 |
When you learn English you’re taught how to speak and write ‘proper’ English. Then you visit an English speaking country and start hearing some very strange slang terms. Australian slang is certainly ‘interesting’! Whether you’re dreaming of visiting Australia, have just arrived or have been in this gigantic island of paradise for a while, there are a few Australian slang words that you should learn to help you get through day to day life.
Although Australia is an English speaking country, arriving into the country with little knowledge of the most popular Aussie slang words may just get you into a few awkward situations. It’s worth noting that Aussies have a tendency to shorten most words in the English vocabulary as well. You will soon become accustomed to this! Here are a list of some common slang words (some found in other English speaking countries) that should help you get by…
If we’ve missed any please free to leave a comment below.
125 Australian Slang Words & Phrases
- A Cold One – Beer
- Accadacca – How Aussies refer to Australian band ACDC
- Ankle Biter – Child
- Arvo – Afternoon (S’Arvo – this afternoon!)
- Aussie Salute – Wave to scare the flies
- Avo – Avocado
- Bail – To cancel plans. ‘Bruce bailed’ = Bruce isn’t going to turn up.
- Barbie – Barbecue
- Bathers – Swimsuit
- Beauty! – Great! Most often exclaimed as “You Beauty”
- Billabong – A pond in a dry riverbed
- Billy – Teapot (In the Outback on the fire)
- Bloody – Very. Used to extenuate a point
- Bloody oath – yes or its true. “You right mate?”… “Bloody Oath”
- Bludger – Someone who’s lazy, generally also who relies on others (when it’s someone who relies on the state they’re often called a ‘dole bludger’)
- Bogan – This word is used for people who are, well let’s say, rednecks. Or, if you like, just call your friends a bogan when they are acting weird.
- Booze Bus – Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
- Bottle-O – Bottle Shop, basically a place to buy alcohol
- Brekky – Breakfast
- Brolly – Umbrella
- Bruce – An Aussie Bloke
- Buckleys Chance – little chance (Buckley’s Chance Wiktionary)
- Budgie Smugglers – Speedos
- Buggered – Exhausted
- Bush – “Out in the bush” – “he’s gone bush” In the countryside away from civilisation
- Cab Sav – Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cactus – Dead, Broken
- Choc A Bloc – Full
- Choccy Biccy – Chocolate Biscuit
- Chook – Chicken
- Chrissie – Christmas
- Ciggy – a Cigarette
- Clucky – feeling maternal
- Cobber – Very good friend. ‘Alright me ‘ol cobber’.
- Coldie – Beer. ‘Come over for a few coldie’s mate.’
- Coppers – Policemen
- Crack the shits – Getting angry at someone or something
- Crikey – an expression of surprise
- Crook – Being ill or angry; ‘Don’t go crook on me for getting crook’
- C*nt, the “C” word – Used when exchanging pleasantries between close friends or family member. If someone calls you the “C” word in Australia (and you haven’t done anything to make them angry), then breathe a sigh of relief… it means you have entered the mate zone.
- Dag – Someone who’s a bit of a nerd or geek.
- Daks – Trousers. ‘Tracky daks’ = sweatpants (tracksuit pants)
- Dardy – meaning “cool”, is used amongst South West Australian Aboriginal peoples and has also been adopted by non-indigenous teens. – wikipedia
- Deadset – True
- Defo – Definitely
- Devo – Devastated
- Drongo – a Fool, ‘Don’t be a drongo mate’
- Dunny – Toilet
- Durry – Cigarette
- Esky – An insulated container that keeps things cold (usually beers)
- Facey – Facebook
- Fair Dinkum – ‘Fair Dinkum?’ … ‘Fair Dinkum!’ = Honestly? … Yeah honestly!
- Flannie / Flanno – flannelette shirt
- Flat out – Really busy – “Flat out like a lizard drinking” – As busy as a bee
- Footy – Football (AFL / Aussie Rules)
- Frothy – Beer
- F*ck Me Dead – that’s unfortunate, that surprises me
- Furphy – rumours or stories that are improbable or absurd
- G’day – Hello
- Galah – an Australian cockatoo with a reputation for not being bright, hence a galah is also a stupid person.
- Gnarly – awesome – often used by surfers
- Going off – busy, lots of people / angry person “he’s going off”
- Good On Ya – Good work
- Goon – the best invention ever produced by mankind. Goon is a cheap, boxed wine that will inevitably become an integral part of your Australian backpacking experience.
- Hard yakka – Hard work
- Heaps – loads, lots, many
- Hoon – Hooligan (normally driving badly!)
- Iffy – bit risky or unreasonable
- Knickers – female underwear
- Lappy – Laptop
- Larrikin – Someone who’s always up for a laugh, bit of a harmless prankster
- Legless – Someone who is really drunk
- Lollies – Sweets
- Maccas – McDonalds
- Manchester – Sheets / Linen etc. If you’re from England, finding a department within a shop called Manchester could seriously confuse you.
- Mongrel – Someone who’s a bit of a dick
- Mozzie – Mosquito
- No Drama – No problem / it’s ok
- No Worries – No problem / it’s ok
- No Wucka’s – A truly Aussie way to say ‘no worries’
- Nuddy – Naked
- Outback – The interior of Australia, “The Outback” is more remote than those areas named “the bush”
- Pash – to kiss
- Piece of Piss – easy
- Piss Off – go away, get lost
- Piss Up – a party, a get together and in Australia – most social occasions
- Piss – (To Piss) to urinate
- Pissed – Intoxicated, Drunk
- Pissed Off – Annoyed
- Rack Off – The less offensive way to tell someone to ‘F Off’!
- Rapt – Very happy
- Reckon – for sure. ‘You Reckon?’… ‘I reckon!’
- Rellie / Rello – Relatives
- Ripper – ‘You little ripper’ = That’s fantastic mate!
- Root Rat – someone who enjoys sex (maybe a little too much)
- Rooted – Tired or Broken
- Runners – Trainers, Sneakers
- Sanger – Sandwich
- Servo – Service Station / Garage
- Shark biscuit – kids at the beach
- Sheila – A woman
- She’ll be apples – Everything will be alright
- Shoot Through – To leave
- Sick – awesome; ‘that’s really sick mate’
- Sickie – a sick day off work, or ‘to pull a sickie’ would be to take a day off when you aren’t actually sick
- Skull – To down a beer
- Slab – A carton of beers
- Smoko – Cigarette break
- Snag – Sausage
- Stiffy – Erection
- Stoked – Happy, Pleased
- Straya – Australia
- Strewth – An exclamation of surprise
- Stubby – a bottle of beer
- Stubby Holder – Used so your hands don’t get cold when holding your beer, or to stop your hands making your beer warm!
- Stuffed – Tired
- Sunnies – Sunglasses
- Swag – Single bed you can roll up, a bit like a sleeping bag.
- Tea – Dinner
- Tinny – Can of beer or small boat
- Thongs – Flip Flops. Do not be alarmed if your new found Australian friend asks you to wear thongs to the beach. They are most likely expressing their concern of the hot sand on your delicate feet.
- True Blue – Genuinely Australian
- Tucker – Food. ‘Bush Tucker’ tends to be food found in the Outback such as witchety grubs.
- Two Up – A gambling game played on Anzac day.
- U-IE – to take a U-Turn when driving
- Up Yourself – Stuck up
- Woop Woop – middle of nowhere “he lives out woop woop”
- Ya – You
- Yous – (youse) plural of you!
Some of these words may not be as commonly used these days, but you might still hear them being used ironically or by older Australians.
How To Speak Australian
Once you’ve been in Australia for, well, an hour, you’ll notice that nearly every word has an ‘o’ on the end of it. This is because for some weird reason Australians like to shorten every word and then add a vowel to the end of it… e.g. “bottle-o” (Bottle shop / off license) “servo” (garage / service station).
Oddly though, some of these words end up being longer than they were originally. At other times they’ll just add a different vowel instead of the ‘o’. MacDonalds, you know that famous fast food burger joint, is only known as Macca’s over here! I think the video below perfectly illustrates this unique way of speaking Australian!
Australian Phrases & Sayings
Some phrases can be a bit more difficult to work out than the abbreviations Australians use. When someone exclaimed to me: “OMG check out his budgie smugglers” I really had absolutely no clue what they were talking about. Let’s just say it only refers to men, and they tend to be wearing speedos!
I was at the bar and my friend says “it’s my shout mate“. Huh?! This is an important one to know. If it’s their shout they’re going to be paying. Another common one to hear at the pub is “he’s blotto“… Yeah don’t buy that guy another drink he’s already had too many!
The word “bogan” is a typically Aussie slang word as well. This word is used for people who are, well let’s say, rednecks. Or, if you like, just call your friends a bogan when they are acting weird.
If you find yourself in a bit of an argument and you begin to act unreasonably you might be told to “pull ya head in“, if however you’re right (stubborn) and you really want the other person to believe what you’re saying you can say “fair dinkum mate“.
Worried that something isn’t going to plan? “No worries, she’ll be right mate” – It’s not a problem, everything will be okay!
“Put some snags on the barbie” – this is a statement you’ll hear way more often than “Put a shrimp on the barbie”… why? Well because snags, i.e. sausages, exist, whereas in Australia shrimps don’t… they’re known as prawns!
Heard that someone is “Flat out like a lizard drinking“? The English phrase for this would be “busy as a bee”.
I was doing a little googling on this particular topic and came across a website, called the Australian slang dictionary. Scanning through it I found an expression that I just had to share: “He’s got kangaroos loose in the top paddock“. The meaning of the phrase? Someone who is a bit wacky. Or, as the dictionary says in a prettier way; someone who is intellectually challenged.
Top Tip! If you’re really stuck but want to seem as though you’re beginning to learn some of the local Australia language – the lingo if you will, always say hello by saying “G’day” and always add “mate” to the end of every sentence.
Now you’ve learnt some Australian slang and phrases why not try some typical Aussie Food?
Or Learn about some Australian Animals (A-Z list with pictures and facts)
Bloody oath – yes or its true. “You right mate?”… “Bloody Oath”
grog- alcohol
“budgie smugglers” really is just guys wearing speedos 😉 When people used to smuggle birds they would stuff them into tight underpants – this is where it comes from ;P
Really? I always assumed it’s because a penis in a tight ‘environment’ looks like the shape of a small trapped bird!
If one were to follow that logic they’d be called pelican smugglers
This one is more to the point…lol
no
That is where the name came from lol where else would that name come from?
I’m pretty sure that it was not a literal thing but rather the fact that it appears that a budgie is in the blokes cossie, and it would be weird to call them after another bird, the sulphur crested cockatoo, or a cockie, because it would be too literal and definitely make some feel inadequate.
I’d hate to think that people were trying to conceal slugs in their cossies when someone conceived the name sluggos.
As an aside, it would be fair to say, a majority of blokes down the beach would usually Boardies or Boardshorts, unless they were in some type of event like lifesaving or swimming.
Don’t think i would be brave enough to shove a parrot down there!!
or if you dont agree and want to be slightly sarcastic you say yeh nah in a low tone or if you agree you can say nah yeh lol
goodie goodie gum drops
all a bit out dated i reckon , need to upgrade to this century man
#89 It’s not so your hands don’t get cold while your drinking…’For Pete’s Sake’ It’s so your beer stays cold, yer Drongo. Who cares about yer hands mate.
Bloody oath
What does FAB stands for
Fabulous;
Fantab is to Fantabulous;
yeh mate thats what i was thinkin
ya fair dinkum
ha love the comment
Going off – busy, lots of people
Going off – means full on partying or Angry/pissed off
hahaha had a convo with a friend and he got so confused
Good on ya mate for completing the challenge
Some clown went walkabout out woop woop and got eaten by a wombat! Dead set f*cken true c**t. Dumbarse.
Sink a slab and smash a pizza.
Always thought a “goon” was another word for flagon (large bottle of wine). At least this is what we referred it to before the cask of wine was invented (and I’ve been around for sixty years).
goon is just a cheap and nasty wine. we usually reserved the word “goon” for the cheap wine in the box/cask.
eg- I’m heading to the bottlo to grab a goon cask.
It means are you starting a fight or argument after saying something insulting or you’re telling someone off
“Why are you having a go at me all I did was blow up a mailbox”
Or someone is stirring trouble and hurling insults
“Are you having a go at me? I don’t like your tone”
Also “Let’s go” or “you wanna go” means let’s fight not actually leave. Tone is very important with this kind of language it’s mainly used as banter with a bit of wrestling
A goon is a flag on of wine
It was now it covers all the cheap nasty stuff in the casks and bottles
Spot on…..goon is the abbreviation for flagon – a large 2 or 3 litre glass bottle of wine. Usually fairly cheap.
I think you are right. As in ” hey brudda we going unda d’bridge with a ‘goon of sherry’
ok cool
Mark’s right. The goon was originally a flagon. Usually sherry or brown muscat. Cheap as chips too.
Disagree with #80 – Sickie. This is a day off work without being actually sick. When you wake up and just say fug it.
agreed! have updated ‘sickie’ 🙂
Is goon a derivation of fla-“go(o)n”?
Other phrases I’ve heard. The “Mort” referring to the wife. “Putting the blacksmith on ya”. Or being locked out of the house by the wife after too many hours in a pub.
Also known as a ‘handbrake’
Nice Kate. Your update nails it perfectly 🙂
Pull a sickie, chuck a sickie – beautiful 🙂
A couple more:
Starkers – To be naked; wearing your birthday suit
In the bolocky – same as above
Yacka – work; usually hard yacka
Flanno – flannelette shirt
Yakka is under Hard Yakka (no. 50), starkers I really think is very British. Have added Flanno though. Have never heard anyone say in the bollocky – lol 🙂
Well the Ozzies uses British English so therefore I reckon that’s the reason why the Ozzie words are alike the British words like for instance the Brits calls it a ” wheelie” and then the Ozzies also call it ” wheelie
Ha ha, hilarious. I use a lot of these – and I have my own list too. See Australian colloquialisms
How can you have missed “ute”? That’s as Aussie as a meat pie!
“Ute” in Strine is a truck or SUV, not to be confused with utes (plural) from “My Cousin Vinnie,” where it refers to youths, or as Vinne explains to the judge, “youthes.”
How about doing some “Bobbie duffing, or chucking a Uie, a U turn, or squaffing a tinnie.
Heaps you missed dunno if ya know most the slang…like a terrier=never gives up ….pull your head in…mongrel can mean a few things like if someone is a beast at footy they can be a mongrel in a good way…same as grouse I think it’s spelt that in Victoria they use that as great,cool,awsome,but you made a good list,keep it going.
Taking the piss, is a big one but is that same in UK to like it means you’re making fun or making someone believe nonsense.
nice
really awesome site
There are also dictionaries for slang language available online. This is the way languages are revolutionized. Who knows that the words we call slang today may become part of the regular English someday and may come into writing as well.
Already knew most of these but you could me with a few
What about the word Chockers …full up or the road is completely filled with cars
chuck a blocky- similiar to a U-ie except wider going round a block, also used when searching for a house or place
Are you all actually Australian
Cause you sound like a flippin’ group of no good bogan travelers from woop woop
:’D that cracked me up
i have never called a beer a tinny a tinny is a small metal boat change this please
Tin would be more accurate, yeah
This depends on what state you come from inner cities sometimes do not recognize these sayings
Australian slang comes from a mixture of migrants or convicts that cam came from Irland Scotland England also mixed American sayings. and Australians
I went fishin’ in my tinny the other day, and I ran into this charter boat.
How did you not see a charter boat?
Charter boat…..? What charter boat?
Pissed off can also mean there just really annoyed, not just drunk
Tinny may be a area or state saying, like grouse in Victoria meaning great.
I have heard it used “get me tinny from the fridge luv’
Another one is port meaning suitcase or school bag used in QLD and northern NSW shortened from the French word portmanteau which also the word porter comes from
A lot of non Aussies would definitely not get a lot of these terms, even Maccas as Mcdonalds sounds a bit far off. Aussie slang is definitely fun to listen to and if you’re planning to visit or live in Australia, well you gotta gear up and polish your knowledge on Aussie terms. Interesting how everyone connects the word mate to Aussie’s favorite word call for others! Ha ha.
James Clarke, I’m Aussie, born and raised. Maccas is the only way everybody over here calls Mac Donalds. That and Hungry Jacks for Burger King. Cheers, Bruce.
That’s always funny to me, we call it Mickey Dees around where I live, or just MacDonalds, Maccas seems so odd to say. I do like it tho
Mickey Ds, is generally limited to southern New England, USA. Much like pissuh, sometimes emphasized with the all purpose adverb, f*ckin, as in f*ckin pissuh.
The word mate was held high in earlier years, Mate was the best friend the one that stood by you through thick and thin.People use this terminology freely to day with no substance of the meaning
the British used this as well.
Australians today are mixed races more so than yesteryear so there is a lot of slang that was not around in earlier years. Also Technolgy has now brought in a new strain especially with younger generations
Jeez ‘aussie’ – No need to go off like a raw prawn.
Everyone uses the word ‘tinnie’ for a can of beer.
You’re not livin’ in a cattle truck mate 😉 Pull your head in.
You flaming bum nut
Just a note on a couple:
Bush – doesn’t mean outback. It means wood/forest. To go bushwalking is to go hiking. Outback’s outback.
Root -to root is to have sex. ‘Ave a root’. Haven’t heard anyone use rooted as tired before.
Barrack- to follow/root for a particular sports team. Aussies would laugh at the word root in this context (see above).
I agree – I ‘barrock’ for that team.
Maccas is always used.
Cobber is old school now.
You missed ‘rightio’ meaning ok
Definitely ‘tinny’ or ‘can’ doesn’t matter what drink it is a long as it’s in a can.
Tinny as a boat, not sure about that one. I just call it a boat.
Gone up whoop whoop – a long way away
Dunno – I dont know
Plastered – drunk outa ya brain
I’ve never heard of ‘goon’, but if its relating to the wine cask that was cheap coz you couldn’t afford anything else when you were a teenager and tasted like horse piss and when you finished it you blew it up and used it as a pillow at the end of the night then thats it lol ah the memories.
Tastes like cats piss – really bad beer
Wanka – what a wanka – meaning idiot
Friggen- how to say f&*@£%g in front of kids and non sweaters.
And stubby holder – it bloody keeps my hands warm in winter from a cold can and keeps my can cool in summer so my hands dont warm up the beer.
But you’ve hit the nail on the head with your list, it’s a rippa. Good onya
Indeed, rooted denotes tiredness. After a long day hay baling one might say “I’m faaarked!” or “I’m rooted! Chuck us a frothie cob” (Please share a beer with me old friend).
Agree that rooted can mean tiredness. It can be used for anything that is broken or worn out. Bloody tyres rooted etc.
I’ve lived in FNQ for 30+ years around some dinky die blokes, and came to know ‘being rooted’ as being very tired; as well as ‘have a root’ as having sex.
Tinnie=can of beer
Tinny= metal boat
Do his/her block= get angry
Chuck a darkie= get angry
Crack the shits= see above
Fair suck of the sav (or later- the sauce bottle)= You’ve got to be kidding!
Off like a bag of prawns in the hot sun= self-explanatory 😷🤢
The bush can mean the outback / country in the right context.
Rooted can be – tired, knackered, buggered, fucked (as in rooted)
Barrack, root for your team – a little obscure but certainly usable and used.
Yeah nah , i don`t think i`d wana root for a whole team , sounds slutty
G’day mate
Maybe come to Vic if you have never herd someone say there rooted it’s a very common term for tired and unless your going fishin everyone calls a beer a tinny you silly Muppets
You’ve got kangaroos loose in the top paddock mate
“How you going?”
Is a phrase that has nothing at all to do with what bicycle, bus,Uber or train you plan on taking to get there, or go home!
A real oldie and reserved for use among mates: G’day “Hooks”
Have a guess as to what “Hooks” refers to!
” 92 Stubby Holder – Used so your hands don’t get cold when holding your beer!”
WRONG!! You got it arse about you drongo – A stubby holder is to prevent your hands from warming the beer.
Mongrel can also refer to an erection. For example, when being prompted by your fellow shearers to get up for work, one might say “fair go, I’ve got half a mongrel here”.
aussie aussie oi oi oi.
I like Australian accent.
Australian accent & pronunciation: newcomers to ‘Stralia need to read this . .
.I once heard a story of an English lady on vacation in Oz who was changing into her swimming gear in a communal women’s room. A True Blue sheila looked at her underwear admiringly and asked:
“Hi! Wear check etcher longer ray?”
Note: the voice must rise up in pitch at the end of that question.
awh ikr mate they are just so attractive and its just ace !
Great. Very informative article. I like it, especially b’coz it has contained the valuable guide.This is something really helpful.
A real aussie would know that we laugh at people who wear any kind of footwear on the beach (yes this includes thongs)
“Are you having a go”. What does that mean?
“Are you having a go” means are you giving your best effort to a task be it at work or on a sporting field.
“Having a go” can also mean being insulting, as in “Are you having a go at me?”
to pick on someone … or to take a turn at something
“Are you Having a go?!”
Other meanings & alternative phrases.
First off, to ensure all those using the English-language dialect understands, here are a few pointers.
‘Ya’ – you, ¹nonstandard spelling of you.
‘Yo’/ ‘Hey’/ ‘Oi’ – ¹exclamation to get someones attention, ²to call attention to, ³to greet someone.
E.g: ‘Yo, Anna! Come over here for a minute.
‘Got’- past tense of get. ‘Gotta’ – ¹got to, ²have got to
Now, “Are you having a go?!” i.e:
” (Are) You taking the piss?!”
“You can’t be serious!?”
“(Are) You having a laugh (are ya)?!”
😅 ? 😡
“You must be joking!?”
“Ya gotta be (f**king) kiddin’ me!?”😡
Most dramatically: “Please, tell me you’re joking!?”😧
In some American, urban, subcultures you may hear:
“Yo, (is) you for real? Or “You for real?!” i.e: U 4 real?!”
“You fuckin’ wit(h) me?!” Or “You playin’ wit(h) me?!”
“You’re tripping!” Or “You be tripping!”
“Is you serious?!” Or “Yo, is you (f**king) serious (right now)!?
It could also mean bewildered or (indignant) disbelief…
👊 Fair 😱 Warning 😵: If this is said to you WITHOUT smile or a laugh, 😕 if they did not enunciate with an inquisitive or playful connotation: You more then likely, offended, 😤 annoyed or perhaps even angered 😠 and/or enraged them in some way for some reason.
🚩This phrase could be a warning and/or threat.
🎭When in a place where language differs from your own, I find it’s very useful to know how to understand & interpret non verbal communication, it’s a world-wide, international language : 🎼Safe travels.
I’m not from Australia, I am Irish & Cherokee and here in the United States. But because of me being in the Air Force and being Stationed with with a lot of guys from the RAF & ROYAL NAVY. But never got chance to be station in Australia. I have a lot of mates that thought me a lot about Australia and its culture. Which really isn’t much different from the Ranching community I grew up in. And the more time I spent with all my mates, the more I found myself speaking and thinking both Irish & Australian. Now out of the Military and 60-yrs young, I still speak Aussie than anything.
One in 6 Aussies have Irish blood in their ancestry, I think it is really Guinness LOL
I’m really surprised you don’t have shrimp on a bobby on here!!
What Americans consider shrimp we call prawns,
to us shrimp are really small prawns or that you are very short.
Not sure what is a bobby, as we call a barbecue a barbie….
In the late 19th century when the English Lord Roberts created the London police, the recruits were given a silver shilling, 12 pennies, similar to 10 cents today, but a lot of money then.
Joining the police was called “Taking the shilling”. A short form of Robert is Bob or Bobby.
The police were known as “Bobby’s men”.
South Africans would understand a lot of these, our own slang / colloquialisms are similar. Perhaps due to our shared British heritage and hearing these terms on TV.
I bet if we put all these slang words into a sentence, people would think we were talking another language! Nina
Speaking as an Aussie I wonder if the Author is Australian ‘cos most of this is wrong. Most of the slang is slang but most Aussie slang has 2 translations and only one is given. Also most of the information is wrong. And don’t add mate to everything some Australians will be offended if you use it too early or when we are PO’d (pissed off) at you. By the way pissed off is not annoyed it’s more like Angry.
Thanks so much! I have to do a project for school about Australia, and this helps a lot! Hallelujah!
Matt, i’m Australian, thank you very much! 😡
‘Furphy’, you’re telling a furphy. Stories traded over a Furphy water tank and if it sounds outrageous or exaggerated, came to be known as a furphy.
‘Longdrop’ outdoor dunny.
‘Flat out like a lizard drinkin’, busy
‘Sweatin blood’ or ‘Hard yakka’
Thanks for these Dana, I’ll add them in!
I love your very comprehensive list. Aussie slang varies from state to state, so not every one will agree on some definitions.
I have often heard and used, howyagoin. yes one word. A rhetorical greeting, similar to hello, not a question. For example “howyagoin mate!”. Not pronounced “how are you going?” Which requires an answer.
One of my all time favourites. Dry as a dead dingo’s donger. For example, you walk in to a pub, bar man says “howyagoin” you reply “I’m as dry as a dead dingo’s donga”. It means very thirsty. Keep up the good work.
To expand on the meaning of “furphy”, it originated in the first (I think) world war, when Furphy water tankers travelled around the troops distributing water, and also news or gossip, which may or may not have been true. I recently visited the Furphy museum in Shepparton, which is fascinating.
Boondy: chuck a boondy, throw a dirt bomb/ compacted dirt shaped like a rock that dissipates upon impact
Woop Woop: middle of nowhere, a long way from a main town
Iffy: anything that is a bit iffy is risky, questionable
Going Off: really busy OR a person losing their temper and shouting OR food turned sour
Dardy: good thing
Deadly: of it’s not poisonous and it’s deadly then it’s awesome
Righty: if not being directed to take a right or chuck a right, it is to do the right thing, do a good deed
Chuck a lefty/righty: driving directions, turn left/right
Pissed off can be annoyed Or leaving the location
So many more
hi thanks for the information
Thanks For it
Your information is great
G’day mate. Didn’t see no mention of any Rangas (red heads) in this list. Me mate Blue won’t be impressed at all about that!
Few noticeable exclusions.. for those that know .. including Pingers (haha).. Chockers.. And Going Off
up shit creek without a paddle spearing tadpoles with a crow bar. everything going bad
your a mug, not the brightest spark. slow thinker takes a bit for it to sink in
she give up the goat shagged, rooted, knackered. broken never to work again
put it in ya sky rocket(put it in your pocket)…… drier than dingo’s donga, drought no rain
ya mad bastard, performs unbelievable tasks wearing thongs, drinkin piss, sayin she’ll be right ,kenoath, short for F*%king oath (exaggeration) catch the game last night “kenoath i did ”
jatz cracker (biscuts) but also refers male appendage(his nuts). got him in the jazts crakers
duzz buzz, have a cigarette.. oh pull the other one, exaggerated story or lies
Dead horse, tomato sauce.. dog n bone, blower, on the phone…..
The dog house, you pissed ya missus off and your sleeping on the couch
inny (south Aus west coast) short for isn’t it, deadly inny
shaggin wagon, big car with lay down back seat or bed in back!
and just in case i got one wrong hahahahaha D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F
Do I Look Like I Give A F*&K
The word rooting or rooted around comes from way back and went off the boil back in the 60.s
American English Australian Meaning to look for something,
Like “I was rooting around in the draw” Rooted also means the “thing is finished does no0t work anymore “The sex term came out in the 60s. It may have been used behind the scenes, as people were not so outspoken they had more respect for people around them
#36 is not acceptable slang between anyone – it’s an insult – don’t use it
Since when is #36 “Crikey” an insult
Maggot bag – meat pie
Leper in a sleeping bag – chiko roll
Dead horse -tomato sauce
Ankle biter – small child
Dodgy – not quite right
True blue – genuinely Australian
Up yourself – stuck up
Suss is suspect, dodgy
Drier than a dingo’s donga, I think is more “A dead dingo’s donga.” I’m drier than or I’m as dry as.
Some of these phrases are still part of the vernacular. Some of them used to be, but would never be pronounced with a straight face by anyone under 30. Some are just ‘Barry McKenzie’ joke slang, but not in real use. A couple I’ve never heard at all, in 69 years.
Sometimes, I just wish people would check these ridiculous lists with a local linguist.
Hi Stephen, thanks for your input. This list has been put together by some of our Australian staff located all around Australia.
Thank you so much for sharing such nice article with us.
It really helps me.
G’day love here’s a few extra ones for ya…
A Barry Crocker – having a shocker.
Dodgey – a bit rough.
Dunny budgie – blowflies.
Sanger – sandwich.
Shark biscuit – kids at the beach.
Squizz – having a gander.
Gander – Having a Squizz.
Stretcher case – Drunk.
Shaggers back – Too much rooting.
Hey just a couple more to add to your list you have some rippers on there
Gnarly = really awsome or something you really like
Sick = same as gnarly
Stoked = really happy that that happed or really pumped
Sketchy = not quite right or risky
Marchys = march flies
Old fart = old person or elderly
Cactus pooptus = dead or about to die
Give me 5= give me a high five
Cricky dick = a rude way of saying cricky or if you are extermly shocked
Hoo roo = good bye
Dag- nerdy or geeky person…
Yeah Nah mate, that isn’t what we call dags. If the person is Nerdy or Geeky we say either, a dag is, well, normally a person who looks like a dag!
Umm, well, baggy clothes, stoner maybe, a troublemaker maybe, just someone who looks very unkept and a bit on the rude/jerk side
You forgot Mate. mate seriously one of the most used words in Australian slang and it means friend. mate – you need to fix this
The last sentence of the article mentions ‘mate’:
“Top Tip! If you’re really stuck but want to seem as though you’re beginning to learn some of the local Australia language – the lingo if you will, always say hello by saying “G’day” and always add “mate” to the end of every sentence.”
Mate comes from British English with the same meaning
Or lover
hot- hotty
bother -bro
mr-sir
hello-gday
avocado-avo
Good crack similar to Scot’s Irish and English just a bit more childish.
Crocodile Dundee had a gonk. Where can I get a gonk?
Insightful stuff here. Great job!
Suggestion: inclusion of the word, flog?? Extremely versatile word for your vocab. And only something I’ve heard in Australia.
Flog /ged/ging
Context of someone being a wanker or up themselves: “Fuck me, that James guy is a flog”
Context of someone/thing getting beaten badly: “Geez, the Brisbane Lions got flogged again, did you see the game?”
Context of going to the gym: “Hey mate, are you going for a flog?”
Context of someone pleasuring themselves: “I really need to flog, it’s been too long”
Context of someone stealing something: “Some flog has flogged the street sign”
Flogged or flogging came from early convict times, where men and women were flogged as punishment. A sport team can be flogged, beaten or loses a game by a large difference in score. To say someone needs a good flogging, means they need to be punished or taught a lesson. To have a flogg or someone’s just had a flogg means something else entirely. To quote more Aussie slang, a wank.
Thanks for the word,.Cobber. I collect positive words and I didn’t have that one in my collection.
what about flip-flops—–there thongs because of how they sound when you walk
OMG-O my goch
Fly on the wall-when an conversation some one peeks in and listens and looks.
What does AS stands for
Know all of these and use them in my own language much to the amusement of my non Australian friends and colleagues.
The ones you are missing are:
Snot Block – Vanilla Slice
Reg Grundies – Undies
Screamer – a great mark (Aussie Rules term)
Jatz Crackers – testicles (as made famous by Steve Folley commentating on the diving at the Atlanta Olympics)
Doing a Bradbury – Wining by virtue of everybody in front of you falling over
Pineapple – $50 Note
Salmon – $20 note
Footy is sometimes reduced to Foody in some parts of Australia Footy = Foody
Bicky / Bickies = biscuit / biscuits
You forgot to mention CAPSICUM – red pepper 😉
is that not its actual name??
Barker’s Eggs/= Dog’s droppings that have turned white in the sun on lawns, or anywhere.
Betta Arf/= traditionally, the wife/missus/female significant other.
Bonza/=Really good, even brilliant.
Bull Dust/=Very fine red dust sand/or a polite way of saying nonsense.
Cow inna cupboard/=Can of powdered milk, canned evaporated/condensed milk, cartons of UHT/Long Life milk that can be stored long term in a cupboard/pantry long term without the need to be refrigerated.
Cut and Shut/= Originally an automotive term, but can refer to a woman as having her womb removed/ or her tubes tied.
Dad’n’Dave/=Shave.
Derro/=A derelict remnant of a former man, usually in reference to a homeless drunkard or petrol/glue sniffer
Dog’s eye wiv Dead ‘Orse/=Beef/Meat Pie with Tomarda sauce
Dropkick/=useless/ good for nothin’ bloke/individual.
Drop the aitch off of any word beginin with a H/h; Horse= ‘Orse; House= ‘Owse etc
Dust Bunnies/balls of fluff that collect, under beds, but especially on newly fitted carpets.
Fisho/ usually in outback populaces a bloke that does a run of the local publican’s establishments with a trailer of seafood on ice. These fellahs walk into the Pub, sing out “Fisho” then take interested clientele back to their refrigerated vehicle.
Frog and Toad/= The road.
Fuelie or Fuely/=Petrol Bowser.
Had the Snip/= No jellybeans in the jellybean bag/Vasectomy.
Howlin’ Tommy/=Whingeing Pomm.
Jolly Hoppers/=Coppers (pronounced Jolly ‘Oppas).
Mallies (pronounced mawlies)/= Old Codgers with nothing better to do than hang around shopping malls in groups together, ogling women going about their shopping, whilst waiting for the Supermarket to call them up to make a home delivery.
Parkies/Park People/=Vagrants that live in/haunt parks.
Rice Burners/= Cheap and nasty Japanese/Asian cars/vehicles, also can be referred to as Cocoa Tins.
Shootin’ Blanks/= Fellah that’s “had the snip”/vasectomy and no semen/swimmers exit when he’s done, he’s just shooting blanks. .
Snag/s/ Sausages; also anything not a fish, that catches your fishing line/ lately can refer to a Sensitive New Age Guy, but not heard all that often.
Tappa/Tapper/= A collector of discarded cans and bottles, the bottles collected in his bags would make a distinct tapping sound as he walked along, hence the moniker of “Tapper”.
Tit inna tin/=can of powdered milk
Tommy Rot/= British BS/lies/propaganda; also reference to British standards of class distinction/protocols/etiquette
Treacle Beak/ any gadabout poking their nose into other people’s business, not used very much nowadays more likely to use “Sticky Beak”.
Tuck Shop/= Corner Shop selling Tucker/Food, usually groceries but including pies, pasties, “Lead Sinkers”(dried fruit slices) and sundry other cakes,lollies,and cold/soft drinks.
Walkers and Turners/ Unemployed on the hunt for a job, walk around with nothing worthwhile to do, walking down one Street, and turn down the next. A Walker and Turner.
Few more I use
Kip and ky – bed and food
Razoos – money
Seven pints in the gallon – someone who is not all there
Dad and Dave – shave
as a Yank living in Melbourne during the ’80’s, here’s a few that mystified me at first, but aren’t on the list:
crack a fat
a ring on the dog
mad as a snake
dole bludger
biro
digby
Darwin stubby
franger
gash
choof
mull
spliff
pushie or pushbike
bull bag
heavy or full bag
(‘ave a) pull
Yank
pom, bloody pom, whinging pom etc
pommy shower
Kiwi
ta
chippie (carpenter)
sparkie (electrician)
grouse
possum (endearingly)
Funny how they can be so apt and funny, but normal back then! Sad it’s hardly used any more! Hate change, seriousness and political correctness🤪
Hi Richard, yeah, I suppose “duck nuts” isn’t real appropriate🤔, don’t know how old, but definitely Ocka, is simply, “Ledge”. “She’s a ledge of a teacher”. It is an abbreviation as such, and not a full word. Not offensive, but explanatory……Bit hard to stay feminine with Aussie slang for a Sheila! That’s my thoughts👍🏼 Hope it helps a tiny bit for a good Aussie ode🇦🇺 Cheers!
Funny how they can be so apt and funny, but normal back then! Sad it’s hardly used any more! Hate change, being too serious, and political correctness🤪
BTW, I remember it as “mad as a cut snake”, and grouse is definitely Victorian
It sounds like you’ve embraced some of the Australian way of language, which my Austrian father in law did (came with family of 5 in 1964) whilst working all over country Oz! Bloody funny accent that was! Love it👊🏼
I recognise a lot of this, we used similar slang growing up in Liverpool, and what I didn’t use I recognise from Neighbours and The Sullivans( ‘Fair crack of the whip’, ‘Good egg’ ):-)
Also, pomy meaning a british person
they dont even have root
root means sex like “i had a real nice root last night ay” meaning “i had some really good sex last night yeah?”
ute – truck
togs – swimwear
popper – juice box
glad wrap – cling wrap
fair dinkum – really?
grub – food
Pingas – speed
I’m trying to find a real vernacular aussie word meaning ‘good at’ . As in, Dawn was really good at her job. A word a male would use, something not as crude as say, ‘She’s the dog’s boxxocks at her job’. Preferably amusing?
Dawn was a “real cracker” at her job!….?
Or ducks nuts! lol, What about Ledge, it’s an abbreviation but commonly used as oz slang! Hard to remember appropriate feminine slang
Final suggestion would be; the bees knees🤔
Nailled it
Killed it
Owned it
useful information and posts
Remember my Pop used to use Billy goat for throat also, rifle range in the sky rocket for change in the pocket, cows hoof, which is very (can’t say) inappropriate nowadays! His sayings were never ending. I actually like making up a lot of sayings myself, which most workmates and friends find funny. It would be bonzer to keep the Ocka Slang going! Like all lingo’s It fades-away eventually, but it’s fun trying to keep it circulating as long as possible👍🏼. RIP Paddy😜
Some of these are also used in various other English speaking countries as well with the same or very similar meanings. (And some have very different meanings for the same word or expression).
Durry – Cigarette is wrong 🙁
Some of these are old & were used as i was growin up … every area is different … durry use to be used in the 70s now its more ciggy. I guess it depends on ur age . Me 55 born n bred blues (NSW)….
Hossie=hospital
Possie=position
Garbo=rubbish collector
Shocks=shoes n sox
Chips – they mean French fries or potato chips, depends on the context
Nice. When I first came to Australia. I heard slangs like – “Bob’s your uncle” and “Rain check” . Those can be added too if they are Aussi slang. I enjoyed this article. Thanks.
thanks for the information
good one keeo it up
thanks for sharing this tips
Cuppa – tea or coffee. Ex: can I grab you a cuppa?
Bunta: crazy/irate ex: I’m gonna go Bunta on her!
Sua gosto de ti ler meu mente ! Você aparecem entender tanto aproximadamente , como você escreveu
o guia nele ou algo. Sinto-me que você pode com algumas por cento
ao unidade a mensagem casa um pouco, no entanto em vez de, é magnífica blog.
Um fantástico ler. Eu vou definitivamente volta.
Cactus? Close but it’s supposed to be “carked it” which means something is dead, broken or has stopped working. E.g. The computer’s just carked it.
‘To cark’ is used more for smaller things, or components of a larger object. So if your car broke down, you could technically say, “The car’s carked it.” However it sounds a little funny, so we’d refer to a component of the car, like, “The engine’s carked it.” Although I guess you could say, “Did you hear about how The Large Hadron Collider completely carked it?” but that still sounds a little off.
You can use it to refer to people who have literally died, however it’s pretty crude and tasteless and could be offensive depending on who you’re talking to and the context, so to be safe I’d stick to inanimate objects.
A cactus is just a cactus over here, a prickly succulent.
🙂
Nice Post
I am Australian and I haven’t heard most of these words on here. Me and my friend were looking through these and I screamed: ‘WHAT THE HELL DOES _______ MEAN!’ A lot
Most of this list is horribly inaccurate, either phrases that I’ve never heard an Aussie say (living in a ski town for over 15 years you meet a lot!).
Plus a ton that aren’t even on here that are pretty basic, here’s 2 because I’m too lazy to add the 15 or so not on there, or the 20+ that aren’t even close to accurate.
Pearler = beautiful day
Under the pump = feeling stressed or on a deadline
I live in rural Australia and I haven’t heard half of that stuff!
Cactus is used for dead. As well as carked it.
I’ve met heaps of overseas visitors over the past 12 years as a Park Ranger and not one of them has ever heard the term ‘D & M’ as in ‘a deep and meaningful conversation’ or ‘serious conversation’ at a social gathering 🙂 They all think it’s a great term 🙂 Their other favourites are dag and galah.
Doof doof music – a derogatory term for house/hip hop music is another one they’ve never heard before.
Dink – the Victorian term for giving someone a lift on their bike as in ‘I’ll give you a dink’. Me and a mate nearly got in to real trouble years ago when we said this to two UK female backpackers on a bike ride/pub crawl in Sydney years ago 🙂 All the locals were shocked. As we found out that day in NSW they call it ‘a double’ or I’ll ‘double yah’ 🙂
Scallop – in Victoria it’s a scallop, in NSW a potato cake.
I begin by saying that I live in NSW and have never ordered a potato cake but always order scollops,.. which turns out to be an archaic word, which differentiates it from the sea dwelling scallop….Adding potato at the front seems to be an excessive use of words and contrary to the Aussie vernacular.
In Australia and England deep fried potato cakes are commonly sold in fish and chip shops and takeaway food shops. In New South Wales, they are usually referred to as “scallops” or potato scallops, however the term “potato cakes” is used across the southern states of Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and known in South Australia as a potato fritter. Both “potato scallop” and “potato fritter” are used in Queensland. In the ACT, potato cakes are more commonly referred to as “scallops”—a term more commonly used in the surrounding area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_cake
If you are looking to truly differentiate the two, both could be used to describe a piece of potato that is scallop”ed” off a potato, but a potato cake can be created by mashing a potato and moulding it into a patty or “cake”. The moulded type are usually factory produced and more uniform in size and shape.
According to an upcoming Australian documentary entitled Do It Ourselves Culture, the word doof was first said back in 1993 by a furious German lady by the name of Helga as a means of describing the music of local Sydney dance act, Non Bossy Posse, who were performing at 600 King St, Newtown.
She questioned ..”what is this doof, doof, doof?.. this is not music”
I am sure some others would agree.lol
My new Tassie friend uses these:
Chuffed = pleased
Stuffed = tired, wore out
Puffed = breathing hard, out of breath
Oooo rooooo = good bye
Footy = the LOCAL form of football (or “code”). Some places (e.g. VIC) footy = AFL (“rules”), others (e.g. NSW) footy = NRL (“league”). For some (incl. Kiwi bludgers) footy = rugby (“union”). You gotta know the context!
really useful information
Here’s one I haven’t seen anyone mention yet…Same dog, different leg! which basically means…6 of one, half a dozen of another…OR same thing different day…same crap different day…
Never heard that one before
Number 9 isn’t correct, we call them togs, not bathers or swimsuits lol. And yep heard most of these. Im from a small rural outback town in Australia.
These aren’t even proper Australian slangs, if I’m not mistaken no one here in Australia calls Facebook facey.
People do say Facey I have heard it and use it
If you are getting a demi to eat what is it
Snakes Hiss = a piss (be right back gotta take a snakes hiss)
How do you say merry christmas mate
Jeez u bloody mongrels complaining like sheilas.have a coldie and relax .fair dinkum i reckon its bloody oath
Mate. Friend
Freakin hell – expression of disgust
Plonk = Wine
Ridgey Didge = Authentic, truth
Fair Dinkum = Honesty!, Really?
Be carefull
Stuffed= pregnant
knocked up = tired worn out
Murphy’s chance or just Murphy’s = it just ain’t gonna happen
don’t ask for a napkin to wipe off your face!
I lived in Queensland for a couple years in the 1980s, loved it!
It’s far more common for stuffed and knocked up to be used this way.
‘Stuffed’ means tired or worn out. “I’m totally stuffed mate.”
‘Knocked up’ means pregnant – “who do you reckon knocked up Bob’s daughter?”
A few cans short of a six pack (beer).
Refers to person that is intellectually challenged.
I’m a Yank who lived in UK a bit. Some of the phrases posted are also Cockney rhyming slang, such as Frog and Toad for road. My question: is “too true” used any more?
Bunch of fives = Fist
Not the full quid = Intellectually challenged
Joe blake = Snake
Rack off = Go away
Tucker = Food
Yonks = Long time
A few more I have come across I have come accross over the years.
Buckleys chance = No hope
Buggered = Exhausted
Captain Cook = A look
Chrissie = Christmas
Chunder = Vomit
Drop your guts = Pass wind
Sanger = Sandwich
Up the duff = Pregnant
She’ll be apples = it will be ok
Strewth = Exclamation of suprise
Shout = Next round of drinks
Banana bender = Queenslander
Turps = Alcohol
Smoko = Break to have cigarette
I am an Aussie myself and how bout’ ya putt in ‘you look like a stunned mullet’ or ‘are ya gonna say something or are ya just gonna stand there like a kangaroo in the headlights’ or maybe ‘what, what is it? Ya look like you just shoved a whole spoon of Vegemite down ya gob’ or even ‘why don’t ya come around for a shrimp on the barbie mate’
(xD I’m sorry I was joking about that last one)
Or for the Aussie slang words you coulda putt in
Bumbag=fannipack
Or maybe even
Rubber=eraser
Hey. I’m 70. I grew up on Aussie lingo. Never ever in me life mate have I heard ‘smoko’ called “mornos”. I think you made that one up! 😂😂
Oh and what about “take the piss”?
‘take the piss’ is quite common in the UK so not really ‘Aussie lingo’.
Some more I have learnt;
1. Flick the bails – lets call it a day
2. Penny dropped- when it hit me
Jingles/ shrapnel – loose change
How about strike me pink
Can’t bleeve it. No-one mentioned :
1. ‘bludger’: – cadger
2 ‘Mug Lair’ ; (probably extinct now.)
3. ‘Hoon’.
4. Full as a bull.
I speak as a ten pound pom; a whingeing pommie bludger – 53 years ago.
“Mongrel” actually means a mixed breed or stray dog. “The bloody mongrel bit me!”
You might refer to a person as a mongrel, but the meaning depends on the context. For instance, if your mate takes some chips off your plate without asking, you might equate him to a scavenger and say “Piss off ya mongrel!”
It can also be an insult though. “He’s a bit of a mongrel” would refer to someone you don’t trust.
There are a couple of others I’d clarify.
A “Lappy” could be a laptop computer, but the more common meaning would be “Lap dance” from a stripper.
“She’ll be apples”. I’ve never heard anyone say that in Queensland. These are far more common: “She’ll be right”, “She’s sweet”, “Sweet mate” .
Somewhere I heard when you curse (or i’m not even sure if that’s a curse) yourself, you go: “Bly me!” 😀
A Yank might think they’re all from Oz, but many are from the UK. And some of them are certainly not used any more, or you made the buggers up.
It’s true that Australians use slang that is also used in the UK, and that some of these slang terms are not as commonly used as they once were. Some of the slang terms are also only used in certain parts of Australia and not others.
Its used in oz, so that makes it straylin. Irrelevant of origin.
Hi friends, nice piece of writing and good urging commented at this place, I am genuinely enjoying by these.
Shark biscuit can also stand for a body board, its like a surf board but smaller
What’s the John Dory? – When people want to know what’s going on, or they’re requesting the “goss” (gossip), they ask what the John Dory is.
It’s rhyming slang “what’s the story?”
Thank you very much for this information. I haven’t stopped laughing since I began reading it. I did like, in particular, the word “Dunny”. For some reason, which I can’t explain, the word fits perfectly. Who the hell thought that one up? Anyway, as an ardent Scrabble player, this list will certainly come in handy, as lots of Aussie slang words (without translation) have recently been added to the word lists. Far, far easier to memorise when you know the meaning.
Slang specific to Melbourne:
Bezza – Berwick Pub (Suburb of Berwick)
Franga – Suburb of Frankston
Cranny – Suburb of Cranbourne
No Wozza/No Woz – No worries (Not specific to Melbourne)
Kegga – Redhead (Same as Ranga, specific to Berwick)
Chaddy – Chadstone Shopping Centre
CBD – Central Business District or main part of city (Not sure if this is slang, but whenever I say CBD outside Aus nobody knows what I’m talking about)
The G – MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
Pakky – Suburb of Pakenham
Flat White – Coffee with milk, but no froth (Not sure if slang but certainly seems to be an Aussie invention!)
Dandy – Suburb of Dandenong
Righto – “Righto let’s get a move on!”
Have a bat – Masturbate (Not sure if Aussie wide or Melbourne only)
Shepp – City of Shepparton
Monash Carpark – Monash Freeway (Especially during peak hour)
Fed Square – Federation Square
Paris End – Top end of Collins St (In the CBD)
Wang – Wangaratta
Narre – Narre Warren
I’ve was in Australia about 10 years ago and bought a sticker sheets called Aussie Lingo!
I just thought they were funny, but I don’t know what much of it means, maybe you can help?
G’day mate! Spot on Flamin’ heck! Bloke strewth!!
Dinky Di
Fair Crack of the whip
Stunned Mullet
Lairy
Zonked, cooking with gas, ya larrakin, argy bargy, kark it
Flat out like a lizard drinking
Have a gander
Chuck a wobbly
Dogs breakfast
Bingle too right footy Yobbo Barbie
Nong
Bloke
Undies
Full as a goog – eaten so much that I couldn’t eat any more. A “goog” being an egg.
No wuckas – the full explanation is that it’s short for “no wuckin’ furries”, which is a humorous and slightly more polite way to say “no f*ckin’ worries”.
Amusingly, while I was reading this list, my girlfriend (main squeeze) texted me “no problemo”.
How about “like a bull at a gate” – a bit wild, out of control, rushed.
Drop-kick – an idiot.
Really enjoyed the list. It’s top notch! Triffick.
A Galah is a parrot with a loud screech. The slang word refers to a loud-mouth, it has nothing to do with being stupid.
A Drongo is a real sleepy and stupid bird.
An Esky was the brand name of big portable container used to keep food or drink cool.
The name became a generalization for any such device.
Originally a Bludger was an accepted description of a man who lived off the earnings of prostitutes that he controlled.
A Billabong is an Aboriginal word. It describes what geologists call an Oxbow Lake (look it up)
Established in 1894 by Simeon Simpson, DAKS produces luxury clothing and accessories for both men and women. DAKS is a holder of 3 Royal Warrants; representing a long standing relationship with the Royal Family and the outstanding quality of its products.
In Aussie slang it refers to casual wear trousers.
Established in 1894 by Simeon Simpson, DAKS produces luxury clothing and accessories for both men and women. DAKS is a holder of 3 Royal Warrants; representing a long standing relationship with the Royal Family and the outstanding quality of its products.
In Aussie slang it refers to casual wear trousers.
Sheila is derived from an Irish word for a young unmarried woman.
Larrikin is Irish.
To Skull a beer is derived from the the Scandinavian word Skol, like cheers or Here’s to you, a toast when you drink with somone.
Sooky – My mum (born in 1926) was the youngest of four girls living in Adelaide. Her boy cousins out in the bush called her a sooky = soft, timid.
Sand shoes – They wore sand shoes = pumps, sneakers for playing tennis.
As much as I’d like to claim Australia to be the origin. “Copper” is actually an old English word for police officer derived from the Latin “caper” meaning “to capture”
Dude, origin/ownership is not the point of this post (as i understand). The point is which lingo is commonly used in oz.
Thongs=flip flops
what does perchunk mean?
Ta = Thank you
Grub = an unpleasant person
Blue = fight
Mrs Mangle = nosey person
Prezo = presentation
Schoolies = a student farewell holiday
Down the gurgler = down the plug hole / lost
Walkabout = travelling
Runners / joggers = sports shoes
Mags = alloy wheels
Bundy = bundeberg rum
Muso = musical person