Australian Slang

Crikey, mate! It’s a fair dinkum to say that Aussies talk funny! Well, not funny – but different.

You’ve probably heard someone from Australia talk and perhaps commented about their accent and the way they spoke. While people from Australia speak English, they have a very unique vocabulary that can make a bloke cranky!

Here are some common Australian slang terms so the next time you watch a Crocodile Dundee movie, watch an old episode of the Crocodile Hunter on TV, watch the Wiggles, or listen to Olivia Newton-John speak, you may be able to understand what they are saying.

Here are some of the most used slang terms:

• Ace! - Excellent!
• Amber fluid - beer
• Ankle biter - small child
• Apples, she'll be - It'll be all right
• Aussie (pronounced Ozzie) - Australian
• Barbie - barbecue
• Battler - someone who works hard but just making a living
• Beaut, beauty – great or fantastic
• Bingle - motor vehicle accident
• Bloke – man or guy
• Blue - fight
• Blue, make a - make a mistake
• Boozer - a pub
• Bush - anywhere that isn't in town
• Cark it - to cease functioning
• Chewie - chewing gum
  
• Chokkie - chocolate
• Chook - a chicken
• Chrissie - Christmas
• Cobber - friend
• Coldie - a beer
• Come a gutser - make a bad mistake and have an accident
• Cranky - in a bad mood or be very angry
• Crikey - Christ
• Dag - a funny person, nerd or goof
• Daks - trousers
• Dinkum, fair dinkum - true, real or genuine
• Dinky-di - the real thing
• Dipstick - a loser or idiot
• Down Under - Australia and New Zealand
• Drink with the flies - to drink alone
• Drongo - a dope or stupid person
• Earbashing - nagging, non-stop chatter
• Exy - expensive
• Fair dinkum – true or genuine
• Fair go – have a chance
• Fruit loop - fool
• Full - drunk
  
• Furphy - false or unreliable rumor
  
• G'Day - hello!
• Give it a burl - try it or have a go
• Good oil - useful information
• Good onya - good for you
• Heaps - a lot
• Holy dooley! - an exclamation of surprise
• Hoon - hooligan
• Hooroo - goodbye
• Joey - baby kangaroo
• Journo - journalist
• Kindie - kindergarten
• Knock - to criticize
• Lippy - lipstick
• Lollies -sweets or candy
• Mate -buddy or friend
• Mob - group of people
• Mongrel - despicable person
• Moolah - money
• No-hoper - somebody who'll never do well
• Not the full quid - not bright intellectually
• Oldies - parents
• Outback -interior land of Australia
• Oz - Australia!
• Polly - politician
• Postie - postman
• Rapt -pleased or delighted
• Ratbag - mild insult
• Rego - vehicle registration
• Rellie or relo - family relative
• Ridgy-didge - original
• Roo - kangaroo
• Sanger - a sandwich
• Sheila - a woman
• Stoked - very pleased
• Sunbake - sunbathe
• Sunnies - sunglasses
• Tinny - can of beer
• Trackies - track suit
• Ugh - ugly
• Uni - university
• Waggin' school - playing truant
• Walkabout - a walk for an indefinite amount of time
• Yabber - talk a lot

For more slang expressions, check out these websites:

koalanet.com
ausinternet.com
Wikipedia Australian slang