Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/547248
VOL. 52 ISSUE 30 JULY 28, 2015 P129 If you've read any of his tests, you know Rennie is a colorful writer, bringing his stories to life with witty analogies and amusing idioms, all while taking a critical look at new bikes and products. It's the "color" aspects of his stories that include his "Aussie-isms" that can some- times throw off readers like our friend Mike. But from Rennie's perspective, it's all plain language. And since his American immersion has only just begun, he can't be expected to weed out his Aussie-only idioms from our American English. (How does he know what we've never heard of?) This is where my job as copy editor comes in. For the most part, Rennie makes my job pretty easy; a seasoned journo like him doesn't need much help in the spelling or punctuation departments. But what I have now learned to do is hunt for the Aussie-isms in his stories. The majority of the foreign slang I come across is reasonably easy to decipher given the context, but every now and then, I have to request a translation and/or suggest a re-wording. Now, I don't simply remove them all—far be it for me to remove the color from anyone's writing. These are his "pieces of flare," and much like a waiter at TGIFri- day's, his hungry patrons would be deprived of merriment without them. I enjoy the flare, so rather than remove it, I'd like to offer some help to our readers by translating some of Rennie's "Aussie-isms," aka "Rennie-isms" around here. After not only editing his stories, but also working alongside Rennie in the office for several months now, I've come to understand a lot of his slang. Here, I've identified some simple, useful translations for Cycle News readers. "Bed-in" (translation: break in) "Snick the lever down" (downshift) "The end of the chicken strips" (the outer edges of a motorcycle tire) "Zed one" (Kawasaki Z1000) "It looks the goods" (I find it attractive) "Head like a half-sucked mango" (I do not find it attractive) "Bang-on" (accurate) "Stolen a march" (gained an advantage) "Bit and bob" (bells and whistles) "Purple patch" (a run of success or good luck) "It comes up a treat" (I find it rather outstanding) "Jack-all" (nothing) "Stonking" (huge) "40 degrees" (over 100 degrees) "Dead-set wanker" (a displeasing individual) "I could eat the ass-end out of a low-flying duck" (I am quite hungry) "These ----ing -----s couldn't find a ---- in a ------house with two ----s." (I am rather disappointed in these people and I ques- tion their intelligence.) Going forward, if you get hung up on any other Rennie-isms in Cycle News, here's some advice: when in doubt, just know that it is most likely something witty, something crass, or a combination of the two. And if I'm doing my job, it won't obstruct any general understanding of the story. As time goes by, I'm sure we will Ameri- canize this Aussie ex-pat, and sufficiently beat the 'Straya slang out him. In just a few short months, young Mr. Scaysbrook has already shown marked improvement. He has already worked the term "Murica" into his vocabulary (complete with fist pump). He expressed an urge to "blow s--- up" in celebration of July 4, and he's been driving around in a Ford F250 SuperDuty. There's hope for that bloke, yet! CN