Australian slang

Australian slang is informal language used in Australia.

Understand

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

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)
Too easy: No problem (after being asked to do something)
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

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

Bluey: Red hair
Ranga: Red haired (This can be considered offensive.)

Cursing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chuck a uey: To make a U-turn (uey is pronounced yoo-ee)
Ute: Coupe utility vehicle (pickup truck)

Other

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