So the Acacia Africa Desert Tracker Tour that I’m a part of is conducted (as are most, from what I understand), in English.

Now, you’d think that speaking the same language, we would all, well, understand each other.

That’s where things get interesting.

Just to jog your memory, our group consists of:

Two Kiwis, Three Brits, Two Germans, One Swiss, One Frenchman, Two Americans, and One Canadian.

Yeaaaaah.

So while we understand each other for the most part and we all have an excellent command of English, even those for whom it isn’t their mother tongue, there can be some… confusion.

That’s where this glossary comes in. We’ve all worked together to clarify and collect the terms that we’ve shared with the group. We’ve essentially assimilated these slang terms and “regular” words from our various countries to form our own special brand of English. We even have a few unique terms of our own.

Without further ado, our glossary:

Aye: A way to end a phrase/sentence which implies that an affirmative response from the listener. Usage Example: It’s hot out here today, eh?

Bahhah: Our driver, Masai’s impression of the Brits saying “Butter.” Usage Example: Amberlee, please pass the bahhah.

Biscuit: It’s a cookie. God, so many biscuits. Usage Example: Guys, do you want me to buy a pack of biscuits?

Braid: Regular braided hair. Usage Example: Lauren, can you braid my hair?

Cabbaged: Wasted. Pissed. Hammered. You know what we mean here. Usage Example: Let’s get cabbaged tonight.

Clutch: An adverb describing something that was perfectly timed or executed. Usage Example: That was a clutch move, Kitty!”

Dude: Dude is just an all-purpose word for excitement, OR to refer to another person. Usage Examples: Dude! That’s awesome! Or… “Dude you really should take a shower today.”

Esky: A cooler box. Usage Example: Jane, can you put my water in the Esky?

Fringe: Bangs. Like for your hair. Usage Example: Emme, your fringe looks so cute today!

Fuck: Pack. Usage Example: Guys, please go fuck your tents. Also, we need to fuck the truck.

Goon: The wine that comes in a box. Aka liquid gold. Usage Example: Nathan, can you pour me some more goon?

Heaps: Another way to say lots. Usage Example: We saw heaps of elephants today!

Janky: Something mangled and busted up. Usage Example: Mara’s window is destined to be janky forever.

Jandals: Flip-flops.

Proper: Proper can be used by itself to proclaim awesomeness or as a descriptor for something else. Usage Examples: Proper! or That skydive was proper terrifying!

Plait: A french braid, specifically. Usage Example: Lauren, can you plait my hair?

Reckon: Think. Usage Example: I reckon we’ll be getting up at half seven tomorrow morning.

Super Joke: A more inclusive way of saying “this is really awesome.” Usage Example: The boat cruise today was super joke.

Thongs: Flip-Flops.

Togs: Bathing Suit. (Yeah, I don’t know… and neither do they.)

 

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd there you have it, just a little bit of a taste of what kind of silliness and insanity we’ve concocted in the heat of the desert. Try some out, I swear, they’re really fun.