What Is An Aussie Sheila And How Do I Speak Like An Australian
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!)
I have to say that you’re a bonza person to come and visit here! I’ve done an update on this topic, and you can find it here!
Learn To Speak Like An Aussie!
One word can carry a number of meanings. Today, we begin with “Mate”…!
Allan Cockerill is a writer for hire, and is available for everything from blog posts and article writing to ghost writing.
This post was first published on May 2, 2008 and was last updated on April 22, 2016.
LOL Thank you “Mate”, for clearing that up. I’ve wondered about it since the first time I heard it. 😀
I’d never heard of a drongo. It made me think how many other bird names can mean crazy. Cuckoo and doo doo are two that spring quickly to mind. 🙂
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No probs! BTW, I thought that doo doo was something else entirely… we both learned something today! 😀
Aveagoodweekend mate!
They do out here in Parkes . They have a serious ‘Darl’ addiction every shopkeeper calls you ‘Darl” At t he petrol station once the woman who served me said “Thanks Darl your a “Sweetie” . A “Darl and “Sweetie” in one sentence ! Maybe she fancied me lol .
They’re like that out there, I know, I married a girl from Dubbo 🙂