# Aussies: when kangaroos wander around in Canberra, where do they come \*from\*?\[Now on Aussie slang\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494 "2018-07-07T22:33:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/141 "2018-09-03T05:22:03Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Sorry Cobber but in Victoria they are called swimmers. I stand corrected. NSW and Queensland, then. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/142 "2018-09-03T08:11:05Z")
> [@blob](#): > > I stand corrected. NSW and Queensland, then. Actually I think if you head up into Qld, the more common term you’ll find is togs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/143 "2018-09-03T08:43:24Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > Actually I think if you head up into Qld, the more common term you’ll find is togs. 😃 I think you’ll hear “togs” in Sydney, as well - I’m familiar with it, and I’ve never been to Queensland. A lot of these terms are heard in different places, people move about. I’m familiar with cossie, togs, swimmers and bathers and I’ve used all of them (although bathers is the one I learnt as a kid and the one that springs to mind-and not just “bathers” but “a pair of bathers” which is just silly). I feel sorry for anybody trying to understand Australian vernacular, we can’t even flummox them with just one term for something 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/144 "2018-09-03T09:37:24Z")
A useful [tool](https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/20/-sp-maps-of-australian-language-swimmers-v-cozzies-scallops-v-potato-cakes)so Leo can plan his next holiday. He can go from enjoying scallops in his swimmers, then south to have a potato fritter in his bathers before a trip across the Nullarbor to dine on a luxurious potato cake in his bathers. They all go beautifully paired with devon, polony or Empire sausage. yummmmmmmmm ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/145 "2018-09-03T10:08:10Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > They all go beautifully paired with devon, polony or Empire sausage. can I just say that devon isn’t the same thing as polony, it’s not just the word that is different, it isn’t the same product. Sort of similar, but not really the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/146 "2018-09-03T11:59:48Z")
> [@blob](#): > > can I just say that devon isn’t the same thing as polony, it’s not just the word that is different, it isn’t the same product. Sort of similar, but not really the same thing. Yes, of course you can. Its an important fact that should be better known than it is. And I freely admit complete ignorance about Empire sausage, except that it was the processed meat version of Freedom Fries a 100 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/147 "2018-09-03T12:18:51Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > And I freely admit complete ignorance about Empire sausage yup, never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/148 "2018-09-03T12:48:49Z")
> [@blob](#): > > A lot of these terms are heard in different places, people move about. I’m familiar with cossie, togs, swimmers and bathers and I’ve used all of them Add in speedos, budgie smugglers and boardies. According [to this study](http://theconversation.com/togs-or-swimmers-why-australians-use-different-words-to-describe-the-same-things-52007) [see 2nd graphic] the terminology is much more regionally consistent than I would have thought … I grew up on the NSW/Vic border and we wore togs. [shrug] > [@blob](#): > > … it’s still essentially a nasty, derogatory term for people from low(er) socio-economic areas and backgrounds… During the recent mining boom the entire population of Western Australia could have been described as [cashed up bogans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg_7H5rTzWg) (Gruen Transfer - The Pitch). ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/149 "2018-09-03T13:23:35Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > the terminology is much more regionally consistent than I would have thought … From that, it looks like Victorians say bathers, but sisu told us it’s swimmers over there… ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/150 "2018-09-03T22:26:23Z")
Victorian here, **togs** and **bathers** rule. Never heard swimmers used except by out-of-state visitors. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/151 "2018-09-03T22:49:46Z")
> [@blob](#): > > No, notwithstanding the “hahaha” aspects making fun of it in the media, it’s still essentially a nasty, derogatory term for people from low(er) socio-economic areas and backgrounds. It’s definitely snobbish - it’s saying that they don’t have any style or taste and should be laughed at for their disadvantages in education and background. And yet, one of our most popular and iconic local films, [The Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_(1997_Australian_film)) manages to glorify an archetypal bogan family turning them from people to be derided into sympathetic characters. > [@](#): > > _For you Dad, it’s a samurai sword letter opener > These handcrafted? How’s that.That is just…this is > going straight to the pool room. > You should use it Dad > This I am not even taking out of the wrapper > They bought Mum a genuine Rolex for fifteen bucks off > the guy at the beach. He said he’d mail the warranty > later._ ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/152 "2018-09-04T01:17:49Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Victorian here, **togs** and **bathers** rule. Never heard swimmers used except by out-of-state visitors. 😃 Good luck, foreigners, it’s a lucky dip what word(s) you will encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/153 "2018-09-04T02:25:11Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > They all go beautifully paired with devon, polony or Empire sausage. Devon is (or at least was - I haven’t been there recently) known as fritz in South Australia. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/154 "2018-09-04T02:30:18Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > into sympathetic characters. But the Kerrigans **are** just great, sympathetic characters. How’s the serenity? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/155 "2018-09-04T03:04:49Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > Devon is (or at least was - I haven’t been there recently) known as fritz in South Australia. yep Vic it is devon, I remember going to Robe SA on holidays as a kid and all I wanted was some fritz and dead horse sambos before I hit the beach in my budgie smugglers and thongs! Mum always made me slip, slop and slap of course. When I first heard port for bag I was a bit amused. OH I don’t get kangaroos but have had a koala wander across my front yard a few times. Every morning I am woken by a chorus of cockatoos and galahs. We get a lot of kangaroos at our holiday house but that is the bush. Bogan has been corrupted, I grew up int he suburbs and drove a V8 Torana, wore a flannie, listened to AC/DC and had a nice mullet, this is what a bogan once meant a working to middle class person but today it has morphed into something much worse and is considered an insult. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/156 "2018-09-04T03:46:49Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > And yet, one of our most popular and iconic local films, [The Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_(1997_Australian_film)) manages to glorify an archetypal bogan family turning them from people to be derided into sympathetic characters. But at no point in the film are they referred to as, nor do they identify as, “bogans”. To call someone a bogan is to impute lack of taste or culture, and the Macquarie Dictionary notes that it’s “mildly derogatory”. Whereas the point about the Kerrigan family in _The Castle_ is not so much that they lack culture or taste as that they are incredibly decent and loving people. “Bogan” wouldn’t point to this. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/157 "2018-09-04T04:35:10Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > But at no point in the film are they referred to as, nor do they identify as, “bogans”. To call someone a bogan is to impute lack of taste or culture, and the Macquarie Dictionary notes that it’s “mildly derogatory”. Whereas the point about the Kerrigan family in _The Castle_ is not so much that they lack culture or taste as that they are incredibly decent and loving people. “Bogan” wouldn’t point to this. Sure, but they do share many characteristics that would identify them as bogans, despite their good nature. And most of us have some degree of bogan whether we admit it or not. One can be ‘a bit of a bogan’ sometimes, or we can be ‘full-on bogans’. It’s really just a matter of degree. #Wearing ugg boots to the supermarket on a cold morning? Bit of a bogan. #Turning up to a Ban the Mosque picket wearing uggs and hurling abuse at worshippers? A fucking full-on bogan. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/158 "2018-09-04T05:23:14Z")
Seems that this thread long ago drifted away from the original question to a discussion of Australian slang. Off to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/159 "2018-09-04T08:18:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Seems that this thread long ago drifted away from the original question to a discussion of Australian slang. Off to IMHO. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator How dare you rename this thread. It’s not SLANG, it’s regional language differences. Now go stick yer’ head down the dunny, and I hope an emu kicks it down when yer’ noggin’ is thrust deep in the porcelain throne. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494/160 "2018-09-04T10:02:15Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Bogan has been corrupted, I grew up int he suburbs and drove a V8 Torana, wore a flannie, listened to AC/DC and had a nice mullet, this is what a bogan once meant a working to middle class person but today it has morphed into something much worse and is considered an insult. True. I always associated a bogan as ‘A guy with a two-car garage, with both cars parked in the street’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-when-kangaroos-wander-around-in-canberra-where-do-they-come-from-now-on-aussie-slang/817494.md?page=9)