Cabinets, Closets And Counters

Slang words from Australia and America are my theme for this week and they will make up a large part of my 30 Hubs in 9 Days Challenge. 

Today we will examine some of the very first things I noticed, and which confused me, when I arrived here eight years ago.

Cabinets and counters. Cabinets are cupboards and the bench is a counter. You also have cabinets in the bathroom, and cabinets to put the linen in, but the bedroom will have a “chester draws” and a “closet”. Nobody here calls it a wardrobe, and I have heard of a home sale falling through because there weren’t any closets in the house. This is why the good Lord made wardrobes, but if that still bites, just call it a big cabinet and we can all live happily ever after.

Sheds. One my way from the airport to my new home that first day, one thing I noticed was the numerous sheds dotting the landscape. Big sheds, little sheds, sheds that house offices, sheds converted into small homes, cow sheds, and big fancy sheds that are churches!

I have never seen so many sheds in one day, and I am seriously considering buying 50 acres and slapping up a great big shed for a house. This won’t be just any old shed, I mean house; I’m talking about a tall shed with ample room for a loft upstairs to use as an office, and a 10 ft verandah on all four sides. The only concern I have is that we’re on the cusp of tornado alley here, and……. so why do we have so many sheds here?

Later. If I call someone on the phone and chat over a cup of tea, I’m inclined to finish with “OK hoo roo, and have a good day”. What is strange to me is that people here get finished with what they are saying, and then they either hang up immediately or squeeze in a quick “later” and POOF, that’s all folks. I thought that only happened on crumby late night cop shows from the seventies. Oh well.

Tote. When we arrived home and I was dragging my jet-lagged self out of the car, Chris offered to tote my luggage into the house. I agreed to let him, of course, but what was that word? Tote, tote…okie dokie. How cute, I’ll make a mental note of that.

In addition to being used in a sentence such as  "I'll tote that for you", a tote can also be the thing being carried. I would have said that a tote is a nice little bag like one of those in the picture right over there ->, but I have an expert nearby as I write who informs me that a tote is, something you can tote stuff in, no matter what it looks like.

Broke. Back to the movies for this one “that chair is broke, don’t set there or you’ll be sorry”. Ay? In addition to broke, there is also “knowed” which is a frequently used word in our house. For example; “I knowed it was gonna rain but I still forgot to roll up the winders in the truck, dang it”

Bit. If someone tells you they need to leave but they’ll be back in a bit, don’t go anywhere, they mean it. A bit is a little bit, and I’m assuming more like several minutes and not any length of time in excess of an hour. I would likely say “I’ll be back in a jiffy” but this would sound stupid since Jiffy is cornmeal.

I just love America, and the various accents that really do change so much from one state to the next. There isn't a day that passes that I don't learn something new.