Aussie Slang: Australian English Slang Words

Here’s a quick guide to Australian English slang words. This page will be regularly updated, so if you have a favorite Aussie slang word, feel free to share it with us!

You’ll notice the influence of American and British English on Australian slang, along with unique words that might mean something entirely different from what you expect. Enjoy exploring the list!

A

ace – excellent, very good
aggro – (adj) aggressive; (n) aggravation
apples, she’s – everything is all right; often modified with will as in she’ll be apples
arsey – someone showing daring, audacity, and/or cheekiness or experiencing extremely good luck, particularly if this involves a near-miss to injury. In use since the 1950s. Derived from “tin arsed”.
not being arsed – lack of interest, as in “I couldn’t be arsed to do it”. Also British English.
arvo – short for afternoon; in use since the 1950s
as if – Exclamatory rejection. “As if they’re real tears!” or “The case was dismissed? As if.” Commonly contracted to ‘sif.
Aussie salute – brushing away flies with the hand

B

B & S – in full Bachelors’ and Spinsters’ Ball – a party/function held for young single people
bag – (v) to denigrate; (n) an ugly woman; both senses in use since the 1960s
bags – to reserve, as in “(I) Bags the last frosty fruit (ice block)” or “Can someone do the dishes?” “Bags not!” Also used in UK English
bail (somebody) up – to corner somebody physically
bang – sexual intercourse (hence “she bangs like a dunny door in the wind”)
barkers eggs – dog poo
beaut – (adj) great, fantastic, terrific; in use since the 1910s (n); great thing; for example, “What a beaut!”; in use since the 1890s
beauty – exclamation showing approval, often spelt as bewdy (to represent Australian pronunciation). For example: “You bewdy!”, which is roughly equivalent to “Great!”, “Fantastic!” or “Wonderful!”. In use since the 1850s.
beef – to have a problem with someone/ to have an issue with another, occuring in the past. eg: “i have beef with him”
bickie – biscuit. Sometimes also used as a word for a cigarette lighter, after the manufacturer Bic. More recently this has become a slang word for the drug ecstasy, from the slang disco biscuit.
big bickies – lots of money
big-note oneself – to brag or boast
bizzo – business (“Mind your own bizzo.”)
biff or biffo – a brawl or fist fight. Also in UK English
bitser – dog of mixed parentage, mongrel (“Bits of this, bits of that”)
(your) blood’s worth bottling – you’re an excellent, helpful person
blow – a rest, especially after physical work
bloody – very (bloody hard yakka). Also in other varieties of English, but formerly extremely common in Australia. Known as the Great Australian Adjective
bloody oath – that’s certainly true; used as an affirmative to a statement, often when something has been understated; an intensive form of my oath
blue – a fight, brawl or heated argument or an embarrassing mistake (for example, “I’ve made a blue.”) or a nickname for someone with red hair (also “Bluey”)
bluey – formerly, a bundle of belongings wrapped in a blanket carried by swagmen. Also called a “swag” or a traffic ticket or a nickname for a redheaded person (also “Blue”) or a blue heeler (cattle dog). Also a blue singlet typically worn by Australian workers
bludge – to shirk, be idle, or waste time either doing nothing or something inappropriate; to live off others efforts rather than providing for one’s self, to receive welfare payments; to deliberately skip school classes (used mainly by adolescents)
bodgy – of inferior quality
bog in – commence eating, to attack a meal with enthusiasm
bog standard – basic, unadorned, without accessories (a bog standard car, telephone etc.)
bomb – an old mechanically unsound car. “That car is a bomb.”
bonzer – great, ripper
boogie board – a hybrid, half-sized surf board
boong – a term lately considered highly derogatory, used for Australian Aboriginals, perhaps derived from binghi – once used more frequently “derived from the term for elder brother” (also “bung” in Indonesian dialects). in the languages once spoken between Kempsey Newcastle, viz. Ngamba, Birbai and Wanarua.
bottler – something excellent
brumbie – wild (as in undomesticated) horse
buck’s night – stag party, male gathering the night before the wedding
buckley’s, “buckley’s chance” “buckley’s hope”, “buckley’s odds”, “two chances: buckley’s, and none”, “buckley’s-and-none” – something which has little or no chance of success; origin uncertain, probably influence by three important historical elements, both of which occured in the Melbourne vicinity. The first, and most frequently used explanation, that the term is a reference to escaped convict, William Buckley, who was believed dead in 1803 (survival on the run in Australia being said to be impossible for the British convicts, due to unfamiliar and hostile surroundings and peoples), but he in fact lived in an Aboriginal community on the outskirts of present-day Melbourne for more than 30 years. The second likely etymological influence a now defunct Melbourne department store “Buckley’s”, later bought by a Phillip Nunn. Expression of this phrase often also implies a resignation on the part of the conversing parties as to any perceived ability to influence the determined character who is being ascribed said odds of success, and also implies some risk to the adventurer should they fail. In reference to the department store Buckley & Nunn
buggered (1) – tired. “I’m feeling buggered.”
buggered (2) – broken, not in working order. “That hose is buggered.”
buggered (3) – in trouble, or caught out. “I was caught speeding, I’m buggered!”
built like a brick shithouse – being strongly built; from the chunky look of well-made backyard dunnies of pre-70′s and rural housing
Bundy – a nickname for a brand of rum (Bundaberg Rum)
bung – originally a stopper in a cask; a synonym for “put” or “place”; as in “bung it in the oven” (also used in British English) or not working, broken, impaired, injured or infected. From the Jagara (Aboriginal language) word for “dead”.
bung it on – to put on a show of pretence
bush – woodland, generally called bushland, rural Australia (not necessarily the Outback) and those who live in it
bush bashing – to force a path through the bush either by bushwalking or driving a 4WD (SUV) or the like;
bush bash – a long competitive running or motorcar race through the bush; a difficult walk through the bush
bushfire – wild forest fire
bushie – a person living in remote rural areas, simailar to a swagman
bush oyster – a gob of expelled nasal mucus
bush telly – campfire
bushman’s hanky – emitting nasal mucus by placing one index finger on the outside of the nose (thus blocking one nostril) and blowing
bushwalking – hiking in the bush
buttsucker – someone who smokes cigarettes

C

cackleberry – egg
cactus – dead, non-functional, not functioning
cark it – to die or to cease functioning
carn – Assimilation of “come on!” or “Go on!”; usually used to either goad someone, “Carn, have another.”, or to cheer on a sporting team “Carn the Doggies.”
cat’s pyjamas or cat’s whiskers – something great or perfectly suited, as in “It was the cat’s pyjamas, mate!”
cattle duffer – a cattle rustler
chook – a chicken
Chrissie – Christmas
chuck a sickie – take the day off sick from work when you’re perfectly healthy
chunder – vomit. “I had a chunder.”
Clayton’s – fake, substitute, not the real thing, ersatz; (from a brand of zero alcohol mixer, advertised as “the drink you have when you’re not having a drink”) less widely used than in New Zealand; declining as the commercial has not played in many years
clucky – feeling broody or maternal
cockie – farmer (hence cow-cockie – dairy farmer); also short for ‘cockatoo’, an Australian bird.
come a gutser – make a bad mistake, have an accident
compo – workers’ compensation pay
cossie, cozzie – swimming costume, bathers
cranky – in a bad mood, angry
crikey – an exclamation of surprise
crook – angry, in the phrase “go crook at”, sick or unwell, unfair
crunk – to get drunk
culosis – a resigned expression of frustration, whatever – heard since early 2008 on the east coast
cut – angry or upset

D

dag -an unfashionable or uncool person, equivalent to “geek” or “dork”. “Did you see her Dad’s shirt? He’s such a dag” or excrement hanging from the wool around a sheep’s backside
daggy – unfashionable, uncool, “nerdy”, “dorky”
darl – term of endearment usually used for one’s spouse: shortening of darling.
dead set – (adj) certain; indisputable; (adv) completely “You’re dead set right about that.”
deadly – excellent (from Australian Aboriginal English)
devo – devastated or deviant
der – that’s obvious, duh; an exasperated acknowledgement common in Victoria and New South Wales, especially among children.
derro – a term for idiot , someone who is stupid, or has done something ridiculous. ‘What a derro’
deso – the designated driver on a night out, someone boring, someone who does not consume alcohol. ‘Sorry mate I can’t, I’m the deso’
dekko – a look, to inspect something
dink – to give somebody a lift on the back of a bicycle. The term double-dink is used in Northern and Western NSW.
dinger – condom
dinkum – honest, genuine, real (OED). Probably not, as is often claimed, from the Cantonese (or Hokkien) ding kam, meaning “top gold”. Most scholars believe dinkum was a dialect word from the East Midlands of England, where it meant “hard work” or “fair work”, which was also the original meaning in Australian English.[3] The derivation dinky-di means a native-born Australian or “the real thing”. Fair dinkum means “fair and square”, i.e. honest; true; real; genuine; can be shortened to dinks
dinky-di – the real thing, genuine
dirty – (adj) bad, when applied to weather “It’s going to get dirty later this afternoon”; or when applied to mood “man, he was dirty on me after I stole them ciggies!”
division – electoral district, equivalent to constituency in UK, electorate in New Zealand, riding in Canada (This term is formally used in the parliament but in general use the term ‘electorate’ is most common).
dob – to inform on. To “dob (somebody) in” is to inform on somebody. If this occurs one has been “dobbed in” and a person who does this is a “dobber” sometimes called a “dibber-dobber” (a tell-tale), though the latter term is usually restricted to use by children. Adult dobbers for real crimes (as opposed to telling Mum or a teacher) are commonly called dogs or mongrels.
docket – a bill, receipt
doco – documentary
doona – cf. British duvet. From the brand name Doona; cf. dyne with same pronunciation in Scandinavian languages. Originally the generic term was continental quilt. In South Australia and, to a lesser extent, Queensland the word quilt is used, and the term eiderdown (from the name of the eider duck) is also used.
dreamtime – in the mythology of most Indigenous Australians, a “golden age” when the first ancestors and living things were created; a calque of the Arrernte word alcheringa
drongo – foolish person
drum – information, tip-off (“I’ll give you the drum.”) Becoming obsolete
duchess – sideboard
duck’s nuts, duck’s guts or bee’s knees – something that is perfectly suited (Sometimes referred to as the
dummy – a device, usually plastic, for babies to suck. cf. American pacifier (also common in British English); or cf. American mannequin. Also an idiot.
dummy, spit the – get very upset at something
dunny – toilet
dux – top of the class (n.); to be top of the class (v.)

E

earbashing – nagging, non-stop chatter
emu bob – the duty given to enlisted men in the military, of picking up cigarette butts lying around barracks and parade grounds. The term arose by the similarity between a person bending over to pick up litter and the distinctive bob that emus make when picking at the ground. The term is primarily used in military circles but in recent years its usage has broadened. It was also used up until at least the last 5 years by Scouts and Cub Scouts for the same activity. The term emu parade, meaning the collection of all types of litter, enjoys wider usage. The term emubob is still used among Australian Army Cadets to describe the duty of moving through an area in extended file to pick up rubbish.

F

fair dinkum – true, genuine; see dinkum
fair enough – I don’t see a problem with that; OK
fair go or fair crack of the whip – (request for) a chance or a reasonable opportunity to complete a task;
fair shake of the sauce bottle – a request to cut the speaker some slack, used as a preface to a statement. Used by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in an attempt to seem ocker.
fair suck of the sav – exclamation of wonder, awe, disbelief
FBT – a large truck, “fucking big truck”
feral – a derogratory term for variety of modern day “white-trash”, commonly stereotyped as unclean in habits and living rough in the bush or disgusting; unhygenic; rotten or of a person’s behaviour, out of control
flat chat, flat out – moving as fast as possible; hence, busy
flick – to “give (something or somebody) the flick” is to get rid of it or him/her
flog – to sell something or to steal something or to treat something roughly (driving too fast and carelessly is to “give it a flogging”) or to beat some up
fly wire – gauze flyscreen covering a window or doorway
footpath – any well-used walkway, but in particular a paved walkway running parallel to a street or road, and known in other countries as a sidewalk or pavement.
fossick – to prospect, for example for gold; hence to search, to rummage, for example “fossicking through the kitchen drawers”
franger – condom
Fremantle doctor – the cooling afternoon breeze that arrives in Perth from the direction of Freeo
fuck truck – a panel van fitted out with mattress in the back for amourous liaisons (also shaggin’ wagon, sin bin)
fugly – fucking ugly; usually a term of astonished admiration, often applied to unattractive dogs but it can be used of people in a derogatory sense
furphy – false or unreliable rumour; from the name of the manufacture of World War I watercarts, Furphy, around which many false and unreliable rumours were spread

G

gammon or gammon job (mainly used in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland) – A word derived from a similar sounding Aboriginal word meaning “invented” or “not true” Template:cite sources. As in “that’s gammon mate” or “no mate, that’s a gammon job there”, or commonly “eh! gammon!”; “I was only gammon you!”. Also probably related to the phrases ‘hamming it up’, and ‘pulling your leg’, through the english word which means a leg of ham.[4]
garn – go on; going; for example “Garn y’mongrel.”; see carn
ganda or gander – to take a look at something. As in “Let’s go take a gander next door.’
g’day – good day, hello; the typical Aussie greeting generally used by Broad Australian English speakers, the working class and blue collar workers
give it a burl – try it, have a go
gobful, give a – to abuse, usually justifiably (“The neighbours were having a noisy party so I went and gave them a gobful.”)
gobsmacked – surprised, astounded
going off – used of a night spot or party that is a lot of fun – “The place was really going off.”
good oil – useful information, a good idea, the truth
good onya – good for you, well done
goon – cheap cask wine, also can mean the bag containing the wine also know as a goon bag, or a goon sack.
another name for a man, woman, or animal with an ape appearance
grouse – (adj.) great, terrific, very good; common in Victoria
gun – (adj) of excellent ability; above-average; derived from shearing – the fastest shearer in the shed was the gun-shearer;

H

hang shit – to mock, sully, denigrate, slander; to “pay out”. “Nah, you’re just hanging shit on him, now.” or “Don’t hang shit, it’s a great book.”
Hills Hoist – a type of rotary clothes-line; Hills was the designer and original manufacturer of the rotary clothes-line.
heaps – a lot; very. To “give someone heaps” is to pour mockery and/or abuse on them.
heaps good– South Australian term to mean “very good”. Often used in place of “very” or “lots”.
hooly dooley – a term used when something out of the ordinary happens, an exclamation of surprise; similar “good heavens”, “my goodness”, “good grief”, etc.
hoon – to drive fast, loudly, and irresponsibly, or one who does so.
hooroo – goodbye[5]
hottie – hot water bottle
how ya gahn – how have you been/how are you doing
humpy – small Aboriginal shelter, or any temporary outdoor shelter

I

idiot box – a television set

J

jet – to go somewhere in a hurry
jaded – feeling hungover or suffering the after effects of drugs

K

kangaroos loose in the top paddock – intellectually inadequate
kenoath – contraction of “fucking oath”
kero – kerosene
kick on – partying on after a discotheque or night club has finished, usually involving more drinking and/or drug taking
kindie – kindergarten
knackered – tired, exhausted
knock – to criticise
knock back – (noun) refusal, (transitive verb) refuse
knock up – make pregnant (from the U.S.) or wake up in the morning (from the U.K.) or hit on the side (or back) of the head

L

lend of, to have a – to take advantage of somebody’s gullibility, to have someone on (“He’s having a lend of you.”)
light globe – an incandescent light bulb; globe is no longer commonly used in this sense outside Australia; bulb is sometimes also heard in Australia.
lingo – language or dialect
lippy – lipstick
lob or lob in – drop in to see someone
London to a brick – absolute certainty for example “It’s London to a brick that taxes won’t go down.”
long paddock – the side of the road where livestock is grazed during droughts
lunch box, open one’s – to fart
lurk – illegal or underhanded racket

M

manchester – household linen
mangkin – a common, often Western Australian expression used to describe the behaviour of someone on drugs, usually magic mushrooms, which are native to Western Australia
mate’s rate or mate’s discount – cheaper than usual for a friend
matilda – swagman’s bedding, sleeping roll
metho – methylated spirits
Mickey Mouse – excellent, very good; inconsequential, frivolous, not very good; whether it has the positive or negative meaning depends on context and where you are in Australia
milk bar – a shop where milk-shakes and other refreshments can be bought. In Victoria and New South Wales is a local shop where basic groceries such as bread, milk, and other everyday household goods can also be bought. Known as a deli in South Australia and Western Australia and as a corner shop in Queensland (also a “convenience store”) and Tasmania. (In States other than SA and WA, “deli” retains the usual international usage of delicatessen.)
moll – Used to describe a person or persons who have perpetrated an act, spoken words, or generally just ‘done something’ to annoy the user of this word. ‘Mole’ can be attributed to both males and females – “God she annoys me. She’s such a moll.” Usually mistakenly written as ‘mole’
mozz or to put the mozz on – jinx
mungin’ – ((Australia) IPA: maŋ.ɪn) to eat veraciously; to perform oral sex, for example, “I was mungin’ on her.”
munted – either broken, mangled or state of inebriation, generally from drugs
muntyhead – one who likes to get munted
muster – round up sheep or cattle

N

nah – no. “nah, im too busy”
natio – nationality
nasho – National Service (compulsory military service)
nature strip (or verge in Western Australia) – a lawn or plantation in the road reserve between the property boundary and the street
no drama – same as no worries
no sweat – same as no worries
no worries or nurries – you’re welcome; no problem; that’s all right; expression of forgiveness or reassurance; etc.
nong (or ning-nong) – an idiot
noon – as opposed to the British English midday; also used in American English
norgs – tits
not the full quid – not bright intellectually
no wuckin’ furries – a spoonerism of no fuckin’ worries, has the same usage as no worries. Used where the original version might be regarded as offensive. Sometimes shortened to no wuckers.
nut out – hammer out; work out

O

occy strap – Elastic strap with hooks on the ends for securing items
okey-dokey – OK
on ya bike – as in get on your bike. A way to tell someone to leave – “Off you go, on ya bike.
onya – a congratulatory term
op shop – opportunity shop, thrift store, place where second hand goods are sold

P

paddock – see ‘long paddock’
paro/parro – drunk
pearler – an excellent example of something (e.g. mate, that new car of yours is a pearler.).
perv – short for pervert (“That old fella’s a bit of a perv”) it can also mean having a look, often but not always, at a member of the desired sex.
pez – something of poor value or perceived to be less worthy than others; someone who acts in a negative way; derived from peasant
piece of piss – easy task
pig’s arse – I don’t agree with you
pinged – caught doing something wrong, esp. by an umpire in the game of Australian rules football when penalised for holding the ball.
pink slip, get the – get the sack (from the colour of the termination form)
piss – beer
pissed – drunk (the American use of ‘pissed’ to mean angry is known, however).
pissed off – angry.
pissing into the wind – futile efforts. A task or undertaking with little or no chance of success; something not worth doing.
piss in the woods – simple, easy
piss-fart around – to waste time
piss off – to get lost; to leave
piss-weak or piss-poor – weak; ineffectual; pathetic; unfair: a general purpose negative
pissing down – raining heavy
pissing myself laughing – to be greatly amused. figurative.
pokies – poker machines, fruit machines, gambling slot machines; also known as “mincers” for the way they chew your money up
Poof, poofter – homosexual, gay or a fag
poofteenth – a minuscule amount, a smidgen
porcelain bus, driving the – vomiting into a toilet (due to excess consumption of alcohol)
porker – a lie, “he’s tellin porkers” or “its just porkers”
port – any form of hand luggage, especially a school bag, only used in Queensland and to some extent in New South Wales; from portmanteau
pov or povo – cheap looking; from poverty
pozzy – position
preggers, preggo – pregnant
prezzy – present, gift

Q

quack – a doctor. “I have to visit the quack.”
quid, make a – earn a living
quid, not the full – of low IQ; quid is slang for a pound, £1 became $2 when Australia converted to decimal currency

R

rack off – push off! get lost! get out of here! also “rack off hairy legs!”.
rage – party
rage on – to continue partying – “we raged on until 3am”
rapt – pleased, delighted
ratshit – broken, not working properly; extremely drunk
raw prawn, to come the’ ‘Unpalatable’. – Apparently first dictionaried in ‘The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary’, 1976. A raw prawn is less edible than a cooked one.. Also ‘Don’t come the raw prawn with me.’ ‘don’t try to hoodwink me’. Can also be used to describe someone’s behavior “You’re carrying on like a raw prawn”
reckon – you bet, absolutely. Giving your opinion. (“It’s hot, don’t you reckon?” “Mate, I reckon it’s bloody hot!”)
rego – vehicle registration
ridgy-didge – original, genuine
righto – okay or that’s right. Can also be said as rightio.
right, that’d be – Accepting bad news as inevitable. (“I went fishing but caught nothing.” “Yeah, that’d be right.”)
rip snorter – great, fantastic, excellent
ripper – (n) something that is excellent, great, fantastic; similar to beauty; for example, “You little ripper.” (an exclamation of delight or as a reaction to good news); possibly from rippa – Japanese (りっぱ), meaning splendid, fine or elegant possibly through contact with Japanese pearl divers living in Australia during the late 19th Century
the ripper’s – the stripper’s
rock up – to turn up, to arrive
root – slang term for sex
ropeable – very angry
rort – (verb or noun) cheating, fiddling, defrauding (expenses, the system etc.); a scam, especially the exploitation of rules or laws; used mostly to describe the actions of politicians. (Also lurk as a noun.)
rough as guts – (adj) rough, bumpy, of poor quality
rubbish – (verb) to criticise

S

satched – to be extremely wet, usually from being caught in the rain; from saturated
scab – to take something with no direct recompense, somewhat like bum or cadge (UK), to dob someone in
a union worker who goes to work when the company is on strike or a non-union worker that breaks picket lines to work when the normal workers are on strike orone who is tight with money or possessions
scrag – an unattractive woman. A rough or unkempt woman, e.g. “She’s a scrag moll” or holding someone back by the neck or garment. To wring someone’s neck.
scrag fight – a fight between two women, usually physical.
scratchy – instant lottery ticket
sealed road – a road covered in bitumen, equivalent to paved road in British English.
servo – service station (i.e. petrol station / gas station)
shame or shame job – based on Aboriginal culture, where shame is a major factor, the word and phrase has been adapted in to general English in areas with a large Aboriginal population. As in “oh shame job man” and “shame, shame”. Usually used by school-aged children.
sheila – woman.
she’ll be right – it will be okay, it’ll turn out all right; a general pacifier
sheltershed, lunch shed, weather shed or undercover area – in most States a simple detached building for the protection of school children from hostile weather
sherbet – beer. As in “going to to the pub for a couple of sherbets”
shirty – polite version of shitty or pissed off, commonly when the person is getting angry or upset over something trivial, something against their plans or is being contradicted. ie “Don’t get all shirty at me just because you bought the wrong beer”
shitfaced – inebriated.
shit-hot – exclamation, excellent
shits – can be used in several expressions including: shits me (or more strongly shits me to tears) and gives me the shits all meaning a combination of “annoys me” and “makes me angry.”
shout – to treat someone or to pay for something, especially a round of drinks
showbag – full of shit, coming from the showbags sold at the Sydney & Melbourne Easter Shows.
shower in a can – deodorant, particularly when used in lieu of actual bathing.
shonky – poorly made, of low quality; dishonest, dubious, underhanded;
shoot through – to leave
shot – abandoning some venture one has become sick of, “I’m shot of this, let’s shoot through”
shotgun – derivative of ‘bags’, used to claim ownership. “I shotgun the front seat”
sick – very good; usually intensified in the phrase fully sick
sickie – a day of absence from work, sometimes due to feigned illness. To “chuck a sickie” or “Pull a sickie” is to partake in such a day.
skite – boast, brag
slapper – easy or loose female
slaughtered – either extremely tired or drunk
sledge – to insult members of the opposing team in a sports match, usually cricket
sleepout – house verandah converted to a bedroom
slurry – a promiscuous young woman, similar to slut or skank. Can be used affectionately among close friends “Come over here, you slurry”.
spare – very angry or upset e.g. “He went spare.”
spew – vomit
spewin – (short for spewing) angry/disappointed eg. “I can’t believe I missed the footy last night, I was spewin!”.
spiffy, pretty spiffy – great, excellent
spit the dummy – get very upset at something, to throw a temper tantrum; in reference to a baby who becomes so angry, that he spits the dummy out of his mouth
spruik – to promote or sell something; cf. British flog
sprung – caught doing something wrong
squiz – a look, as in “Take a squiz at the new house.”
standover – using intimination or threat of violence to coerce others into submission or compliance eg. ‘Chopper Read had a notorious career as a standover man’
station – a big farm/grazing property
steak – a story irrelevant to the current line of conversation.
stella – good, pleasing, thanks
sticking out like dog’s balls – very obvious
stickybeak – to nose around
stoked – very pleased
strewth! – exclamation, mild oath. Abbreviation of “God’s truth” (“Strewth, that Chris is a bonzer bloke.”)
strike! – exclamation. Abbreviation of “strike a light!”
Strine or Strayan – Australian spoken English. From the Broad Australian pronunciation of “Australian”. is an alternative. In the same vein, Straya is an attempt to express the pronunciation of “Australia”.
stuffed – exhausted, tired
stuffed, I’ll be – expression of surprise
stung – hung over; disappointed
sunbake – sunbathe
super – short for superannuation, the Australian term for a private retirement pension, equates to the US 401k
suss – suspicious; suspect or to figure something out, to uncover something/someone or to have something worked out, to have a plan
swag – rolled up bedding etc. carried by a swagman
sweet – fine, good

T

ta – thank you, derived from infant speech
take the piss – making fun of (cf. taking the mickey)
tall poppy syndrome – the attitude taken by common people of resenting those who, due to social, political or economic reasons act egotistical and flaunt their success without humility; the tendency to criticise these people
technicolour yawn, to have a – to vomit
tee-up – to set up (an appointment)
tickets, to have on oneself – to have a high opinion of oneself
tight – thrifty with money
tinny – small aluminium boat, a can of beer
tinny, tin-arsed – lucky
Tits on a bull, as useful as – Something completely useless, can be used in relation to a person
“Darren, you’re about as useful as tits on a bull”
toey – on edge, nervous, distracted; horny
togs – swimming costume, bathers
too right – definitely; that is correct
troppo, gone – to have escaped to a state of tropical madness; to have lost the veneer of civilisation after spending too long in the tropics
true blue – completely loyal to a person or belief
turps – turpentine, alcoholic drink
two up – a gambling game played by flipping two coins simultaneously

U

U-ey (chuck a U-ey, hang a U-ey) – perform a U-turn in a vehicle
un-Australian – considered to be an example of unacceptable behaviour or policy in Australia or undertaken by Australians particularly when it violates cultural or traditional values, rarely used outside of politics or current affairs shows
unco – clumsy, uncoordinated
uni – university
unit – flat, apartment
up oneself – have a high opinion of oneself
up somebody, get – to rebuke somebody
up the duff – pregnant (i.e., my sheila’s up the duff)

V

veg out – relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)

W

wag – to skip school or work to do something else on someone else’s time; to play truant
walkabout – meaning to take a journey of significant duration with no specific destination. Originally a reference to the migration of indigenous Australians living a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Hence it’s gone walkabout meaning it’s lost, it can’t be found.
wing – to pass, to give; to undertake a task unprepared – “Have you prepared a speech? Nah, I’ll just wing it.”
What do you think this is, bush week? – disbelieving response to some one you think is trying to con you. Predominately used in Queensland. eg. “The car’s in a great condition.” (obviously it’s not) “What do you think this is, bush week?”
Whatever you reckon – a dismissive to indicate that a person is lying or talking rubbish. Sometimes shortened to “whatever”, or (particular in states on the east coast) further shortened to “evz”, co-existing with American usage and meaning of the same term.
whinge – complain; similar to crying, but more commonly used for adults. In particular a “whinger” is someone who disagrees in an annoying fashion.
whiteant – (verb) to criticise something to deter somebody from buying it. A car dealer might whiteant another dealer’s cars or a real estate salesman might whiteant another agent’s property
wrap one’s laughing gear – to eat something. Often used in the context of offering food to someone; “Here, wrap your laughing gear round this”
wobbly – excitable behaviour. To vocally and emotionally express dissatisfaction or disappointment. (“I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly.”)
wog – flu or trivial illness, also used as a term to describe Australians of Southern European descent.

Y

yabber – talk (a lot)
yakka – (noun) usually preceded by hard, (hard) work; also the grasstree Xanthorrhoea.
yarn – (verb) to talk
yeah-no/yeah-nah – non-commital expression with various applications, including: denotation of conclusion of cursory difference(s) of opinion between speakers (“yeah-nah, he’s a top bloke at the end of the day”), and/or perceived escalations of discord (“yeah-nah, I can, however, see where you’re coming from”)
youse – you (plural)pronounced like the English word ‘Use’. eg: ‘can youse come over here?’ ‘how are youse?’