Maurice is spending a couple of days in an hotel in Perth close to the cricket ground. He has a ticket to see Australia play India on Sunday, so has been anxiously watching the cricket scores as India collapsed in the first innings, then Australia scored copiously.
While I was doing my drawing homework in our hot flat in Salter Point, Maurice was making himself at home in Perth. He spent the day roaming around town, using the free CBD buses, as they are air-conditioned, while he familiarised himself with the area. He is making the most of his air-conditioned room before he returns to us after the weekend. I know I find it hot here, and I've been acclimatising for 6 months. I find it oppressively hot once the temperature reaches mid 30s, and we are now starting to get several consecutive days at this heat. Maurice, having come from the British winter, must find it incredibly wearing.
Jim, Maurice and I met for dinner in the evening and had a yummy meal together. We were looking for a restaurant that did a steak for Jim, and as soon as Maurice found one that served barramundi as well, we were seated. Maurice always tries new food, and was keen to try an Australia specific fish. Barramundi is an aboriginal word meaning large scaled river fish. It is found around the coast of the northern half of Australia. It is a freshwater fish that migrates to coastal areas to spawn. It is also hermaphrodite - starting life as a male, then changing to female after about 5 years. Maurice thoroughly enjoyed his meal. So did we.
We had a lot of discussion about cricket. I have made up a question for the quiz programme "Call My Bluff", where players are given 3 options for a word definition, and have to choose the correct one. The other two are fictious and complete baloney.
The word is wacca.
Whacker - The name for a cricket stroke. Usually played by an opening batsman, often a big, macho, Australian. This is a stroke played with verve and gusto, with confidence that it will go beyond the boundary, into the crowd, and score 6. English cricket commentators would refer to "The opening batsman has played a whacker", similar to how they would described play with the bowler playing a yorker.
Wacca - the colloquial name for an immigrant Australian who has Irish and English ancestry. The Irish community who moved from Ireland to Liverpool, who had a surname commencing with Mc (eg McGarrell, McCartney) were known in England by the affectionate term "Macca". On their subsequent migration to Western Australia, this nickname has corrupted to Wacca, to indicate their progression, indeed elevation, to Western Australian identity.
WACA - the unimaginative name for the stadium where the Western Australian Cricket Association play, currently hosting the Australia/India game.
Which do you think is the correct answer?
No comments:
Post a Comment