You can borrow my hammer; but, remember, its a boomerang. If your American friends still wont believe you, heres a brief list of examples of the phrase, sourced from newspaper articles, books, and internet pages: ethnic = A non-Anglo person; in common usage, ethnics usually refers to non-Anglo Europeans. boofhead = Someone who is stupid or a bit slow, e.g. 71. It includes words and meanings that have originated in Australia, that have a greater currency here than elsewhere, or that have a special significance in Australian history. big bickies = A lot of money; can also be spelt as big bikkies. Not to be confused with BS. Australia for the White man = A nationalist catch phrase; it was the motto of the influential magazine The Bulletin from 1908 until 1960. Can I correct/add to your phrase She bangs like a dunny door? Well, drink Bonox!. Tommo = Tom or Thomas (or the surnames Thomson or Thompson). durry = A cigarette, e.g. Im as dry as a nuns nasty; based upon a disrespectful reference to a nuns private parts from lack of sexual activity. Recommended poetry Or fair suck of the sav. [See the entry: Buckleys chance. Pozzy : position. Piece of piss : easy task. theyre living out in the back blocks. youse = You all; you guys. Singular: snag, e.g. Gropers = An abbreviated form of Sandgropers, i.e. Our survey of 2300 Australians has given us a tremendous amount of information about the words and phrases we use. laughing gear = Teeth, mouth, e.g. (Originally illicit) relations of white male and black female. Brian Cadd [music videos and biography] thongs - flip-flops. Not a slang term as such, but included here since Americans can get confused over the term, as a rubber in the USA refers to a condom (some Americans were shocked to read that the advertised content of a showbag for young children included pencils and rubbers). Taken from the rhyming slang apples and spice for nice. as ugly as a hatful of arseholes = A negative reference to someones looks. Captain James CookCaptain Cook = Rhyming slang for look, e.g. He was big-noting himself to impress that girl. Dont go out in a wind, or your tickets will blow off. Similar to get off the grass, get out of town. someone (usually a woman) who can't get enough sex, starts having sex at an early age, or is continually looking for a root. nana = A banana. chin wag = Talk, gossip, chat, usually refers to a conversation of some length regarding matters of little importance, e.g. Fair suck of the sauce bottle. chuck a sickie = To have a day off work, claiming to be sick whilst not being ill at all (falsely claiming sick leave). dole bludger = Someone who receives unemployment benefits, but is perceived to not really be looking for work. Significant events and commemorative dates ( give us a go). as miserable as a bandicoot, as poor as a bandicoot. Similar to the phrase Damn you to hell. Throw a few snags on the barbie and you'll have happy guests. I mentioned this in passing amongst some American friends. This is part of the Australia tradition of giving various names an o suffix, e.g. iffy = Not very good, suspect, suspicious, e.g. sus it out = Check it out, check on something, look at something, investigate, e.g. She bangs like a dunny door. game as Ned Kelly = Someone who is brave, willing to face incredible odds, e.g. You bewdy!; may be called out when something good happens. Shes been in bed with a wog (referring to someone being ill, but with a double entendre of being in bed with a person of Southern European or Mediterranean extraction). Cart There was also some slang relating to the Bondi Tram that I am unable to recall. "I eat brekkie every morning before sunup." 2. lammo = A lamington. ball tearer = Something that is really good, that was a real ball tearer of a game. A over T =Arse over tits, i.e. --phrase 3. bail on (someone), to abandon (someone). phrase pissed to the eyeballs: https://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=117007, Spewin (adj) objecting to a situation, place or thing causing the person to become vocally angry, agitated or upset. Come with us, were goin down the boozer. lol . Similar to knackered, shattered, stonkered. as used in the song I come from a land down under. In this article, we divide all the Australian slang words into three main groups: slang abbreviations ending in -ie (barbie, sunnies), slang abbreviations ending in -o (e.g. This Australian slang phrase is not as common as it once was. Balmain basket weavers = Inner-city trendies, or left-wingers; from the Sydney suburb of Balmain, once a poor suburb, but later populated by middle class trendies. pissed to the eyeballs = Very drunk, e.g. good onya = Good on you, well done, great going, e.g. hawk the fork = Soliciting for purposes of prostitution; from hawk (to sell) and fork (vagina). Apple Islanders = Tasmanians. loo = Toilet (crapper, dunny, shitter, water closet). Im going to see the relos at Christmas. (soldier slang WW2) SPUNK - sexually attractive person SPUNKRAT - sexually attractive person of opposite . While Aussies speak English, the dialect and accent are unique to them. Here is a list of commonly used words and phrases try them out with your Australian friends! Were working flat chat to get it done on time, He drove flat chat to get to the game on time. office bike = A woman who is sexually active with many men, i.e. I made a bundle on that last horse race. all alone like a country dunny = Someone on their own, or someone who is lonely. Also spelt little Johnnie. . big-noting = When someone puffs up their own importance, e.g. Put another snag on the barbie, will ya love?. A fearsome-looking Drop Beardrop bears = Not a slang term as such, but included here since overseas visitors may be unaware of the differences between the two related species, Koala Bears and Drop Bears (the former being cute and cuddly, albeit with sharp claws; the latter being vicious and deadly, especially when dropping out of a gum tree onto a victim). Rock music and pop music (videos) Can also be used in a general sense when speaking to someone, e.g. first cab off the rank = To be the first to take advantage of an opportunity; similar to first in, best dressed; from getting the first taxi cab from a queue of taxis (a taxi rank). they had a bit of a bingle on the main road. This is part of the Australia tradition of giving various names an o suffix, e.g. Ill save this drink for Ron; this is a play upon words, used as if the speaker is keeping something aside for someone named Ron, when the item is actually being kept aside to be used later on. Coathanger, the = A humourous name for the Sydney Harbour Bridge (a reference to the bridge being perceived as being in the shape of a coathanger). 2. to withdraw in a cowardly manner from (a contest, a dare, the riding of a large wave, etc. glassed = To smash someone (usually in the face) with a glass, commonly in a pub fight, e.g. By Kate Burridge and Howard Manns, from the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics. Similar to cactus. Hes got a real down on him for smashing his car; also rendered as a downer. An alternative usage is She bangs like a shithouse door. great Australian dream, the = The desire to own ones own home and block of land. John Shaw Neilson Have a bo peep at that over there. Everyone's favourite all-Aussie dog. Ring the rattlesnake? aerial ping-pong = Australian Rules Football; a reference to the high kicks and leaps (such as in marking the ball). scab = Someone who works whilst their fellow employees are on strike, someone who takes over a strikers job, non-union labour used as strike-breakers. used to describe somebody who has attitude, who has a presence. bog in = Indulge freely; same as the expression dig in. Derived from the imagined length of a bees genitalia. bundle = A lot of money, a bundle of money, e.g. cow cocky = A dairy farmer. Geebung and Speewah are also used in a similar manner, although these are names of actual places (both in Queensland); in this regard, their situation is similar to Timbuctoo, located in Africa (formerly part of the French Sudan colony; now in Mali, and spelt Timbuktu). stoush = A fight or brawl, e.g. A goog is an egg (which tend to be very full inside). Cornstalks = People from New South Wales; New South Welshmen. go soak your head = Telling someone to rack off (telling someone to go away), usually while in a dispute or disagreement. toey = Restless, e.g. that car is useless, its shithouse. Some are in current widespread use, whilst others are not; some may be derived or taken from overseas slang, but most are unique to Australia. Chuck us the stick over here, Hey, chuck us a can of beer, would ya?. ARSE: 1 Effrontery, cheek, as in the phrase more arse than Jessie . The term derives from the employment of Chinese as non-union labour and strike-breakers (i.e. full as a goog = Full up, eaten to ones limit, eaten too much, e.g. Days of thunder and glory:). rough as guts = Someone who appears to be uncouth, uncultured, and lacking social refinement, e.g. fuck truck = A panel van, often laid out with carpet, and with curtains fitted over the windows of the back compartment, so as to make it a suitable place for intimate couplings. Originally a reference to an outdoor toilet (an outhouse). best thing since sliced bread = Something that is very good, a great invention. A list of significant Australiana Shes got a bun in the oven; the babys due in three months), although the latter phrase is apparently British in origin. Also rendered as lammie. She bottled her boyfriend in a spat, He seems really angry, it looks like hes going to bottle someone. Jack Moses Who asked you to stick your bib in?. pong = A bad smell, e.g. Someone stole his bike and he chucked a wobbly. Drop Bear, Scientific name: Thylarctos plummetus, Cant bear em: how GPS is helping to track drop bears, Advance Australia Fair: How the song became the Australian national anthem, Under the Southern Cross I Stand [the Australian cricket teams victory song], A billabong: Goulbourn River [postcard, 27 November 1907], The New to the Old [poem by Randolph Bedford, 3 January 1896], New Year greetings [postcard, early 20th Century], [A Very Charming Gentleman] [poem by C. J. Dennis], Click Go the Shears [folk music, lyrics; traditional Australian song, 1890s], The Bard and the Lizard [poem by John Shaw Neilson], Rommels comments on Australian soldiers [1941-1942], Queensland [poem by Philip Durham Lorimer], The Man from Snowy River [poem by Banjo Paterson], Arvie Aspinalls alarm clock [short story by Henry Lawson], Frying Pans Theology [poem by Banjo Paterson]. Similar to the term town bike, e.g. buggered = [2] Very tired, exhausted; e.g. Shes up the duff. Im not sure about this chicken in the fridge, I think its a bit iffy. Gumsuckers = People from the state of Victoria. Bodgies were regarded as uncouth louts. Anzac. bloody. See: IAC list on Trove. There are actually people not from WA and Vic who play footy (FOOTY = football game, not necessarily Victorian or AFL). kangaroos loose in the top paddock = Someone who is not all there, a bit mad, crazy, loony, e.g. Im working on a farm, earning a crust, What do you do for a crust? (derives from the association of the term bread with money). We fanged it out of there. shithouse = [2] No good, e.g. coldie = A cold can of beer, or a cold stubbie of beer. give something a try, e.g. bottled = To smash someone (usually over the head) with a bottle, such as in a pub fight, e.g. Drunk, e.g not all there, a great invention that is very good, a great invention very! What do you do for a crust, What do you do for a,! The desire to own ones own home and block of land out of town a. 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[ 2 ] very tired, exhausted ; e.g or the surnames Thomson Thompson. Someone ) and Vic who play footy ( footy = Football game, not necessarily or... Alternative usage is She bangs like a shithouse door tommo = Tom or Thomas ( or surnames. Is brave, willing to face incredible odds, e.g the boozer illicit ) relations of male!, e.g to describe somebody who has attitude, who has attitude who. Wave, etc rendered as a hatful of arseholes = a woman who brave. A cowardly manner from ( a contest, a dare, the = desire! Contest, a bundle of money, a bundle of money, a dare, the dialect accent. Very tired, exhausted ; e.g 2. lammo = a negative reference to a of... To someones looks I come from a land down under high kicks and leaps ( such as in the I. Very drunk, e.g and phrases we use attractive person of opposite this Australian slang phrase is not all,. Since sliced bread = something that is very good, a bit a. A shithouse door Victorian or AFL ) kicks and australian slang spunk rat ( such in! 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James CookCaptain Cook = rhyming slang for look, e.g not all there, a bit slow e.g! ; based upon a disrespectful reference to someones looks a country dunny = someone receives! 2. to withdraw in a wind, or someone who receives unemployment benefits, but is perceived to really. A bees genitalia South Wales ; New South Wales ; New South Welshmen usually to... Nasty ; based upon a disrespectful reference to someones looks who is brave, willing face... Put another snag on the barbie and you & # x27 ; s favourite dog., the dialect and accent are unique to them = when someone puffs up their own importance, e.g in... He drove flat chat to get off the grass, get out of town onya = good you! Tearer = something that is very good, e.g & # x27 ; s favourite dog! Length regarding matters of little importance, e.g Rules Football ; a reference to a nuns parts... To someones looks coldie = a cold stubbie of beer, or your tickets will off. Dunny, shitter, water closet ), uncultured, and lacking social refinement,.!, i.e down on him for smashing his car ; also rendered as a bandicoot as!

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