Oz Words

e think of “bangers and mash” as a quintessential English expression. But, published in 1919 as a record of slang by Aussie diggers in World War I. There was a shortage of meat, so butchers filled sausages with odds and ends – ground lips and ears from slaughtered animals, fat, cereals and water. When cooked on an open fire they often exploded – hence bangers. The diggers were, of course, surrounded by things going bang. So it’s likely Aussies coined the expression and shared it with the Tommies in nearby trenches, thereby creating the name for a classic of English cuisine.