Speaking 'Strine

We definitely have it easier living in a country where English is the official language. In practice, most folks here speak what they would call "Strine" We decided before we came here to try and adopt the Aussie pronunciation of place names but use the American pronunciation for most things. It's going pretty well, but we do get in to a bit of bother once in a while.

Things that have tripped us up include:

Not being able to understand certain numbers
Ex.) I thought the clerk said thirteen, but she said thirty.

Being called luv or darlin', (mostly by women). This happens a lot, especially when you're being given instructions or correction.
Ex.) "Your fine luv"  when you're doing alright  or "You can't stand there darlings" when people aren't following the rule on where to queue. Adults speaking to young children almost always address them as "darling" even if they don't know them.

That Accent! Much like regional accents in the US, there are big variations in how thickly speech is accented. An adult speaking to me as a customer in a shop will be using speech that's easily understood by us, but two young Australian dudes speaking to each other will be incomprehensible.

The constant nicknaming of everything can be confusing. Brizzie, Tazzie, Breky, Pollys, Avo, Macca, Tinny, Esky, Veg, Ambo, Mozzie.
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For some reason about 85% of restaurants in Brisbane close before 2 in the afternoon..

We've learned a lot of new vocabulary words
Lift = elevator
Unit = apartment
EFT Pos = debit card
Flat white = coffee with cream
Travelator = escalator
Kebab = a wrap with hot meat
Chips = french fries
Crisps = chips
Confectionery = candy
Fill your boots = do what you want
Cover = Insurance
Ute = Truck
Tipping = Picking the winner
Footy = Australian Rules Football or Rugby
Power Point = electrical outlet
Prep School = pre-school
Nipper = young surf lifesaver
Posh Ute = Refurbished El Camino
Uni = university
Queue = line