How to Speak Australian

Heading to Australia? Or do you have an Aussie friend who you have trouble understanding (don't we all)?  Fear not. Here are some common Australian words and phrases and their meanings.

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

Budgie Smugglers – Speedos

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. – source

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

Noife - Knife

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 right - That will be all right; don't worry

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

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"