You would think I’d be used to Aussie English after two years. Well I’m not. I understand it, but some words don’t sound right.

Lolly is a case in point.

To me a lolly will always be something on a stick that comes out of the freezer. We used to make our own lollies by freezing orange juice onto sticks. If you want this sort of treat in Australia, you’ll need to ask for an iceblock. Our eldest’s favourite is lemonade iceblocks.

When an Australian talks about a lolly, they’re meaning something that I’d call a sweetie or a sweet - like Smarties or Fruit Gums or such like.

Onto more healthy issues - like vitamins. Aussies don’t say vitamins (so that vit rhymes with sit) they say “vytamins” (so that the vit rhymes with bite). Very odd sounding to Pommie ears.