HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

The colourful Australian Language – Aussie Slang
Australia is a multicultural country, but the predominant language is basic English. Some may dispute this;-) But, Australia does have a colourful and funny variation of language all their very own. I thought as we celebrate ‘our land of drought and rain.’  I should share some of the unique sayings. So I searched my book shelves for my Aussie Slang book and laughed my way through typing all these funny idioms… Happy Australia Day – Good on ya!

PS : It took Don months to teach ‘Willow’ wallaby to hold the flag! Now that’s a bit iffy!!!

“G-day – av – a – bonzer – Ozzie – arvo –. Grab – ya – barbie – ya – coldies – an – the – tin lids.  Ava – snag – an a good – ear bash!  See ya.”

aggro – aggressive
amber fluid – beer
ant’s pants – height of fashion, or to think highly of yourself
arvo – afternoon
Aussie – Australian
ay – pardon me

barbie – barbecue
barking up the wrong tree – labouring under a misapprehension
barrack – cheer on a team at sporting event, support your team
beat around the bush – not getting to the point
beaut, beauty, bewdie – great, fantastic
belt up – stop talking!
better half – husband or wife
blower – telephone: on the blower
blowies – blow flies
bludge – do nothing
bludger – lazy person, one who won’t work
blue – argument or fight: have a blue
bonzer – great, ripper
boomer – very big, large male kangaroo
boomerang – curved flat wooden instrument used by Aborigines for hunting
booze – alcohol
bottler – something that has gone the way you want: you little bottler
brekkie – breakfast
buckley’s – no chance at all
bung on – put on
bunyip – Australian yetti, or bigfoot
burl – have a try: give it a burl
bush – country, away from the city
bushranger – Australia’s equivalent of outlaw of American Wild West

chock-a-block – full
chin wag – to have a good chat
chips – french fries
chook – chicken
coldie – a cold beer
cozzie – swimming costume
crook – ill, badly made, substandard
cuppa – cup of tea

dag, daggy – mildly abusive term for socially inept person, nerd, nerdy
didgeridoo – cylindrical wooden Aboriginal musical instrument
digger – Australian soldier
dill – idiot
dinkum, fair dinkum – honest, genuine
dinky-di – the real thing
dob in – to tell on someone
dunny – toilet

earbash – talk nonstop
esky – insulated box for keeping beer etc cool

fair go! – give us a chance
fairy floss – cotton candy
footy – football
full as a boot – drunk
funny farm – mental institution

galah – noisy parrot, hence ‘noisy idiot’
game – brave
gander – look: have a gander
garbo – person who collects your garbage
gas bag – talk a lot
g’day – good day, traditional Australian greeting
good on ya – well done
grog – alcohol
grizzle – complain

hang on a tick – wait a minute
hoon – idiot, hooligan, loud show-off
hoo-roo – good bye
how are ya – standard greeting
how ya going – how are you doing

idiot box – television
iffy – risky or suspect: something a bit iffy
irrits – irritating: you give me the irrits

jack of it – fed up with it, had enough (of a situation)
jiffy – short time: see you in a jiffy
job you – hit you or punch you: I’ll job you
jumper – sweater

Kiwi – person from New Zealand
knock – criticise, deride
knock off work – time to go home
lamington – square of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and coconut (an Aussie icon)
lift – elevator
lollies – sweets, candy

mate – friend, general term of familiarity, whether you know the person or not
mobile phone – cellular phone
mozzies – mosquitoes

nappy – diaper
Never-Never – mythical, remote, isolated place in the outback
nick – steal
nick off – go away! get lost!
no hoper – hopeless case
no worries – it will be okay

off-sider – assistant or partner
off the beaten track – on an unused road, in a remote area
oldies – parents
once over – looking something or someone over, checking it out
outback – remote part of the bush, back o’Bourke
Oz – Australia
Ozzie – Australian

paddock – field
pavlova – meringue and cream dessert
perve – to gaze with lust
pinch – steal
pokies – poker machines
postie – mail man
prang – motor vehicle accident
pub – hotel
pull your head in – mind your own business!
push bike – bicycle

rack off – get lost!
Rafferty’s rules – no rules, a mess
ratbag – friendly term of abuse
rapt – delighted, enraptured
reckon! – you bet! Absolutely!
rego – registration: car registration
rip off, ripped off – you have been cheated
ripper – good, also: little ripper
ropable – very angry or bad-tempered
rubber – eraser
rubbish – deride, tease: to rubbish

sacked – fired from work
Salvo – member of the Salvation Army
sandshoes – sneakers, joggers
sanger – sandwich
she’ll be right – no worries, everything will be fine
shonky – unreliable, suspect
shoot through – leave in a hurry
shout – buy round of drinks, or pay for someone
shove off – go away!
sickie – day off work ill (or malingering)
smoko – tea break, go and have a cigarette
snag – sausage
spit the dummy – throw a tantrum
stickybeak – nosey person
stir – tease or joke with person
strides – trousers
stubby – small bottle of beer
stuffed – very tired, had too much to eat
surfies – surfing fanatics

take-away food – fast food, to-go food
tall poppies – achievers
tea – evening meal, dinner
tinny – can of beer
too right! – absolutely!
tracks – make tracks: leave to go home
true blue – dinkum
tucker – food

uni – university
up yourself – have a high opinion of yourself
ute – utility, pick-up truck

vegies – vegetables
verbal diarrhoea – talking non-stop, usually nonsense

wag – to skip school or work: to wag school
walkabout – lengthy walk away from it all
weatherboard – wooden house
whinge – complain, moan
wobbly – disturbing, unpredictable behaviour, temper tantrum: throw a wobbly
write-off – car involved in an crash that is not worth repairing

yabbie – small freshwater crayfish
yacking – talking non-stop
yakka – work
yonks – ages, a long time

yarn – story
youse – the plural of you

zonked – really tired