Red-Letter Daze

Aussies Aren't Really Colour-Blind, Mate



There was an interesting aside from Montana-based Ms Creek in a comment she contributed to my post Krusty The Crown. She sounded a bit puzzled when she said that an Australian bloke she once knew, used to refer to her as ``Bluey’’. Yep, that’d be right. Anyone with red hair is traditionally called Bluey here. Pretty logical, isn't it? Same reason a six-footer is called ``Shortarse''. Same reason a colleague of mine used to call me ``Curly''.

Other great Australian nicknames are ``Colt 45’’ for a big bore; ``Hurricane Lamp’’ for someone who’s not very bright; and ``Barrister’’ for a drinker who is always at the bar.

And Sir Richard Branson, whose latest revelations about joining the mile-high club can be seen at The Sun, showed his corporate nous when he brought his airline to Australia. The airline, which started flying in May 2000, is called Virgin Blue – because its planes are red.