A daily bilingual series explaining practical and interesting English expressions, with particular attention to natural Australian usage and common difficulties for Chinese speakers.
- Why Does “A Bit Ordinary” Mean “Not Very Good”?
- “A Dog’s Breakfast” Means a Complete Mess
- “All good” Can Mean “No Problem”
- Can’t Complain Means Things Are Going Fine
- “Catch You Later” Does Not Arrange a Later Meeting
- Why Does ‘Cheers’ Often Mean More Than a Toast in Australia?
- “Chuck a U-ey” Means “Make a U-turn”
- “I Could Do with a Coffee.” Means “I’d Like One”
- “Do You Happen to Have…?” Softens a Request
- Why “Do You Want a Lift?” Is Not About an Elevator
- “It’s Done and Dusted”: Finished with Nothing Left
- “Don't Spit the Dummy” Means “Don't Throw a Tantrum”
- “Fair Enough” Is Acceptance, Not Complete Agreement
- Why ‘Give It a Go’ Sounds Ready for Action
- How “I Might Give It a Miss” Softens a No
- “Give Me a Shout” Means “Let Me Know”
- Why Does “Give Us a Sec” Mean “Give Me a Moment”?
- “Go for It.” Can Simply Mean “Yes, Go Ahead”
- “Good Call” Means “That Was a Sensible Decision”
- “Good on ya” Means “Well Done”
- Why “Good on You!” Sounds So Australian
- ‘Good on You!’ Means ‘Well Done’
- “Hard Yakka” Means Hard Work
- What Does ‘One’ Mean in ‘Have a Good One’?
- “Have a Squiz” Means “Take a Quick Look”
- “Have a Stickybeak” Means “Go and Have a Look”
- “Heaps Good” Means “Very Good”
- “Help Yourself.” Means “Please Take Some”
- Why “How Are You Going?” Is Not About Transport
- Why Doesn't “How Did You Go?” Necessarily Ask About Travel?
- How Do You Answer “Do You Mind If I Sit Here?”
- “I Can’t Complain” Means Things Are Fairly Good
- “I Might Shoot Through” Means “I May Head Off”
- “I Won’t Keep You” Means “I Won’t Take More of Your Time”
- Why Does “I Wouldn’t Mind a Cuppa” Mean You Would Like One?
- “I’d Better Get Going” Means It’s Time for Me to Leave
- “I’ll Chase It Up” Means “I’ll Follow It Up”
- “I'll Flick You an Email” Means “I'll Send You One”
- “I’ll Get Back to You” Means “I’ll Reply After Checking”
- “I’ll Give You a Bell” Means “I’ll Call You”
- Why Is ‘I’ll Have a Flat White’ a Natural Way to Order?
- “I’ll Leave It to You” Means You Can Decide
- “I’ll Leave You to It” Means “I’ll Let You Continue”
- “I’ll Pass” Is a Polite Way to Decline
- Why Does “I’ll Put the Kettle On” Often Mean “Let’s Have a Drink”?
- “I'll Shout You a Coffee” Means “I'll Pay”
- “I’ll Suss It Out” Means “I’ll Work It Out”
- “I’ll Tee It Up” Means “I’ll Arrange It”
- “I’m a Bit Crook” Means “I’m Unwell”
- “I'm Easy.” Means “I Have No Preference”
- “I’m Flat Out” Means “I’m Extremely Busy”
- “I’m Good, Thanks” Can Mean “No, Thank You”
- Why Does “I’m Just Ducking Out” Sound So Natural?
- “I’m Just Popping Out” Means “I’m Leaving Briefly”
- “I’m Keen” Means “I’d Like to Do It”
- “I’m keen” Means “I’d Like to Join”
- ‘I’m Not Fussed’ Means ‘Either Is Fine’
- “I’m Rapt” Means “I’m Delighted”
- Does “I’m Stuffed” Mean Full, Exhausted or in Trouble?
- ‘I'll Be with You in a Tick’ Means ‘I'll Be with You Very Soon’
- “It’s a Fair Way” Means “It’s Quite Far”
- “It’s All Sorted” Means “Everything Is Arranged”
- “It’s Chockers” Means “It’s Packed”
- “It’s My Shout” Does Not Mean I’m Going to Yell
- “It’s Your Call” Means the Decision Is Yours
- “Leave It with Me” Means “I’ll Handle It”
- “Let’s Call It a Day” Means “Let’s Stop for Now”
- “Let’s Give It a Crack” Means “Let’s Try It”
- “Let’s Grab a Coffee” Means Getting One Casually
- ‘Let’s Have a Yarn’ Means ‘Let’s Have a Chat’
- In Australia, “Mate” Does Not Always Mean a Close Friend
- Why Doesn't “We Might as Well Start” Simply Mean “We Could Also Start”?
- “No dramas.” Means “No Problem”
- “No Rush” Means It Does Not Need to Be Immediate
- “Not That I Know Of” Means “No, Based on What I Know”
- “Let’s Play It by Ear” Means “Let’s Decide as Things Develop”
- Why Doesn't “Pop It in the Fridge” Mean Making a Popping Sound?
- “Righto, See You Then.” Means “Okay, See You Then”
- “See How You Go” Means Try It and See What Happens
- “Sounds Good” Means “That Plan Works for Me”
- “Ta.” Is a Quick, Casual “Thanks”
- “That Rings a Bell” Means It Seems Familiar
- Why Doesn’t “That Should Do It” Mean “It Ought to Do That”?
- “That Was a Ripper” Means It Was Excellent
- “That Works for Me” Means the Arrangement Suits Me
- “That’ll Do” Can Mean “That’s Enough” or “That’s Fine”
- “That’s a Bit Much” Means “That’s Unreasonable”
- Why Can “That’s Me” Mean “This Is My Stop”?
- “This Arvo” Simply Means This Afternoon
- “Too right!” Means “I Completely Agree”
- “I’m Under the Pump” Means “I’m Under Pressure”
- “We’ll See How We Go” Means We’ll Adjust as We Proceed
- “What Are You After?” Means “What Are You Looking For?”
- Why “Could You Bring a Plate?” Does Not Mean an Empty Plate
- Why Does “Flat Chat” Mean Extremely Busy in Australia?
- When Australians Say “I Reckon”, They’re Not Calculating
- Why “I’m Easy” Does Not Mean “I’m Simple”
- Why “No Worries” Means More Than “Don’t Worry”
- Who Is “She” in “She’ll Be Right”?
- “I Won’t Be a Minute” Means “I’ll Be Quick”
- “Works a Treat” Means “Works Very Well”
- Would You Like Me to Take a Photo of You Two?
- “Yeah, Nah” Usually Means No
- Why Does “Yeah, Nah” Usually Not Mean Yes?
- Does “Yeah, Nah” Mean Yes or No?
- “You Beauty!” Means “That’s Great!”
- What Does “You Right?” Mean in an Australian Shop?
- “You’re Laughing” Means You’re in a Good Position
- ‘You’re Right, Mate’ Can Mean ‘You’re Fine’