

camp dog
means a dog of mixed or unspecified breed
usage "What kind of dog is that?" "It's a purebred camp dog. Got it from the pound"

yippy
means One of the main shopping centres in Alice Springs (Yeperenye)
usage "Oh, I bumped into her at yippy this morning"

old mate
means Someone whose name you're unsure of but need to refer to in conversation; someone whose name you can't remember
usage "Old mate over there's selling his ute, why don't you have a yarn with him?"

yarn, have a yarn with, yarning
means chat, discuss, conversing with
usage "Go and have a yarn with Beryl, she can tell you all about it"


I'm sure there are many more but these were the Central Australianisms that first came to mind. And - I'm sure some of these are used elsewhere in the NT or Australia in some form or another.

What about where you live? Are there phrases or sayings that come out of your mouth that are unique to your region? Or, if you live in a different place to where you grew up, did you notice any different (or funny) sayings or phrases? And - are you brave enough to use them?