The rugby fans’ guide to English
To help bewildered fans navigate this Babel, British Airways’ cabin crew, who between them speak 45 different languages - from Arabic to Zulu - have put together a glossary of words and phrases which may be heard more often between now and 2 November as fans share in the excitement
WITH a scrum of rugby fans around the world congregating in pubs and around any available television screen, there is a chance you could miss out if you do not know your braai from your barbie or a bevvie from a brewski.
To help bewildered fans navigate this Babel, British Airways’ cabin crew, who between them speak 45 different languages – from Arabic to Zulu – have put together a glossary of words and phrases which may be heard more often between now and 2 November as fans share in the excitement.
Here they are:
Arvo: Australian for afternoon. ‘The Wallabies are playing this arvo.’
Braai: South African term for a barbeque. ‘As soon as I get home we’re going to have a braai to celebrate.’
Craic: Irish term for fun or gossip. ‘Great craic watching the game.’
Dwtty: Welsh for someone who is little. ‘That scrumhalf is dwtty.’
Fairy-dust: An American expression meaning something is too technical or obscure to understand. ‘The refereeing of the ruck is fairy-dust to me.’
Gutted: English slang for bitter disappointment. ‘I was absolutely gutted we lost.’
Hayibo! Derived from the Zulu meaning ‘definitely not’. This expression is used by all South Africans when something seems unbelievable. ‘Hayibo! There’s no way that was a try.’
Isnae: Scottish for ‘is not’. ‘That yellow card isnae fair.’
Jandals: What New Zealanders call flip flops. ‘It’s going to be hot, so I’m wearing my jandals.’
Kerfuffle: Canadian term for an awkward or stressful situation or commotion. ‘That was a bit of a kerfuffle on the tryline.’
Lekker: A word used in Namibia and South Africa to describe something that is good, great, cool or tasty. ‘The T5 lounge is a really lekker place to watch the match.’
Naff: English word for something that’s uncool. ‘You look really naff in that anorak.’
Owt: Yorkshire term for anything. ‘You get owt for nowt’ (you don’t get anything for nothing).
Quid: What the Brits call a pound. ‘I bet you ten quid we’ll beat you.’
Rark up: Kiwi expression for giving someone a good telling off. ‘The ref gave him a good rark up.’
Scrag: Australian term for holding someone by the neck or garment. ‘He got scragged just before the line.’
Toque: Canadian word for a woollen hat or beanie.
Uggs: Warm Australian sheepskin boots. ‘It’s freezing, best wear your beanie and uggs.’
Vuvuzela: A long, colourful plastic trumpet some South African fans use to make a loud braying sound. Apparently it is derived from the Zulu for making a noise.
Whinge: Originally an English world for whining, sometimes used by Australians to describe the English. ‘Stop whinging and accept the better team won.’
XXXX: Pronounced ‘four x’ it is a brand of beer made in Queensland, Australia, and is also referred to as ‘Barbed wire.’
Yabber: An Australian expression for talking a lot. ‘I wish the ref would stop yabbering and get on with the game.’
Zonked: English expression for totally exhausted. ‘The team must be totally zonked after that defensive effort.’
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