So You Think You Know Aussies?

Coming Feb '08: You've seen Australians on TV; You've heard a few Aussie accents at random local establishments over the years; You loved Olivia Newton John in Grease...So, You think you know Aussies??

For those of you who think you know some stuff about Australia and its quirky culture, or would like to know some, here's some trivia for you. Since I can't put the answers upside down on the bottom of the box, I'll just put them right side up...at the bottom of this entry. So take your best guess at what these crazy Aussies are all about, and remember: this is only the stuff that we've noticed so far...

Level 1: Gimme Questions (or stuff I habitually mention in my blog)
1. Which side of the road to the drive on in Australia?
2. What do they call the area of town we call "downtown"?
3. In what time increment do they advertise rent (ex: our apartment costs $ per ___?)
4. What is the standard percent used for tipping at service establishments (restaurants)?
5. What worldwide yearly tennis competition was held in Melbourne last month?
6. What are these words slang for: brekky, uni, avo, telly?
7. What do these words translate to in American English: car park, footpath, singlet, chips?

Level 2: A Bit More Difficult
1. Do Aussies actually say g'day mate?
2. What sports are Aussie 'equivalents' of baseball and football?
3. What denominations does their money come in?
4. What is lemonade?
5. What is the emergency number (911 equivalent)?
6. What are these words slang for: mozzies, rego, piss?

Level 3: Good Luck Figuring This Out
1. What is a gaol?
2. What is dim sim?
3. How is the word "quay" pronounced?
4. What quantity of liquid is a pot of beer?
5. What is virtually the only brand of toothpaste available?
6. What do these words translate to in American English: capsicum, milk bar, bogan, nappies?

Think these over carefully...cue Jeopardy song...doo dee doo doo, doo dee doo...

Answers
Level 1:
1. Left
2. The CBD
3. Weekly
4. 0% - it's standard not to tip (awesome)
5. Australian Open
6. Breakfast, university (which means college), avocado, television
7. Parking lot, sidewalk, tank top, French fries

Level 2:
1. They definitely say g'day and mate, but I haven't often heard them together
2. Cricket and Australian Rules Football, known as "footy" (or, you could argue, rugby)
3. Bills: $100, $50, $20, $10, $5; Coins: $2, $1, $.50, $.20, $.10, $.05 and NO PENNIES!
4. Lemonade is lemon/lime soda (like Sprite or 7up) - this one really pissed me off at first
5. 000
6. Mosquitoes, registration, alcohol (or just beer)

Level 3:
1. A gaol is a jail; it's just some old British way of spelling it. Pronounce the g as a j and it actually does work. Damn Brits.
2. Dim Sim is an Aussie version of a Chinese inspired dumpling dish. See wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sim. I ate one not knowing that it was pork; they're pretty good, though I thought it tasted more seafood-ish. I guess it's just all mushed up hot dog style - probably horrible for you. And, of course, they shorten the name to "dimmy" in good Aussie form.
3. Quay is pronounced "key". Having a hard time with this one
4. A pot of beer is 10 ounces and appears to replace a pint in popularity
5. Colgate, wtf?
6. Bell pepper, quickie mart/convenience store, white trash/hick, diapers

So, that's Round One of "So You Think You Know Aussies"! Enjoy your consolation prizes and we look forward to seeing you again next round. Thank you for playing, and now a word from our sponsors.