Home ยป Forum ยป Author Hangout

Forum: Author Hangout

Another Australian slang question

StarFleet Carl ๐Ÿšซ

I know, I'm a pest this way. Effective context is:

"I'll give her a phone call now."

In the US, we might just say, I'll give her a ring now, or I'll call her up now. I found something that doesn't even sound right to me, but it says I'll tingle her now, or I'll give her a tingle now.

Not CURRENT slang, but 35 years ago, and someone from the NT. Thank you!

Ernest Bywater ๐Ÿšซ

@StarFleet Carl

I doubt anyone has used the word 'tingle' in that regards since between WW1 and WW2.

What people would've said from the mid 1960s to now right across Australia would be: "I'll call her now." or "I'll give her a call now." or "I'll phone her now." In some parts of Australia they'd use 'ring' instead of 'call' or 'phone' and some people would use the phrase 'right now' instead of 'now.' However, some of the word choices will depend more on the person's social and economic circumstances than anything else. The person's age may also affect how they say it.

Replies:   StarFleet Carl  Grant
StarFleet Carl ๐Ÿšซ

@Ernest Bywater

I doubt anyone has used the word 'tingle' in that regards since between WW1 and WW2.

Thank you. I suspected that the usual, "I'll dial her up" or "I'll give her a ring", which was pretty much what WE said was appropriate.

Now, I just have to figure out how to fit in that there are two companies with the same slogan, 'Reach out, reach out and touch someone.'

The phone company and Barrett Firearms. :)

Grant ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@Ernest Bywater

What people would've said from the mid 1960s to now right across Australia would be: "I'll call her now." or "I'll give her a call now." or "I'll phone her now."

Yep.

"I'll give her a call" if they've going to give them a call at some stage, "I'll call her now/right now" if they're going to do it immediately.

A few might have said "I'll give her a ring", but i've never heard "I'll dial her up" used.

Replies:   StarFleet Carl
StarFleet Carl ๐Ÿšซ

@Grant

i've never heard "I'll dial her up" used

That's why I mentioned that was something from at least the midwest, because we also had party lines when I was growing up. You might dial a number and have four different people answer or listen in.

awnlee jawking ๐Ÿšซ

@StarFleet Carl

I'll give her a tingle

The British version, also archaic, would be 'I'll give her a tinkle'. 'Tinkle' is onomatopoeic, referring to the sound of a standard telephone ringing.

I presume 'I'll give her a tingle' refers to a cellphone she carries in her underwear which is set to vibrate mode.

AJ

Replies:   Grant
Grant ๐Ÿšซ

@awnlee jawking

The British version, also archaic, would be 'I'll give her a tinkle'.

My mum used to say that occasionally, years back.
I've got a couple of older Aunts that still use that expression.

Ernest Bywater ๐Ÿšซ

The word 'tinkle' has two uses in Aussie slang, while the second has been dead for many decades.

1. A euphemism used by ladies for urinating.

2. For the sound the phone made when a call was placed on a party line. - Note: This was never very widely spread across the country and was most commonly used by rural phone users.

The last meaning went out of usage soon after the last party lines were removed from service. The reason for this is the phone lines had their own power supply and when anyone used a phone by ringing the exchange, or the exchange ringing the line, every phone on that line would make a tinkle sound because the amount of power to activate the electric bell at the other end was a set amount but the system rang every electric bell on the party line and by the time that amount of power was divided by the many bells it made a tinkling sound instead of the solid ringing it would make if a single bell got all of the power. Thus city phones rang and rural party-line tinkled.

moondog_199 ๐Ÿšซ

I would agree; "I'l give her a call", "I'll ring her up", possible an older person might say "I'll telephone her".
And 35 years ago, would have had direct dialling, rather than involving an operator.
For non-local ("long distance") calls, would need to add the "STD" (subscriber trunk dialling) area code.
I remember old folks would always want to wait until after 7pm, when the rates were lower for timed, long distinct calls!

Replies:   Maclir
Maclir ๐Ÿšซ

@moondog_199

I remember old folks would always want to wait until after 7pm, when the rates were lower for timed, long distinct calls!



I got into trouble during a high school chemistry class - teacher asked "What's a nitrate?' My answer 'Cheaper than the day rate'.

BlueEyedGuy ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

I'm an Aussie in my mid-50s (so born mid '60s).

Growing up in Adelaide through the '70s and '80s, we used expressions like "give me/us/her a tingle", "drop me/us/her a line", "give her a call", "I'll 'phone her", "give her a ring", "give me/her a bell", "ring her up" and so forth almost interchangeably.

When telephones started moving away from real bells to more electronic sound generators (aka "buzzers"), the words "tingle" and "bell" were often replaced with "buzz".

Very rarely did we ever use the expression "dial her up"; if we heard it or saw it, we knew what it meant but it was hardly ever used in general conversation compared with the other phrases of the time.

Replies:   pcbondsman
pcbondsman ๐Ÿšซ

@BlueEyedGuy

Warning, thread drift.

Many of you will find this to be somewhere between amusing and hilarious.

//https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OADXNGnJok ">

Replies:   palamedes
palamedes ๐Ÿšซ

@pcbondsman

This was just like my cousins trying to use my parents phone during holiday dinners. They couldn't even figure out the rotating the dial as they would just try and push the numbers threw the holes of the dial. If you ask why they never used their cell phones that would be because there was no cell towers so no signal.

Back to Top

 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.


Log In