Surf’s up. Grab your board and catch the five o’clock wave, a fictitious wave that passes down the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga each day. The wave is supposedly created by the release of water from an upriver dam. The tale is told to unwary visitors. If you get your surfboard and hurry down to Wagga Beach you can catch the five o’clock wave.
The five o’clock wave inspired us to look at other slang from the New South Wales Riverina. Want to go for a float? That’s what a Wagga resident might ask when they want to grab their floaties and go for a ride on the Murrumbidgee River. When the people of Wagga are excited they are fizzin. For example, when I caught the five o’clock wave I was really fizzin. Ride the wave for long enough and it will carry you DT, that’s downtown in Wagga-speak.
Once you’re done with all the water sport you might head to the Old Vic for a schooner, that’s Wagga slang for the pub.
Explore more slang words from across Australian in our Australian Word Map.
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.
