Teeg has been wondering what an Aussie Sheila is…
Being willing to help, as always, I have done a bit of research, and included a couple of other terms as well!
Australian slang was derived from English Cockney, and Irish roots.
It was first imported along with convicts when the country was colonised by the British during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Sheila/Shela/Sheelagh is thought to be of Irish origins, and is related to the Gaelic (Irish) name Sile, which usually translates as Julia, or Cecilia.
Thought to have been imported with Irish convicts, it is also thought to have been at one stage a derogatory name for homosexuals.
Indeed, an insult for an Aussie male would be being called a big sheila or a sook – denoting effeminate qualities.
Today, rather than being an insult, “Sheila” is widely regarded as a slang word for a woman.
An ‘alright sort of a sheila’ would therefore denote a pretty good woman!
Bonza is an adjective that means great, or excellent.
So a bonza bloke or sheila is an excellent man or woman!
A good sort is a good looking bloke or sheila.
A galah is either a bird (a member of the parrot family) or an idiot. A stupid bloody galah is a real goose!
A drongo is a fool, or a bird found in the far north of Australia.
G’day, good day, hello!
Hooroo, goodbye, see you later!
So, now you know how to talk a bit more like an Aussie… (more later!)
Learn To Speak Like An Aussie!
One word can carry a number of meanings. Today, we begin with “Mate”…!
