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 AUSTRALIAN (AUSSIE) LINGO
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Aussie term Definition
aerial ping pong Australian football
ant's pants Someone or something considered the ultimate in style, novelty or cleverness.
apples, as in she'll be apples In Australian slang, she'll be apples simply means everything will be okay.
apples and pears Rhyming slang for stairs. To shoot down the apples and pears is to go down the stairs. Sometimes shortened to just apples
arvo Afternoon. Another Australian slang contraction.
aussie Australian
aussie salute Moving the hand around to flick off or drive away flies, particularly from the face.
avagoodweegend Have a good weekend.
avagoyamug Term used to pick a fight as in "Have a go, you mug!"
back o' beyond.  Somewhere out there in the Outback in a remote and fairly deserted place. Also back o' Bourke and beyond the black stump.
bangers Sausages
barney Argument, strife
battlers Honest, hardworking folk.
bee's knees Someone or something considered the ultimate in style, novelty or cleverness.
beaut Beautiful, lovely, great. Also used as a noun meaning something beautiful, lovely, great.
bewdy Beaut, beauty. Usually used as an interjection
bickie Biscuit (cookie)
big bickies A lot of money
biggie Anything big or bigger than usual. This comes about as a result of a penchant to add -ie or -y to certain words in colloquial speech. Hence, footie or footy for football.
big smoke The city
billabong A waterhole.
billy Container for boiling tea
bit o' all right Bit o' understatement here, matey. The phrase actually means something or someone which, or who, is more than all right: lovely, eliciting admiration, beautiful even.
bizzo Business
bloke Man
bludger Lazy person, usually applied to one who lives on the dole and who doesn't try finding work.
blue A row, quarrel, fight, as in We had a blue
Bluey Redhead.
bluey Also blue heeler, a breed of dog
bob's your uncle Surprisingly this statement can have one of two diffferent, almost opposite, meanings: in expressing agreement, meaning right you are, or in response to a statement proving nothing as an expression of doubt.
bonzer Excellent, attractive, really great.
bottlo, bottle shop Liquor store
bunny rug Baby's blanket
bush Country, as in the bush (the country) and go bush (leave the city).
bush telegraph The local gossip network
bushed Extremely tired
butt Buttocks, bottom, also cigarette
Captain Cook Debated discoverer of Australia in 1770. Also rhyming slang for look.
chinwag A chat, conversation.
chook Chicken
chuffed Pleased, delighted, stoked
cobber Mate, friend
codger Bloke, man, especially elderly and a little odd, as in silly codger
corker Something striking or astonishing, or something very good of its kind.
corroboree Aboriginal assembly or gathering of festive, sacred or warlike character
crook Sick, ill, as in He's crook. Also angry, as in Don't go crook on him. Also swindler or thief.
dag
An Australian slang term. A dag is technically the matted wool on a sheeps tail. Used throughout Australia, it refers to people who don't have a neat, tidy or cultured appearance. It is not necessarily a derogatory term in modern usage. I'm a bit of a dag today, I'm wearing my trackie-daks
digger Australian soldier, especially one who served in World War I.
ding A damaged section of a car, bike, surfboard, etc. There are other meanings
dingbat Someone odd, crazy.
dinki-di True blue, fair dinkum, genuine
dinkum True blue, real, genuine. Quite often used in the phrase fair dinkum.
do one's lolly Lose one's temper.
doona A quilted eiderdown with a down filling, a comforter
drongo Slow-witted or stupid person
drover One who drives cattle, sheep and like animals over long distances, usually to market.
dummy As in spit the dummy. To spit the dummy is to baulk at, get angry about, or simply, obstinately refuse to do, something. A dummy is what some Americans call a pacifier, and when a baby spits the dummy it just can't be pacified
dunny An outside toilet, sanitary can
ear basher Someone who talks too much; hence, ear bashing, talking too much.
end up a gum tree Stymied, stranded.
fair dinkum Genuine; also really
fang it This has a few slang meanings, but usually means either (1) to exert force so someone will lend or give you something, (2) to appropriate what's not yours, or (3) to go extremely fast
footy Football
fossick Search (usually for small items or for mineral deposits).
furphy Rumor, false story
g'day, gidday Fairly common daytime (sometimes even nighttime) greeting, as in G'day mate.
go Chance or turn, as in Give me a go, or Give the bloke a fair go, matey. Also way, as This is the go
gone troppo Moved north to tropical Australia or became crazy because of the heat and maybe a drink or two or 20
goodie Something nice, as in a bag of goodies
greenie An environmentalist. Sometimes used deprecatingly
grog Alcohol. beer, spirits
grouse Very good, as in grouse shiela
gum Eucalypt
half your luck Would you believe it? -- this means "congratulations" or "best wishes". I think it evolved from the saying "I wish I had half your luck" or "I'd be happy if I had half your luck."
halfwit Stupid person
hankie Handkerchief
happy as Larry Extremely happy, without a care in the world.
hard yacker Also hard yakka. Hard work.
hassles n. Problems, complications, aggravations, as in I got into a lot of hassles, or Spare me the hassles.
homestead Main residence on a sheep or cattle station (ranch or farm).
hooroo Goodbye, see you later
iffy Doubtful, depending on circumstances
jack of Sick of, fed up with
jumbuck Sheep
king brown Mulga snake. Sometimes applied to a larger (usually brown in color) bottle of beer
Kiwi A New Zealander.
knackered Completely exhausted.
knickers in a knot To get one's knickers in a knot is to become agitated, flustered, bothered (about something).
lair One of brash or vulgar behavior, usually flashily dressed as well.
larrikin A mischievous young chap
larry A hoe with a hole in the centre for mixing cement
Lazza nickname for Larry, which could already be a nickname for Laurence. We don't leave words alone, do we? Also Wazza or Wozza for Warren.
lingo Aussie abbrev. for Australian terminology
lollies Candy
loo Toilet
mate Anyone's a mate, especially when you're trying to strike some kind of rapport, as in the greeting G'day mate.
matey Must be better than a mate, or adding -y just for the sake of it.
middy A middle-sized (285ml) glass, usually of beer. Also see schooner.
mozzie Mosquito
mug A fool, one easily duped
nick off Scram - Piss Off
nong Fool, Idiot
no worries No hassles, problems. Of no concern.
ocker Distinctively Australian; also: archetypal uncultivated Australian workingman; boorish, uncouth.
ol' cheese Mother
ol' man Father
open slather Free-for-all, anything goes.
Oz Australia or Australian
pash Be passionate about or with, as in Pash me. Kiss
pissed Drunk
pissed off. Disgruntled, fed up.
plonk Any alcoholic liquor, especially cheap wine
pollie, polly Politician
Pommie, Pom Englishman
preggers Pregnant
pressies Presents, gifts
pub A hotel, short for public house. Usually taken to mean the bar or drinking area in a hotel.
quid as in not the full quid Anyone who's not the full quid is mentally deficient.
rack off Go away, get lost
ratbag Rascal, rogue. Also someone of eccentric or nonconforming ideas or behavior, or someone whose preoccupation with a particular theory or belief is considered obsessive.
reckon Very commonly used for think. By itself in reply to a question, it means I suppose so.
ripper Great, terrific; something terrific
rock up Show up, turn up or walk up, approach
roo Also 'roo. Kangaroo
sanger Sandwich
schooner A large-sized (425ml) glass of beer (in New South Wales), unless you're talking of sailing ships.
seppo Rhyming slang for American.  As in Septic Tank
sheila Girl, woman
she'll be apples, also she's apples All's well
shout v. Buy or pay for, as in Shout me a beer, mate. n. Turn to pay, as in It's your shout, mate.
Simmo Nickname for Simpson. Taken from the surname Simpson. Also Thommo for Thompson.
slab A carton of 24 beer cans
smoko A break from work to indulge in chit-chat and a cigarette. Here a final -o comes into play.
snog To kiss and cuddle. When used as a noun, the act of kissing and cuddling
sook Shy, timid person. Also a bit of a cry-baby. The adjective is sooky
sparrow's fart Dawn, very early in the morning
spit the dummy Baulk at, get angry about, or simply, obstinately refuse to do, something. A dummy is what some Americans call a pacifier, and when a baby spits the dummy it just can't be pacified
sport A bit like mate, but with an undertone of belligerence, as in Whaddaya mean, sport?
squiz A quick look
station Farm or ranch, as in sheep station or cattle station
stickybeak To pry or meddle; one who pries or meddles
stoked Drugged or drunk. Also thrilled, delighted
Strine Spoken Australian lingo or dialect (and its written equivalent). If you pronounce Australian in a certain way, what you get is Strine. Sometimes used for uneducated, unrefined language.
struth Also streuth, strewth, 'struth. An exclamation expressing surprise or verification. Derived from God's truth
stubby Small bottle, as of beer
sundowner A swagman who arrives at a homestead at nightfall too late for work but gets shelter for the night.
sunnies Sunglasses
suss Suspicious, of doubtful nature, not quite right. When used as a verb, it means to probe, or prove the veracity (or falsity) of something or the bona fides of someone; or, more simply, to check out.
swag Bundle or roll carried across the shoulders, usually by itinerant workers
Swagman One who travels doing odd jobs, etc.
Sydneysider A Sydney resident.
ta Thanks
takeaway In some other countries this is called takeout or food to go
tart Sheila. Once meaning sweetheart, but the term can now be used derogatorily
ta-ta Good-bye
thingy A thing, of course, as in Hand me that thingy
thongs Sandals held loosely on the feet by straps passing between the first and second toes and over either side of the feet.
tinnie Can of beer
true blue Genuine
tucker Food
U-ee U-turn, as in He did a U-ee
underdaks Underpants, jocks
up the duff Pregnant
ute Small truck, short for utility truck.
VB Victoria Bitter, a beer
vegies Vegetables
walkabout A period of wandering, usually in reference to Aborigines; also someone who does so.
walloper One who thrashes someone. Also, a policeman.
wanker Someone who makes something more of what may be an inconsequential thing. There are other meanings. Strictly speaking, but still a colloquial term, one who plays with themselves
westie, also westy Someone from Sydney's western suburbs, often used derogatorily to mean uneducated and/or uncultured. Also someone who acts like a westie
willy-willy Spiraling wind, collecting such things as dust and refuse.
wog Originally a derogatory appellation for Mediterranean or Middle European migrants, or persons of like complexion or appearance. Now often used for any foreigner, but still in a usually derogatory sense. We are reminded that another common meaning for wog is illness (or virus, such as the flu virus) in sentences like He's off work with a wog.
wowser Prude, puritan, killjoy
X out Cross out, cancel
XXXX (Pronounced FOUR'ex.) A Queensland beer. XXXX is the actual name on the label. I understand XXXX is no longer Australian-owned
yack Chat, gossip, as in having a yack
yahoo A loutish male person
yobbo Loutish, surly youth
yonks Ages, a long time, as in I knew him for yonks
youse Colloquially, the plural form of you. Often used humorously
zed How Aussies pronouce Z Thus, A-N-zed Bank for ANZ Bank.
zilch Nothing, as in all he got was zilch.
zonked Out of it, totally exhausted.


 

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