Lyn and John’s son here (you visited us on Orleigh St). Please DM me on Insta, Mum and I would love to catch up with you and Helen (my father died in 2018) Lucasspeakingsoba
When I lived in Bavaria and worked in a multi-national company I heard some good ones. There was an Italian fellow called Marco who used to say "Ray... you're driving me lazy." and "Anyway... nobody gives a s**t to this."
"Nooclear" is annoying, but I'll take it over "nookiller" which the US has somehow convinced many people to use. Mom's bugbear used to be "mischievous" being pronounced with an extra "i" - as in mis-chee-vee-us.
What do these people think it is, Bush Week? They couldn't lead a choko vine over a dunny roof, this lot.
Thanks for this great article Hugh. A lot of younger people may not of heard of 'Blind Freddy' but according to the Australian author John O'Grady, his spirit lives on and is frequently called upon to measure the lack of physical or mental perception exhibited by your workmate or companion "You still lookin' for that bloody shovel? If it was a dog it'd bite you..... even Blind Freddy could see it! Your mother Olive had some really great sayings that you have written about in your other articles.
And if you’d lost something she would say: “It’s up in Annie’s room behind the clock”, which I couldn’t understand as a boy. Or “use your eyes instead of your mouth”.
Lyn and John’s son here (you visited us on Orleigh St). Please DM me on Insta, Mum and I would love to catch up with you and Helen (my father died in 2018) Lucasspeakingsoba
“She’s a pelican, yeah.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/28/paul-hogan-pauline-hanson-pelican-insult-australian-slang-please-explain
Why would a wombat attack a pelican?
I studied king Lear and know it very well — but I never noticed the use of a Pelican: or in Huge’s movie.
My guess was that it means someone who shits on you from a great height: and in large volume
Thanks for that well written article: it’s always nice to see a newspaper story written as clear as a pane of glass.
Hugh
Hugh, another saying I liked, which I think I'm paraphrasing from your old Dad Fred: "You'll get all that sort of thing if you live long enough."
And one from Rugby League identity Gus Gould, when asked about any old thing: "You never know your luck in the big city."
Ray, you got Fred’s quote exactly right — what a memory you have.
Now that I’m 85 I appreciate the accuracy of Fred’s observation much more!
Hugh
In Brisbane we say "you never know your luck in a medium size city."
My mother used to say: “Oh what a bird is a pelican; it’s beak holds more than its belly can.”
When I lived in Bavaria and worked in a multi-national company I heard some good ones. There was an Italian fellow called Marco who used to say "Ray... you're driving me lazy." and "Anyway... nobody gives a s**t to this."
"Nooclear" is annoying, but I'll take it over "nookiller" which the US has somehow convinced many people to use. Mom's bugbear used to be "mischievous" being pronounced with an extra "i" - as in mis-chee-vee-us.
What do these people think it is, Bush Week? They couldn't lead a choko vine over a dunny roof, this lot.
Jim Egoroff would say: "What do they think it is, a Bush Christmas?"
Your mother was correct about pronouncing mischievous: it seems you got your love of words from her. “She could run Australia”.
Hugh
Thanks for this great article Hugh. A lot of younger people may not of heard of 'Blind Freddy' but according to the Australian author John O'Grady, his spirit lives on and is frequently called upon to measure the lack of physical or mental perception exhibited by your workmate or companion "You still lookin' for that bloody shovel? If it was a dog it'd bite you..... even Blind Freddy could see it! Your mother Olive had some really great sayings that you have written about in your other articles.
And if you’d lost something she would say: “It’s up in Annie’s room behind the clock”, which I couldn’t understand as a boy. Or “use your eyes instead of your mouth”.
It’s lovely and sunny in Brisbane — 25 tomorrow.
Hugh
Hugh
It was only this week I was thinking of my dad saying he was “tonguing for a beer” and there it was in your article.
Yes so many Americanisms (is that a word)
“Off of” is a pet peeve of mine too - it doesn’t make sense but just like Trump is accepted as part of life
Ah well lest we forget let’s keep remembering
“Lest we forget our language” — so true Anne-Marie of the Daisy Hill mob.
Hugh
Never had windmill soup, but when we asked mum what was for dinner, the answer was often "bread and duck under the table".
My mum would say at dinner if there were vguests: “Eat up kids, look how the visitors are eating!”.
Hugh
Hahaha! I like that.