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Larrikinism was rife amongst the Diggers, in both WW1 and WW2. The WW2 army magazine, "Salt" provides a good insight into the WW2 outlook and vernacular - but it never published unacceptable swear words. Everything in it was sanitised and censored for "general use". I think I've got every copy of the Salt magazine, it provides some interesting reading.

ome, in those days I reckon they wouldn't have had to wait until late afternoon to come up with a story like that. One of my earliest memories of the RSL is going to a dawn service with my dad when I was about seven years old. They were as full as a Cribb Island bus by eight thirty in the morning, and playing up like second hand lawnmowers. I just sat there quite bemused by it all. I think a fair bit of rum was involved. They were singing and cooeeing and one digger was playing the drums using butter knives on those old tin chairs they used to have back in those days.

I think the Jap story was in a book You'll die in Singapore.

Most Shy Cancels are sheltered Workshops.. They wouldn't WORK in a tub of Yeast. Nev

It's hard to know the origin to the line. One wonders if it came into being at some RSLClub late in the afternoon of one ANZAC Day in the 1950s. It's hard to pin down its origin. The earliest attested appearance of current spelling is 1535 ("Bischops ... may fuck thair fill and be vnmaryit" [Sir David Lyndesay, "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaits"]). https://www.etymonline.com/word/fuck

This might be a bit off topic for this thread but it does involve tiers of government, so I've put it here to save starting a thread for one post. I'm wondering whether the state government has been getting some feedback via their member's electorates regarding recent land valuations and their potential effect on council rates. About a month back I received my new valuation from the state government, an increase of $80,000 above the last valuation. At least it was better than the one before which led to a 30% increase in council rates. Yesterday I received what was titled a 'maintenance valuation' wiith the new valuation taking it back to what it was previously, eg: less the recent $80,000 increase. There was no explanation why they had changed the valuation and in thirty eight years of owning the property, it's the first time I've ever had a valuation decrease. I've also never heard of anyone else in the district ever getting a decrease. My best guess is the state government is very aware of the cost of living stress in the community, and taking into account recent voting intention shifts around the country, they are keen to maintain their vote base and stay in the job. Meanwhile, the local council has had councilors doing community meetings to inform the public that they're broke and have a one billion budget shortfall over ten years and will have to cut spending by 100 million per year for ten years. They're saying the shortfall is caused by the way administrations have handled depreciation over the years. What they are not mentioning is that they've been breaking their necks over the last few years to become another Gold Coast and have been overspending on projects that make the place look flash but have no real practical use. Rate revenue earns them 350 million per year of which 180 million goes to paying council staff. They have 1,800 employees; 800 get their hands dirty, 1,000 sit behind desks. It's likely we'll be getting rate rises so it's possible the state government has looked at the state of council finances and decided to wind back the valuations to avoid a double whammy on ratepayers. I wish the state government's local government department would put the cleaners through the local councils. They've given them too much autonomy in this state over the years and they're out of control. What's happened is that winding back valuations has blown council's excuse for a rate increase. They will have to increase rates considering they're broke, so that's probably the purpose of fessing up to the financial situation at public meetings, as they will have to hit us with a considerable rate increase without a corresponding valuation increase to blame it on as they normally do. The rates are calculated on the property valuation but the council has the discretion to alter the cents in the dollar rate if they choose to.

The line was related to me in 1970 in South Vietnam, by a fellow soldier. He told me it was a story retold to him by a WW2 POW veteran. The Japanese camp commandant had lined up all the Aussies and was berating them in his best Japinglish. He was told by the POW that the commandant came out with, "You Ostalians think Japanese stupid. You think Japanese know f**k-nothing! We soon show you, that Japanese know f**k-all!!" Of course, the Australian POW's apparently broke out in fits of laughter, which only made the little Jap officer go apoplectic, and scream more abuse at them, and told guards to hand out beatings. So the basic line goes back a long way, but I wouldn't imagine much more before WW2, as the F-word wasn't used a great deal back then, and it was regarded as a particularly vile word in the 1920's and 1930's. This article on the origins of the F-word is quite interesting. The word has been in use for centuries, but almost never in publications, as it was deemed obscene when in print. https://bigthink.com/the-past/history-of-the-f-word/

It was attributed at one stage to a early Italian Immigrant who said "When I first come HERE I know fu#k NOTHING and Now I know fu#k ALL." Nev

Very, very, very old. It has been attributed to a German POW camp Kommondant and I have also heard it attributed to a Japanese POW camp Commondant.

Then there's Mario in The Wog Boy - "They say I know f*ck nothing. But I know f*ck all!"

An old Slav prospector I knew used to say "I'm doubt", whenever he should have said, "I doubt it".

They can be amusing sometimes. I remember an old Croatian bloke telling me once, in all seriousness (although with a few shots of slivovitz on board) - "My wife, ok, I get home a bit late, and my wife, he say to me, 'What in the hell have you been??'"

There was a TV show set in Melbourne with the actors satarised their being Greek. The show was called Acropolis Now. One of the characters was Effie, played by Mary Coustas. The character "Effie", was a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian prone to malapropisms. A common one of hers was " how embarassment". https://www.facebook.com/nickg1/videos/the-first-time-that-now-iconic-phrase-howembarrassment-was-heard-on-aussie-tv-on/2132406587584055/

Spot on Marty.

Now we have (TWO) How Embarrassments . How did that Happen? Nev

The thread title gets ME . How embarrassment. ? Was it MEANT to be "Embarrassing". Please Explain!! Nev

Some being replaced are smaller than Later versions. Maybe the site is worth it. Designs improve or perhaps they were cheapies Nev.

I have no idea how to cook a dish, either..Nev

Keep it up. Nev

Californication. Great song.

I remember when the wife and I went to England, leaving my son at home to fend for himself. Typical smartarsed teenager, he had put a ringtone on my wife's phone that was the sound of police sirens. We were sitting in a cafe in the village in Yorkshire where they filmed the TV show Heartbeat when he phoned us. The place was filled with the sound of sirens and everyone was looking about for the emergency vehicle. Of course, it was the son. It was mid-morning in England, but getting on for dinner time in Sydney. The stupid bugger rang to ask his Mum how to cook some dish he wanted for dinner.

I can see the electrical and mechanical parts of t eelctricty generator wearing out, and maybe the blades degrading due to sunlight and moisture, but I reckon the towers would be OK. You'd just need to replace the generator bits, or perhaps replace parts on a service life basis.

Coz he's not Winnie the shit.

Could have been worse. Severe flatulence for example.