Aussie Slang
Aussie slang — Australian words and expressions decoded. The dinkum guide to how Australians actually talk.
36 words
To go for it fully with zero hesitation — commit hard, consequences be damned.
A day off work claiming illness — often when you're not actually sick.
A fast heel-toe dance style ravers do to four-on-the-floor electronic beats.
Breakfast — Australian and British diminutive slang.
Sunglasses — Australian (and British) diminutive slang.
Completely full, packed to the brim — whether it's a car park, a fridge, or your belly.
The afternoon — peak example of Aussies shortening everything with an -o.
A liquor store — the bottle shop where Aussies stock up on grog.
A can of beer — Australian slang (also a small aluminum boat).
A biscuit (cookie) — and 'big bickies' means a serious amount of money.
A sandwich, Aussie-style — most iconically a sausage in bread at a Bunnings car park.
To die, or for a machine to break down completely and stop working.
Hard work — usually 'hard yakka', meaning genuine physical graft.
An insulated cooler box for keeping your beers and food cold, the beating heart of any Aussie outing.
Excellent, fantastic — 'you little ripper!' is pure Aussie joy.
Flip-flops — the rubber footwear, not underwear, and confusing the rest of the world endlessly.
Alcohol in general — beer, wine, spirits, the lot.
An unsophisticated, rough-around-the-edges Aussie — somewhere between affectionate and an insult.
A service station — the petrol station where you fuel up and grab a dodgy pie.
McDonald's — so iconic the chain put 'Maccas' on Aussie store signs officially.
A short, squat 375ml bottle of beer — and 'stubbies' are also iconic short work shorts.
An insult for someone being an idiot or a menace, common in UK and Irish slang.
A cup of tea — the most British thing you can offer anyone, ever.
A tradesperson — sparky, chippy, plumber, the blokes and women who build the country.
A cigarette — the go-to Aussie word for a ciggie, dart, or rollie.
Really excited or thrilled about something — common in surfer and Aussie slang.
Friend — also a casual way to address anyone, friendly or confrontational.
A session — usually of drinking, smoking, or partying that runs long.
A fool or idiot — an affectionately scornful Aussie word for a hopeless dimwit.
A warm compliment for someone who did something great or is just brilliant; a top person.
A U-turn — 'chuck a yewy' is to swing the car around and go back the way you came.
Cheap boxed wine — the silver bladder inside the box, fuel of broke Aussie students.
A lazy person who avoids work and lives off others — the Aussie word for a freeloader.
A man, an ordinary guy — 'some bloke at the pub.'
A utility vehicle — a pickup truck with a flat tray back, beloved by tradies and farmers.
A lot, very, or really — the all-purpose Aussie intensifier for everything.