Australian slang
Australian slang is informal language used in Australia.
Understand[edit]
This guide should be viewed as an informal and fun introduction to some Australian idiosyncrasies, rather than a guide on how to communicate.
Increasing globalisation and a move away from rural living has seen Australian English adopt a lot of American terms while at the same time romanticising words commonly associated with the bush. Australians mostly view their slang as being uniquely Australian and an integral part of their culture. Judging by the number of Australian slang books available on the shelves, it remains of interest to travellers too.
Many parts of Australian slang have their origins outside Australia, particularly in England and Ireland. Don't be surprised if many terms seem familiar. However, don't assume that similar slang expressions have the same meaning to Australians as they might in other countries. An attempt to use some Australian slang will likely be viewed as an attempt to mock, rather than as a genuine attempt to speak the local dialect. It's better to use the guide to interpret Steve Irwin's former TV shows or if you're really unsure, just use American English, as nearly every Australian speaks American English just as well as they speak their own dialect. Trying to use British English also will get you there in most places, but most British terms that are not commonly used in Australia (such as lorry or crisps) will likely not be understood by most, unlike American.
A significant portion of Australian lexicon and place names derive from one of the hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages spoken before the British colonial period, many of which are still spoken today. Some words and names like "Wooloomooloo", "Oodnadatta" or "Kununurra" which visitors to the country may find challenging to pronounce, typically roll off the tongue of Australian English speakers.
English-speaking travellers are best advised just to speak clearly, as most Australians are used to a variety of accents. However, it can never hurt to say "G'day, How ya goin'" to an Aussie. The double s in shortenings like "Aussie" and "Tassie" is pronounced like a z, not a soft s.
Greetings[edit]
- G'day
- Hello.
- How ya goin'
- How are you?
- Not bad mate
- Fine, thank you.
- Cheers mate / Cheers brother
- Thank you.
- No worries / No drama
- You're welcome (in response to thank you)
- Oi
- Excuse me (regarded as uncouth by some people)
- You're right
- That is okay (in response to sorry)
- Yeah, nah
- I understand but disagree
- See ya later
- Goodbye
- Hoo roo
- Goodbye
- Take it easy
- Goodbye
- Devo
- Definitely
- Reckon
- For sure
Time[edit]
- Brekkie
- breakfast
- Arvo
- afternoon, e.g. "Let's meet for a schooner this arvo".
- Yonks
- commonly used to convey an exaggerated view of time, e.g. "I haven't seen you in yonks".
Colours[edit]
- Bluey
- Red hair
- Ranga
- Red haired (This can be considered offensive.)
Cursing[edit]
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Bastards You may hear this a lot and it can be used in a wide range of situations, and confusingly it can be either affectionate or insulting. It is not as strong as its use in British English. For example if you experience some luck then you may be referred to as a 'lucky bastard' (in a positive sense). Generally anyone in authority, especially politicians, can be referred to as 'bastards', although a politician with a good and honest reputation may be referred to as a 'good kind of bastard'. You can occasionally refer to friends as bastards, but you should avoid with strangers. |
Australians typically have a more laid-back approach to swearing when compared to other countries. Most of the time swearing is used for emphasis rather than to cause offence.
- Bugger
- Damn - a common expression of disappointment, not offensive.
- Cunt
- Commonly used between (male) friends: the running joke is that Australians call people they like cunts, and people they don't like mates. It can still be very offensive in other contexts, particularly towards women or people you don't know, and qualifiers matter too: sick cunt is high praise, dog cunt is a deadly insult.
- Drongo, Galah, Turkey
- an idiot or a fool (not generally considered offensive)
- Bloody bastard
- Usually used to show displeasure with an action or dislike of a person
- bloody
- very usually used when not in a good mood
Sex and Anatomy[edit]
- Franga
- Condom (also Wetcheck, wetty, hoody, raincoat).
- Screw
- Sexual intercourse.
- Root
- Sexual intercourse, similar to the British word 'Shag'. Can also be used as a verb. This also affects Australian sporting terminology—while an American would root for a preferred team or athlete, an Australian would barrack or go for the same.
- Scrag
- Sexual intercourse.
- Gob Job
- Fellatio.
- Bum
- Backside.
Eating[edit]
- Avo
- Avocado
- Grab a feed
- Get something to eat
- Barbie
- Barbecue.
- Sanga
- Sandwich.
- Brekkie
- Breakfast
- Take-away
- Fast food also used instead of "to go" when ordering food.
- Lollies
- Confectionary/sweets/candy
- Scab
- To scrounge off a friend, as in scab a feed.
- Snags / Sizzie
- Sausage Sizzles
- Bludge
- To be lazy, or to scab as above. A person who bludges is a bludger. Bludge can also mean to simply avoid
- Tucker
- Food
- Macca's
- McDonald's
- Macca's Run
- Late night trip to McDonald's, usually after a few alcoholic drinks.
- Bikkie
- Biscuit, by extension chocolate biscuit is chokky bikkie
Drinking[edit]
- Cuppa
- A cup of coffee
- Grog
- alcoholic drink, likely beer.
- Plonk
- Cheap wine.
- Goon
- Cheap wine that comes in a box.
- Sloshed
- Somebody who is very drunk.
- Pony, Middy, Pot, Schooner, Handle
- Various sizes of glass (usually used for beer). Definitions vary by state.
- Bevo/Bevvie
- Alcoholic beverage
Clothing, Accessories and objects[edit]
- Wife-beater
- A sleeveless shirt
- Thongs
- Flip-flops
- Sticky tape
- The proper way to say tape
- Barbie
- BBQ
- Bathers
- Swimsuit
- Billy
- teapot in the outback on the fire
- Booze-bus
- Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
- Budgie Smugglers
- Speedos, men's swimming briefs
- Lappy
- Laptop
- pavement princesses / mall-wheel drives
- refers to big oversized utes (pickup trucks), such as Ford F150s or Rams, whose drivers have earned a notorious reputation for being notoriously selfish drivers by many city dwellers.
- Sunnies
- Sunglasses
- Gum boots
- Wellington boots
People[edit]
- Tradie
- Any tradesperson
- Mate
- Anybody at all, more commonly used by males, friends, someone you have never met
- Old Mate
- Someone that you know, but have forgotten their name.
- Aussie
- Australian - pronounced Ozzy.
- Mob
- A group of family or friends - "us mob" (mainly Aboriginal English).
- Youse
- Plural of you - pronounced 'Yooz'. Only common in working-class areas.
- Bogan
- An unsophisticated and boorish person, usually speaks in an Ocker fashion; favoured expression outside of Sydney to describe Westies.
- Westie
- A person from the western suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. (all being working-class neighbourhoods)
- Brickie
- Bricklayer
- Sparkie
- Electrician
- Chippie
- Carpenter
- Truckie
- Truck driver
- Bikie
- Biker, usually used to refer to members of an outlaw motorcycle gang, rather than members of a motorbike club.
- Ocker
- A description of unique Aussie culture. An ocker Aussie would use a lot of these words often.
- Banana Benders
- Queenslanders
- Cane Toads
- Queenslanders; especially used to refer to the state's representative rugby league team and its supporters
- Cockroaches
- Somebody from New South Wales (usually by Queenslanders in reference to the State of Origin rugby league rivalry)
- Sandgropers
- Western Australians.
- Yogi, Yogi Bear
- Someone from the Australian Capital Territory. Derived from ACT vehicle registration plates, which all begin with "Y".
- Mexicans
- Not only used to describe individuals from Mexico, but frequently used by people from the eastern states to refer to those from any state/territory south of them. Queenslanders will use it for those from New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, and less often Tasmania, while those from NSW and the ACT will use it for Victorians (and less often Tasmanians).
- Sheila
- A woman
- Eshay
- A teenager, particularly boys who wear branded clothing and are into drugs. However, it's mainly used to signify a rich teen
- Yank
- An American
- Kiwi
- A New Zealander
- Pom/Pommy
- An Englishman
- Ranga
- A person with red hair, derived from orangutan (sometimes pejorative)
- Coastie
- Someone from the Central Coast.
Geography[edit]
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"Aussie Jingle Bells" by Colin Buchanan
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- The bush
- areas outside of major cities and towns.
- The outback
- often attributed to the deserts of inland Australia, but more often, that which is further away from cities than the 'bush' on the coast
- Bushfire
- wildfire
- Woop Woop
- The middle of nowhere (e.g.: So I was stuck out whoop whoop...)
- Brissie
- Brisbane
- Rocky
- Rockhampton
- Radelaide
- Adelaide, although if you're not a South Australian, avoid using this term or the locals will hate you.
- Tassie
- Tasmania
- Wagga
- Short for Wagga Wagga
- Jindy
- Short for Jindabyne
- Bundy
- Short for Bundaberg, the world's ginger beer capital and Australia's rum capital.
- The Coast
- Central Coast
- Newy
- Newcastle
- Singo
- Singleton
- Bello
- Bellingen
- Tamo
- Tamworth, Australia's country music capital.
- Bre
- Brewarrina
- Freo
- Fremantle
- Snowies
- Snowy Mountains
Places[edit]
- Servo
- Service Station (Gas station in North America or petrol station in Europe)
- Bottle-O
- Bottle Shop (Liquor Store)
- Maccas
- The McDonald's restaurant chain
- Gone walkabout
- When the location of someone/something is unknown, e.g. my phone's gone walkabout
- Woolies
- Woolworths, one of the two major supermarket chains.
Animals[edit]
- Chook
- Chicken or fowl
- Mozzie
- Mosquito
- Roo
- Kangaroo
- Drop bear
- Terrifying carnivorous species of koala that drops from its treetop hideout onto the heads of unsuspecting prey (particularly gullible tourists)
Driving[edit]
- Chuck a uey
- To make a U-turn (uey is pronounced yoo-ee)
- Ute
- Coupe utility vehicle (pickup truck)
Other[edit]
- Choc A bloc or Chockers
- full - usually referring to heavy city traffic – particularly in Melbourne
- selfie
- this slang may be used worldwide, but the original term "selfie" was an Australian slang word used to describe a self photograph
See also[edit]
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