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Glossary of Australian Slang, Idioms & Aussie Lingo

Define:

Acca Dacca - rock band 'AC DC'
ace – excellent
ambo - Paramedic, Ambulance Officer
‘ang on – wait a moment
arvo – afternoon
Aussie - person from Australia (pronounced: Ozzey)
‘avago – have a go (usually ‘ya mug’ – you fool – is added); try harder
bangaroo - Ask avoidant!
barbie – barbecue or BBQ
barra - a barramundi fish
bewdy or bewdy bottler – good; the best
Beyond the Black Stump – far from the city; the outback
bickie - biscut or cookie
bingle – minor car accident
bludger – layabout, one who wants something for nothing, person who does not work or works very little
bluey – a swag or blanket roll
bombed out – unsuccessful; also drunk
bonza - excellent
boys in blue - Police
Brisbanites - people from Brisbane
buckleys - no chance
budgy smugglers - swimming atire, also referred to as 'togs'
burl - 'give it a burl' give it a go; attempt something
by crickey – an expression of surprise
cactus – useless, broken
cark it – to die
cashed up – having plenty of ready money
cheesed (off) – bored; fed up
chewy – chewing gum
chook – domestic fowl
chook raffle – a lottery in which the prize is a chicken; usually held in a ‘pub’ (hotel)
chuck a wobbly – go berserk
cobber – friend
cocky – know all; also a small farmer
combo - combination
come a cropper – to fall heavily
cot case – a drunk or exhausted person only fit for bed
cracking - excellent / get cracking - start something
Darwin stubby - 2 litre bottle of beer
deadhead – a stupid person
deadly - excellent ("The Deadlys" is an award program to recognise the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to their community and to Australian society)
dead marine – an empty beer bottle (also: dead soldier)
dead set – certain; assured; used as an exclamation meaning ‘really!’
dead set against it – uncooperative
dinky-di – genuine
do your lolly (mellon; nana; loaf) – to get very angry
dob in – to betray or report someone to the authorities; also to nominate someone for an umpleasent task
don’t get off your bike – calm down
drongo – stupid person
dry as a drovers dog – extremely thirsty
dunny – an outside toilet
esky – a portable icebox (brand name)
fair crack of the whip – ease up (also: fair suck of the surf)
fair dinkum – honest; genuine
fair enough – alright; acceptable
fair go – a chance; also an appeal for fairness
flake (out) – to collapse; to fall asleap
flat out like a lizard drinking – lying prone; also rushed; extremely busy
flush – having plenty of money
fossick – to search for something
freak out – to have an extreme reaction (good or bad) to something
full as a goog (tick; boot) – drunk; full of food after a big meal
game as Ned Kelly – very brave (Ned Kelly was a daring bushranger [robber] in 1878)
garbage – an exclamation meaning ‘what rubbish, I don’t believe you!’
garbo - garbage collector
g’donya – good for you; well done; can also be sarcastic; or mean ‘I don’t believe you’
go off like a bucket of prawns in the sun – to create commotion
good one – an explanation of approval; or comment that someone is stretching the truth
goodo – yes, alright
goon - wine sold inside a bag and cardboard box
gutful – more than enough (I’ve had a gutful of this – I’ve had enough)
have tickets on yourself – to be conceited
hit the deck – to duck; to put your head down
hit the tin – put money in the kitty; to contribute to a collection of cash
hoon – a stupid or uncultivated person; also a fast or wreckless driver
hooroo – goodbye
jackaroo - male working with cattle or horses
joolaroo - female working as a jackaroo
kero - kerosene
kick in – to help out with money
knock – to criticise, find fault
knocker – a person who makes derogatory remarks
larrikin – mischievous, wild or carefree person
lations - family relatives or 'relations'
like a hornet in a bottle – furious
like a possum up a gum tree – moving fast
like a rat up a drainpipe – moving even faster
lingo – language
loaded – extremely wealthy; also very drunk
local rag - local newspaper
longkneck - 750ml bottle of beer (also: tallie)
mackas - McDonalds
main drag - main road or street through a town
mate – good or best friend; also used to greet someone as in ‘G’day mate’
matilda – a blanket roll carried by a swagman
Melbournians - people from Melbourne
metho - methylated spirits
mexicans - people from the state south of yours
milko - milk home delivery person
m’oath – my oath; on my oath. bloody oath - i agree
mug – fool
mulga – rough country (actually: a type of tree)
muso - musician
no-hopper – incompetent person; social misfit
nosh up – a good meal
nick – to steal
nicked – to be caught; (I got nicked – I got caught) go away; (get nicked)
nick off – to go away; expression meaning ‘lose yourself!’
nifty – stylish; clever; shrewd to the point of dishonesty
ocker – the archetypal uncultivated Australian male
outback – the inland country far away from large cities
pint of beer - 570ml
prang – minor car accident
prawn - shrimp
pot of beer - 285ml (a 'one pot screamer' is someone who gets drunk off very little alcohol). Also known as a 'middy' or 'half pint'
rack off – to go away
Julia Gillard - Rangaranga - person with red hair (Julia Gillard Australian EX Prime Minister
rego - vehicle registration
righto - alright
ring-in – a substitute
rissole - a type of meatball flattened out; or fat meat patty. (also: 'given the rissole' sacked or fired from employment.
road train - a truck with many sections attached (some road trains are over a kilometre long)
rort – a con
sangers – sandwiches
schooner of beer - 425ml
’scuse me - excuse me
servo - a petrol station or gas station
she’ll be apples, she’s sweet – it’ll be fine
shoot through - to go somewhere else (or he shot through)
shonky – poor quality
shotgun - the front passenger seat of a vehicle
shout – to buy drinks for everyone
shrapnel - coins of a low denomination
sickie – a day taken off work, but not necessarily because of illness
skip – Australian-born (from Skippy the kangaroo [a TV show])
skite – a bragger
slack - work left over by a lazy person. To 'pull up the slack' is to do the work left over by others.
a slash - to take 'a slash' or 'have a slash' - to urinate
smoko – a break from work (originally a cigarette)
snags – sausages
speedo - vehicle speedomoter
stinker – an objectionable person
stone the crows – exclamation of astonishment
stubby - a bottle of beer (330ml) or stubbie / a brand of shorts
stubby cooler - used to keep your hand warm and a beer cold
swag – a blanket roll of light bedding
swagman – a man who travels around the country on foot and takes odd jobs usually in the outback
Sydneyites - people from Sydney
ratbag – a rogue; an eccentric person
rubbish – to criticice; to mock
servo - petrol station
ta - thank you
tall poppy (/syndrome) - a cultural tendancy to cutt people down to size - criticise people who excell or achieve significantly / or publicly above others.
ta-ta – goodbye
Taswegins - people from Tasmania
the ditch - water between Australia and New Zealand
tinnie – a can of beer; a small aluminum boat
too right – an exclamation meaning ‘I agree’
top drop – a good beer or wine
true blue – genuine
twit – a fool
ute – open backed pick-up truck
veg out – relax
wag – to play truant
wheelie – a noisy skidding turn while driving
whinge – to complain
whopper – something surprisingly big
woop woop - out in the middle of no where
wowser – a killjoy; a prudish teetotaler
write-off – a total loss
wuss – spoilsport; afraid to have a go
yakka – hard or heavy work
yank - American
yobbo – a loud or stupid uncultivated person
yonks ago (or yonks and yonks ago) - a long time ago
zonked (out) – tired out; exhausted

More....

technicolour yawn- emptying the stomach contents, spew, chunder, vomit

As low as a snakes arse- depressed

Up shyte creek in a barbwire canoe - helpless

Cuppa- the be all and end all of worries

Nutter butter- mentally challenged

Two cents short of a $- as above



A hair past a freckle going onto a wart- not having a wrist whatch/time

Shankses pony- travel by foot

Blood nut- a red headed person

Sticks- a skinny person/ bush

Watering hole-pub/inn/boozer

Dry as a dead dingoes gangrenous ba*ls- thirsty

Trapped as a hunk of shyte in a dead dogs arse- doomed

Squizz- look at

Ankle biter- toddler
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

That put a smile on me dial.

Cold as a frogs tit- nippy/freezing/Melbourne in winter

Shit for brains- dumb as

Quick as a lizard drinking- pretty fast

Drop the gut- do the bowel/brown eye/eye of the pie

Holy shit- wow/goodness gracious me

Effnik- foreigner


Sick as a dog- crook/unwell

Ear flapping- listening

Bump of the gums- talk

Gonna went- will leave

Built like a brick shit house-big and strong

Offski- leaving

Dead Set- determined/really/fair dinkum

Knock block off- remove head from shoulders

Smart arse- know it all

Choppers- teeth

Shit stirrer- trouble maker

Down Bondi- toilet flush from Sydney

Wept and crept- wow

Stone the motherless crows- wow

Hunk- handsome man/spiff/stud

Di*k head- idiot

Ripsnorter- very funny

Go on- fancy that/do tell (more)

A bit of alright- Looks good.

Slammer- jail

Get off your horse- cut it out/stop the BS

Well well well- 3 holes in the ground
I betcha ten pounds to a pinch of pelican shit- suspect

Ten cents an a lollie- 'handsome' reward

Pushing shit up hill- therapy.

Twitterbated -stressed/knickers in a knot

Bugger- damn/ eff

Buggered- effed/knackered/tired

Blighter-bugger of a thing or person

Sparrows fart- up early

Glad rags- clothes

Rack off- go away/piss off

Fair crack of the whip- a plea to see reason/fair suck of the sav


Slag-phlegm/slut

Speaking to slag- 'get out and walk you b*astard,' after slag is spat out car window.

Lose your block- pop/do your narna/show intense anger

Off with the fairies- nutter butter/confused/in another world/nuts

Down under- Australia/genitalia

Fanny- ladies genitalia/possible/as far as possible

Pig's arse-I do not agree

Cark it- die

Cockroach- a new south wales person Confused

Buckley’s chance- no chance

Yowie- mythical creepy creature

Boogie man- creepy man. Only seen by children in the dark. Found in toilets, under beds, behind doors. and dark hallways. Can only say, BOO!


Lamingtons- sponge with jam in the middle, choc syrup on the outer, covered in coconut, and rolled into a log or cut up into squares. Very yummy.

Billy- old tin can used to boil water in the bush for cuppa. Name of shrink.

Snot rag- hankie/tissue

True blue- loyal Australian friend/genuine/ fair dinkum

Up the duff- pregnant/preggers

Between you me and the gate post- confidentiality often shared at the gate of ones abode.

Old fart- elderly gentleman

old geeza- as above

old bird- mother

old man- father

Piss in the wind- waste of time

Tuff nut- difficult person to get through to


Clayton- substitute for the real thing/ a none alcohol drink/an underarm bowl in cricket/ a pretend...anything.

A dry argument- a party with no grog/booze/alcohol

She'll be right mate- all will be well/Blu doing an exam.

schmozzle- Mess/stuff up/mistake/ a miracle for the winning poms.
Last edited by muff

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