Comments on: In Like Flint

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:19:26 +0000

Um, Helen, the opposite of an Australian is a New Zealander.

And New Englanders are different… in Ocker, they are tight as a Scotsman and completely up themselves.

(Or they do not spend money and they completely believe their own press).

By: Julia Breveleri

Julia Breveleri — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:25:10 +0000

What do you mean, you “told him about the Irish.” What did you tell him to make it clear that all of New England is not Harvard profs? And isn’t the population of Australia about as Irish as the population of Boston anyway?

By: Andrew Stevens

Andrew Stevens — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:47:47 +0000

Yes, Coolidge would definitely qualify as a flinty New Englander. David Souter is another.

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:26:33 +0000

Australian yob trying to get a grip here. So Coolidge was “flinty”? I ask because he is my favourite American. And no, I’m not being ironic.

A yob, by the way, is an Australian unconcerned by fine distinctions (except in the present case).

By: Withywindle

Withywindle — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:09:59 +0000

Calvin Coolidge: “They hired the money, didn’t they?”

By: Doomsdaypicnic

Doomsdaypicnic — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:22:37 +0000

You could’ve just referred to the ‘American Gothic’ couple.

I moved to Australia from Ireland almost eight years ago (on Australia Day, fortuitously enough) but am still bamboozled by some Australianisms. It’s not just that the words are unfamiliar, but are used in newspapers and other contexts wherein you’d think an editor might replace it with its less colourful, more generic equivalent. It’s one thing to hear these words, but to see the words ‘stoush’ or ‘spruiko’ in newsprint can be dizzying.

Oh, and a gallah (spelling?) is a bird, but also a reckless individual, usually male, not to be confused with a larrikin.