Smoko?

G'day. Not from around these parts, are ya? Or maybe you are — but if you're under 35, not a tradie, a more recent Aussie (welcome, by the way), or simply not an Aussie at all (or a Kiwi…), then “smoko” probably isn't in your vernacular.

Smoko is Aussie slang for “break time”. Its history goes back to around the 1850s, when sailors and seamen used it to call a break to partake in a habit we've long since realised isn't terribly healthy. The phrase was adopted by gold prospectors and miners for the same reason — and simply to “have a rest”. A small town in Victoria even wound up with the name.

Later in the 1800s, the phrase migrated across the Aussie Outback, becoming the call for sheep shearers and agricultural workers to down tools for a bit.

These days, its original intent for that nasty habit has mostly been replaced with stopping for a “cuppa” — coffee or tea. Potentially made with some kind of “milk” from a plant that doesn't actually produce milk, if you're one of those younger city slickers.

And of course, a shout-out to The Chats, whose song “Smoko” helped bring the phrase back to a whole new generation.