The bizarre secret of London’s buried diggers

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by SatansHobbit

If you consider what the word "digger" means to an Australian, the story takes a rather morbid turn.

Yes I wouldn't call backhoes diggers either, mainly because the family business, that is the business owned by Mum and Dad and now my brother and sister-in-law, is a hydraulic one. Not sure if would get the names right but I know the basics. Basically they repair those things. Not that I can tell them apart. Will never officially qualifying as a fitter and turned Dad and my brother can do the work of one.

[ChasFink]

Add me to the list of Mike Mulligan fans; I often read that book in the library. Probably why I still call them steam shovels (especially the big ones) - either that or my age.

[Sue]

Originally Posted by SatansHobbit

If you consider what the word "digger" means to an Australian, the story takes a rather morbid turn.

I'm not Australian but this was still my first thought as well. I was relieved to learn I was wrong!

[WildaBeast]

Now I'm curious as to what is means in Australia. Is it like "gold digger", that is someone who marries someone solely for their money?

[thorny locust]

I don't know about Australia; but to me "digger" means just "a person who digs." Well digger, for instance (though modern ones use machines to do the work, and it occurs to me that the machines may also be called "well diggers", I'm not sure.)

So my first thought on seeing the headline was also that there were people buried down there; perhaps people who had been digging tunnels or foundations, since people digging ditches, or garden beds, or for that matter music, rarely wind up buried underground (though in the case of some ditches it's possible.)

-- actually I suppose people digging tunnels or foundations only rarely wind up buried underground, either. But it can happen.

"Gold diggers" can be literal or figurative, depending on the context.

[dfresh]

I believe it was/is used to mean soldiers. So, yeah, there might be some Australian soldiers buried in London.

[SatansHobbit]

Yeah, it's a soldier, particularly an ANZAC. Sort of like how British troops were called Tommies

[Dasla]

Yeah soldiers, probably because of the trenches in world war 1. But you may also call a friend a "Digger" in more of a joshing way now as it is a bit old fashioned. Maybe it's meaning a mate came about referring to an army buddy?

I just checked in my old "The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary" (from school days so published in 1976) and not only are the top two correct but it is or was, used to mean gold digger as in miner rather then someone who marries for money,

[Dasla]

There is a quote, I don't know who by, that says "England and America, two countries separated by a common language" And if you then add in Canada, New Zealand and Australia as well as several African countries...well it can get confusing.

[thorny locust]

And then there's this.

Long over, but still up; and IMO well worth reading.

-- in fact, I'm in serious danger of spending a rainy day reading it again, instead of dealing with this Overwhelming Pile of Paperwork.

[dfresh]

thorny locust, I am pretty sure there are no wombats under London, but that was a fantastic read each time I've ready it.

[ChasFink]

Originally Posted by thorny locust

And then there's this.

I'll have to read this when I have the time. Looks like just my kind of wombat strip.

And for some reason I think of this old tune.