That place is such a crock.. Sheila initially was how Aussies would refer to Irish women, but eventually the name stuck as slang for women in general. they had a bit of a bingle on the main road. Read More Go for gold: 18 things to do in Bendigo in 2023Continue, Earlier this week, my countrys people, wherever they were at the time, banded together to celebrate our nations national holiday Australia Day. Example: I need a new pair of runners. Distinct from the British slang term spunk, which refers to semen. A flannelette shirt, a uniform of choice in Australia. best thing since sliced bread = Something that is very good, a great invention. The full phrase is Fair suck of the saveloy, but saveloy has long since been shortened to sav (a saveloy is a seasoned pork sausage). I know about 1/2 of them from Aussie YouTubers I follow & knowing Australians in real life, but a bunch are new to my American English vocabulary! For extra emphasis, to be 100% sure. My wife is preggas again with our second kid. His mate nicked his girlfriend and he chucked a mental. Or fair suck of the sav. You bewdy!; may be called out when something good happens. For example, shortening someone with the last name of Fitzgerald to Fitzy or Robert to Robbo. It's not quite an Aussie slang dictionary, but it will help you know what's the John Dory down-under. Means an older woman that isn't your mother. Have an avo! Below, we provided 60 Australian slang words that will help you express yourself like a true Australian. all over the place like a mad womans shit = A real mess, untidy; a person who is a bit flighty, someone who hasnt got their act together. he was carrying on like a pork chop. Knickers are also widely used in British and North American countries, but with a different meaning. Translation: I've been very busy Alternatives: "I've been flat out like a lizard drinking" or "I've been busy as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest." Budgie smugglers. chuck = [2] To vomit, to chuck up, to throw up, e.g. curry = To attack or abuse, to give someone curry, e.g. Australia for the White man = A nationalist catch phrase; it was the motto of the influential magazine The Bulletin from 1908 until 1960. Chuck a u-ie - To make a 180 degree turn. go walkabout = To disappear, to go off somewhere, especially unexpectedly. bolt it in = To win easily, or to win by a great distance, e.g. :) Great list though! bickies = Biscuits (cookies in American terminology); can also be spelt as bikkies (singular: bickie, bikkie, bicky, or bikky). Ah Sheila, shes a true blue with the way she drinks that stubby. Derived from the complimentary phrase your bloods worth bottling. He donged him on the head. Meaning: (Expression) Fair dinkum is an expression that is the same as honestly? The Australian slang, fair dinkum, is used positively and negatively, depending on the situation. Dryblower Murphy Remember, if you can master just one Aussie slang word, you'll be well on your way to enjoying a great holiday down under. Snag -a sausage or Sensitive new Age Guy. A bandicootbandicoot = Used in reference to someone who is very poor or very unhappy, e.g. Just two hours from Melbourne, this historic city has a lot to offer. RELATED: WEIRD & CREEPY AUSTRALIAN URBAN LEGENDS, Hard work. Charles Harpur Dont trust that bloke, hes a dog, He dogged on his mates. Singular: ankle biter. Shes been in bed with a wog (referring to someone being ill, but with a double entendre of being in bed with a person of Southern European or Mediterranean extraction). Send her down, Hughie! blower = Telephone, e.g. she gave him curry when he got back late from the pub. durry = A cigarette, e.g. A chicken. 3) Dropbear Warning, Cowra Guardian RELATED: WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN VISITING AUSTRALIA, To party. spunk = A handsome man, a sexy man. Read on to find out what its like to visit Tasmazia and explore the town of Lower Crackpot, in the heart of the Promised Land. Example: Wow, your surfboards sick! Beware the goon hangover though and take this as your official warning . Swimsuit but only in some parts of the country. Gor blimey, I ate too much, Im as full as a goog. a few cents short of a dollar = [See the entry: a few sandwiches short of a picnic.]. fossick = Look for something. as ugly as a hatful of arseholes = A negative reference to someones looks. great grey migration, the = When, in the winter season, thousands of retired Australians (grey hairs) from the southern states travel to Queensland for a holiday. Its 25 clicks to the RV (RV refers to a rendezvous). Committed to fostering the Australian spirit all year round. compo = Workers compensation, also known as workers comp. Poetry and songs, 1786-1900 He dudded me on the deal. Why do you keep skipping math class? Bodgies were regarded as uncouth louts. Shooting the moon [short story by Henry Lawson], Timeline of Australian history and culture, Calendar of Australian history and culture, Significant events and commemorative dates. bees knees = Something very good. If you've got something to add to the dictionary, give us a yell. fizzer = Something that fails to live up to expectations, e.g. This causes body cramps, uncomfortableness, headaches, and other shit . Ahhh, the days of Dragon playing at the Bondi Hotel, opposite the beach. It is Australian slang that many people from all over the world use. Aussies are known for their unique creativity when it comes to tweaking and rejuvenating our language. The Australian slang words, such as Hard Yakka, is an expression used by many to congratulate a person for his or her hard work. Similar to the phrase Bun in the oven (e.g. "Check out that fella with the mullet. droob = A worthless person, Hes a complete droob. See: IAC list on Trove. Apparently this term came about from boxes of the stuff being shipped over from England with Manchester being written on them. Ive got a few VIC friends who use it too. The act of piling on a person, for any sort of reason. Can also be used in a general sense when speaking to someone, e.g. A clothing line that folds in on itself, not unlike an umbrella. Thats fair dinkum. coon = Derogatory name for Aborigines (from the American usage regarding Negros). Buried deep inside Tasmazia (the largest maze in the Southern Hemisphere) is a top Tasmanian attraction. snags = Sausages. dingos breakfast = No breakfast at all. These are great! sook = [1] To sulk, e.g. To have little or no chance of achieving something. slopehead = An Asian person (a derogatory term). In Australia, the terms bugger and buggery are relatively inoffensive (in the right context, they are only as offensive as the word damn); however, this usage is very different to other places, which is why the ABC television show Club Buggery (1995-1997) had problems being sold to overseas markets, since in other countries the term buggery is only known regarding its original meaning of anal intercourse (in 1998 the show was revamped as The Channel Nine Show). bonzer = Excellent, e.g. Crack the shits - Getting angry at someone or something. It can also be used to describe someone that's uncouth or a bit weird. its all over Red Rover = Indicating the finish of something, e.g. Scurvy has the dubious honor of being one of the oldest . If youre in the music industry, youre a muso. Spelt both with and without a hyphen: Croweater, Crow-eater. grey nomads = Elderly people, particularly retirees, who travel a lot, especially using caravans or campervans. Cabbage Gardeners = Victorians. chin wag = Talk, gossip, chat, usually refers to a conversation of some length regarding matters of little importance, e.g. theyre living out in the back blocks. spat the dummy = To have a tantrum, get angry, be of bad temper; e.g. "That goes together like menudo and a crudo." posted by M.C. Derived from the practice of young male Aborigines going walkabout, heading off into the wilderness, to live alone for several months, as a rite of passage. The word cobber is quintessentially Australian (definitely not English); although it is now mainly used by much older Australians (just like the term dig to refer to a friend). See: 1) Drop Bear, Scientific name: Thylarctos plummetus, The Australian Museum it ould also be a foldable bed. Used in the term Aussie battler. The far north of the country the Northern Territory. Example: I defo agree with you. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Example: Do you need new thongs? Your email address will not be published. earbashing = To talk non-stop, to talk incessantly, or to tell someone off, e.g. [See the entry: brass razoo.]. A Ace! Example: Move your lappy somewhere else. Similar to the phrase Shell be right. Similar to a few cents short of a dollar, a few sandwiches short of a picnic, a few sangers short of a barbie, and a couple of lamingtons short of a CWA meeting. hes an arsey bastard. There was also some slang relating to the Bondi Tram that I am unable to recall. Three expressions are repeated ( furphy and spit the dummy each occur four times, and daks twice). cant be arsed = Dont feel like doing something, not in the mood to do something, cant be bothered, e.g. Food. The British comedy group Monty Python has taken this to the extreme in one of their sketches. It had rained that much, the ground was wet enough to bog a duck. A Cold One / Coldie - It refers to Beer Avo - Avocado (A fruit) Accadacca - Australian band ACDC is referred to as this by Aussies. Meaning: (Noun) In Australia, the term swag is a roll up single bed. bailed up = Originally a reference to the demand made by bushrangers (who would say to their victims Bail up!, similar to Stand and deliver!), but now refers to someone being stopped, usually in an inconvenient manner or for a disagreement (to corner someone); e.g. Im bloody stoked with those footy seats you got.. phrase pissed to the eyeballs: https://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=117007, Spewin (adj) objecting to a situation, place or thing causing the person to become vocally angry, agitated or upset. A fearsome-looking Drop Beardrop bears = Not a slang term as such, but included here since overseas visitors may be unaware of the differences between the two related species, Koala Bears and Drop Bears (the former being cute and cuddly, albeit with sharp claws; the latter being vicious and deadly, especially when dropping out of a gum tree onto a victim). Also used as a play upon words, e.g. Bazza, Gazza, and Shazza (Barry, Gary, and Sharon). Queensland: beautiful one day, perfect the next = An advertising catch phrase for the Queensland tourist industry. Sometimes, they buy cartons of beers when visiting a bottle shop. Meaning: (Adjective) The word rooted in Australia is slang for something broken. Gotta love holidays with the relos.. back of Bourke = A long way out from civilization (Bourke was once considered to be the remotest town in New South Wales). I thought of a few others as well but now, of course, I cant for the life of me think of them, Theres a fair bit of fair dinkum usage in our household. [See the entry: go to buggery. Weve never heard of a slippery dip Sounds more like what we call going commando.. Come a gutser - Fall over, fall off. That concert was heaps good., Crazy. Someone stole his bike and he chucked a wobbly. bloody ripper = A reference to something that is really good. Weve been here for generations. This Australian slang dictionary will have you speaking the local lingo in no time at all! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. wet enough to bog a duck = Very wet, e.g. Also known as a root ute, a shaggin wagon, or a sin bin. knackered = Very tired, exhausted. Its like having your own language which sort of sounds like gibberish. It might get wet here on the dining table. Similar to a few cents short of a dollar, a few sangers short of a barbie, a couple of lamingtons short of a CWA meeting, and a stubbie short of a six pack. Not sure. bag of fruit = Rhyming slang for suit (can also be abbreviated to bag). bite your bum = An emphatic way of telling someone No! or disagreeing with them, e.g. Similar to the phrase Dont get your panties in a twist. Guess who invented it? Example: Shell be right back. bar hopping bending an elbow boozing catching a buzz day drinking drinking like a fish chuck = [1] Throw; e.g. Now I know! he missed crashing into the truck by a bees dick, he was a bees dick away from being sacked. [See the entry: Bandywallop.]. Something that is extremely old or from an earlier period. The Man from Ironbark [poem by Banjo Paterson] For more, check out my other content on Australia. So when Australians are talking about their thongs, its not what you may initially think. Well here's the most thorough Aussie vocab video on the internet teaching you all . Also used to refer to real Australians, e.g. Go on, give it a burl. Similar to the phrase Damn you to hell. Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. true blue = Someone or something that is genuinely Australian or very Australian. The guy with the hair.. Derived from spewing (i.e. Have a geek at this!; not to be confused with the term geek referring to a studious person, bookworm, or nerd. Can be used for emphasis, e.g. Youre useless, you should go south til your hat floats. Thorpedo = Ian Thorpe, the famous swimmer. Similar to the rhyming slang term Captain Cook. However, it should be noted that give it a burl, Shirl is a later variation (rather than a correction), as the phrase give it a burl dates back to at least 1911, as can be seen in the following list: https://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=132373, Its quite possible that the Shirl variation is connected with Shirley Strachan. Im really just tryna explain how Aussies speak.. Note that in Adelaide it's only a 285ml glass. Similar to buggered, shattered, stonkered. No budgie smugglers ? We've compiled a list of 40 of the most common Australian slang terms so you can become an expert in speaking Aussie. Whats for dinner tonight, love? If it was connected with Strachan, it could date back to his Skyhooks days (beginning in the 1970s), or it could even be connected to his fame as host of the TV childrens show Shirls Neighbourhood (1979-1983). McDonalds. Sausage. a hangover cure See also SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases Drinking alcohol abstinence abstinence-only after hours idiom bar-hop barhopping drinker drinking drinking game drinking-up time drown