Lemme give you the lowdown on the local lingo…

In the Northern Territory, where we enjoy the warm weather (when it behaves), we also have a unique Tru-Blu Aussie twist to the language…

It’s those everyday local terms that somehow find their way into my stories.

Terms that are foreign to some of my readers.

And the fun part is, I get to interpret them like this month…

It’s The Local Lingo on—A Billy.

For many this is a common greeting when visiting someone:

‘I’ll go Flick on the billy then…’

It means someone is going to make you a warm beverage in the kitchen.

So, let’s break down this term even further.

A Billy:

Is the traditional slang term for a large tin can with a lid that was placed on campfires to boil water.

Today, this term means switching on the electric kettle to make a cuppa.

Cuppa:

in case you didn’t know, it means a cup of tea or coffee.

Not everyone does the Kettle thing

I’d assumed everyone had an electric kettle in their kitchen.

How wrong was I!

Apparently, in the USA an automatic electric kettle is a rare thing, it’s something to do with the weak voltage of power they’re supplied. This was confirmed by the fabulous readers of my newsletter, who’d informed me they either had a stovetop kettle, a coffeemaker, or an automatic hot water dispenser via their kitchen taps.

The hot water tap is becoming more common. But as any long-time local in the NT will tell you, the water gets so hot out here, there’s no need for a hot water system. But we all have a kettle on the kitchen counter and a camping billy kept in the cupboard.

via GIPHY

Here are some other Billy terms

Bill:

is short for William, go figure! Do you think anyone has ever called HRH Prince William, Bill?

Billy Lids:

is for kids, the children, AKA the rug rats.

Puffing Billy:

is about smoking on a cigarette like a train, or the puffing billy steam train, or a billy boiling dry!

And that’s the fun of wordplay!

No doubt your region has its own unique interpretations for the above. If so, I’d love to read about them in the comments below?

Don’t’ forget, if you’ve read any slang terminologies within my stories you don’t understand, just email me.

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