How To Speak Australian
More Americans should try the game, fewer should try the accent
A
Ace! : Excellent! Very good!
Aerial pingpong : Australian Rules football
Amber fluid : beer
Ambo : ambulance, ambulance driver
Ankle biter : small child
Apples, she'll be : It'll be all right
Arvo : afternoon
Aussie (pron. Ozzie) : Australian
Aussie salute : brushing away flies with the hand
Avos : avocados
B
B & S : Bachelors' and Spinsters' Ball - a very
enjoyable party usually held in rural areas
Back of Bourke : a very long way away
Bail (somebody) up : to corner somebody physically
Bail out : depart, usually angrily
Banana bender : a person from
Barbie : barbecue (noun)
Barrack : to cheer on (football team etc.)
Bastard : term of endearment
Bathers : swimming costume
Battler : someone working hard and only just
making a living
Beaut, beauty : great, fantastic
Big-note oneself : brag, boast
Bikkie : biscuit (also "it cost big bikkies" - it was expensive)
Billabong : an ox-bow river or watering hole
Billy : teapot. Container for boiling water.
Bingle : motor vehicle accident
Bities : biting insects
Bitzer : mongrel dog (bits of this and bits of
that)
Bizzo : business ("mind your own
bizzo")
Black Stump, beyond the
: a long way away, the
back of nowhere
Bloke : man, guy
Bloody : very (bloody hard yakka)
Bloody oath! : that's certainly true
Blow in the bag : have a breathalyser test
Blowie : blow fly
Bludger : lazy person, layabout, somebody who
always relies on other people to do things or lend him things
Blue : fight ("he was having a blue with
his wife")
Blue, make a : make a mistake
Bluey : pack, equipment, traffic ticket, redhead
Bluey : blue cattle dog (named after its subtle
markings) which is an excellent working dog. Everyone's favourite all-Aussie
dog.
Bluey : heavy wool or felt jacket worn by mining
and construction workers.
Bluey : bluebottle jellyfish
Bodgy : of inferior quality
Bog in : commence eating, to attack food with
enthusiasm
Bog standard : basic, unadorned, without accessories (a
bog standard car, telephone etc.)
Bogan : person who takes little pride in his
appearance, spends his days slacking and drinking beer
Bogged : Stuck in mud, deep sand (a vehicle).
Bondi cigar : see "brown-eyed mullet"
Bonzer : great, ripper
Boogie board : a hybrid, half-sized surf board
Boomer : a large male kangaroo
Booze bus : police vehicle used for catching drunk
drivers
Boozer : a pub
Bored shitless : very bored
Bottle shop : liquor shop
Bottle-o : liquor shop (originally a man with
hessian bags going around picking up beer bottles in the 50's and 60's)
Bottler : something excellent
Bottling, his blood's
worth : he's an
excellent, helpful bloke.
Bounce : a bully
Bowl of rice, not my : not my cup of tea; I don't like it
Brass razoo, he hasn't
got a : he's very poor
Brekkie : breakfast
Brick shit house, built
like a : big strong
bloke
Brickie : bricklayer
Brisvegas : Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
Brizzie : Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
Brown-eyed mullet : a turd in the sea (where you're
swimming!)
Brumby : a wild horse
Buck's night : stag party, male gathering the night
before the wedding
Buckley's, Buckley's
chance : no chance
("New Zealand stands Buckley's of beating Australia at football")
Budgie smugglers : men's bathing costume
Bull bar : stout bar fixed to the front of a
vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also roo bar)
Bundy : short for Bundaberg, Queensland, and the
brand of rum that's made there
Bunyip : mythical outback creature
Bush : the hinterland, the Outback, anywhere
that isn't in town
Bush bash : long competitive running or motorcar
race through the bush
Bush oyster : nasal mucus
Bush telly : campfire
Bushie : someone who lives in the Bush
Bushman's hanky : Emitting nasal mucus by placing one
index finger on the outside of the nose (thus blocking one nostril) and
blowing.
Bushranger : highwayman, outlaw
Butcher : small glass of beer in
BYO : unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own
grog, also similar party or barbecue
C
Cab Sav : Cabernet Sauvignon (a variety of wine
grape)
Cactus : dead, not functioning ("this bloody
washing machine is cactus")
Cane toad : a person from Queensland
Captain Cook : look (noun) ("let's have a Captain
Cook")
Cark it : to die, cease functioning
Cat burying shit, as
busy as a : busy
Cat's piss, as mean as
: mean, stingy,
uncharitable
Chewie : chewing gum
Chokkie : chocolate
Chook : a chicken
Chrissie : Christmas
Christmas : see Bourke Street
Chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when
you're perfectly healthy
Chunder : vomit
Clacker : anus (from Latin cloaca = sewer).
Also the single orifice of monotremes (platypus and echidna) used both for
reproduction and for the elimination of body wastes.
Clayton's : fake, substitute
Cleanskin : Bottle of wine without a label. Usually
bought in bulk by companies who then add their own personalised label and use
the wine as e.g. gifts to clients
Cleanskin : cattle that have not been branded,
earmarked or castrated.
Click : kilometre - "it's 10 clicks
away"
Clucky : feeling broody or maternal
Coathanger : Sydney Harbour bridge
Cobber : friend
Cockie : farmer
Cockie : cockatoo
Cockie : cockroach
Cockroach : a person from New South Wales
Coldie : a beer
Come a gutser : make a bad mistake, have an accident
Compo : Workers' Compensation pay
Conch (adj. conchy) : a conscientious person. Somebody who
would rather work or study than go out and enjoy him/herself.
Cooee, not within : figuratively a long way away, far off -
Cooee, within : nearby - I was within cooee of landing a
big fish when the line broke. He lives within cooee of
Cook (noun) : One's wife
Corker : something excellent. A good stroke in
cricket might be described as a 'corker of a shot'
Corroboree : an aboriginal dance festival
Counter lunch/Countery
: pub lunch
Cozzie : swimming costume
Crack a fat : get an erection
Crack onto (someone) : to hit on someone, pursue someone
romantically
Cranky : in a bad mood, angry
Cream (verb) : defeat by a large margin
Crook : sick, or badly made
Crow eater : a person from South Australia
Cubby house : Small, usually timber, house in the
garden used as a children's plaything.
Cut lunch : sandwiches
Cut lunch commando : army reservist
Cut snake, mad as a : very angry
D
Dag : a funny person, nerd, goof
Daks : trousers
Damper : bread made from flour and water
Date : arse[hole] ("get off your fat
date")
Dead dingo's donger, as
dry as a : dry
Dead horse : Tomato sauce
Deadset : true, the truth
Dero : tramp, hobo, homeless person (from
"derelict")
Dickhead : see "whacker"
Digger : a soldier
Dill : an idiot
Dingo's breakfast : a yawn, a leak and a good look round
(i.e. no breakfast)
Dinkum, fair dinkum : true, real, genuine ("I'm a dinkum
Aussie"; "is he fair dinkum?")
Dinky-di : the real thing, genuine
Dipstick : a loser, idiot
Divvy van : Police vehicle used for transporting
criminals. Named after the protective 'division' between the driver and the
villains.
Dob (somebody) in : inform on somebody. Hence dobber, a
tell-tale
Docket : a bill, receipt
Doco : documentary
Dog : unattractive woman
Dog's balls, stands out
like : obvious
Dog's eye : meat pie
Dole bludger : somebody on social assistance when
unjustified
Donger : penis
Doodle : penis
Down Under : Australia and New Zealand
Drink with the flies : to drink alone
Drongo : a dope, stupid person
Dropkick : see 'dipstick'
Drum : information, tip-off ("I'll give
you the drum")
Duchess : sideboard
Duffer, cattle : rustler
Dummy, spit the : get very upset at something
Dunny : outside lavatory
Dunny budgie : blowfly
Dunny rat, cunning as a
: very cunning
Durry : tobacco, cigarette
Dux : top of the class (n.); to be top of the
class (v.) - "She duxed four of her subjects
E
Earbashing
: nagging, non-stop
chatter
Ekka : the Brisbane Exhibition, an annual show
Esky : large insulated food/drink container for
picnics, barbecues etc.
Exy : expensive
F
Face, off
one's : drunk ("He
was off his face by 9pm")
Fair dinkum : true, genuine
Fair go : a chance ("give a bloke a fair
go")
Fair suck of the sav! : exclamation of wonder, awe, disbelief
(see also "sav")
Fairy floss : candy floss, cotton candy
Feral : V8 ute (q.v.) sporting large heavy
bullbar, numerous aerials, large truck mudflaps and stickers almost all over
the rear window and tailgate. Sometimes seen with a Mack emblem on the bonnet
and always with large (multiple) driving lights
Feral (n.) : a hippie
Figjam : "F*ckI'm good;just askme". Nickname for people who have a
high opinion of themselves.
Fisho : fishmonger
Flake : shark's flesh (sold in fish & chips
shops)
Flat out like a lizard
drinking : flat out,
busy
Flick : to give something or somebody the flick
is to get rid of it or him/her
Flick it on : to sell something, usually for a quick
profit, soon after buying it.
Fly wire : gauze flyscreen covering a window or
doorway.
Footy : Australian Rules football
Fossick : search, rummage ("fossicking
through the kitchen drawers")
Fossick : to prospect, e.g. for gold
Fossicker : prospector, e.g. for gold
Franger : condom
Freckle : anus
Fremantle Doctor : the cooling afternoon breeze that
arrives in Perth from the direction of Freeo
Freo : Fremantle in Western Australia
Frog in a sock, as
cross as a : sounding
angry - a person or your hard drive!
Fruit loop : fool
Full : drunk
Furphy : false or unreliable rumour
G
G'Day : hello!
Gabba : Wooloongabba - the
GAFA (pron. gaffa) : the big nothingness of the Australian
Outback. Great Australian F**k All.
Galah : fool, silly person. Named after the bird
of the same name because of its antics and the noise it makes.
Garbo, garbologist : municipal garbage collector
Give it a burl : try it, have a go
Gobful, give a : to abuse, usually justifiably ("The
neighbours were having a noisy party so I went and gave them a gobful")
Gobsmacked : surprised, astounded
Going off : used of a night spot or party that is a
lot of fun - "the place was really going off"
Good oil : useful information, a good idea, the truth
Good onya : good for you, well done
Goog, as full as a : drunk. "Goog" is a variation
of the northern English slangword "goggie" meaning an egg.
Greenie : environmentalist
Grinning like a shot
fox : very happy, smugly
satisfied
Grog : liquor, beer ("bring your own grog,
you bludger")
Grouse (adj.) : great, terrific, very good
Grundies : undies, underwear (from Reg Grundy, a
television person)
Gutful of piss : drunk, "he's got a gutful of
piss"
Gyno : gynaecologist
H
Handle : beer glass with a handle
Harold Holt, to do the
: To bolt. (Also
"to do the Harold")
Heaps : a lot, e.g. "thanks heaps",
"(s)he earned heaps of money" etc.
Holy dooley! : an exclamation of surprise = "Good
heavens!", "My goodness!" "Good grief!" or similar
Hoon : hooligan
Hooroo : goodbye
Hotel : often just a pub
Hottie : hot water bottle
I
Icy pole,
ice block : popsicle,
lollypop
J
Jackaroo : a male trainee station manager or
station hand (a station is a big farm/grazing property)
Jillaroo : a female trainee station manager or
station hand
Joey : baby kangaroo
Journo : journalist
Jug : electric kettle
Jumbuck : sheep
K
Kangaroos
loose in the top paddock :
Intellectually inadequate ("he's got kangaroos loose in the top
paddock")
Kelpie : Australian sheepdog originally bred from
Scottish collie
Kero : kerosene
Kindie : kindergarten
Knock : to criticise
Knock back : refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)
Knocker : somebody who criticises
L
Lair : a flashily dressed young man of brash
and vulgar behaviour, to dress up in flashy clothes, to renovate or dress up
something in bad taste
Lair it up : to behave in a brash and vulgar manner
Larrikin : a bloke who is always enjoying himself,
harmless prankster
Lend of, to have a : to take advantage of somebody's gullibility,
to have someone on ("he's having a lend of you")
Lippy : lipstick
Liquid laugh : vomit
Lizard drinking, flat
out like a : flat out,
busy
Lob, lob in : drop in to see someone ("the
rellies have lobbed")
Lollies : sweets, candy
London to a brick : absolute certainty ("it's London to
a brick that taxes won't go down")
Long paddock : the side of the road where livestock is
grazed during droughts
Longneck : 750ml bottle of beer in South Australia
Lucky Country, The : Australia, where else?
Lunch, who opened
their? : OK, who farted?
Lurk : illegal or underhanded racket
M
Maccas
(pron. "mackers") : McDonald's (the hamburger place)
Mallee bull, as fit as
a : very fit and strong.
The Mallee is very arid beef country in Victoria/South Australia.
Mappa Tassie : map of
Mate : buddy, friend
Mate's rate, mate's
discount : cheaper than
usual for a "friend"
Matilda : swagman's bedding, sleeping roll
Metho : methylated spirits
Mexican : a person from south of the
Mickey Mouse : excellent, very good. Beware though - in
some parts of
Middy : 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales
Milk bar : corner shop that sells takeaway food
Milko : milkman
Mob : group of people, not necessarily
troublesome
Mob : family or herd (?) of kangaroos
Mongrel : despicable person
Moolah : money
Mozzie : mosquito
Muddy : mud crab (a great delicacy)
Mug : friendly insult ("have a go, yer
mug"), gullible person
Mull : grass (the kind you smoke)
Muster : round up sheep or cattle
Mystery bag : a sausage
N
Nasho : National Service (compulsory military
service)
Naughty, have a : have sex
Never Never : the Outback, centre of
Nipper : young surf lifesaver
No drama : same as 'no worries'
No worries! : Expression of forgiveness or reassurance
(No problem; forget about it; I can do it; Yes, I'll do it)
No-hoper : somebody who'll never do well
Not the full quid : not bright intellectually
Nuddy, in the : naked
Nun's nasty, as dry as
a : dry
Nut out : hammer out or work out (an agreement,
say)
O
O.S. : overseas ("he's gone O.S.")
Ocker : an unsophisticated person
Offsider : an assistant, helper
Old fella : penis
Oldies : parents - "I'll have to ask my
oldies"
Op shop : opportunity shop, thrift store, place
where second hand goods are sold.
Outback : interior of
Oz :
P
Paddock : see 'long paddock'
Pash : a long passionate kiss; hence
"pashing on"
Pav : Pavlova - a rich, creamy Australian
dessert
Perve (noun & verb)
: looking lustfully at
the opposite sex
Piece of piss : easy task
Pig's arse! : I don't agree with you
Piker : Someone who doesn't want to fit in with
others socially, leaves parties early
Pink slip, get the : get the sack (from the colour of the
termination form)
Pint : large glass of beer (esp. in South
Australia)
Piss : beer. Hence "hit the piss",
"sink some piss"
Plate, bring a : Instruction on party or BBQ invitation
to bring your own food. It doesn't mean they're short of crockery!
Plonk : cheap wine
Pokies : poker machines, fruit machines, gambling
slot machines
Polly : politician
Pom, pommy, pommie : an Englishman • See the complaint about
"Pom" etc.
Pommy bastard : an Englishman (see also 'bastard')
Pommy shower : using deodorant instead of taking a
shower
Pommy's towel, as dry
as a : very dry - based
on the canard that Poms bathe about once a month
Porky : Lie, untruth (pork pie = lie)
Port : suitcase (portmanteau)
Postie : postman, mailman
Pot : 285 ml beer glass in Queensland and
Victoria
Pozzy : position - get a good pozzy at the
football stadium
Prezzy : present, gift
Q
Quid, make
a : earn a living -
"are you making a quid?"
Quid, not the full : of low IQ. [Historical note: 'quid' is
slang for a pound. £1 became $2 when
R
Rack off : push off! get lost! get out of here!
also "rack off hairy legs!".
Rage : party
Rage on : to continue partying - "we raged on
until 3am"
Rapt : pleased, delighted
Ratbag : mild insult
Raw prawn, to come the
: to bullshit, to be
generally disagreeable
Reckon! : you bet! Absolutely!
Reffo : refugee
Rego : vehicle registration
Rellie or relo : family relative
Ridgy-didge : original, genuine
Right, she : it'll be all right
Right, that'd be : Accepting bad news as inevitable.
("I went fishing but caught nothing." "Yeah, that'd be
right.")
Rip snorter : great, fantastic - "it was a rip
snorter of a party"
Ripper : great, fantastic - "it was a ripper
party"
Ripper, you little! : Exclamation of delight or as a reaction
to good news
Road train : big truck with many trailers
Rock up : to turn up, to arrive - "we rocked
up at their house at 8pm"
Rollie : a cigarette that you roll yourself
Roo : kangaroo
Roo bar : stout bar fixed to the front of a
vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also bull bar)
Root (verb and noun) : synonym for f*ck in nearly all its
senses: "I feel rooted"; "this washing machine is rooted";
"(s)he's a good root". A very useful word in fairly polite company.
Root rat : somebody who is constantly looking for
sex.
Ropeable : very angry
Rort (verb or noun)
: Cheating, fiddling,
defrauding (expenses, the system etc.). Usually used of politicians
Rotten : drunk - "I went out last night and
got rotten"
Rubbish (verb) : to criticize
S
Salute,
Aussie : brushing flies
away
Salvos, the : Salvation Army, bless them
Sandgroper : a person from
Sanger : a sandwich
Sav : saveloy (see also "fair suck of the
sav!")
Schooner : large beer glass in Queensland; medium
beer glass in South Australia
Scratchy : instant lottery ticket
Screamer : party lover; "two pot screamer"
- somebody who gets drunk on very little alcohol
Seppo : an American
Servo : petrol station
Shag on a rock, stands
out like a : very
obvious
Shark biscuit : somebody new to surfing
She'll be right : it'll turn out okay
Sheepshagger : A New Zealander
Sheila : a woman
Shit house (adj.) : of poor quality, unenjoyable ("this
car is shit house", "the movie was shit house")
Shit house (noun) : toilet, lavatory
Shonky : dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky
practice, shonky business etc.
Shoot through : to leave
Shout : turn to buy - a round of drinks usually
("it's your shout")
Show pony : someone who tries hard, by his dress or
behaviour, to impress those around him.
Sickie : day off sick from work (chuck a sickie =
take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy!)
Skite : boast, brag
Skull/Skol (a beer) : to drink a beer in a single draught
without taking a breath
Slab : a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Sleepout : house verandah converted to a bedroom
Smoko : smoke or coffee break
Snag : a sausage
Sook : person or animal who is soft, tame,
inoffensive. Hence sooky (adj.)
Spag bol : spaghetti bolognese
Spewin' : very angry
Spiffy, pretty spiffy : great, excellent
Spit the dummy : get very upset at something
Spruiker : man who stands outside a nightclub or
restaurant trying to persuade people to enter
Sprung : caught doing something wrong
Spunk : a good looking person (of either sex)
Squizz (noun) : look - "take a squizz at this"
Standover man : a large man, usually gang-related, who
threatens people with physical violence in order to have his wishes carried
out.
Station : a big farm/grazing property
Stickybeak : nosy person
Stoked : very pleased
Stonkered : drunk
Strewth : exclamation, mild oath ("Strewth,
that Chris is a bonzer bloke")
Strides : trousers
Strine : Australian slang and pronunciation
Stubby : a 375ml. beer bottle
Stubby holder : polystyrene insulated holder for a
stubby
Stuffed, I feel : I'm tired
Stuffed, I'll be : expression of surprise
Sunbake : sunbathe
Sunnies : sunglasses
Surfies : people who go surfing - usually more
often than they go to work!
Swag : rolled up bedding etc. carried by a
swagman
Swaggie : swagman
Swagman : tramp, hobo
T
Tall
poppies : successful
people
Tall poppy syndrome : the tendency to criticize successful
people
Tallie : 750ml bottle of beer
Taswegian : derogatory term for a person from
Tasmania
Technicolor yawn : vomit
Tee-up : to set up (an appointment)
Thingo : Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit
Thongs : cheap rubber backless sandals
Throw-down : small bottle of beer which you can throw
down quickly.
Tickets, to have on
oneself : to have a high
opinion of oneself
Tinny : can of beer
Tinny : small aluminium boat
Tinny, tin-arsed : lucky
Togs : swim suit
Too right! : definitely!
Top End : far north of
Trackie daks/dacks : tracksuit pants
Trackies : track suit
Troppo, gone : to have escaped to a state of tropical
madness; to have lost the veneer of civilisation after spending too long in the
tropics.
Trough lolly : the solid piece of perfumed disinfectant
in a men's urinal
Truckie : truck driver
True blue : patriotic
Tucker : food
Tucker-bag : food bag
Turps : turpentine, alcoholic drink
Turps, hit the : go on a drinking binge
Two up : gambling game played by spinning two
coins simultaneously
U
Uni : university
Unit : flat, apartment
Up oneself : have a high opinion of oneself -
"he's really up himself"
Up somebody, get : to rebuke somebody - "the boss got
up me for being late"
Useful as an ashtray on
a motorbike / tits on a bull : unhelpful or incompetent person or thing - "he, she or it is
about as useful as tits on a bull" etc. etc.
Ute : utility vehicle, pickup truck
V
Vedgies : vegetables
Vee dub : Volkswagen
Veg out : relax in front of the TV (like a
vegetable)
Vejjo : vegetarian
Vinnie's : St. Vincent De Paul's (charity thrift
stores and hostels)
W
WACA (pron.
whacker) : Western
Australian Cricket Association and the Perth cricket ground
Waggin' school : playing truant
Walkabout : a walk in the Outback by Aborigines that
lasts for an indefinite amount of time
Walkabout, it's gone : it's lost, can't be found
Weekend warrior : army reservist
Whacker, whacka : Idiot; somebody who talks drivel;
somebody with whom you have little patience; a dickhead
Whinge : complain
White pointers : topless (female) sunbathers
Whiteant (verb)
: to criticise something
to deter somebody from buying it. A car dealer might whiteant another dealer's
cars or a real estate salesman might whiteant another agent's property
Wobbly : excitable behaviour ("I complained
about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly")
Wobbly boot on, he's
got the : drunk
Wog : flu or trivial illness
Wog : person of Mediterranean origin. A milder
insult than the same word in the
Wombat : somebody who eats, roots and leaves (see
also root)
Woop Woop : invented name for any small unimportant
town - "he lives in Woop Woop"
Wowser : straight-laced person, prude, puritan,
spoilsport
Wuss : coward; nervous person or animal
X
XXXX : pronounced Four X, brand of beer made in
Y
Yabber : talk (a lot)
Yabby : inland freshwater crayfish found in
Yakka : work (noun)
Yewy : u-turn in traffic ("chuck a yewy at
the next traffic lights")
Yobbo : an uncouth person
Z
Zack : sixpence (5 cents) - "it isn't worth a zack", "he hasn't got a zack"
