seby wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 9:14 am Sick cunt = An exceptionally good person

I remember having a discussion with some of my German colleagues about the expression "bad ass"... which is not so much a local colloquialism, but one that could be puzzling to folks who speak English as a second language. "Bad" being negative, "ass" being negative, but when put together, it is intended as a compliment. This "sick cunt" expression kind of reminds me of that.

Too many to mention, in the north of England.

Here's the Evening News' Top 50 for Manchester. Doesn't scratch the surface but brings back school days and all that mither.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... ds-6465030

(Their definition of snide is bobbins mind).

Gah'head - "go ahead."

Bubbler - water fountain.

Elastic - rubber band.

Bulkhead - exterior entry to basement.

Packie - liquor store.

These are ones I've confused people with on the west coast.

Being from a metropolitan city in the western US I often suspect I'm of a culture embarrassingly devoid of noteworthy accent or unique vocabulary. Maybe a Southerner, a New England or better still a non US English speaker could identify something idiosyncratic but otherwise I think we're boring. All of Colorado's cool shit is lifted from Chicanos, Mexicans and Central Americans.

I've heard bilingual academics decry Spanglish as a two faced sign of the educational underserved ("two half languages does not a language make"), which I appreciate but I've found some of it's usages charming.

Watchale= Cuidate/watch out (for that)!
Pushame= Empujame/ push me
Lonche= almuerzo/lunch

losthighway wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 1:53 pm I've heard bilingual academics decry Spanglish as a two faced sign of the educational underserved ("two half languages does not a language make"), which I appreciate but I've found some of it's usages charming.

It's how languages evolve into new languages. NOT CRAP

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I say "fucking cunt" and "cunt" excessively. i think this is a very Australian thing.
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Brit here. I'm guilty of the same.

Someone above also mentions Packie shop. Didn't Iggy Pop get some grief about this because someone thought he was saying Paki(stani) shop, which is offensive here?

As for where I live: when I first moved here there were quite a few, but most have dropped out of use (tidy for attractive, smart - same; hangin' - repulsive, mingin', same, though apparently that's actually Scottish rather than Welsh...muntin', pretty much the same as the last two). One thing I've found myself saying recently - after thirty-five years of resistance - is I'll be there now in a minute.

I also love Australian slang and colloquialisms. I read a list of them in the early days of the net and remember only three, because they made me laugh and I also doubted their provenance: beaver leaver and vagina decliner for gay guy, and todger dodger for lesbian. Are these real?

Also, slightly off topic, New Zealand gave us a phrase I still like. It was either a PC term, or a satirical swipe at the PC brigade: eggshell blond (bald guy).

jfv wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:24 am

seby wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 9:14 am Sick cunt = An exceptionally good person

I remember having a discussion with some of my German colleagues about the expression "bad ass"... which is not so much a local colloquialism, but one that could be puzzling to folks who speak English as a second language. "Bad" being negative, "ass" being negative, but when put together, it is intended as a compliment. This "sick cunt" expression kind of reminds me of that.

Heh, one of my university students shook my hand on the last day of term, looked my in the eyes, and proclaimed “You’re a sick cunt”. I nearly cried….

Pembs wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 4:13 pm I read a list of them in the early days of the net and remember only three, because they made me laugh and I also doubted their provenance: beaver leaver and vagina decliner for gay guy, and todger dodger for lesbian. Are these real?

I think Australians just say things like this while on the piss (drinking alcohol. In Australia) or flippantly for a laugh, use them for a while, then move on. That and having unique colloquialisms and slang within specific social circles. It's how we enjoy ourselves, connect and ignore our problems. They're definitely not common colloquialisms I've heard before, but at the same time they're familiar and i don't doubt there's been a group of people that have used them.

We seemed to have gained some traction here, so I will agree with my esteemed colleague FM Seby:

"He's a Good Cunt" : "I will vouch for this gentleman, you can deal with him in good faith, he is beyond reproach"

"He's a shit cunt" : "fuck this guy, piss in his beer at the first opportunity."

'Cunting off' - speaking ill of.