This week’s Aussie slang Word of the Week is essential to the functioning of Australian society. Hospo is short for hospitality, the industry that employs millions of people in cafes, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, all of which have done it tough over the last year. This blog is dedicated to you, the hard-working hospo staff across the country.
What else to talk about when writing about the hospitality industry other than Australia’s favourite beverage: coffee. Served up by your local barista, coffee is as essential to the body as petrol is for your car. We’ve all heard of a cap, but some other ingenious slang names for your morning brew include the pipe-opener and the heart-starter, which is a strong coffee drank early in the day to help cure a hangover.
Do you drink a 1SM or a 2SM? No, these aren’t radio stations but Sydney slang for a coffee (or tea) made with one sugar and milk, and two sugars and milk respectively.
Getting in to specialised coffees, a Bogan juice is another name for an iced coffee while a Baptist boilermaker consists of black coffee mixed with soda water. Not sure about that!
Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
