49 words and phrases you will hear on any Australian site, from the people to the timber to the excuses. Each one links to its full glossary entry. Then take the quiz and find out whether you would survive smoko.
Ten random words, four meanings each. No time limit, no signing up. Share your rank with the group chat.
"Plumber reckons this arvo. Reckon tomorrow morning."
A to Z. Regional notes where a word changes between states.
Afternoon.
A hollow concrete block, usually 390 x 190 x 190mm.
Filler.
A bricklayer.
A curved profile.
The trip to the hardware store for the thing nobody thought to order.
A carpenter.
A wedge or block used to hold something steady or in place: a chock under a wheel, a chock under a beam, a chock to hold a door open.
Pre-painted steel roofing, fencing and cladding made by BlueScope.
The trade that forms and pours the slab, driveway, paths and footings.
An unlicensed, unqualified or just careless operator who does dodgy work.
A meal break, or the food itself, on mining, civil and some larger commercial sites.
Substandard, suspicious or unreliable.
A transportable site hut or accommodation unit.
A toilet.
The New Zealand and Scottish word for a nogging: the short horizontal timber between wall studs.
A portable cooler box.
Slope, in the drainage sense.
Fibre cement sheet.
The final pass of a service trade, after plaster and paint.
The carpenter's finishing work: doors, skirting, architraves, built-in robes, shelving.
The point when the timber or steel frame is standing and braced.
Plasterboard.
A hard, level surface for parking or storage: compacted gravel, road base or concrete.
The rotary clothesline.
Finishing time.
The height difference between the edges of two adjacent tiles.
As in "near enough is good enough".
A short horizontal timber fixed between wall studs to stiffen the frame and give plaster something to land on.
Not straight, not level, not aligned, or generally wrong.
A thin piece of timber, plastic or fibre cement used to shim something into position: a door jamb, a window, a bearer.
Perfectly vertical.
A plumber.
A renovation.
A roof plumber or roof tiler.
The first pass of a service trade, done once the frame is up and before the plaster goes on.
The reflective foil or breathable membrane laid under roof tiles or sheeting, and sometimes behind wall cladding.
A scaffolder.
It will be fine.
An enclosed verandah or lean-to used as an extra bedroom, common on older Queensland and NSW homes and some SA and VIC weatherboards.
The morning tea break, usually around 9.30 to 10am, and sometimes the afternoon break too.
An electrician.
A quick look.
A subcontractor.
Trade assistant, also called a labourer or a "lab".
A tradesperson.
A utility vehicle: a car or light truck with an open tray.
Any room that gets wet: bathroom, ensuite, laundry, toilet, and the splashback zone of a kitchen.
Unpainted zinc-aluminium coated steel roofing, the silver one.
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