Since I've just returned from a fantastic two weeks in Western Australia, I want to share some Australian lingo I've picked up. The slang and rhymes are hilarious and the sayings are totally outrageous. I can't get enough. Oh, btw, Aussies never say "throw another shrimp on the barbie" and get pissed off when foreigners cry out with a fake accent "the dingo ate my baby." So, if you're heading to the Land Down Under, please avoid those terms. But, certainly slip the following lingo into your vocab:
- A few Kangaroos loose in the top paddock — this is used to describe someone who may not mentally be all there
- A over T — to fall "arse over tits"
- After dark — another word for shark
- Airy fairy — vague
- Any tic of the clock — very soon
- Apples, she'll be — every thing will be OK
- Arvo/evo — afternoon/evening
- Bathers — swimsuit
- Barney — a fight or argument
- Bathroom — has the sink, tub and/or shower. The toilet, as it's called, is in a separate room.
- Biscuit — a cookie. Novice surfers are called "shark biscuits"
- Blowy — windy
- Brekky — breakfast
- BYO — is bring your own and can be followed with booze (even to a restaurant) or meat (to a barbie)
- Chemist — a pharmacy
- Cheesed off — annoyed
- Chips — french fries. Common expression used is "cheep as chips" to imply a good price for something
- Chook — chicken
- Chuck — is used often for a number of reasons, like "chuck a leftie" to go left or "chuck a spaz" to get angry. Also, people can chuck a Uey or wobbly or up.
- Dads and Dave — is a shave
- Dogs eye — a meat pie, which Australians love to eat
- Dunny — a toilet
- Ear basher — someone who talks a lot
- Esky — a food or drink cooler. Also called a "chilly bin"
- Fag — a cigarette
- Fanny — a vagina. Note: Fanny packs is not a term used; it's called a "bum bag"
- Flat out like a lizard drinking — to be very busy or going very fast
- Franger — condom
- Galah — a kind term for a fool. It's also a really cool-looking bird
- Garbo — garbage man. In Canada, we say "throw trash in the garbage" and in Oz, they say "tip rubbish in the bin"
- Have a burl or crack or go or lash at — to try
- Heaps — is used a lot of mean a lot of something
- Hollie — holiday
- In a tic — just a minute
- In the altogether — in the nude; of which there are many beaches
- Kark it — to die
- Kip — nap
- Lay by — to put on hold at a store
- Lippie — lipstick
- Lolly — sweets
- Macca's — McDonalds
- Make a quid — earn a living
- Off one's face — really drunk
- Plonked — really drunk
- Pom, pommy — a person from England
- Poofter — a homosexual man
- Postie — a mail carrier
- Pram — a baby stroller
- Rellies — relatives
- Salvo — Salvation Army
- Sanga — sandwich
- Sauce, tomato — ketchup
- Seppo or septic tank — derogatory term for Americans (septic tank rhymes with yank)
- Servo — gas station where you buy petrol
- Sheila — common term for a nice looking Australian woman
- Sparkie — electrician
- Stickybeak — to look at
- Stubbie — small, short-necked bottle of beer
- Sunnies — sunglasses
- Tinnie — can of beer
- Torch — flashlight
- Trannie — transistor radio
- Uni — university
- Ute — utility vehicle
- Vegemite — strong spread made from yeast and eaten on toast
- Whinge — to complain
These are just the terms I heard — there are so many more. Just remember: Shorten everything, add "ie" at the end of words and make everything rhyme. Do this and you'll fit right in.
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