A Visitor's Guide to the Real Australia - part 2
Roo: a kangaroo of any size or colour. Also Big Red, Boomer. When driving, be on the lookout for them at dawn and dusk; and anytime after a fall of rain when they could be drinking from puddles on the road. If you do hit one that doesn't bound off, check the pouch for a Joey (a baby or youngster) and enquire locally where you can take it for care - left on its own, it will die. Also, be careful not to approach any roo in the wild - they can attack and the result can be fatal.
Score: acquire, happen on by chance, win.
Servo: service/petrol station, fuel stop. Even the smaller ones can have limited food supplies and motoring odds and ends. Some may offer workshop repairs for basic problems and punctures; but spare parts in remote areas would have to be ordered in and this will usually mean a long wait.
Shot: beyond repair, on its last legs, knackered, stuffed.
Shot through/shoot through: applied to a person who disappears or leaves, usually without notice, often without paying, sometimes taking what they are not entitled to.
Skerrick: a very small amount, minuscule, a smidgen, so small it is hardly noticeable.
Squizz: an enquiring look or glimpse which can be short or long, especially to gain some special or required knowledge.
Un-Australian: mateship and the desire to help anyone from friend to stranger, especially during hard times, has become a way of life; to ignore this basic consideration would be something a decent Australian wouldn't dream of doing. Politically, it has come to mean any act or procedure that goes against what the majority of the population deem to be right and just.
Walkabout: an Aboriginal term describing the traditional act of walking into the bush, usually alone and often for long periods. This may be in search of relatives or a new place to dwell, but is frequently a spiritual time to bond with nature and discover one's true self, perhaps the meaning of The Dreamtime and life itself. Popular modern usage of the word can mean simply going on the wander, generally without telling anyone.
Woos: a coward, softy, wimp, or a person unwilling to take chances.
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