Australia Network - English Bites - Series 7 - Episode 21: Gus the Fisherman

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Episode 21: Gus the Fisherman

Transcript

We'll look at word for people who fish, the phrasal verb latch onto and the slang term 'heaps'.

My name is Gus Oysterman and I'm a commercial fisherman out of Ceduna. I've been fishing in this area probably 42 years, 43 something like that. And I'll probably still be doing it when I die. Originally I come from Germany. I was 4 years old when my parents came out here. I started fishing I suppose when I was about 15, 16 and on and off I've been fishing ever since.

He's been fishing 'on and off' ever since he was 15. This means he's been fishing since he was 15, but also that at some times he has done other things - he's been doing it 'on and off' - sometimes he's fished and sometimes he hasn't.

Now, what do you call men who fish?

I'm mainly out here to catch King George whiting but you get the occasional gummy shark on the wadding line or squid but mainly King George whiting. It's what most of the fishermen are after.

Fishermen. Gus is a fisherman. The general term for men and women who fish is fishers or anglers.

He uses a hand line and not a rod. Why?

Hand fishing is a lot faster than using a rod. It doesn't really seem it now 'cos it's pretty slow but when they really bite it is heaps faster.

It's heaps faster. It's a lot faster or much faster. The slang word 'heaps' can mean both many and much - he's caught heaps of fish and it's heaps faster with a hand line.

Now listen for 'latched onto':

Two years ago I was out off Peter Point there and a big shark come alongside and he swam around the boat for about 3 quarters of an hour and he grabbed the motor and he give it a shake and sat alongside and I grabbed his fin and really good. And then all of a sudden he come past real close and his eyes rolled back and the next minute he latched on to the side of the boat and you could hear the fibreglass cracking. That was scary. That was scary. I pulled up anchor slowly and come home.

The shark 'latched onto' the side of the boat. It did more than just take a bite- it attached itself to the boat for a while. To latch onto means to attach firmly.

So on and off means sometimes doing something sometimes and sometimes not, men who fish are fishermen and people who fish are fishers or anglers. Heaps or a lot can mean both much and many. Heaps of fish, heaps faster. We'll finish with the term a day off, which is a day not spent working:

I mean today is beautiful , calm, but some days is terrible out there really but , I don't know I never worked for a boss , do what you want to do, if you want a day off, you can have a day off. If you want to come early you can if you want to stay late you can. I never get sick of fish. It's a good lifestyle. I just love it.

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