I thought I’d start with a riddle about this week’s Common Aussie Slang: ‘brolly’. See if you can work out what it is.
You can use it when it’s sunny,
You can use it when it’s not.
I find it keeps me cooler,
When the sun is very hot.
Although its main purpose,
Is to keep you nice and dry.
It can be used in other ways,
And this I can’t deny.
A weapon; at golf; as fashion.
Hide behind it if you’re shy.
But you’re going to want to have one,
When water’s coming from the sky.
This riddle may have helped you to understand what brolly means. If not, keep reading. The more you read about it in context, the better your understanding will be.
Before continuing, I’d like to point out that the word brolly is not only used in Oz. It’s also very common in the U.K., Ireland, and New Zealand. Brolly usage, however, seems to vary depending on the country you’re in.
I’ve lived in both Japan and England and I noticed that brolly usage varied considerably. It may be different now, but when I lived in Japan almost everyone carried a brolly if rain had been forecast for the day. So, even if it was a clear morning, many people would carry a brolly just in case it rained later on.
On the other hand, I would see many people in London leave their homes on a wet morning and subsequently get drenched because they weren’t carrying a brolly. I’m not sure exactly why, but maybe they just didn’t want the hassle of carrying a brolly all day.
Since returning to Brisbane, I’ve noticed that Aussies seem to be kind of in between the two countries in terms of brolly usage. We’re unlikely to carry a big brolly if it’s not raining when we leave home. However, there’s a good chance we’ve packed a compact brolly into our bag just in case.
By now, I’m sure you have worked out that brolly means ‘umbrella’. I use this slang so often I forget that lots of people may not be familiar with it. However, if you’re living in the U.K., Oz, N.Z., etc., I’d definitely recommend referring to umbrellas as brollies. Tell me about your brolly usage. Do you always have a compact brolly in your bag or do you not mind getting a bit wet?
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Glossary
riddle – A riddle is a type of poem that works like a puzzle. It’s designed to make you think and guess.
purpose – why you do something or why something exists
point out – to tell someone about some information, often because you believe they do not know it or have forgotten it
Oz [Australian slang] – Australia
usage – the way something is treated or used
considerably [adverb] – to a large, noticeable, or important degree
forecast – to say what you expect to happen in the future
(just) in case – because of a possibility of something happening, being needed, etc.
on the other hand [idiom] – in a way that is different from the first thing you mentioned
wet – used to describe weather or periods of time when rain falls
subsequently – after something else
drench – to make someone or something extremely wet
hassle – (a situation causing) difficulty or trouble
a good chance – a high probability or likelihood that something will happen or be the case
compact brolly – An umbrella which can be folded up because the supporting metal pole is able to be pulled back in.
brollies – plural of brolly
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