The Aussie expressions most likely to be lost in translation revealed
Would you know what someone meant if they asked you to 'chuck a u-ey'? Image: iStock iStock
As if Vegemite and sunburns aren't jarring enough, travellers must also contend with 'chucking u-eys' and putting up with us abbreviating everything and placing a lazy 'o' at the end, ala 'servo' and 'bottle-o'.
From 'little ripper' to 'she'll be right', it's clear visitors to our fair nation have their work cut out for them when it comes to understanding our very, erm, unique vernacular (an American friend once described to me his horror when he first heard the term 'cracking the sh-ts', which translates roughly to explosive diarrhoea where he's from).
The expressions we've grown up using are a recipe for many a cross-eyed tourist, and now language learning app Babbel have laid out the research, confirming which quirky expressions are most likely to leave our visitors blanked-faced.
The survey gathered responses from people spanning the UK, USA, France, Sweden, Germany, Spain, the Philippines, Canada, Poland and Russia to reveal the most widely misinterpreted expressions used by Aussies. And let me tell you, it's a cracker.
While some participants were able to work out the meaning of some of our local banter, like 'How ya goin'?' and 'G'day', other expressions didn't quite register. Or worryingly, registered as something entirely different from its intended meaning.
Frankly, we'd be lying if we said we understood all of them ourselves ('hum dinger', anyone?).
But without further ado, please enjoy this list of Babbel's favourite Oz expression mix-ups:
"She'll be right" (It will be okay)
UK: The wife is always correct
Russia: She will be back in just a minute
"Chuck a u-ey" (To make a U-turn while driving)
Germany: Something that is disgusting
Poland: To drink fast
Russia: Everything is cool
"Servo" (Service station)
UK: Bring the drinks
France/Sweden/Germany: Waiter
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