A
aerial ping‐pong
noun, derogatory
AFL (Australian Rules Football)
- In Victoria they play aerial ping‐pong.
ambo
noun
An ambulance or ambulance officer
- They had to call an ambo.
ankle‐biter
noun
a child
- The park was full of ankle‐biters.
ant's pants
noun
something extremely impressive
- That guy thinks he's the ant's pants.
arvo
noun
the afternoon
- What are you doing this arvo?
Aussie
noun
a person from Australia
- Hugh Jackman is an Aussie.
Aussie
adjective
Australian
- Nicole Kidman is an Aussie Actress.
Aussie salute
noun
waving a hand across one's face to scare away flies
- The flies were driving me crazy, so I had to do the Aussie salute.
avo
noun
an avocado
- I love having smashed avo on toast for breakfast.
B
bail
verb
to cancel plans
- He bailed on the camping trip, so he missed out on all the fun.
Banana Bender
noun
a person from Queensland
- People from Queensland are called banana benders.
barbie
noun
a barbecue or BBQ
- Come around for a barbie this arvo and bring a plate.
bathers
noun
a swimsuit
- I forgot to pack my bathers for the trip to Bali.
battler
noun
a person who works hard and with little reward, and who displays courage in doing so
- Pollies like to say that they fight for the Aussie battler.
Beauty!
exclamation
an expression of approval or excitement; Great!
- We won the game, beauty!
big smoke
noun
a large city, usually used by country people
- She lives in the big smoke now.
bikie
noun
a member of a motorcycle gang
- She hooked up with a bikie
bingle
noun
a collision or fight
- I got into a bingle with a bikie
bite off more than you can chew
idiom
to try to do something that is too difficult for you
- I bit off more than I could chew when I accepted all those duties.
bite someone's head off
idiom
to speak to someone angrily when there is no reason to
- I just tried to ask him a question, and he totally bit my head off!
bite the bullet
idiom
to be brave in a difficult situation; to force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant
- I hate cleaning the house, but I'll just have to bite the bullet and do it.
bite the dust
idiom
to fall so that your body hits the ground heavily; to die; to end in failure
- My car finally bit the dust.
bite the hand that feeds you
idiom
to act badly towards the person who is helping or has helped you
- The boss has done a lot for you. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
bite your tongue
idiom
to stop yourself from saying something that you would really like to say
- I need to bite my tongue if I want to keep this job.
bloke
noun
a man
- I met this bloke at the bar, and we had a few beers together.
bloody
adverb
very; an intensifier, used to emphasize a point or express frustration
- It's bloody hot out here today.
bloody oath
exclamation
an expression of agreement or affirmation
- Do I like snags? Bloody oath I do!
bludger
noun, derogatory
a person who appears to live off the efforts of others, a lazy or idle person
- Steve at work is such a bludger.
boardies
noun
board shorts, swimwear
- I wear boardies to the beach.
bogan
noun, derogatory
an uncultured and unsophisticated person
- There were a lot of bogans at Woolworths today.
boofhead
noun, derogatory
a stupid person
- My hubby is a boofhead.
booze bus
noun
a police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
- I got pulled over by the booze bus last night, luckily I wasn't over the limit.
bottle-o
noun
a bottle shop or liquor store where you can buy alcohol
- I'm heading to the bottle-o to grab a six-pack of beer for the barbie tonight.
brekky
noun
breakfast
- Let's meet up for brekky at that new cafe down the street tomorrow morning.
bring a plate
idiom
an invitation to bring a plate of food (not just an empty plate) to share at a social gathering or fundraiser.
- Don't forget to bring a plate to the barbie this arvo.
brolly
noun
an umbrella
- Don't forget to bring your brolly with you today. It's supposed to bucket down all afternoon.
bucket down
verb
raining heavily
- It's bucketing down outside.
Buckley's chance
noun
no hope
- He has Buckley's chance of passing the exam
budgie smugglers
noun
a pair of close‐fitting male swimming briefs made of stretch fabric
- I wish dad wouldn't wear budgie smugglers while mowing the lawn.
Synonyms: dick stickers
bunyip
noun
a mythical creature from Australian folklore, often described as a large, water-dwelling animal
- Some people believe that the bunyip is still living in the swamps of the outback.
bush
noun
areas of uncultivated land, typically located away from cities and towns; the bush includes a range of environments, from dense forests and woodlands to scrublands and grasslands
- We found a burnt-out car in the bush.
bush
noun
any populated region outside of the major metropolitan areas, including mining and agricultural areas; often referred to as "the bush"
- There aren't enough doctors in the bush.
C
cadbury
noun
a cheap drunk (a glass and a half)
- Stevo is such a Cadbury. One beer and he is done.
cark it
verb
to die
- The car has carked it
cheapo
adjective
cheap
- I bought the cheapo brand of cornflakes
choc‐a‐bloc
adjective
very full or crowded
- I tried to get into the concert, but it was choc‐a‐bloc with people and I couldn't even get close to the entrance.
chokkie
noun
chocolate
- Grandma gave me a bit of chokkie.
chokkie
adjective
chocolate flavour
- Can I have a chokkie biscuit?
chook
noun
a chicken
- Grab a frozen chook from the freezer.
chook
noun, derogatory
an older woman
- What's wrong with that old chook?
Chrissy
noun
Christmas
- We're planning to have a big family dinner at our house on Chrissy Day this year.
chug
verb
to quickly drink something (often beer) in large gulps
- He's chugging that beer down.
cleanskin
noun
a cheap bottle of wine without branding
- I went to Dan Murphy's and got a couple of cleanskins
cobber
noun
a friend
- Long time, no see, cobber.
cold one
noun
a beer
- After a hard day's work, there's nothing like cracking open a cold one.
cooee
interjection
used to attract someone's attention
- Cooee! I'm over here!
cooee
noun
a long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance
- I heard a cooee while bushwalking.
cooee
verb
to make a long, loud call to attract attention when at a distance
- I cooeed to a fellow bushwalker to get their attention.
cop it on the chin
idiom
to accept unpleasant events bravely and without complaining
- He received a speeding ticket and just copped it on the chin.
copper
noun
police officer
- I saw the coppers chasing a hoon down the road.
cossies
noun
swimwear
- Don't forget to pack your cossies for the beach holiday
Synonyms: togs
crook
noun
a criminal
- Alan Bond is a crook.
crook
adjective
feeling sick or unwell
- He's at home crook in bed.
Crow-eater
noun
a person from South Australia
- He's a Crow-eater.
crust
noun
a living, livelihood
- What do you do for a crust?
D
dack
verb
to get your pants pulled down by someone in front of other people
- I cried after Tom dacked me in front of the whole class.
dacks
noun
a pair of pants or underwear
- I crapped my dacks!
dag
noun
an unfashionable or socially awkward person
- Dad is such a dag.
daggy
adjective
uncool, unfashionable, but comfortably so
- My mum wears daggy clothes.
deadset
adjective
complete and utter; total
- He's a deadset bludger.
devo
adjective
devastated
- I'm devo that I couldn't make it to the party last night.
dick stickers
noun
a pair of close‐fitting male swimming briefs made of stretch fabric
- Please wear boardies not dick stickers to the pool.
Synonyms: budgie smugglers
digger
noun
a solider
- We watched the Diggers march on ANZAC Day.
dinky‐di
adjective
authentically Australian
- Dame Edna Everage is as dinky‐di as you get.
dinky‐di
adjective
genuine, honest
- Is he dinky-di?
Synonyms: fair dinkum
dip shit
noun, derogatory
a contemptible or foolish person
- I can't believe he said that, he's such a dip shit.
dob
verb
to inform upon someone
- Eric dobbed on me to the teacher.
dodgy
adjective
dishonest, unreliable, potentially dangerous or of low quality
- That second‐hand car salesman is a bit dodgy
double pluggers
noun, also known as "flip-flops" in other parts of the world
a type of footwear; sandals that have a Y-shaped strap that goes between the big toe and second toe, and a flat sole made of rubber or other materials
- I quickly slipped on my double pluggers and ran outside to check the barbie.
Synonyms: thongs
dough
noun
money, usually in the form of cash
- I can't come out tonight, I'm short on dough.
drongo
noun, derogatory
a stupid or incompetent person
- Don't bother asking him for help, he's a bit of a drongo.
dunny
noun
a toilet
- I flushed it down the dunny.
durry
noun
a cigarette
- Can I scab a durry?
F
fair dinkum
adjective
genuine, honest
- Is he fair dinkum?
Synonyms: dinky‐di
fair dinkum
adverb
truly, honestly
- The Hawks fair dinkum beat the Eagles
flanno
noun
a flannelette shirt
- I'm just going to wear my trusty flanno to the footy game tonight.
flat out
adjective
very busy
- I'm flat out with work at the moment. I don't have time to go out.
noun
football, either NRL or AFL
- Collingwood is an AFL footy club.
G
galah
noun, derogatory; derived from the name of a pink and grey Australian parrot
a person who is foolish or silly; often accompanied by the adjective 'flaming'
- Stop acting like a galah and pay attention to what I'm saying!
gap year
noun
a year between leaving school and starting university or a career to travel or work overseas
- Sally is taking a gap year in Europe.
G'day
interjection
Good day; hello
- G'day mate, how's it going?
give it a burl
verb
to try
- I'll give it a burl
give someone a hand
idiom
to give someone help
- Can you give me a hand with these bags?
Good on ya!
exclamation
well done; congratulations
- You passed your driving test? Good on ya!
goon
noun
cask wine; boxed wine
- We can grab some goon for the party. It's cheap and gets the job done.
greenie
noun
an environmentalist
- The greenie chained himself to a tree to stop the land clearing.
grey nomad
noun
a retired person who travels extensively within Australia, especially by campervan, caravan or motor home
- The caravan park is full of grey nomads.
H
heaps
noun
a large amount or number of
- We have heaps of room left.
hit the sack
verb
to go to bed in order to sleep
- I've got a busy day tomorrow, so I think I'll hit the sack.
hook up
verb
to have a casual sexual experience with another person
- They hooked up last night
hoon
noun
a person, predominately a young male, who drives dangerously or at reckless speed
- The police caught a hoon in the middle of a burnout.
Hooroo
interjection
Goodbye
- Don Burke would say 'Hooroo' at the end of every Burke's Backyard episode.
hubby
noun
a person's husband
- Hubby is in the garage.
I
iffy
adjective
of doubtful quality or legality
- That sounds a bit iffy.
iffy
adjective
not decided or certain
- I'm still kind of iffy about going next week.
iffy
adjective
slightly ill
- I'm feeling a little iffy after that kabab.
K
Kiwi
noun
a person from New Zealand
- Australia are playing the Kiwis.
L
lemon
noun
something you buy that is defective or breaks down a lot (usually refers to a car)
- The used‐car salesman sold me a lemon.
lollies
noun
sweets or candy
- I bought a bag of lollies for the movie night tonight.
M
Maccas
noun
McDonalds restaurant
- Do you want to grab some Maccas on the way home?
mate
noun
a friend
- Thanks for helping me move house, mate.
miss the boat
idiom
a missed opportunity
- I forgot to submit the tender. I missed the boat on that job.
missus
noun
a person's wife
- The missus is out shopping.
motza
noun
A large sum of money (usually the proceeds of gambling)
- He won a motza on the pokies.
mozzie
noun
a mosquito
- I got bitten by a mozzies while I was out camping.
mug
noun, derogatory
a gullible or easily deceived person
- He fell for that old trick? What a mug!
N
no worries
interjection
to not be concerned further with a subject
- No worries. We can move the meeting to Tuesday.
not within a bull's roar
idiom
nowhere near
- The footy club isn't within a bull's roar of winning the premiership this season.
numbskull
noun, derogatory
a foolish or stupid person
- I can't believe he crashed his car again, what a numbskull.
O
ocker
noun
an unsophisticated Australian
- He's a real ocker, always wearing his footy shorts and thongs.
on the piss
prepositional phrase
drinking alcohol heavily, especially at a party or pub
- He's had a big night out on the piss.
outback
noun
the vast, remote, and often sparsely populated regions of Australia's interior.
- Exploring the vast and rugged outback is a must‐do experience for anyone looking to truly discover the heart of Australia.
P
pash
noun
a passionate kiss
- They had a quick pash in the corner before heading home.
pash
verb
to passionately kiss
- They couldn't keep their hands off each other and ended up pashing in the back of the cab on the way home.
piece of piss
noun
easy, not difficult
- Multivariable calculus is a piece of piss.
piss
noun
urine
- Who left piss all over the dunny?
piss about
verb
to waste time doing stupid or unimportant things
- Look, we don't have much time, so stop pissing about.
Synonyms: piss around
piss around
verb
to waste time doing stupid or unimportant things
- Look, we don't have much time, so stop pissing around.
Synonyms: piss about
piss away
verb
waste something, especially money or an opportunity
- He's managed to piss away all his savings.
piss down
verb
to rain heavily
- It's really pissing down here at the moment. I think it?s going to flood.
piss off
verb
to leave or go away
- Everyone just pissed off and left me to clean up.
piss off
verb, derogatory
to tell someone to go away
- You're annoying me! Piss off!
piss oneself
verb
to laugh uncontrollably
- The Anchorman is so funny I pissed myself laughing.
piss oneself
verb
to be absolutely petrified with terror
- The Human Centipede is so scary I pissed myself.
piss‐poor
adjective
having very little money
- I'm gonna be piss‐poor this month because I pissed away all my paycheck.
piss‐poor
adjective
something of very low quality
- I hired someone to paint my car, but they did a piss‐poor job.
pissed
adjective
drunk
- I was so pissed at the party last night.
pissed
adjective
angry
- I crashed the car. Dad is going to be so pissed.
pokies
noun
poker machines
- The pokies ate his welfare.
pollie
noun
a politician
- You can't trust a pollie.
Pom
noun
an Englishman
- The poms beat us in the Ashes.
pull yourself together
idiom
to become calm after being angry or upset
- You're hysterical! Pull yourself together!
put a sock in it
idiom
be quiet, shut up ('it' refers to the mouth of the person to be quiet)
- Tell those kids to put a sock in it!
R
rello
noun
a relative
- I'm visiting the rellos this weekend.
rip off
verb
to cheat someone by charging too much money
- The used‐car salesman ripped off the first car buyer.
rip off
verb
to steal something
- Someone ripped off my mailbox.
rip off
verb
to ridicule
- Stop ripping me off!
rip‐off
noun
a cheap or bad copy of something
- I got this rip‐off Rolex watch in Bali
rip‐off
noun
something that costs more than it is worth
- That car is a rip‐off at that price.
S
Sandgroper
noun
a person from Western Australia
- He's a Sandgroper.
sanger
noun
a sandwich
- I feel like a steak sanger.
scab
verb
to scrounge or borrow
- Can I scab a ride?
screamer
noun
a spectacular catch or mark of a ball
- He took a screamer.
scull
noun
to drink something (often a beer) quickly
- Scull that drink so we can get going.
seachange
noun
a significant change of lifestyle, especially one achieved by moving from the city to a coastal town
- My parents left the city for a seachange.
Seppo
noun, derogatory; derived from rhyming slang, where "Yank" rhymes with "Septic Tank", hence "Seppo"
a person from the USA (rhyming slang, yank = septic tank)
- I made friends with a Seppo who was traveling around Australia.
servo
noun
a service or petrol station
- Can you pick us up some durries from the servo?
sheila
noun
a woman
- She's a great sheila, always ready to help out when needed.
sickie
noun
a day of sick leave taken without sufficient medical reason
- I'm chucking a sickie to go the beach.
sledge
verb
an attempt to break the concentration of the opposition (in sport) using verbal insults
- Tim Paine sledged Rishabh Pant from behind the wicket.
smoko
noun
a break from work
- Time for smoko.
snag
noun
a sausage
- Get some snags out of the fridge for dinner.
sparrow fart
noun
early morning, usually around dawn
- We had to get up at sparrow fart to catch the early flight.
spin a yarn
idiom
tell an exciting or interesting story, usually a long one
- Uncle Jim knew how to spin a yarn.
spit the dummy
idiom
to give up contesting or participating; to lose one?s temper or composure
- He spat the dummy because he was losing.
spruce up
verb
to make something or someone look cleaner, tidier, or more attractive
- He spruced up the house before the auction.
Straya
noun
Australia
- I'm proud to be from Straya, mate.
stuffed
adjective
exhausted or tired
- I'm stuffed after a long day at work.
sunnies
noun
sunglasses
- I lost my sunnies at the beach.
T
ta
interjection
an informal way of saying "thank you"
- Ta for lending me some dough, mate.
take a piss
verb
to urinate
- I shouldn't have drunk all those beers and eaten all that watermelon. I really need to take a piss.
take the piss
verb
to make fun of something or someone
- They're always taking the piss out of him because he's a Collingwood supporter.
Taswegian
noun
a person from Tasmania
- He's a Taswegian.
tea
noun
dinner
- What are we having for tea tonight?
telly
noun
a television
- What's on telly tonight?
thongs
noun, also known as "flip-flops" in other parts of the world; not to be confused with a type of women's underwear
a type of footwear; sandals that have a Y-shaped strap that goes between the big toe and second toe, and a flat sole made of rubber or other materials
- After a long day at work, I love to kick off my shoes and relax in my thongs.
Synonyms: double pluggers
to carry on like a pork chop
noun
to misbehave so as to attract attention
- Stop carrying on like a pork chop!
togs
noun
swimwear
- Don't forget to pack your togs for the beach holiday
Synonyms: cossies
tradie
noun
a tradesperson (carpenter, electrician, plumber etc.)
- I hired a tradie to fix the deck.
treechange
noun
a significant change of lifestyle, especially one achieved by moving from the city to the bush
- My parents left the city for a treechange.
tucker
noun
food
- That's some good tucker.
U
ute
noun
an abbreviation of utility, a small truck with a two‐door cab
- Throw it in the back of the ute.
W
within cooee
preposition
close by
- You are not within cooee. The servo is way down the road.
woop woop
noun
a remote and supposedly backward rural town or district
- That's out woop woop.
Y
yakka
noun
work or labour
- That's hard yakka.
Yank
noun, derogatory
a person from the USA
- She's a Yank who's visiting Australia for the first time.
yarn
noun
an exciting or interesting story, usually a long one; a conversation
- I had a yarn with an old friend.
yonks
noun
a very long time
- I haven't seen him for yonks.
you beaut
adjective
new or fancy
- Dad's new car is you beaut.
you beauty
exclamation
an expression of happiness
- Long weekend is here. You beauty!
yowie
noun
mythical creature from Australian folklore, similar to the Bigfoot or Sasquatch, usually described as a upright standing, hairy and ape-like creature
- Some campers claim to have seen a yowie lurking in the bush.
