End Times: Rise of the Undead

by Shane Carrow

  mozzy/mozzie - mosquito

  Nurofen – trademark brand and generic term for ibuprofen

  occy strap – bungee cord, derived from “octopus strap”

  Panadol – trademark brand and generic term for paracetamol

  Premier – the head of government of a state, equivalent to a governor in the US

  Prime Minister – the head of the federal government. While the Queen is legally Australia’s head of state, represented by the Governor-General (who is in any case appointed by the PM), in practice Australia is entirely independent and the Prime Minister is the nation’s leader

  Red Rooster – roast chicken fast food franchise

  refo – refugee; over the past twenty years refugee boat arrivals in Australia have played a significant (and disproportionate) role in domestic politics

  rego – car registration and license plate number

  RFDS – Royal Flying Doctor Service, an iconic non-profit medevac service for remote areas

  SAS – Special Air Service; an elite special forces unit, named after the British SAS, not to be confused with the SES

  sealed road – a bitumen or asphalt road, as opposed to an unsealed road of sand, dirt or gravel; equivalent to “metalled road” or “paved road”

  servo – service station or petrol station

  SES – State Emergency Service, a volunteer organisation which assists professional agencies during and after declared disasters, natural or otherwise. Recognisable by their orange uniform. Not to be confused with the SAS

  smoko – smoke break (in the workplace); falling out of practice as smoking rates decline

  stockman – mounted livestock worker on Outback cattle stations, i.e. a cowboy or cattle wrangler

  stroppy – bad-tempered or argumentative

  sunnies – sunglasses

  suss – suspicious, as in “it looked pretty suss”; also to infer or discover, as in “go and suss it out”

  thongs – flip-flops, and the cause of many a humourous misunderstanding with Australian travellers overseas

  tradie – tradesman, or more broadly any blue-collar worker

  ugg boots – sheepskin boots traditionally considered daggy and associated with bogans; becoming popular overseas as a luxury fashion item, which Australians find hilarious

  uni – university

  unsealed road – a dirt, sand or gravel road, as opposed to a sealed road

  ute – utility vehicle (pick-up truck)

  VB – Victoria Bitter, Australia’s most popular cheap beer

  WACE – Western Australian Certificate of Education; the high school exams and scores which determine university placement in the state of Western Australia

  Woolworths or ‘Woolies’ – one of two dominant national supermarkets, the other being Coles