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Here in the US, we are being treated to a lot of "feature" coverage of Australia in the run-up to the Olympics. I'm wondering how much we will be able to learn of the local lingo via television coverage.
I, for one, was chagrined to learn that Australians do NOT say "shrimp on the barbie," an illusion long cherished by many of us Sydneyoutsiders. One TV program interviewed a famous Sydney chef (his name is now long gone from short-term memory) who gently reminded the interviewer that Aussies don't say "shrimp," they say "prawn." He then proceeded to throw prawn on the barbie and serve it with a lovely Thai-inspired sauce.
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i thought a shrimp was a small prawn.
the ocker image of australians has a lot to do with monty python and an ongoing english unease with the former colony.
another myth is the day/die thing. australians say "day" in comparison to the amercian/british "deh" (exaggeration).
still, if we didn't have stereotypes, who would we laugh at?
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Carpal Tunnel
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william, I dunno! Are you originally from Oz? Here in the US (of A) 'shrimp' pretty much covers the entire crustacean phylum (subphylum? *throwing up hands*).
And what is "ocker"?
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Carpal Tunnel
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AS, I LIU here... I won't ruin it for you! Yob is as yob does.  & thanks
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annastrophic, you could be right. i seem to remember shrimps being smaller than prawns and lobsters larger.
that was in my childhood in melbourne (yes, i am australian). and yes, my memory isn't as good as it should be!
maybe other australians can help out here.
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Pooh-Bah
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I've always said prawns for everything, small prawns for small ones all the way up to tiger prawns. I seem to remember my aunt calling the small ones shrimps, so that might have been common. Prawn cocktails always seem to have very small prawns, so I suspect we in Britain stopped calling them shrimps at some stage.
I now shop at Costco, and I looked today - there seems to be a real mixture, according to country of origin/intended market, very little to do with size.
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ocker = yobbish. - I really don't think that that captures the subtlety of the word; its really more unconsciously yobbish - a bit like hillbilly, if you like. I think yobbish has more pejorative and consciously uncouth connotations.
Also, the glossary of Oz expressions to which Tsuwm linked has to be viewed a little circumspectly - as with all guides to "argot", it's probably out of date as soon as it's written. A fair few of the expressions are also very ocker themselves!!!
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Carpal Tunnel
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another myth is the day/die thing. australians say "day" in comparison to the amercian/britishPerhaps, but what about the way you Australians say "i"? Shall we launch launch the great Trans-Tasman "Seednee/Sudnee" debate?
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Carpal Tunnel
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johnjohn, this is precisely why I am happy to have the opportunity to watch/listen to Australians on these TV programs. Yob, schmob.  I imagine y'all have much more access to American television than we do to Oz programming. So I will enjoy what I can find.
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