Australian Lexicon

AUSTRALIANISMS

autumn [fall]
bathers [swimsuit]
beauty [something beautiful]
billy [kettle that hangs above a camp fire]
bin [trash barrel/garbage can]
a bit of a bother [annoying person]
bludge [lazy/easy]
bolshy [Bolshevik-like; revolutionary]
bonza [excellent]
buck's party [bachelor party]
budgie smuggler [Speedo]
bug [lobster, which is clawless in Australia]
Bugger! [Damn!]
camp [flamboyantly gay]
"Calm your farm." ["Calm down."]
can't be bothered [don't have the time/energy]
capsicum [pepper, red or green, etc. variety]
capsicum spray [pepper spray]
carpark [parking lot]
CBD/central business district [financial district]
china plate [old mate, from cockney rhyming slang]
chockers [full]
choc top [drumstick-style ice cream cone]
chronic [intense, ex. "It was so chronically fucked up."]
chuffed [pleased]
chuck a sicky [play hooky]
to chunder [to vomit]
cobber [mate]
commission flats [housing projects]
corker [something excellent]
cottoned on [caught on]
cordial [flavored syrup added to drinks]
cracker [firecracker, i.e. metaphor for a lively person]
cracking! [super good]
cracks the shits [gets pissed off]
creche [daycare center]
cutting some shapes [undertaking some serious moves on the dance floor]
dead horse [ketchup; comes from cockney rhyming slang for "tomato sauce"]
dero [delinquent youth]
"I'll check my diary." ["I'll look at my schedule."]
dim sim [oversized Chinese dumpling, fried of steamed, full of gray mystery meat]
dink [give someone a ride on your bike handle bars; ex. "I'll dink you to the bar." "You should have dinked the French guy with the flat tire."]
dirty, ex. pizza or pasta [greasy, covered in cheese, made from non-premium ingredients]
dog act [asshole-ish thing to do]
dog's breakfast [nonsensical mixed bag]
dog's eye [meat pie, from cockney rhyming slang]
doof doof [techno music]
doona [duvet]
dummy [pacifier]
dunny [toilet]
dunny budgie [blowfly]
emo [same as c. 1999 in the US, it endures]
esky [cooler]
fairy floss [cotton candy]
fairy lights [Christmas lights]
flake and chips [shark and chips]
flat out [busy, "Flat out like a lizard in the sun."]
flat white [latte with no foam]
fob [immigrant, abbreviation for "fresh off the boat"]
footpath [sidewalk]
fuck-off [adj. cheeky]
fully [totally]
gas bagging [shooting the shit, chattering]
get rolled [get called out for a mistake, or for being wrong]
girl guides [girl scout]
glove box [glove compartment]
golden seagull [McDonalds]
"Good on you." ["Good for you."]
"Good one." [good point, good idea]
good value [good to have around, referring to a person]
greasy [stink eye]
grouse [amazing]
happy chappy [happy camper]
happy clappy [Christian]
have a butcher's [have a look, from cockney rhyming slang, "bucher's hook"]
have a chat to you [chat with you, talk to you]
have a sleep [take a nap]
heaps [n. lots, tons, "heaps of beers," adv. very, "heaps good"]
hen's night [bachelorette party]
"Hey?" ["Huh?" "Eh?" ie. at the end of a sentence]
hit the frog and toad [hit the road, from cockney rhyming slang]
hoon [teenage bogan, "troublemaker" variety]
hoon around [vs. to act like a hoon]
housemate [roommate]
"How are you going?" ["How are you?"/"How are you doing?"]
hundreds and thousands [sprinkles]
ice [meth]
icy poles [popsicles]
"I fucked it." ["I fucked it up."]
"I'll flick you some ____." ["I'll quickly send you some ____."]
"I'm on struggle street." ["I'm struggling."]
in a way [in a sense]
jaffle [grilled cheese made in a press that seals the edges]
jumper [sweater]
jump steak [kangaroo]
krieky [expression of alarm]
KK gifts [Kris Kringle Gift, ie. Secret Santa]
left in the lurch [leave behind in a difficult position]
a legend [ hero]
lemon sqash [lemonade]
lollies [candies]
"Look,..." [vs. "Listen,..." as the beginning of a sentence, a way of expressing frankness/earnestness at the beginning of a sentence]
maggoted [shitfaced]
magic pudding [pot of gold at the end of the rainbow]
mate [pal]
milk bar [convenience store]
moorish [indulgent, hedonistic]

muesli bar [granola bar]
to munt [to vomit]
nappy [diaper]
nature strip [road median]
"No problems." ["No problem."]
"No dramas." ["No problem."]
old china [very old friend; builds on cockney rhyming slang "china plate," meaning "old mate"]
on a winner [successful, on a roll]
one-eyed [focused upon or favoring on thing]
op shop [goodwill store]
park [parking space]
partner [girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife]
pash [kiss, i.e. have a pash]
pavement pancake / street pizza [vomit]
pay rise [pay raise]
phone box [phone booth]
pisser [someone who's funny]
plaits [braids; braids are French braids]
pom, pommy, pommy bastard [person from the UK, abbreviation for "prisoner of His/Her Majesty"]
pony [7 oz. glass of beer]
poofta [gay person]
pot [half pint]
power point [electrical outlet]
plummy [British sounding; sounds like you have plums in your mouth]
puffed/puffed out [out of breath]
a quiet one [a night in]
ranger [redhead, from the root word "orangutan"]
reckon [think;"I reckon" falls somewhere between "I think" and I'll bet." ]
reef and beef [surf and turf]
return [roundtrip]
ripper [excellent]
rock melon [cantaloupe]
rock pool [tide pool]
rollick [frollick]
root [fuck]
rug up [dress warmly]
scuttlebutt [rumor/gossip]
"See how you go." ["See how it goes." / "See how you do."]
seppos [Yankees; comes from cockney rhyming slang for Yank: septic tank]
serviettes [paper napkins]
schmicked up [dressed up/made up]
share house [apartment occupied by several people]
sheila [bogan woman]
shithouse [a disgrace]
short black [espresso shot]
shout you [pay for you]
singlet [tank top / camisole]
skull [v. to shotgun a drink]
slab [case of beer]
slapper [slut, affectionately]
slip slop slap [apply sunscreen]
small goods [cold cuts]
snag [sausage]
soft cock [wimp]
sook [someone who winges]
"Sorry?" ["Excuse me?"]
spa [hot tub]
spruik [shill]
strawboard [chipboard]
station [ranch]
sticky-beak [gawk]
steamboat [hotpot]
stodgy [carb-laden]
struth [expression of alarm]
suburb [neighborhood]
suit [work, ex. "If that suits."]
swimmers [swimsuit]
tablet [pill]
talent [attractive people with courtship potential]
tall black [americano]
tasty cheese [low-quality cheddar cheese; "extra tasty" is the sharp version]
technicolour yawn [vomit]
texter [marker]
thongs [flip flops]
throw a spanner into the works [throw a wrench into the works]
toey [horny]
toffee [up-tight]
tomato sauce [ketchup]
top up [refill]
"Touch wood." ["Knock on wood."]
traveller [an alcoholic drink to go]
trolleyed [trashed, drunk]
trotters [feet of a pig]
um and awe [hem and haw]
ute [coupe in the front, truckbed in the back, often purple, green, yellow...]
verandah [porch]
wag [to skip; ex. wag a class]
wank [self-indulgently self-aggrandizing person]
washing [laundry]
watching the box [watching tv]
"Watch this space." ["Stay tuned."]
Where's Wally? [Where's Waldo?]
whipper snipper [weed wacker]
yabby [crawfish]
yob/yobbo [delinquent kid]
yonks [ages]
"You're right." ["You're all right."]
yoyo [any sandwich cookie]
zip [zipper]

BRITISH BORROWINGS

ace [excellent]
alight [disembark]
anticlockwise [counterclockwise]
at mine [at my place]
beetroot [beet]
bespoke [custom]
biscuit [cookie]
bits [things]
bits and bobs [various things]
bitumen [asphalt]
bloak [dude]
Bob's your uncle. [Everything's great.]
"Bring to the boil." ["Bring to a boil."]
bonnet [hood of car]
boot [trunk of car]
broad beans [fava beans]
cheers [salutation]
chips [french fries]
chook [hen]
coriander [cilantro]
come round [stop by]
cuppa [cup of tea]
dodgy [sketchy, dubious]
drink driving [drunk driving]
five to nine [five of nine]
fortnight [every two weeks]
fringe [bangs]
fruit and veg [produce]
full on [intense]
fussed [bothered]
gents'/ladies [bathroom, restroom]
give a fright [scare]
glasshouse [greenhouse]
holiday [vacation]
keen [interested]
kilojoule [calorie]
knackered [tired]
lead [leash]
lift [elevator]
loo [bathroom, restroom]
maths [math]
meant to [supposed to]
midday [noon]
mince [ground meat]
mobile [cell phone]
naff [lame]
parson's nose [tail bit of a bird]
petrol [gas]
pickies [photos]
porridge [oatmeal]
to post [to mail]
pram [stroller]
prawn [shrimp]
proper [true, ex. "You need to try a proper pavlova."]
queue [line]
quite [very]
rocket [arugula]
sea [vs. the coast, the ocean, the beach]
she's called [her name is]
shuts [closes, ex. "That store shuts at five."]
snakes and ladders [chutes and ladders]
sport [sports]
sultanas [raisins]
ta [thanks]
take-away [take-out]
timetable [schedule]
tip [garbage dump]
"The chance of rain in the afternoon." ["Chance of rain in the afternoon."]
toastie [grilled cheese]
toilet [bathroom, restroom]
to hospital [to the hospital]
to take away [to go]
torch [flashlight]
the cinema [the movies]
uni [college]
what's on [schedule of events]
whilst [while]
winge [complain]
zed ["z"]

MISPRONUNCIATIONS

"AERO-plane" [airplane]
"ah-loom-IN-ee-um" [aluminum]
"al-BEAN-o" [albino]
"ASH-felt" [asphalt]
"ashUME"/"preshUME" [assume/presume]
"BOY" [buoy]
"BRO-sure" [brochure]
"fate" [fete]
"fla" [flour]
"hay tch" [h]
"Herbs" [herbs]
"man-da-REEN" [clementine]
"lassOO" [lasso]
"NECK LAYCE" [necklace]
"nike" [Nike, pronounced without the "ee" at the end]
"OR-e-GAN-o" [oregano]
"ORient-tate-ed" [oriented]
"PA-den?" ["Pardon?"]
"PAH-stels" [pastels]
"POMMY-granite" [pomegranate]
"pot-PURE-ee" [potpurri]

ABBREVIATIONS

ambo [ambulance]
arvo [afternoon]
beaut [beautiful]
bikey [biker]
bikkie [biscuit]
brekkie [breakfast]
bevvie [beverage]
brolly [umbrella]
champers [champagne]
chippies [potato chips]
Chrissy [Christmas]
cozzie [swimsuit, from "costume"]
devo [devastated]
dimmy [dim sim]
doco [documentary]
Feb [February]
GFC [global financial crisis]
GOLF [gentleman only, ladies forbidden]
goss [gossip]
granny [grandmother]
housie [housemate]
Jan [January]
kinder [kindergarten]
Mackers [McDonalds]
mo [moment]
mo [moustache]
mockies [moccasins]
mozzie [mosquito]
no wuzzas [no worries]
polly [politician]
povo [poor]
preso [presentation]
prezzy [present]
reckie [abbreviation of "recon," as in "reconnaissance"-- yes, an abbreviation of an abbreviation!]
rellies [relatives]
reno [renovation]
roughie [rough estimate]
salvos [salvation army]
servo [service station]
souva [souvlaki]
speckie [special]
sunnies [sunglasses]
super [superannuation]
tinny [drink that comes in a can]
toughie [tough question]
tradie [person in the trades]
veg [vegetables]
vego [vegetarian]
WAG [wife and girlfriend, of a celebrity or athlete; ex. "She's a wannabe WAG."]
wheeties [Wheetbix]

NO DIRECT TRANSLATION

bogan [middle class person with poor taste]
brick shithouse ["built like a," sturdy]
cut someone's lunch [when a friend steps in and steals the stage as you're trying to pick someone up/someone's trying to pick you up]
daggy [nobly shabby or scrappy; etymologically derived from sheep "dags"]
decant [people say this all the time, literally and metaphorically]
feral [n. dirty hippy meets secret rich kid]
flaming galah [endearingly stupid person]
get outside of [eat]
goon of fortune [a drinking game in which goon bags are attached to a hills hoist, which is then spun; spin the bottle(s) meets beer pong]
hills hoist [a laundry line that is shaped like a square and spins around in a circle]
"I'm nearly done with my dash." ["I'm nearly done for the night."]
"It's a bloody worry." ["It raises concern. It raises serious concern, maybe."]
needs to pull one's finger out [stop winging/procrastinating and just do something]
piss fit [seasoned, re: drinking]
pulling randoms [doing random shit]
schoolies [drunken party that precedes high school graduation weekend]
sheeby [like the Queen of Sheeba]
shit kicker ["Someone who's in the pits and kicks shit around." ?]
sneaky (beer, slice of cake, etc.) quick + illicit
sneaky vom [to secretly vomit]
tallest poppy [successful person, collectively resented]
takes the piss out of [makes fun of]
toolies [people over age 18 who continue to participate in schoolies]
rips the piss out of [same]
taking in a piss in the tent [making fun of oneself or the demographic one represents]
"That shits me." ["That annoys me." Past tense: "It shat me."]
up one's gumtree [in one's wheelhouse]

wog [bogan from southern Europe or the Middle East]