Filthy column, Cuz

What happened to great Aussie sayings like "rip snorter," "bloody ripper" and "fair suck of the sauce bottle?"

Ashley Robinson. Picture: Patrick Woods

I was chatting to some learned customers at the surf club a few weeks ago and they were discussing old Australian sayings from my era and before, and how you don't hear too many today.

It got me thinking about slang as well, things like trouble and strife (wife), ginger beers (ears), I'm Lee Marvin (starving), or I am so hungry I could eat a horse and chase the jockey ... the list goes on.

"Fair suck of the sauce bottle" was prevalent, as well as "what was the John Dory?", meaning what's the goss?

It started me thinking about growing up and some of the things that used to get tossed up, like this one: "That woman's dress is that short you can see what she had for breakfast", which I never really got.

Dad used to say to me after an ill-fated go at folding up his tarp, "That looks like a dog's breakfast".

"Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other," was another he used frequently, as well as Alf out of Summer Bay's favourite saying, "stone the bloody crows", which was dad's favourite as well.

But it was more the discipline ones that got me, like, "I will count to three and then...", which is why I couldn't count past three for years as I never hung around to find out what came after it.

Then there was, "I will get the wooden spoon (second drawer)" or "You are in so much trouble, wait until your father gets home".

When he did get home he would say things like, "I'll knock your block off", or "You are as thick as two short planks".

"Drongo" was another favourite term he used on me, as well as "Don't pull the wool over my eyes" and "You have Buckley's chance of getting that".

"Better than a kick up the backside" was frequently used in reply to me whinging about something.

I hardly hear any of the above anymore.

I supposed some of those phrases could be deemed as bullying these days, which is pretty sad.

What is also a bit disappointing is we seem to have picked up a lot of American and Kiwi phrases these days with things like "choice", "cuz" and "bro" rather than "sweet", "cobber" and "mate".

Instead of "I'll be buggered", it's "wow" or "amazing", which are both overused to the "max", see what I mean?

The worst offender these days is "absolutely" - talk about overused.

Hardly ever do we hear "rip snorter", "bloody ripper" or "you beauty", which is a real shame. They seemed to be made extinct by the buzz words of a new generation.

In my time "sick", "fully sick", "filthy" or "dawwg" weren't words of enthusiasm or joy, but these days they are.

It's probably time I "put a sock in it", "do the Harold Holt" and go get a "dog's eye".