On Saturday, April 07, 2001 1:34 PM, Reef Fish wrote:

(snip)

> >Well, when I saw the "Paddy, Mick, Spic, Frog, Gerry, Septic Tank,
> >Wop, Wog" ... list I thought he had his countries wrong - we use the same
> >in OZ & NZ ... cept we have a few other choice derogatory ones. And I was
> >polite to John & Vicky Hauer - only called them "bloody yanks" a few
times
> >before I remembered to bite my tongue. They thought that was cute ...
does
> >sound a lot better than Septic Tank doesnt it :-))

> Please translate all the NAMES for this "name-calling" Newbie, ME!!!  :-)
> The Septic Tank is new to me.  Actually I didn't know most of them
> which was why I made the initial mistake thinking they were synonyms
> for POMS.  :-))

"Septic", eh!  :-)

I used that last year - when one or two people in the States were attempting
to impose their own brand of imperialism on Australia!  :-)

On Monday, July 10, 2000 11:51 PM, Lee Bell wrote:
(snip)
Strike
> > Get off the bloody wagon!   You septics are carrying on like a load of
old
> > washerwomen!  None of it concerned you!

Lee Bell:
> Personally, I'm not a skeptic

Strike:
I wrote 'septic', (it's rhyming slang and a pejorative term), as in 'septic
tank' = yank.  (A septic tank is where - for homes without connection to
sewer mains - effluent is broken down.  Try and think of it as a similar
process to the one that goes on between Carl's ears!)

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> >But the worst offenders are these bloody Aussies ;-)) They give us Kiwi's
> >hell, especially about sheep ..

That's not true!  Here in Oz, we're very tolerant of deviant behaviour!
What New Zealanders elect to do to sheep, in the privacy of their own
bedrooms and in their own country, is fine by us.  Just as long as they
don't try and import the practice into Australia!!!  :-))))

> Tell us about it!  :-)   I am a very eager learner on all fine-points
> of name-calling, the proven NEWBIE that I am in such matters.  ;-)
> I thought all of you are Tasmanian Devils, in line with Foreign
> Devils.  :-)

In Australia what would pass as an insult elewhere can often be regarded as
a term of endearment!  (Not always!)  :-)

As an example, I'm a member of a very elite club known as the "Australasian
Order of Old Bastards".

The membership qualifications are:
"1.  Marital state of parents irrelevant.
2. It is sufficient to have been acclaimed at least once by friends as an
"Old Bastard".
3. Drinking habits must be hearty and jovial.
4. On encountering other O.B.'s in a bar, one must administer a hearty slap
on the back accompanied with the cheerful salutation, "Hello, you old
bastard!"
5.  Membership card must be carried at all times.  Failure to produce same
when challenged by fellow O.B.'s incurs a penalty of one round of drinks.
This order is dedicated to Joviality, and good Fellowship."

(It's actually a charitable association.)  :-)

It's usually easy to determine whether you're being insulted or not based on
the word that precedes 'bastard'!  (Even this is not an altogether foolproof
method and may hinge on facial expression as well!)  :-)

> >but we give them heaps back and just keep
> >on invading them - doing silly things like having their kids, getting
> >married, working here, etc ;-))

Just like us 'Pommie Bastards'!  (Not the having kids bit!  Or the married
bit!  Nor - come to think of it - the work bit!) :-)

> >Slinking off now .. Viv with the evil grin :-))

Strike