ANZAC SLANG.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1916, Page 5

ANZAC SLANG.

HOW THEY KXPRESS IT. The Australians are not very rich in slang, so far as I have heard, but the following conversation I caught the other day might prove mystifying to the uninitiated (writes a transport officer): ''Hullo, chum! I've just heard some bonza news." "What, another furfic?" "No, diiikum oil this time; the boys have imshied the Turks on the right and got 50 prisoners, who say :ihey have had mafecsh tucker for two days." Half of it is Egyptian Arabic* picked up in Cairo, like the Gippy children's reiterated "Give it baksheesh," which the men arc very fond of using. , Bonza corresponds with our "ripping" or "tophole." A furfie is a rumour, and dinktim means "genuine," and diiikum oil means •'authenticated news." Imshi is Gippy 'for "clear out" or "got away," and mafeesh,'which is borrowed from the same tongue, moans "nothing." Tucker, of course, has the same meaning as our "grub." When an Australian wishes to acquire something he "shakes it," whereas the British Tommy either "makes it" or "scrounges;it,".in.the.same way as on a larger scale Governments "annex" things. Tommy's slang is largely derived from Hindustani, and includes such words as "chipperow" for "shut up," "put some jild ; into it," meaning "hurry up," and "let's have a dekko," when he wants to have a look at something. Pozzy is jam—cherb, beov—rooty, bread—dough, money—jippo, gravy—miickim, butter —char, tea. "Swinging the lead" is pretending or deceiving, while "chucking his \yeight about" is self-explanatory and denotes an' aggressive or bullying manner. When an article is "spare" it means that i't is not wanted, or, more usually, if a man says he "found it lying about spare," it is a euphemistic way of saying that the owner did not happen to be looking after it at the moment.