Australia Slang

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

A

Ace! : Excellent! Very good!
Aerial pingpong: Australian Rules football
Amber fluid: beer
Ankle biter: small child
Apples, she'll be: It'll be alright
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 out: depart, usually angrily
Bail (somebody) up: to corner somebody physically
Barbie: barbecue (noun)
Banana bender: a person from Queensland
Barrack: to cheer on (football team etc.)
Bastard: term of endearment
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: large tin can used to boil water over a campfire for tea
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 breathalyzer 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.
Bodgy: of inferior quality
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-o: liquor shop
Bottle shop: liquor shop
Bottler: something excellent
Bottling, his blood's worth: he's an excellent, helpful bloke.
Bourke Street, he doesn't know Christmas from: he's a bit slow in the head. (Bourke Street is a brightly lit Melbourne street)
Brass razoo, he hasn't got a: he's very poor
Brekkie: breakfast
Brizzie: Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
Brown-eyed mullet: a turd in the sea (where you're swimming!)
Brumby: a wild horse
Buckley's, Buckley's chance: no chance ("New Zealand stands Buckley's of beating Australia at football")
Brick shit house, built like a: big strong bloke
Buck's night: stag party, male gathering the night before the wedding
Bull bar: stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos
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
Bushie: someone who lives in the Bush
Bushranger: highwayman, outlaw
Bush telly: campfire
B.Y.O.: unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own grog, also similar party or barbecue

C

Cactus: dead, not functioning ("this bloody washing machine is cactus")
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
Clayton's: fake, substitute
Click: kilometre - "it's 10 clicks away"
Clucky: feeling broody or maternal
Cobber: friend
Cockie: farmer. Also a cockatoo
Cockroach: a person from New South Wales
Coldie: a beer
Come a gutser: make a bad mistake, have an accident
Compo: Workers' Compensation pay
Cooee, not within: figuratively a long way away, far off - England weren't within cooee of beating Australia at cricket
Cook (noun): One's wife
Corroboree: an aboriginal dance festival
Counter lunch: pub lunch
Cozzie: swimming costume
Cranky: in a bad mood, angry
Crack a fat: get an erection
Cream (verb): defeat by a large margin
Crook: sick, or badly made
Crow eater: a person from South Australia
Cut lunch: sandwiches
Cut snake, mad as a: very angry

D

Dag: a funny person, nerd, goof
Daks: trousers
Damper: bread made from flour and water
Dead dingo's donger, as dry as a : dry
Deadset: true, the truth
Dero: tramp, hobo, homeless person (from "derelict")
Dick: the pinis, a detective, foolish, dislikeable person.
Dickens: 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
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
Dole bludger: Somebody on social assistance when unjustified
Donger: penis
Doodle: penis
Doozey: something very pleasant
Down Under: Australia and New Zealand
Drink with the flies: to drink alone
Drongo: a dope, stupid person
Drum: information, tip-off ("I'll give you the drum")
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: cigarette

E

Earbashing: nagging, non-stop chatter
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
Figjam: "F*ck I'm good; just ask me". Nickname for people who have a high opinion of themselves.
Flake: shark's flesh (sold in fish & chips shops)
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
Fossicking: searching, rummaging ("fossicking through the kitchen drawers")
Franger: condom
Freckle: anus
Frog in a sock, as cross as a: sounding angry - a person or your hard drive!
Fruit loop: fool
Fuck a duck! : exclamation of surprise , astonishment , wonder
Fuck a town down and shake her arse at the ruins: ( of a woman )a slut;promiscuous.
Fuck me dead: exclamation of surprise, disbelief, annoyance. e.g. Fuck me dead! I didn't know Bat could sing!
Fuck off: depart, leave, offensive way of telling someone to get lose, go away. e.g. We have to fuck off . or Fuck off ! .
Fuck you: expression of dismissal, contempt, rejection.
Fuck-all: nothing, Zero;nought. e.g. He's done fuck-all work today! , She knows fuck-all about fixing cars.
Fuck-up: a mess; disastrous situation e.g. That meeting was a huge fuck-up!
Fuck-wit: stupid person; fool; dolt; idiot .
Full: drunk

G

Galah: fool, named after the bird of the same name which flies south in the winter - a bloody silly thing to do in the Southern Hemisphere
Garbo, garbologist: municipal garbage collector
G'Day: hello!
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")
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
Heaps: a lot, e.g. "thanks heaps", "(s)he earned heaps of money" etc.
Hoon: hooligan
Hooroo: goodbye (� Don Burke)
Hotel: often just a pub
Hottie: hot water bottle

I

Icy pole, ice block: popsicle, lollypop

J

Jackaroo: a male station hand (a station is a big farm/grazing property)
Jillaroo: a female station hand
Joey: baby kangaroo
Journo: journalist
Jumbuck: sheep

K

Kangaroos in the top paddock: Intellectually inadequate ("he's got kangaroos 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

Larrikin: a bloke who is always enjoying himself, harmless prankster
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")
Loo: toilet
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 NSW/SA.
Mappa Tassie: map of Tasmania - a woman's pubic area
Mate: buddy, friend
Mate's rate, mate's discount: cheaper than usual for a "friend"
Metho: methylated spirits
Mexican: a person from south of the (Queensland) border
Mickey Mouse: excellent, very good. Beware though - in some parts of Australia it means inconsequential, frivolous or not very good!
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
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

N

Naughty, have a: have sex
Never Never: the Outback, centre of Australia
Nipper: young surf lifesaver
No-hoper: somebody who'll never do well
Not the full quid: not bright intellectually
No worries!: Expression of forgiveness or reassurance (No problem; forget about it; I can do it; Yes, I'll do it)
Nuddy, in the: naked
Nun's nasty, as dry as a: dry

O

Ocker: an unsophisticated person
Offsider: an assistant, helper
Oldies: parents - "I'll have to ask my oldies"
O.S.: overseas ("he's gone O.S.")
Outback: interior of Australia
Oz: Australia!

P

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
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
Polly: politician
Pom, pommy: an Englishman
Pommy bastard: an Englishman
Pommy's towel, as dry as a: very dry - based on the canard that Poms bathe about once a month
Port: suitcase (portmanteau)
Postie: postman, mailman
Pot: 285 ml beer glass in Queensland
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

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: family relative
Ridgy-didge: original, genuine
Right: okay ("she'll be right, mate")
Ripper: great, fantastic - "it was a ripper party"
Rip snorter: great, fantastic - "it was a rip snorter of a party"
Road train: big truck with many trailers
Rollie: a cigarette that you roll yourself
Roo: kangaroo
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.
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

Salvos, the: Salvation Army, bless them
Salute, Aussie: brushing flies away
Sandgroper: a person from Western Australia
Sanger: a sandwich
Sav: saveloy (see also "fair suck of the sav!")
Schooner: large beer glass in Queensland; small beer glass in South Australia
Scratchy: instant lottery ticket
Screamer: party lover; "two pot screamer" - somebody who gets drunk on very little alcohol
Servo: petrol station
Shark biscuit: somebody new to surfing
Sheila: a woman
She'll be right: it'll turn out okay
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")
Sickie: day off sick from work (chuck a sickie = take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy!)
Skite: boast, brag
Slab: a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Sleepout: house verandah converted to a bedroom
Smoko: smoke or coffee break
Sook: person or animal who is soft, tame, inoffensive. Hence sooky (adj.)
Snag: a sausage
Spag bol: spaghetti bolognese
Spewin': very angry
Spit the dummy: get very upset at something
Sprung: caught doing something wrong
Spunk: a good looking person (of either sex)
Squizz (noun): look - "take a squizz at this"
Station: a big farm/grazing property
Stickybeak: nosy person
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'll be: expression of surprise
Stuffed, I feel: I'm tired
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
Taswegian: a person from Tasmania
Technicolor yawn: vomit
Tee-up: to set up (an appointment)
Thingo: Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit
Thongs: cheap rubber backless sandals
Tickets, to have on oneself: to have a high opinion of oneself
Tinny: can of beer, small aluminium boat
Togs: swim suit
Too right!: definitely!
Top End: far north of Australia
Trackies: track suit
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"
Useless as tits on a bull: Incompetent or unhelpful person or thing
Useless as an ashtray on a motorbike: see preceding - "he, she or it is about as much use as tits on a bull" etc. etc.
Ute: utility vehicle

V

Veg out: relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
Vedgies: vegetables
Vejjo: vegetarian
Vee dub: Volkswagen

W

Waggin' school: playing truant
Walkabout, it's gone: it's lost, can't be found
Whinge: complain
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.
White pointers: topless (female) sunbathers
Wobbly: excitable behaviour ("I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly")
Wog: flu or trivial illness
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

X

XXXX: pronounced Four X, brand of beer made in Queensland

Y

Yabber: talk (a lot)
Yakka: work (noun)
Yewy: u-turn in traffic ("chuck a yewy at the next traffic lights")
Yobbo: an uncouth person
Youse: you

Z

Zack: sixpence (5 cents) - "it isn't worth a zack", "he hasn't got a zack"
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