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Most everybody is familiar with the classic board game Scrabble that has been around since it was invented by American Alfred Mosher Butts in 1938.
But what is less known is that the current world champion is an Aussie by the name of David Eldar who won the much coveted title in Las Vegas last year.
If you’d like to follow in his footsteps it’s important to know lots of words and many you may already know as Aussie slang but wonder if they feature in the Collins dictionary used for international tournaments.
So while you reach for your personalised stubbie holder (yes stubbie and stubby are both allowed!) and as you down a beverage and prepare to beat your sheila (yes, too!) ponder this brilliant A-Z of classic Aussie words that can propel you to triple-word-square brilliance the next time you play the world’s favourite word game. Meanings are provided in case there are any Ten Pound Poms out there who have yet to get with the fact that everything is abbreviated down under:
ARVO – afternoon, when Aussies usually knock off
BIKIE – a two wheel kind of person
CHOOK – Kentucky Fried Chook anyone?
DOB – a verb with IN usually, to land someone in the doo-doo
ESKY – No picnic is complete without it
FIRIE – give ‘em a call if the outback homestead is ablaze
GOOG – when you’ve had a tad too much “beverage”
HOON – an exhibitionist and we don’t mean Kylie (wait for it…)
IRON LUNG – okay, two words to make up for the fact there’s no X on the list – this one means lazy
JEFF – to downsize an organisation, all too common post-Covid
KYLIE – a boomerang and so much easier to play than didgeridoo
LUBRA – an Aboriginal woman (incidentally ABO has been discontinued as a slur in one of the latest updates)
MYALL – a kind of Aussie free thinker and indie
Neddy – a horse as in the expression “get back on yer neddy”
OCKER – that boorish person who always sits behind you on the bus
POKIE – the main reason to go to RSL clubs
QUOLL – that’s a native Australian cat and could score as many as 68 points if played cleverly!
ROO – a very handy word that “jumps” out, ‘roobar’ is not acceptable however
SMOKO – what Aussie’s do best – take a break
TOOLIE – a gatecrashing adult at Schoolies Week
UNCO – a clumsy chap with two plurals UNCOS and UNCOES
VEGO – a chook avoider, or vegetarian
WOF – a foolish person, derogatory but still allowed
YUMMO – you’ll need both M’s but this is a delicious word
ZIFF – a beard…..
That brings this blogger rather nicely to the greatest Scrabble player that has ever lived, a man called Nigel Richards who sports a bushy beard every bushwhacker would be proud of.
Just one problem, he’s a New Zealander who has completely mastered the dictionary.
Oh well Australians can’t have it all their own way – happy Scrabbling!
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