| Cooee is an Australian slang word that is based on | | | | hit the sack (go to sleep). |
| the sound of a particular bird. | | | | If you are very annoyed you are cheesed off and |
| Australian language is unique in the way it sounds and | | | | may call it quits (stop trying to do something) - or if it's |
| also includes a whole array of expressions that can be | | | | really bad kick the bucket (die). |
| quite amusing to an outsider. | | | | In Australia we like to give people a fair go (an equal |
| Crocodile Dundee has brought cooee, Australiana and | | | | opportunity) and have been proud of our battlers |
| many Australian expressions to the world. Cooee, like | | | | (someone who works hard, struggling against the |
| many other Australian words, is of Aboriginal origin, but | | | | odds). We have been known to cut down tall poppies |
| a large part of the Australian language comes from | | | | (successful achievers)- but are slowly coming around |
| British and Irish convicts. | | | | to celebrating excellence. |
| Australian Slang is colloquial, used in informal | | | | At the end of the day you might have tea (the |
| conversation. It is much stronger in the bush (wooded | | | | evening main meal) with heaps (a lot) of veggies |
| areas) and outback (a remote and sparsely populated | | | | (vegetables) and flake (fillets of shark meat) and a |
| area) and in the poorer city areas. | | | | good old yack (a talk). |
| And it is a stereotype - we don't all speak Australian | | | | Cooee is a shout used in the Australian Outback |
| slang. But here are some phrases you will come | | | | mainly to attract attention, find missing people, or |
| across: | | | | indicate your location. You may also hear bush walkers |
| A universal friendly greeting is g'day (good day). Mate | | | | and their kids doing cooees. |
| (buddy) is used in greeting just about anyone, while | | | | Today, Australia - especially in the large cities like |
| Onya (good on you) is a friendly encouragement. Being | | | | Melbourne and Sydney - is multicultural and |
| fair dinkum (speaking the truth) and doing hard yakka | | | | sophisticated. You are more likely to hear Italian or |
| (hard work) will give you respect. | | | | Arabic than fair dinkum Australian slang. |
| You might want to travel off the beaten track (away | | | | We drink Cappuccinos, not billy tea (tea boiled on a |
| from the main traffic) to avoid civilization, go swimming | | | | camp fire). - And no, there are no Kangaroos on city |
| in your cossies (swimming costume), and when you | | | | streets. |
| are zonked (exhausted), call it a day (stop work) and | | | | |