Glossary
As all of my books are set in Australia and use a lot of Australian terms and slang, I’ve created this guide for my readers to keep you on track when you come across any Aussie-isms in my books.
A bit of all right : If someone is ‘a bit of all right’ they’re considered to be very attractive.
Ambo : Short for ambulance, the term has come to mean anyone associated with any of the public or private ambulance services, their drivers and paramedics.
Arse : Aussie spelling of ass, aka buttocks, bottom, booty and bum.
Arvo and Sarvo : ‘Afternoon’ and ‘this afternoon’.
Bonnet and Boot (in relation to cars) : Hood and trunk.
Co-inky-dink : Coincidence.
Copper : Police, cops.
Fashion Rag/Local Rag : Fashion magazine, any locally produced magazines or newspapers.
Fierie/s : Firefighter/s.
Fuck-knuckle : An idiot.
G’day : Pronounced ‘gidday’, this official Australian greeting is a contraction of the words ‘good’ and ‘day’.
Kiwi : Pronounced ‘kee-wee’, anyone born in New Zealand.
Larrikin : An unruly, boisterous but generally good natured person, usually male.
Mate : Unlike paranormal or sci-fi erotic romances where your ‘mate’ is the person you’re fated to be with for the rest of your life, in Australian culture ‘mate’ could mean anyone from your best friend to some random bloke you just met.
Pash/pashing : A passionate kiss.
Pav : Pavlova, a dessert made from baked meringue, topped with cream and fresh fruit, particularly popular around Christmas. We nicked it from the Kiwis.
Phwoar : An estimation of the sound one makes when a bit of all right enters your vicinity. See also, ‘panting’ and ‘drooling’.
RFS : Rural Fire Service.
Sanga : Sandwich.
Servo : a petrol station or service station.
She’ll be right, mate : Usually given as a response when someone is offering aid of some kind, it means ‘Everything will be fine but thanks for asking’.
Togs : A swimsuit.
Tradie : Any tradesman.
Uni : Pronounced ‘you-nee’, University aka College.
Yeah, nah and Nah, yeah : Whichever word the phrase ends on, is the affirmative answer, therefore ‘Yeah, nah’ means ‘No’, and ‘Nah, yeah’ means ‘Yes’.