Say What? It’s All Fair Dinkum When It Comes To Foreign Jargon

We’ve had fun in the past comparing American expressions and their British equivalents. Now we think it would be fair dinkum to do the same with Australian jargon. Our source is the “Australian-English, English-Australian Phrasebook” by Helen Jonsen (Hippocrene Books, $11.95).

We say “nutty as a fruitcake.” They say “barmy as a bandicoot.”

We call it a “documentary.”

They shorten it to “docco.”

We say “cowboy.” They say “stockman” or “jackaroo.”

We say “sweatshirt.” They say “sloppy joe” or “windcheater.”

And, as in Cockney England, there is Australian rhyming slang. A cop becomes “John Hop.” A suit is a “bag of fruit.” A look is a “Captain Cook.” And on and on.

Acapulco beaches OK: Hurricane Pauline, which roared through Acapulco last month, largely spared beachside hotels there, and they are working almost normally. Since the storm packed more rain than wind, it did not blow down palm trees or chew up beaches as past hurricanes have.

The local authorities gave priority to cleaning up tourist areas. They moved rapidly to patch the Scenic Highway, which connects the airport to the hotel area and was washed out in several places by flash floods.

Tourism has dropped dramatically, prompting hotels to maintain off-season rates - in most cases about 40 percent off what they charge in midwinter.

Small countries: Besides the Vatican, can you name the five independent nations in Europe that are smallest in area?

Excluding the 108-acre Vatican, they are: Monaco, .75 square miles; San Marino, 24 square miles; Liechtenstein, 62 square miles; Malta, 122 square miles; and Andorra, 185 square miles.

Rail party: First came rail passes for the single traveler, then passes targeting couples and families. Now comes the BritRail Party Pass, a new program that offers discounts for parties of three or four people traveling together.

The discount applies to various kinds of BritRail passes in first and standard class and amounts to a 50 percent discount for the third and fourth people in the group.

The Party Pass program targets couples or small groups that might otherwise rent a car, which could be less expensive split four ways than buying four full-fare passes.

BritRail passes are good for rail travel throughout the United Kingdom. Information can be obtained by calling 888-274-8724.

Sea the biggest lake: The largest lakes in the world in square miles of surface area, according to the Geological Survey of the U.S. Department of the Interior:

1. Caspian Sea (Asia-Europe): 143,244; 2. Superior (North America): 31,700; 3. Victoria (Africa): 26,828; 4. Aral Sea (Asia): 24,904; 5. Huron (North America): 23,000; 6. Michigan (North America): 22,300; 7. Tanganyika (Africa): 12,700; 8. Baykal (Asia): 12,162; 9. Great Bear (North America): 12,096; and 10. Malawi (Africa): 11,150.

‘Round the world: A Fairfax, Va., company called Space Adventures Inc. says it plans to offer suborbital tourist flights into space within five years.

Tickets are expected to cost at least $75,000 for the brief flights, which will go 62 miles high and include several minutes of weightlessness. The company also has several other space-related programs, including a ride in a Russian MiG-25.

Reservations: 888-857-7223; Web site: www.spaceadventures.com

Expo ‘98: If you want to see the last world’s fair of the century, now’s the time to start planning.

Portugal will host Expo ‘98 from May 22 to Sept. 30, 1998, at a site in east Lisbon along the River Tagus under the theme “The Oceans, Heritage for the Future.”

The fair, officially known as a World Exposition, will celebrate the first coming together of different worlds by sea, and incorporate such themes as ocean resources, oceans and ecological balance, oceans and leisure, and the ocean as source of artistic inspiration.

More than 132 countries plan exhibits, including the United States, plus a number of sponsoring companies such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Xerox and Shell.

Guide to Bay Area: Twenty-seven San Francisco cultural sites and events, including museums, concert series, festivals and theaters, are profiled in “San Francisco Bay Area: A Guide for the Cultural Tourist.”

The illustrated pamphlet, put out by the visitors bureau and Bay Area Rapid Transit, also tells how to get to the sites via public transit.

To order, send a self-addressed stamped envelope with 55 cents postage to the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, P.O. Box 429097, San Francisco, CA 91442-9097.

Church reopens: A small gem of a church in Venice, Italy, called a “masterpiece of 15th century architecture,” reopened recently after a 10-year, American-led restoration effort that included funds from the Los Angeles-based Getty Grant Program.

Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which seats only about 200, is the only Venice church other than the Basilica of San Marco that is clad inside and out with marble, according to Beatrice Guthrie, executive director of the New Yorkbased nonprofit group Save Venice Inc. It contains figures by renowned Venetian sculptor Pietro Lombardo and his sons, a ceiling with images of Old Testament kings and prophets, and a 15th century painting of the Madonna venerated as an icon.

The church has been shut for about three years by the $3.5 million restoration, which drew on $285,000 from the Getty, $300,000 from the estate of New York schoolteacher Carmela Gennaro and other private funds, Guthrie added.

Entrance to the church, in the city’s Cannaregio section near Santa Maria Nova Square, is free. Information: fax Save Venice at 011-39-41-52-31-843.