Australian Slang - Wikitravel

Australian slang

Contents

• 1 Greetings
• 2 Time
• 3 Colours
• 4 Cursing
• 5 Eating and Drinking
• 6 People
• 7 Geography
• 8 Places and things
• 9 Politics

    This article is a travel topic

Australian slang is informal language used in Australia.

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. Many Australians view their slang as being uniquely Australian and an integral part of their culture. Judging by the amount 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 TV shows.

Attempts by foreigners to replicate the Australian accent nearly always fail (witness Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark). Doing so to an Australian's face will be seen as taking the piss (see below) and may have unexpected repercussions.

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. You can also ask for your chips to take-away, rather than fries to go.

Greetings[edit]

Hey / G'day. Hello. Often combined with How ya doin' / goin' How ya goin'/ How's it going? How are you? How ya doin' How are you? How's it hangin'? (Direct translation: How comfortable are your testicles) How are you feeling? Not bad mate Not bad mate (friend) Good Good Cheers mate Thanks No worries / No drama / No Problem That's okay No wuckers No problem (Play on words, No Wucking Furries, from No F...ing Worries) Oi!/ Hey! (Rude way to get attention) You're right Don't worry, all good She'll be right That will be good (enough) She'll be apples / It'll be right Everything will be ok / go to plan See ya later See you later Hoo roo/Oooroo Goodbye Take it easy Goodbye & be careful Have a good one Have a good day / night / weekend / etc Root sexual intercourse Could I have some more please Can I have some more of that Item? Yep Yes Nup No Ta Thanks We'll see maybe (doubtful) Sweet/Beautiful Great Yeah nah No Nah yeah Yes

Time[edit]

Arvo afternoon, eg "Let's meet for a schooner this arvo". Yonks Years, commonly used to convey an exaggerated view of time, eg "I haven't seen you in yonks". Ron Shorter for later on, eg "I'll save it for ron". Tick Short amount of time, 5 minutes up to an hour. Smoko Any short break from work, usually associated with taking a smoking break with tradies Flat chat (of a person) Very busy, no free time

Colours[edit]

Bluey A name often given to blue heeler cattle dogs or a person with red hair. Ranga Red-haired person.

Cursing[edit]

(Note that seemingly uniquely, Australians use insults affectionately as well. It is commonplace to greet one's closest friends with the foulest combination expletives and slurs as possible, preferably creatively arranged.)

Streuth! Wow!, Damn! (from "God's truth") Bugger Damn - a common expression of disappointment, not offensive to most. Drongo an idiot or a fool (a type of bird) Bloody bastard someone you can't stand Wanker or Pelican Someone who is full of themselves, a dislikeable person, a dickhead Knob A cocky fool Fuck me dead Oh dear

Eating and Drinking[edit]

Grab a feed Get something to eat Middy, Pot, Schooner, Handle Various sizes of glass (usually used for beer). Definitions vary by state: refer to the table at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Australia#Sizes Stubby Small beer bottle (~300ml) Longneck Large beer bottle (~750ml) Take-away Fast food also used instead of "to go" when ordering food. Doggy bag Takeaway from a restaurant Pissed drunk (as opposed to pissed off, which means to be annoyed); take the piss: make fun of Scab To scrounge off a friend, as in scab a feed. To scrounge through the local rubbish tip / local council clean up piles Bludge To be lazy, especially when there is specific work to be done. Grog alcoholic drink, likely beer. Plonk Cheap low-quality wine. Goon Plonk in a cask. Goonbag Wine box. Tucker Food. Snag Sausage. Sanga Sandwich. Barbie Barbeque Maccas McDonalds Brekkie Breakfast Esky water cooler Durries, darts cigarettes Flat white Latte with less foam, mostly steamed milk Long black Americano but with espresso extracted after water Short black Espresso Hot chips french fries, usually thick cut

People[edit]

Mate Anybody at all, typically used only to refer to men, used as an informal address for strangers ("G'day, mate"), as a name placeholder for friends, and as a term for friends in general ("Invite your mates around"). Old mate Third person masculine pronoun (substitute for "he"), used specifically as a dismissive reference to a man over a certain age who the speaker sees as useless or foolish. e.g. "Old mate shat his daks in Engadine Maccas". Love Similar to 'mate' but used for women. Or from a woman to male. Depending on context can ether be + or - eg, "Now listen here love" "what shall it be love" "want a drink love" A Sheila: A Woman. Drongo Light-hearted insult, silly or dim-witted. Silly duffer Similar to Drongo but gentler / more affectionate. Aussie Australian - pronounced Ozzy. Relo/Rellies Relative, as in member of the family. Bogan (Slightly) less offensive Australian equivalent of English "chav" or American "white trash". Cub Cashed-up bogan. Nouveau riche. Brickie Bricklayer. Sparkie Electrician. Chippie Carpenter. Bikie Member of a motorbike gang; biker for motorcyclists in general Cockie Farmer. Generally who has a large land hold. Dag Nerd, unfashionable person, goof; light-hearted friendly insult. Daggy Scruffy. Figjam Proud and boastful person, abbreviated form of 'fuck I'm good, just ask me'. Flog A heavily disliked person. Battler Working family member. Someone who never seems to catch a break but always tries that little harder than most every step forwards sees them two steps back. Smackie Smackhead, as in, a heroin addict. Ocker A crude, uncultured Aussie. Banana Benders Queenslanders Sheep Shagger A New Zealander Sandgropers Western Australians Mexicans Anyone from the next state south (not often used) Is used by people that live in New South Wales/Queensland when referring to someone that lives in Victoria/New South Wales. Yank An American Seppo An American (pejorative). Abbreviated form of rhyming slang 'septic tank'. Kiwi A New Zealander Pom/Pommy An Englishman (Is an insult if used by anyone but an Aussie). Prisoner Of Mother England. Scabber Someone who scabs Bluey, Ranga(derived from Orangutan) Person with red hair. Bushie Someone from a rural area, whom generally lives off/with the land eating what they catch, raise, grow gather & utilise all around them in a innovative manor like hanging the exhaust up with a coat hanger or posting a shed or shack with trees. Digger Soldier. Clown A fool. Peanut A fool. Cobber friend, mate. Chat person who is unclean

Geography[edit]

The bush areas outside of major cities and towns. The outback the deserts of inland Australia Bushfire wildfire Whoop-Whoop The middle of nowhere (eg: So I was stuck out whoop whoop...) It is a short 'oo' sound, like in 'pull', not long like in 'choose'. Also an actual town in the middle of the Australian bush. Beyond the black stump An imaginary point beyond which the country is considered remote or uncivilised Back of Beyond/Back of Bourke Even further than beyond the black stump. Really far. Scrub Thick, snotty bush

Places and things[edit]

Straya Australia The G Melbourne Cricket Ground Servo Service Station (Petrol Station) Bottle-O Bottle Shop (Liquor Store) Chemist Pharmacy (also used), Drug Store Newsagent's Seller of newspapers, magazines, and candy Milk bar Small shop selling drinks, sandwiches, candy, hot chips, and so on Maccas McDonalds restaurant Back-of-Bourke Very distant location Big smoke/city A non country area(includes associated suburbs) The sticks In the bush, referring to a lot of trees (far from a town or city) The pits Bad, depressing or undesirable location or event. Retic Sprinkler system (short for reticulation), used more commonly in Western Australia. Ute Flatbed pick-up. Utility vehicle.

Politics[edit]

Rort Corrupt practice or scam. Often a synonym for '-gate' when naming political scandals. Stoush Controversy. Pronounced like 'ouch' not like 'douche'. Canberra 1. City of 400,000 people which hosts the Federal Parliament. 2. Shorthand for the apparatus of Federal Government, similar to Washington or Whitehall. Pollie Politician The Reps House of Representatives, the lower house of the legislature (analogous to the UK House of Commons). Sausage sizzle Barbecue cooking hotdogs, customarily outside polling stations on election day and outside hardware stores. Democracy sausage See above (on election day) Vote 1 [candidate name] Common electioneering slogan. Due to Australia's use of the AV voting system, voters rank all candidates by preference rather than denoting a single choice with an 'X' On first preferences The initial count of only the '1' rank votes, before lower preferences on votes cast for eliminated candidates are re-counted. Two-party preferred The final result of the election after all votes for eliminated candidate have been reallocated.