Not all of these are Australian slang words, but many of them are. They’re mostly phrases and expressions I use often, but some are ones I particularly like. They’re in ABC order because I can’t remember the order in which I learned them.
Arvo – afternoon. Aussies enjoying shortening words.
Barack – I can’t remember if there is a double r in the middle or not. It means to cheer for or support a sports team. Aussie.
Bogan – said bow-gun, with the emphasis on the first syllable and the second one fairly short. Aussie. White-trash hick. This one is my favorite of these words (another is later on) and can be used as a noun or an adjective. There’s a TV show called ‘Bogan Pride’.
Bikkie – biscuit. Mind you, biscuit here means a cookie.
Brekkie – breakfast. More shortening.
Crook – this is more British, it just means sick or hung-over.
Corrupt – an Afrikaaner word, for you, Melissa, though it’s probably not a slang you’re up on. A synonym for dodgy/sketchy, in a fun way.
Cute as – adorable. There’re many variants on this construction… queer as, dumb as, smart as. Very, very Australian.
Doona – comforter, for the bed. Aussie.
Drama – I am fond of this one. Used in two senses. ‘Not a drama’ means no big deal. ‘Dramas’ means some sort of minor scandal is going down. Aussie.
Fanny – a girl’s rude bits. Australian. Makes fanny pack a bit awkward, no?
Good on ya – nice job / good for you. Aussie. People do actually say this!
Heaps – lots. Aussie. As in “I had heaps of fun.” It sounds silly, but EVERYONE says it. I can’t bring myself to, but
How you going? – same as ‘how are you?’, but I greatly prefer this one! It’s one of the only Aussie slangs that I say easily, without having to think about it, because everyone else says it and you just pick up things like that.
My shout – my turn to buy the drinks. Aussie / English.
Pom – a British person, vaguely derogatory, vaguely affectionate. Aussie.
Poofter – another one of those funny, vaguely derogatory, vaguely affectionate words; Australians use neither fabulous nor flaming, and fairy only sometimes; instead they use poofter to mean a (usually effeminate) gay man. Like many such words, the connotation depends on the speaker and the context, and it can range from a serious insult to a friendly jab to a brotherly term within the community. Said “poof-tah”, with the emphasis on the first syllable.
Rancid – this is Afrikaaner again, used in two ways, to describe the feeling of the morning after drinking, or as a version of sick/wicked, as in “that’s totally rancid”. Also can mean just generally unpleasant.
Rock up – to show up somewhere, to meet; this one is Aussie. “We’ll rock up at about nine.”
Root – have sex; do not root for your team. The song Take Me Out to the Ball Game very swiftly acquires a whole new meaning. Aussie.
She’ll be alright – don’t worry about it / it’s all good / it’ll be fine. People actually do say this! Aussie.
Singlet – wifebeater, sleeveless shirt, or camisole, depending on who’s wearing it and who’s talking about it. It’s a wifebeater if a guy is wearing it, a sleeveless shirt if the one speaking is older and the person wearing it is young, and a cami if the wearer is a girl. I think. Aussie.
Sweet as – that’s awesome. Another Aussie slang I use without really noticing.
Ta – a shortening of thanks, often used with mate, so it becomes ta, mate! I worked weirdly hard to make using this one natural, ‘cause I liked it so much. Aussie.
Yeah but – an interjection, often used to break into a discussion or conversation to offer your point of view. May be more of a young adult thing than an Aussie thing.
Yobbo – redneck / white trash / hick. Aussie, one of several words for the same or similar thing. This one is connoted more of a redneck feel, I believe?
You reckon? – you think? Aussie. Seems to be more of a country thing?
Wrecked – I learned this word from the South Africans, who use it all the time, but Australians use it as well, and I’ve picked up on it. It means to be completely trashed, or if you’ll indulge my favorite Australian grammatical construction, drunk as; there’s a lot of ways of saying that someone has been drinking. It can also mean badly hung over, depending on whether it’s said at
Look for another blog soon, on my holiday in
