Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), Saturday 3 October 1896, page 5


Colonial Slanguage.

'Tis the everyday Australian Has a language of his own, Has a language, or a slanguage, Which can simply stand alone, And "a dicken push to kid us," Is a synonym for "lie," And to "nark"' means to stop it And to "nib it" means to fly!

And a bosom friend's a "cobber," While a casual acquaintance Is a "joker" or a "bloke," And his love's his "donah" Or his "clinah" or his "tart" Or his "little bit o' muslin." As it used to be his "bart." And his naming of the coinage Is a mystery to some, With his "quid" and "half a caser" And his "deener" and his "scrum!" And a "tin-back" is a party Who's remarkable for luck, And his food is called his "tucker" Or his "panem" or his "chuck."

A policeman is a "Johnny" Or a copman or a "trap," And a thing obtained on credit Is invariably "strap," A conviction's known as "trouble," And a gaol is called a "jug," And a sharper is a "spieler," And a simpleton's a "tug." If he hits a man in fighting, That is what he calls a "plug." If he borrows money off you He will say he bite your "lug." And to "shake it"is to steal it, And to "strike it" is to beg, And a jest is "poking borac" And the jester "pulls your leg." Things are "crook" when they go wrongly In the language of the "push," But when things go as he wants 'em He declares it is "all cush." When he's bright he's "got a napper," But he's "ratty" when he's daft, And when looking for employment He is "out o' blooming graft." And his clothes he calls his "clobber" Or his "togs," but what of that When a "castor" or a "kady" Is the name he gives his hat ! And our undiluted English Is a fad to which we cling, But the great Australian language Is a truly awful thing. Orange Leader. Be sure you are right ; but don't make yourself disagreeable by insisting that everybody else is wrong. — Puck. In the "Pages from a Private Diary," continued in the new number of Cornhill, on the subject of leavinf cards, the tale is told of a distinguished ecclesiastic of the present day. He had engaged a new groom who had quite recently left a racing stable and was not accustomed to ecclesiastical ways. As he was starting on a round of farewell calls on his neighbours, he sent the groom into the house to fetch his cards, and at each stoppage on the round James left some. When they came to the last house the master said, "Leave two cards here, James." His consternation may be ima-gined when the groom made answer : "I can't, my lord ; there's only the ace of spades left !"