DA’s Tricks and Cryptic Shorthands

Although DA uses a bunch of shorthands that are specific to Australia, this might be the most complete list of cryptic shorthands going around.

It’s a Wikipedia article, so if there’s something you think is missing, just go in and edit the page.

But more specifically for DA, the following might trip you up:

• Every now and again, one needs to think of a word’s alternative pronunciation to get at the meaning DA is actually referring to. Cases in point:
  • flower referring to a river, as in something that flows;
  • wicked referring to something with a wick in it, like a candle or a firecracker.
• Little can just be l;
• Often a subject pronoun and a verb will refer to a person. Cases in point:
  • She cleaned referring to Sadie, the cleaning lady;
  • He animates referring to Matt Groening, the Simpsons animator;
  • He turns majestically referring to Muttiah Muralidaran (on this particular occasion, subject pronoun, verb and adverb!)
• In DA’s hands, top can either mean to grab the first letter of the next or previous word, or it can mean to behead the first letter of the next or previous word, i.e. top mark can possibly mean m or ark, as well as A, 10, screamer, Michael Diamond etc.
• Take note of words like nog, not and athena — DA has used those words to mean no g, no t and a then a respectively!
• DA is fond of using mo to mean a second, a moment etc., which it seems a whole lot of people trip themselves up on — even those of us familiar with DA’s penchants.