AUSSIE SLANG

MEANING IN PLAIN ENGLISH

HOW THE AUSSIES USE IT...

"avago"

Have a go

"Avago, ya mug" (Have a go, you mug)

"barbie"

Barbecue

"Throw a yabbie on the barbie"

"ankle biter"

young child

"She has an ankle biter to feed"

"banana bender"

Queenslander...because they grow lots of bananas in Queensland

"He's a banana bender"

"battler"

One who struggles for a living

"What a tough battler!"

"beaut"

beautiful

"That's a beaut...!"

"billy"

Tin container used for boiling water to make tea

"Can you pass the billy?"

"billabong"

Waterhole in semi-dry river

"And his ghost may be seen roaming at the billabong" (from "Waltzing Matilda)

"bickie"

biscuit

"Let's have a bickie..!"

"bloke"

Man, used like "guy" in the US

"That bloke...!"

"blowie"

Pesky Australian blow fly

"There's a loadful of blowies out today"

"bludger"

scrounger

"You dole bludger" is one who lives off social security payouts

"BYO"

Bring Your Own drink to a restaurant

"It's a BYO only"

"Bonzer"

Terrific

"That's a bonzer ...!"

"Bottle Shop"

Liquor shop

"Let's drop by the Bottle Shop"

"Bull dust"

Bullshit

"What a load of bull dust...!"

"Bunyip"

The Australian equivalent to the mythical "Yeti/Bigfoot". Lives in a billabong.

"Bunyip, Bunyip, Bunyip...!" (if you ever see one)

"bush"

The countryside

"Let's go to the bush..."

"bushranger"

Outlaw, highwayman

"Ned Kelley - the bushranger"

"cask"

Boxed bag of cheap wine

"Let's get a cask at the bottle shop"

"chook"

Chicken

"There's a chook in the fridge"

"chunder"

To vomit

"I feel as I'm going to chunder"

"crooked"

Sick

"I'm feeling real crooked..."

"Crissie"

Christmas

"Where will you be, this Crissie?"

"dag/daggy"

Mild term for fool or unfashionable person

"What a dag..."

"daks"

trousers

"Where's my pair of daks?"

"Digger"

Australian soldier, or any old male character

"He was a digger... in WW2"

"dinkie die"

The truth

"That's dinkie die, I swear..."

"dingo"

Australian native wild dog

"He's as wild as a dingo..."

"dinkum"

Genuine or honest

"That's real fair dinkum..."

"dunny"

Toilet

"Excuse me, where's the dunny?"

"esky"

Cooler

"Let's bring an Esky to the picnic"

"footy"

Australian football

"Let's go to the footy this weekend..."

"garbo"

Garbage collector

"The garbo will take it away..."

"good on ya"

Well done or "Good for you" in the US

"Great job...good on ya"

"greenie"

A conservationist

"He's a greenie..."

"grog"

Alcoholic drink

"He's had too much grog..."

"Kiwi"

A New Zealander"

"He's a Kiwi..."

"knackered"

Tired

"I'm really knackered today...!"

"mate"

Friend (does not mean spouse"

"G'day, mate"

"milk bar"

Small general store

"Go get some bickies at the milk bar"

"mozzie"

Mosquito

"Bloody mozzies...!"

"ocker"

Australian male of crude manners

"He's a real ocker of a bloke"

"oodles"

Plenty

"Oodles of noodles..."

"Pom/Pommie"

English person

"He's a Pommie"

"Pissed"

Drunk (not angry, as in American)

"I think he's totally pissed, now"

"poof/poofter"

Male homosexual (derogatory)

"What a poofter..."

"ratbag"

Trouble maker

"He's a real ratbag..."

"Sheila"

Female (derogatory)

"Where's your Sheila?"

"sickie"

Sick day off work

"I'm taking a sickie..."

"she'll be right"

It will all be o.k

"She'll be right, mate...!"

"stingers"

Jellyfish

"Beware of stingers...!"

"stubby"

Small bottle of beer

"Let's have a stubby first, shall we?"

"stunned Mullet"

Someone who looks shocked

"He's looking like a stunned Mullet"

"tall poppies"

High achievers

"The tall poppies should pay more taxes..."

"Tassie"

Tasmania

"Let's go holiday in Tassie..."

"trap"

Mouth

"Shut your trap...!"

"tucker"

Food

"Let's dig into the tucker..."

"uni"

University

"He studied at a uni..."

"ute"

"Utility" truck - a pickup truck

"I drive an ute..."

"Vegemite"

Brown yeast sandwich spread which Australians grow up on, but is regarded by most foreigners as "semi-toxic".

"I'll have a Vegemite sandwich, thanks..."

"whinge"

Complain

"What a whingeing Pom..."

"wog"

Someone who comes from the Mediterranean countries (derogatory)

"He's a wog"

"wowser"

Killjoy, prude

"Don't be such a wowser...!"

"yack"

To talk

"Can you stop yack-ing?"

"yonks"

A long time

"It's been yonks that I've seen him"

"yabbie"

An Australian shrimp-like sized lobster with claws

"Let's throw a yabbie on the barbie..."