Aussie slang: deciphered!

The ultimate guide to Australian slang words and phrases

This post hasn't even started and I've used some Aussie slang - Aussie (pronounced "Ozzie" rather than "Awzie").

Yes, if you live in Australia, visit down under (yep, that's another bit of slang), or even just read my Aussie recipe posts from another part of the world, you'll need to get used to words being shortened and odd words being used for familiar things.

We love our slang insults and instead of answering questions with a simple "yes", we can sometimes ramble a bit with "nah, yeah, no worries mate."

Confused?

Keep reading.

What is slang?

The Cambridge dictionary defines slang as "very informal language that is usually spoken rather than written, used especially by particular groups of people."

And when it comes to Australian people, there's a lot of slang to learn. I was born and raised in Australia, and I'm still learning myself.

There's also a bit of nuance involved, and context and location within Australia can matter.

Why do Australians use so much slang?

We use so much slang in Australia, that sometimes I'm not even aware I'm using slang and other times I don't even understand my fellow Aussies who might be using some more obscure slang.

The use of slang is a cultural phenomenon that can be attributed to a few factors:

1. We're Australian, not British. Although colonised by the British, over time an Australian dialect developed.
2. We're geographically isolated, which contributes to the development of a unique culture and identity.
3. We're laid back, mate. And that's reflected in our language.

Ready to discover some of our slang words and phrases?

Aussie slang: popular words and phrases

Here's my list of the words and phrases that might leave you scratching your head (confused) if you haven't spent much time in Australia.

It's not exhaustive, so leave a comment below or message me if you think I've left anything out.

A

aggro	angry or aggressive
amber fluid	beer
ambo	ambulance or paramedic
ankle biter	a young child
apples, she'll be	it will be alright
arvo	afternoon
Aussie	Australian
Aussie salute	Waving your hands to scare away flies
avo	avocado

B

back of Bourke	far away location, far away from civilisation
bail	cancel plans, leave or not turn up
barbie	barbeque
beaut	fantastic
big smoke	the big city (for example, Sydney)
bikkie	biscuit
billy	a teapot used on a campfire
bloke	a man
bloody	very (as in, "it's bloody hot")
bloody oath	very true
blowie	blow fly
bludger	lazy person
blue	nickname for someone with red hair
bloke	a man, particularly an Australian man
bog in	start eating
bogan	a person who is unsophisticated (and usually uses a lot of Aussie slang!)
bonzer	awesome, excellent
bottlo	bottle shop
bowlo	bowling club
brekky	breakfast
Buckley's	no chance or a very small chance
budgie smugglers	tight-fitting swimming costume worn by men
bundy	Bundaberg, a brand of Australian rum
bush	rural or remote parts of Australia
bush telly	campfire
BYO	bring your own (usually referring to alcohol at a restaurant or alcohol/food to a party)

C

cactus	broken, not functioning
Captain Cook, have a	have a look
cark it	to die or stop working
choccy	chocolate
chockers	full to the brim
chook	chicken
chunder	to vomit
Chrissie	Christmas
clobber	clothes or attire
cobber	friend or mate
corker	something that is very good
crikey	used to communicate amazement or surprise
crook	sick or not well made
cuppa	cup of tea or coffee, something to enjoy with a slice

D

dag	an unfashionable person, someone lacking style or character or a socially awkward person
daks	pants, trousers
deadset	absolutely
digger	a soldier, particularly an Australian soldier
dipstick	a loser, idiot
dobber	a tattletale
dog's breakfast	messy
dog's hind leg, as crooked as	someone who's dishonest, unscrupulous or deceptive
down under	Australia and New Zealand
drongo	an idiot
dunny	a toilet
durry	a cigarette

E

earbashing	nagging
esky	an insulated food/drink container that people take to picnics, barbecues etc
exxy	expensive

F

fair dinkum	unquestionably good or genuine, often used as a general expression of approval
fair go	a chance
fair suck of the sauce bottle	a plea to be treated fairly
fair crack of the whip	a plea to be treated fairly
feral	a person who is uncivilised, unkempt or anti-social
flanno	flannalette shirt
footy	football
frothy	beer
furphy	an erroneous or improbable story that is claimed to be factual

G

g'day	hello
galah	a fool or silly
garbo	someone who collects garbage
good onya	well done
grog	alcohol
gutful, I've had a	I've had enough

H

hard yakka	hard work
heaps	a lot
hoon	a reckless driver or someone who behaves in a foolish manner
hooroo	goodbye
hottie	an attractive person

I

idiot box	television
iffy	uncertain or dubious
iso	"isolation" or "self-isolation"
itchy feet	a desire to travel or move on to new things

J

jackaroo or jillaroo	a male or female trainee on a sheep or cattle station
joe blake	a snake
John Dory, what's the	what's happening, what's the gossip?
journo	a journalist or reporter

K

kindie	kindergarten or preschool
kip	a nap
knackered	tired or exhausted
knock	to criticise
knock back	refusal
knock off	to finish work for the day

L

larrikin	someone who is person who is mischievous, irreverent or plays practical jokes
lob	to throw something
lollies	sweets or candy

M

Maccas	McDonald's
mate	a term of friendship or companionship, similar to "buddy" or "pal"
moolah	money
mozzie	mosquito
mug	fool
mullet	a hairstyle that is short on top and long at the back
muster	a gathering or roundup of livestock, or a social gathering in the outback

N

nark	to annoy or irritate someone, or a person who informs on others.
never never	the Australian outback, particularly remote or uncharted areas
no drama	it's ok, don't worry about it
no worries	expression of forgiveness or reassurance
not the sharpest tool in the shed	a way of saying someone is not very intelligent
nuddy	naked
numpty	a foolish or silly person

O

ocker	a stereotypically rough or uncultured Australian person
oi	an exclamation used to get someone's attention or express excitement, similar to "hey"
old mate	a generic term for a person, particularly when their name is unknown
on the nose	something that smells bad or doesn't seem right
op shop	short for "opportunity shop" – a thrift store or charity shop
out of whack	something is not working or functioning correctly
outback	the remote or rural areas of Australia
Oz	Australia

P

pash	a long and passionate kiss
pav	pavlova, an Australian dessert
pissed	drunk
pokie	a poker machine or slot machine
polly	politician
postie	postman
pozzy	position
prezzy	present

Q

quid, make a

earn a living, make money

R

rack off	go away
ranga	person with red hair
rapt	pleased, delighted
ratbag	silly person
reckon	think or "you bet"
rellie	relative, family member
rip snorter	great, fantastic
rippa	great
rock up	turn up
rusty	out of practice, worn out

S

sanger	sandwich
servo	a gas station or service station
sheila	a woman, particularly an Australian woman
she'll be right	everything will be ok
shoot through	to leave
shout, my	my turn to buy a round of drinks, meal, coffee etc
sickie	a day off work due to illness
smoko	smoke or coffee break
snag	a sausage
spit the dummy	get very upset
sprung	caught doing something wrong
streuth	an expression of surprise or shock, similar to "wow" or "oh my god"
sunnies	sunglasses
swag	rolled up bedding

T

ta	thank you
tall poppy	successful person
Tassie	Tasmania
tea	supper
tee-up	set up, organise
tell him he's dreaming	a reply when someone is not offering a fair deal
telly	television
thongs	flip flops or sandals
tinny	a can of beer or a small aluminium boat
too right	agree, enthusiastically
top end	the northern part of Australia
trackie dacks	tracksuit pants or sweatpants
tradie	a tradesperson
true blue	genuinely Australian or authentic
tucker	food
togs	swimmers, bathing suit
tucked up	to be snug and comfortable in bed

U

u-ey	a U-turn while driving
uggies	ugg boots, Australian sheepskin boots
unco	uncoordinated
under the pump	under pressure
undies	underwear
up yourself	to be arrogant or self-important
ute	a utility vehicle, similar to a pick-up truck

V

veg out	relax
veges	vegetables

W

whinge	complain
wombat	native Australian marsupial (also, a stupid person)
wrap your laughing gear around	to eat or consume something

Y

ya	you
yabby	a freshwater crayfish found in Australian waterways
yakka	work
yarn	a story or conversation
yobbo	an uncultured or rowdy person
yonks	a long time
youse	you both, you all
yummo	delicious, tasty, or yummy

Now you've had a Captain Cook at this list, what do you think?

Can you think of something that should be included?

Let me know in the comments below. Ta.

For now, though, it's hooroo from me.