Yes, we do speak differently. That quirky little accent, that is either endearing or down right annoying, depending on who is talking. Some Australians, say from Melbourne, are known to speak with a “plum in mouth” tone, whereas out bush, the emphasis on the word ‘Mate’ is considerable, in fact, ‘Mate” is said in nearly every sentence.
“Cheers, Mate!”
Sayings such as “That’s bonza, Mate”, don’t mean he is pointing out a bonza, but saying; “that’s great, Mate.” Confusing? You betchya. But be sure, so long as he is sporting a larakin like grin, bob’s your uncle, things are looking rosy.
Also.. any words containing more than three syllables are chopped in half and an ‘O’ is added on the end. For example Afternoon becomes Arvo, Ambulance becomes Ambo and Bottle Shop becomes Bottlo. Easy, isn’t it?
Before you know it, you be speaking fair dinkum too.
One thing that I find has had a long lasting effect as far as Australian advertising trying to sell our country to the world, is the foreign terminology that is used. A famous example of this, was an advertising campaign by Paul Hogan, with the tag line, “I’ll slip another shrimp on the Barbie.” Now, seems that a lot of people remember that line and associate it with visiting Australia.
Damn, that was filmed back in the 1980’s and still I have people say to me, that if they come to Oz, that they want me to get the shrimps ready. Okay, so I have to come out and say it for all to hear.
THEY’RE PRAWNS! Not shrimp.
So…to help my online friends, I have decided to find as much Aussie slang and phrases that will help the weary traveler and blogger, understand what I am saying at times.
Ack Willy:AWL or Absent without leave.
Aerial pingpong: Australian Rules football
Airships and clouds: Sausages with mashed potato
Amber fluid: beer
Animal: a derogatory term for an Officer or NCO
Ankle biter: small child
Antipodes: places on exactly opposite sides of the earth
Apples, she’ll be: It’ll be alright
Armchair commando: desk bound soldier
Arvo: afternoon
Atta-boys: Atebrin pills taken for prevention of malaria, taken daily under the supervision of an NCO
Aussie (pron. Ozzie): Australian
Aussie salute: brushing away flies with the hand
Avos: avocados
Back of Bourke: a very long way away
Bail out: depart, usually angrily
Bail (somebody) up: to corner somebody physically
Barbie: barbecue (noun)
Banana bender: a person from Queensland
Bangers and mash: sausages and mashed potato
Barrack: to cheer on (football team etc.)
Bastard: can be either a term of affection or the opposite!!
Battler: someone working hard and only just making a living
Beaut, beauty: great, fantastic
Betty (also Betties): A particular type of Japanese bomber, but later in war used loosely to describe any Japanese bomber
Biscuit bombers (or bully beef bombers): Usually a Dakota (C-47) which dropped food and ammunition to forward areas.
Big-note oneself: brag, boast
Bikkie: biscuit (also “it cost big bikkies” – it was expensive)
Billabong: an ox-bow river or watering hole
Billy: large tin can used to boil water over a campfire for tea
Bities: biting insects
Bitzer: mongrel dog (bits of this and bits of that)
Bizzo: business (“mind your own bizzo”)
Black Stump, beyond the: a long way away, the back of nowhere
Bloke: man, guy
Bloody: very (bloody hard yakka)
Bloody oath!: that’s certainly true
Bloody beaut: fantastic
Blot: bum, arse, rear end
Blow through: go away
Blow in the bag: have a breathalyzer test
Blowie: blow fly
Bludger: lazy person, layabout, somebody who always relies on other people to do things or lend him things
Blue: fight (“he was having a blue with his wife”)
Blue, make a: make a mistake
Bluey: pack, equipment, traffic ticket, redhead
Bluey (or Blue): blue cattle dog (named after its subtle markings) which is an excellent working dog. Everyone’s favourite all-Aussie dog.
Bob’s your uncle: It will be alright
Bodgy: of inferior quality
Bomb-happy: affected mentally by battle, or shell shocked
Bombo: cheap wine
Bonzer: great, ripper
Boogie board: a hybrid, half-sized surf board
Boomer: a large male kangaroo
Booze bus: police vehicle used for catching drunk drivers
Boozer: a pub
Bottle-o: liquor shop
Bottle shop: liquor shop
Bottler: something excellent
Bottling, his blood’s worth: he’s an excellent, helpful bloke.
Bourke Street, he doesn’t know Christmas from: he’s a bit slow in the head. (Bourke Street is a brightly lit Melbourne street)
Brass razoo, he hasn’t got a: he’s very poor
Brekkie: breakfast
Brizzie: Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
Brown-eyed mullet: a turd in the sea (where you’re swimming!)
Brumby: a wild horse
Buckley’s, Buckley’s chance: no chance (“New Zealand stands Buckley’s of beating Australia at football”)
Buck’s night: stag party, male gathering the night before the wedding
Bull bar: stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos
Bullshit, to: To tell lies
Bundy: short for Bundaberg, Queensland, and the brand of rum that’s made there
Bunyip: mythical outback creature
Burgoo: porridge
Bush: the hinterland, the Outback, anywhere that isn’t in town
Bush artillery: artillery captured from the enemy and reused against them
Bushie: someone who lives in the Bush
Bushranger: highwayman, outlaw
B.Y.O.: unlicensed restaurant where you have to Bring Your Own grog, also similar party or barbecue
Cark it: to die, cease functioning
Charley the Bastard: A Boyes Tank Attack Rifle; So named because of its tremendous recoil
Chewy: Chewing gum
Choke a darkie: defecate
Chokkie: chocolate
Chook chuff: powdered eggs
Chook: a chicken
Chrissie: Christmas
Christmas: see Bourke Street
Chuck a sickie: take the day off sick from work when you’re perfectly healthy
Chuck a yonnie: Throw a stone
Chunder: vomit
Clayton’s: fake, substitute
Click: kilometre – “it’s 10 clicks away”
Cobber: friend
Cockie: farmer. Also a cockatoo
Cockroach: a person from New South Wales
Coldie: a beer
Come a gutser: make a bad mistake, have an accident
Compo: Workers’ Compensation pay
Cooee, not within: figuratively a long way away, far off – England weren’t within cooee of beating Australia at cricket
Corroboree: an aboriginal dance festival
Counter lunch: pub lunch
Cozzie: swimming costume
Cranky: in a bad mood, angry
Cream (verb): defeat by a large margin
Crook: sick, or badly made
Crow eater: a person from South Australia
Cut lunch: sandwiches
Cut lunch Commandos: School cadets
Cut snake, mad as a: very angry
Dag: a funny person, nerd, goof
Daks: trousers
Damper: bread made from flour and water
Deadset: true, the truth
Dero: tramp, hobo, homeless person (from “derelict”)
Digger: a soldier
Dill: an idiot
Dinkum, fair dinkum: true, real, genuine (“I’m a dinkum Aussie”; “is he fair dinkum?”)
Dinky-di: the real thing, genuine
Dipstick: a loser, idiot
Dob (somebody) in: inform on somebody. Hence dobber, a tell-tale
Doc: Dcotor
Docket: a bill, receipt
Doco: documentary
Dog: unattractive woman
Dole bludger: Somebody on social assistance when unjustified
Doozey: something very pleasant
Down Under: Australia and New Zealand
Drink with the flies: to drink alone
Drongo: a dope, stupid person
Drum: information, tip-off (“I’ll give you the drum”)
Duffer, cattle: rustler
Dummy, spit the: get very upset at something
Dunny: outside lavatory, or toilet
Dunny budgie: blowfly
Dunny rat, cunning as a: very cunning
Durry: cigarette
Earbashing: nagging, non-stop chatter
Esky: large insulated food/drink container for picnics, barbecues etc.
Exy: expensive
Fair dinkum: True, genuine
Fair go: a chance (“give a bloke a fair go”)
Fairy floss: candy floss, cotton candy
Figjam: “F**k I’m good; just ask me”. Nickname for people who have a high opinion of themselves.
Flake: shark’s flesh (sold in fish & chips shops)
Footy: Australian Rules football
Fossicking: searching, rummaging (“fossicking through the kitchen drawers”)
Freckle: anus
Fruit loop: fool
Full: drunk
Galah: fool, named after the bird of the same name which flies south in the winter – a bloody silly thing to do in the Southern Hemisphere
Garbo, garbologist: municipal garbage collector
G’Day, Gidday: hello!
Give it a burl: try it, have a go
Good oil: useful information, a good idea, the truth
Good on you: good for you, well done
Greenie: environmentalist
Grog: liquor, beer (“bring your own grog, you bludger”)
Grouse (adj.): great, terrific, very good
Gyno: gynaecologist
Handle: beer glass with a handle
Heaps: a lot, e.g. “thanks heaps”, “(s)he earned heaps of money” etc.
Larrikin: a bloke who is always enjoying himself, harmless prankster
Lippy: lipstick
Liquid laugh: vomit
Lob, lob in: drop in to see someone (“the rellies have lobbed”)
Lollies: sweets, candy
London to a brick: absolute certainty (“it’s London to a brick that taxes won’t go down”)
Loo: toilet
Lucky Country, The: Australia, where else?
Lurk: illegal or underhanded racket
Mate: buddy, friend
Mate’s rate, mate’s discount: cheaper than usual for a “friend”
Metho: methylated spirits
Mexican: a person from south of the (Queensland) border
Mickey Mouse: excellent, very good
Middy: 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales
Milk bar: corner shop that sells takeaway food
Milko: milkman
Mob: group of people, not necessarily troublesome
Mob: family or herd (?) of kangaroos
Mongrel: despicable person
Mozzie: mosquito
Muddy: mud crab (a great delicacy)
Mug: friendly insult (“have a go, yer mug”), gullible person
Mull: grass (the kind you smoke)
Mull up: roll a joint and smoke it
Naughty, have a: have sex
Never Never: the Outback, centre of Australia
Ninkum poop: a fool
Nipper: young surf lifesaver
No-hoper: somebody who’ll never do well
Not the full quid: not bright intellectually
Nuddy, in the: naked
Ocker: an unsophisticated person
Offsider: an assistant, helper
Oldies: parents – “I’ll have to ask my oldies”
O.S.: overseas (“he’s gone O.S.”)
Outback: interior of Australia
Oz: Australia!
Pash: passion, infatuation
Pav: Pavlova – a rich, creamy Australian dessert
Perve (noun & verb): looking lustfully at the opposite sex
Piker: Someone who doesn’t want to fit in with others socially, leaves parties early
Plonk: cheap wine
Pokies: poker machines, fruit machines
Polly: politician
Pom, pommy: an Englishman
Port: suitcase (portmanteau)
Postie: postman, mailman
Pot: 285 ml beer glass in Queensland
Pozzy: position – get a good pozzy at the football stadium
Prezzy: present, gift
Quack, or off to the quack: the doctor, or off to the doctor
Quid, make a: earn a living – “are you making a quid?”
Quid, not the full: of low IQ
Rage: party
Rage on: to continue partying – “we raged on until 3am”
Rapt: pleased, delighted
Raw prawn, to come the: to bullshit, to be generally disagreeable
Razzo: not worth much, another phrase is “brass razoo”
Reckon!: you bet! Absolutely!
Rego: vehicle registration
Rellie: family relative
Ridgy-didge: original, genuine
Right: okay (“she’ll be right, mate”)
Ripper: great, fantastic
Road train: big truck with many trailers
Roo: kangaroo
Root (verb and noun): synonym for f*ck in nearly all its senses: “I feel rooted”; “this washing machine is rooted”; “(s)he’s a good root”. A very useful word in fairly polite company.
Ropeable: very angry
Rotten: drunk (“I went out last night and got rotten”)
Rubbadedub: bar or hotel
Rubbish: to criticize
Salvos, the: Salvation Army, bless them
Salute, Aussie: brushing flies away
Sandgroper: a person from Western Australia
Sanger: a sandwich
Schooner: large beer glass in Queensland; small beer glass in South Australia
Scratchy: instant lottery ticket
Screamer: 1. party lover; “two pot screamer” – somebody who gets drunk on very little alcohol
2. To take a “screamer” in footy is to take an awesome mark/catch.
Servo: petrol station
Shark biscuit: somebody new to surfing
Sheila: a woman
She’ll be right: it’ll turn out okay
Shonky: dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky practice, shonky business etc.
Shoot through: to leave
Shout: turn to buy – a round of drinks usually (“it’s your shout”)
Sickie: day off sick from work (chuck a sickie=take the day off sick from work when you’re perfectly healthy!)
Skite: boast, brag
Slab: a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Sleepout: house verandah converted to a bedroom
Smoko: smoke or coffee break
Sook: person or animal who is soft, tame, inoffensive. Hence sooky (adj.)
Snag: a sausage
Spag bol: spaghetti bolognese
Spit the dummy: get very upset at something
Sprung: caught doing something wrong
Spunk: a good looking person (of either sex)
Station: a big farm/grazing property
Stick it in your kick: Stick it in your pocket
Stickybeak: nosy person
Stone the Crows: Heaven forbid!
Stuffed, I’ll be: expression of surprise
Stuffed, I feel: I’m tired
Strewth: exclamation, mild oath (“Strewth, that Chris is a bonzer bloke”)
Strides: trousers
Strine: Australian slang and pronunciation
Stubby: a beer bottle
Stubby holder: polystyrene insulated holder for a stubby
Sunbake: sunbathe
Sunnies: sunglasses
Surfies: people who go surfing – usually more often than they go to work!
Swag: items, luggage etc. carried by a swagman
Swaggie: swagman
Swagman: tramp, hobo
Tall poppies: successful people
Ta muchly: thank you very much
Taswegian: a person from Tasmania
Technicolor yawn: vomit
Tee-up: to set up an appointment
Thingo: Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit
Thongs: cheap rubber backless sandals
Throne or, on the Throne: toilet or, on the toilet
Thunder box: toilet
Tickets, to have on oneself: to have a high opinion of oneself
Tinny: can of beer, small aluminium boat
Togs: swim suit
Too right!: definitely!
Top End: far north of Australia
Truckie: truck driver
True blue: patriotic
Tucker: food
Tucker-bag: food bag
Turps: turpentine, alcoholic drink
Turps, hit the: go on a drinking binge
Two up: gambling game played by spinning two coins simultaneously
Uni: university
Unit: flat, apartment
Up oneself: have a high opinion of oneself – “he’s really up himself”
Ute: utility vehicle
Veg out: relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
Vedgies: vegetables
Vejjo: vegetarian
Vee dub: Volkswagen
Waggin’ school: playing truant
Walkabout, it’s gone: it’s lost, can’t be found
Weekend Warriors: Army Reserve personnel
Whacko: You beauty! (an exclamation.)
Whinge: complain
White pointers on the beach: topless (female) sunbathers
Wobbly: excitable behaviour (“I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly”)
Wog: flu or trivial illness
Wombat: somebody who eats, roots and leaves (see also root)
Woop Woop: invented name for any small unimportant town – “he lives in Woop Woop”
They are everywhere… in every county, state and suburb… they are the hidden menace that lurks in the backwaters of nations…. Bogans…
Just a few things…
They are also known as * Chav (England) * Dres (Poland) * Ned (Scotland) * Scanger (Ireland) * White Trash (United States and Canada) * Skid (United States and Canada) * Bogan (Australia and NZ) * Redneck * westie (Australia & NZ) * gogan (goth/bogan combination) * wigger * Trailer Park Boys (Canada) * yobbo – hehe Yobbo (also Australian) * Gronk
Well he’s the king of fashion in his neighborhood,
With his ripped blue jeans and a flannel shirt.
A well kept mullet and a packet of smokes,
His mates will all tell ya he’s a real top bloke.
His real name is Barry, but his mates call him Bazza.
And his girlfriend’s name is Sharon, but you can just call her Shazza.
Real top Sheila, real top sort,
She’ll even change your stubby while your watching sport.
But don’t victimize him for his way of life,
He’s sick and tired of hearing people say…
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
He drives a VK Commodore with alloy wheels,
With a home made spoiler made from crappy steel.
Pair of fluffy dice and all the other toys,
But his No Fear sticker is his pride and joy.
Saturday night the boys hit town.
Yeah they’re cruising the streets with their windows down.
Put on some Barnsey and they’re on their way,
You’ll hear the car com’n from a mile away.
But don’t victimize him for his way of life,
He’s sick and tired of hearing people say…
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan.
