Glossary - The Shearing Gun

As an Australian writer, there is nothing more frustrating than being picked up on my use of slang in my manuscripts.  My American editor is forever telling me that I can’t use a term, or I need to explain a term I’ve used in my stories.  The frustrating bit?  

I don’t even realise that I'm using slang!

When I told some Aussie friends and authors that I had written a rural Aussie romance, they were happily encouraging.  We are proud of our Aussie roots, and we like to show it.  But in writing a rural romance, there is the inevitability that slang is going to be used.

I floated the idea past my editor of using a glossary at the beginning of my story, and I believe she almost melted in thankfulness.  So I began to browse my story for words that would stump the non-Australians.  Sure there were some obvious ones: thongs, esky, smoko.  But there were some surprising ones that I had to enter too.

There was an outcry from my fellow Aussie authors.  They wanted a peek at my glossary.  So without further ado I present it to you.  Here are the terms you are going to need to know in order to read The Shearing Gun.
Anzac biscuits AFL – Australian Football League.  The country-wide league for teams playing Aussie Rules.
Anzac biscuit – a sweet biscuit made from oats and golden syrup, named for the Australian soldiers who fought in WWI in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs).
Blow or strike – when referring to shearing, a blow is a rounded, smooth movement of the shearer’s arm across the animal while removing the fleece.  A strike is a downward or upward movement.
Border Leicester – a breed of large sheep, grown especially for their meat.
Bottle-of-beer! – in the shearing shed, should the person sweeping the floor drop the broom, they are said to “owe” the shearers a bottle of beer.
Bull-bar – a large type of nudge bar, especially designed to protect the vehicle in the case of a frontal collision with large stock such as cows (and bulls).  See also: Roo-bar.
Bushie – a person who lives in the bush.  One who lives in the rural areas.  See also:  The Bush.
Caravan – a trailer home.
Chook – the Australian term for a chicken/hen.
Chook pen – chicken coop.
Classer – see: Wool classer.
Copper – a policeman.
Corriedale – a breed of sheep, good for both meat and wool.
Countryman  – a weekly newspaper publication for people in the farming communities. SAO biscuits Cuppa – a cup of tea or coffee.
Daks – pants.
Esky – a cooler box.
Footy – football, especially Aussie Rules.
Gas-bagging – slang for chatting, talking, gossiping.
Granny flat – a small apartment (usually single occupancy) built near to the main residence, but with independent access.  Mostly used for widowed, elderly parents.
Grub – slang for food.
Lubricate the arm – to have a few drinks at the beginning of the night, i.e. to loosen your drinking arm before getting seriously drunk.
Merino – a breed of sheep with extremely fine wool.
Missus – slang for wife.
Mongrel – usually refers to a dog of mixed breeding, can refer to a person as a derogatory term.
Mozzie – slang for mosquito.
Panadol – brand name of a common painkiller. Australian thongs Red turkey – slang for the ball used in a game of Aussie Rules.
Roo-bar – abbrev. from Kangaroo-Bar.  A large type of nudge bar, especially designed to protect the vehicle in the case of a high speed frontal collision with a kangaroo.  See also: Bull-bar.
Rousie – shortened term for roustabout, a farmer’s worker who helps with the livestock.
Pavlova – a dessert similar to meringue made with egg whites.  Historically fought over as to whether it is of Australian or New Zealand origin.
Potbelly – an indoor, wood-burning stove used for cooking.
SAO biscuit – a savory cracker.
Shearing gun – a super-fast shearer, capable of shearing a large quantity of sheep in a single day.
Singlet – tank top, undershirt.
Smoko – a short break, usually for morning tea or afternoon tea.  Slang for a smoking break.
Sunnies – sunglasses.
Taking the mickey – to mock or scoff.
The big smoke – the city, usually referring to the capital city of the state.
The Bush – slang for the rural areas.
Thongs – footwear, flip-flops.
Triple-zero – Emergency call number.  911 in US.  999 in UK.
Wether – a castrated, male sheep.
Wool classer – a person responsible for rating the quality of the fleece as it comes off the animal.
Woop-woop – a fictional town that is supposedly in the middle of nowhere.

Are you confused yet?  The Shearing Gun is now available for pre-order: (link to Dreamspinner here.)