DAILY DIRT: Don’t be a drongo, mate

Daily Dirt for Saturday, May 3, 2025

If ever am in Australia, the first thing I would do is go to Maccas … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,273 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

Maybe it’s because of how much I love to hear Australians talk in the movies.

Or maybe it’s because of a guy I’ve been friends with for decades who happens to love Australian Rules Football and regularly makes pilgrimages to the land down under to watch “footie”.

Or quite possibly it’s because of how much I enjoy the “NCIS Sydney” television program, which blends American and Aussie police work into a highly entertaining 60 minutes each week.

Whatever the reason, I love to hear the Australians talk. Learning about all of their slang references for everyday items and situations has been a treat for years. Take, for example, Accadacca: How Aussies refer to Australian rock band AC/DC.

1. Durry: A cigarette.
2. Coldie: A beer. (“Come over for a few coldies, mate.”)
3. Drongo: A fool. (“Don’t be a drongo, mate’.”)
4. Dunny: Toilet.
5. Bloody oath – yes or its true. “You right mate?”… “Bloody Oath”
6. Bogan: This word is used for people who are, well let’s say, rednecks.
7. Brekky: Breakfast.
8. Brolly: Umbrella.
9. Bruce: An Aussie bloke.
10. Crack the shits: Getting angry at someone or something.
11. Esky: An insulated container that keeps things cold.
12. Facey: Facebook.
13. Larrikin: Someone who’s always up for a laugh, bit of a harmless prankster.
14. Legless: Someone who is really drunk.
15. Piece of Piss: Something that is easy.
16. Maccas: McDonald’s
17. Piss Up: A party, a get together, most social occasions.
18. Budgie Smugglers: Speedos.
19. Clucky: Feeling maternal.
20. Cobber: A very good friend. 

2.  Did you know (Part 351)

• That 90 percent of Aussies live on the coast.
• That while Australia’s continental land mass is roughly the same size as the contiguous 48 American states, the entire U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, is larger. 
• That about 18 percent of Australia is a desert.
• That Australia is considered both the smallest continent and largest island in the world.
• That Australia has the world’s longest golf course. The Nullarbor Links spans a whopping 848 miles from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. This one-of-a-kind golf course consists of 18 holes, each located in a different town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway. Golfers can take their time completing the course, often taking several days to play all 18 holes while traversing the vast and arid Nullarbor Plain.

3. This week’s celebrity birthdays include:

• Former member of the Jackson 5, Jackie Jackson, will be 74 on Sunday. He’s one of three original members of the group still alive.
• Pro golfer Rory McIlroy will be 36 on Sunday. I wonder if he’s taken off that green jacket yet?
• Newsman Brian Williams reaches No. 66 on Monday. 
• Legendary rocker Bob Seger will be 80 on Tuesday. Oh, those Hollywood nights.
• Actor George Clooney turns 64, also on Tuesday. Remember when he was a regular on “Roseanne?”

Steve Thought O’ The Day – G’day, mate!

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Does anyone think he would actually try a vegemite sandwich?