Australian dictionary - Australian language / Aussie lingo

Microsoft has announced that it will include quintessential Aussie words, including g'day, sickie, jackaroo, dag, dinky-di, ute, sanga, wuss and cooee, in its 2007 version of Microsoft Office System.

Note that some words below are only listed so you know what they mean in case you hear them, but we do not recommend their use.

Abo - Aborigine. This word is NOT politically correct, you should not use it but at least now you know what it means in case you hear it. In a country full of ambos, avos, garbos, milkos, lilos, journos, biros, musos, servos, salvos, regos, thingos and preggo sheilas, it is a somewhat understandable abbreviation but be aware that it is an offensive word and we do not encourage its use, but at least now you know what it means if you hear it.
Amber fluid - beer.
Ambo - someone who works on an ambulance.
Ankle biter - small child.
Arvo - afternoon.
Aussie - resident of Australia, Australia itself or to describe something as Australian: the Aussie barbie.
Aussie salute - waving away flies with your hand.
Avos - avocados.

Blimey! These blokes on a bender in the big smoke watch some blotto boofhead having a beaut bingle

Bail (someone) up - to corner somebody physically
Bananabender - resident of Queensland.
Barbie - barbeque.
Barney - fight.
Barrack - to cheer on (football team etc.) In other countries the equivalent is 'rooting' for your team, do not say this in Australia or people will think you're a bit strange, as rooting in Australia means having sex!
Bathers - swimming costume.
Beanie - woollen hat.

Bender - prolonged heavy drinking session.
Beaut - really great result.
Biffo - fight.
Big bikkies - lots of money .
Big smoke - the city.
Bikkie - biscuit.
Billabong - water hole / pond / small lake.
Billy - large tin can used to boil water over a campfire for tea.
Bingle - car accident.
Biro - pen, ballpoint.
Bities - biting insects.
Bizzo - business
Blackfella - another word for Aborigine. Some Aborigines refer to people as blackfellas and whitefellas, while they use these words it is not usually appreciated if white people use them, so avoid the use of this one.
Blast from the past - when you unexpectedly get a phonecall from an ex-lover you have not heard from for ages.
Blimey, Charlie - Stone the Crows!
Blind mullett - turd, what you find floating in the ocean near a sewerage outfall.
Bloke - man.
Bloody oath, mate! - yes, that is correct / yes, I agree with you.
Blotto - very drunk.
Bludger - lazy person.
Blue - fight ("they were having a bit of a blue ") / make a mistake.
Blue/Bluey : Someone with red hair.
Boardies - board shorts (for surfing).
Boatie - person that likes boating.
Bog - mud (cars that get stuck in the mud are 'bogged') - bog is also filler that you use to hide dents and scratches on your car or gyprock walls.
Bogroll - Roll of toilet paper.
Bogan - scary member of the underclass who wears a black t-shirt, a mullett hairdo and drives a V-8
Bondi cigar - floating turd, this term dates back from times before Sydney improved its sewerage management.
Bonza - really good!
Boofhead - idiot.
Boomer - kangaroo.
Boong - If you find yourself in the company of rednecks you may hear the words 'coon' or 'boong', these are very derogatory terms, even worse than calling an Afro-American a nigger, and you should definitely not use them, but at least now you know what they mean now in case you hear them, and you can move on to find better company.
Bored shitless - very bored.
Boss - the wife. When an Aussie bloke has to consult his wife before making a decision he'll say; I'll go and ask the boss.
Bottle shop - liquor shop.
Bottle-o - liquor shop.
Bottler - as in "you beauty bottler" - really great result.
B & S Ball - Ball held for Bachelors and Spinsters, singles crowd, often held in the bush or
remote location and often involving copious amounts of alcohol and sometimes mud!
Breatho - police set up by roadside to check on drink drivers.
Brekkie - breakfast.
Brick shit house, built like a - big strong bloke.
Brickie - brick layer.
Brissie/Brizzie - Brisbane, state capital of Queensland, note Brisbane is pronounced as Brisb'n, not Bris-bane like plane.
Brumby - a wild horse.
Buck's night : stag party, male get together the night before the wedding, often involving copious amounts of alcohol, practical jokes and strippers.
Buckley's, Buckley's chance - no chance ("New Zealand stands Buckley's of beating Australia at football") .
Budgie smugglers - speedos.
Bugger - originally used to refer to two men having sexual intercourse and was the B word instead of the modern day F word. 'Bugger' is now often used as 'bummer' meaning 'what a shame', a few years ago a Toyota TV commercial drew some criticism from older people for repeating the word 'bugger' about 25 times in half a minute. Something that is broken can be 'buggered' and someone can tell you to 'bugger off' and a person who has bad luck can be described as 'a poor bugger'.
Bugger all - F#*k all, Sweet FA, not much, very little.
Bull bar - strong steel bar or frame fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it from the impact of hitting kangaroos. Only bullbars on road trains actually protect against bulls.
Bundy - short for Bundaberg in Queensland, and for the rum that is made there. Bundy'nCoke is a popular drink.
Bunyip - mythical Australian creature with a piercing cry
Burl - attempt, try.
Bush bashing - four wheel driving, off roading, driving where there are no roads. ( More recently this term has also started to mean critisizing the US president George W. Bush, which has become internationally popular, and not without reason.)
Bushie - someone who lives in the bush.
Bushpig - very unattractive adult female.
Bushranger - highwayman (eg. Ned Kelly.)
Bush telegraph - 'grapevine', word-of-mouth.
Bushtucker - food gathered from nature, in the outback.
Bushwalking - hiking in the bush.
BYO - Bring Your Own alcohol.

Cab Sav - Cabernet Sauvignon wine
Cabbie - taxi driver
Cackleberry - an egg.
Cancer stick - a cigarette.
Cark it - to die, stop functioning.
Cask - boxed wine in a bladder.
Chinwag - conversation.
Chippie - carpenter.
Choof off - leave, depart.
Chunder - vomit.
Chook - chicken.
Chrissie - Christmas (Chrissy pressies - christmas presents).
Ciggie - cigarette.
Clayton's - fake, substitute.
Click - kilometre - "it's 10 clicks down the road".
Clucky - feeling broody or maternal.
Cobber - friend / mate.
Cockie - farmer, cockatoo or cockroach.
Cockroach - a person from New South Wales.
Coldie - a beer.
Compo - Workers Compensation pay.
Comfy - comfortable.
Cook up a storm - Cook up a really nice or elaborate dinner.
Cooee - a call used to find someone lost in the bush, a place can be 'within cooee of..'
Coon - If you find yourself in the company of rednecks you may hear the words 'coon' or 'boong', these are very derogatory terms, even worse than calling an Afro-American a nigger, and you should definitely not use them, but at least now you know what they mean now in case you hear them, and you can move on to find better company. The Coon cheese you may see in the shop is named after American doctor Edward William Coon who patented a process for the accelerated ripening of natural, unprocessed cheese in 1926 and has absolutely nothing to do with Australian Aborigines.
Cop - police officer.
Copshop - police station.
Corker - something that is real beaut.
Corroboree - an Aboriginal gathering/dance festival.
Counter lunch - pub lunch.
Country cousins - euphemistic term for Aboriginals.
Cozzie - swimming costume.
Crack onto (someone) - to hit on someone, pursue someone romantically.
Cranky - in a bad mood, angry, grumpy.
Crash - Go to sleep, often at someone else's house!
Crim - criminal.
Croc - crocodile.
Crook - can mean criminal ( he is a crook) or indicate someone not feeling well ( I'm a bit crook, mate).
Croweater - resident of South Australia.
Cuppa - cup of tea.
Cushie - to have it easy, a cushie job.
Cut lunch - sandwiches.

This Dinky Di dero is driving the porcelain bus in this Down Under dunny

Dag - a funny person, nerd, goof.
Daks - trousers.
Damper - bread made from flour and water.
Dead as a dodo - very dead or boring.
Deadset - true, the truth.
Dero - tramp, hobo, homeless person (from "derelict").
Dickhead - an idiot.
Digger - an Australian soldier.
Dill - an idiot.
Ding - a wog in Western Australia.
Dinkum, fair dinkum -: true, real, genuine ("I'm a dinkum Aussie"; "is he fair dinkum?") .
Dinkie-di - the real thing, genuine.
Dipstick - a loser, idiot.
Dig in, mate! - Bon appetit!
Dingo girl - Refers to waking up after a drunken night with your arms around a particularly ugly female and rather than wake her up by pulling your arm out from underneath her you chew your arm off like trapped dingoes do and quietly disappear.
Dishpig - person that washes the dishes in a restaurant.
Ditch - "The ditch' is the water that separates Australia from New Zealand.
Ditch the bitch - break up with your girlfriend.
Dizzy - the distributor in your car.
Dob (somebody) in - inform on somebody.
Docket - a bill, receipt.
Doco - documentary.
Dog - unattractive woman.
Dog's balls, stands out like - bloody obvious.
Dole - social security.
Dole bludger - somebody lazy voluntarily on social security.
Donga - demountable/transportable building.
Donk - car engine.
Doona - duvet, quilt.
Down Under - Australia and New Zealand.
Drink with the flies - to drink alone.
Driving the porcelain bus - to vomit into the toiletbowl while holding the bowl with both hands, similar to a steering wheel.
Drongo - a dopey, stupid person.
Dropkick - a dipstick.
Dummy, spit the - get very angry about something.
Dunny - outhouse or toilet.

Earbashing - nagging, non-stop chatter.
EFTPOS - Electronic Funds Transfer at Point Of Sale; pay for goods with your bank card or make cash withdrawals at shops from your Australian bank account.
Ekka - the Brisbane Exhibition, an annual show.
Esky - large insulated food/drink container for picnics, barbecues etc. , also very handy to sit on at parties.
Exy - expensive.

These fair dinkum fruitloops in Freo are pretty full after a fortnight flatout drinking like a lizard

Fair dinkum - true, genuine.
Fair go - a chance ("give a bloke a fair go").
Fairy floss - candy floss, cotton candy.
Fantastic plastic - credit card.
Feral - a hairy, unclean looking hippie.
Firie - member of the fire brigade.
Five-finger discount - act of shoplifting.
Fix up - to pay someone money you owe them/ to repair something/ a doctor to heal you.
Flake - shark meat in fish & chips.
Flat out as a lizard drinking - very busy.
Flick - to give something or somebody the flick is to get rid of it/him/her.
Foodie - person interested in fine foods.
Footie - regional term for either Australian Rules Football, or Rugby League or Union!
Fossick - to prospect, e.g. for gold.
Fortnight - two week period.
Fremantle Doctor - the cooling afternoon breeze that arrives in Perth from the direction of Freo.
Freo - Fremantle in Western Australia.
Frog - resident of France.
Fruit loop - fool.
F%*k all - bugger all, not much, very little.
Full - drunk.

Bob Brown is one of Australia's best known greenies,
Goodonya for saving the Franklin River!

Garbo - garbage collector.
Genny - generator (petrol or diesel powered device to generate electricity).
G'Day or G'day mate - hello! This is a traditional Aussie greeting, but made even more popular by Aussie actor Paul Hogan in the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee.
Glassie - the person that walks around the pub to collect empty glasses.
Go for it - try it / do it / also used instead of the international 'Bon Appetit' for which Australia has no alternative of its own, (other than 'Dig in mate!').
Going off - used of a night spot or party that is a lot of fun - "the place was really going off". Also "she went off at him" meaning she gave him a good telling off.
Good oil - useful information, a good idea, the truth.
Good onya - good for you, well done.
Going troppo - mental health problems due to excessive heat, common in Darwin in summer time.
Gone walkabout - traditionally an Aboriginal person going bush for spiritual reasons, now also used to refer to anyone disappearing for a while.
Green can - term for VB beer.
Greenie - environmentally minded person.
Grog - booze, alcohol.
Grog shop - licensed outlet selling alcohol.
Grommet - young surfer.
Grotty - run-down, dirty.
Grouse - very good, cool!
Grumblebum - complainer.

After heaps of hard yakka, hoons hit the grog and have a handle at this hotel

Half your luck - congratulations!
Handle - beer glass with a handle.
Hanging for a banging - sexually aroused, looking for a sexual encounter.
Hard yakka - hard work.
Hard yards - hard work, training.
Heart-starter - first alcoholic drink of the day, sometimes first cigarette.
Heaps - a lot, e.g. "thanks heaps", "(s)he earned heaps of money" etc.
Heave - to vomit.
Hit the frog and toad - let's go / let's depart.
Hit the grog - Start drinking.
Hit the piss - Start drinking.
Holy dooley! - an exclamation of surprise like "Good heavens!", "My goodness!" or"Good grief!"
Hoon - someone with fast and careless driving style.
Hooroo - goodbye.
Hotel - often just a pub, not necessarily a place to sleep, although there's often a couple of rooms to rent.
Humongous - ginormous.
Humpie - shack or temporary home in the bush.

I could eat the ass out of a low flying duck but am too busy watching the idiot box
so I'll click the logo above to order some takeaway food online now!

I could eat the ass out of a low flying duck - I am very hungry!
Icy pole, ice block - popsicle, lollypop.
Idiot box - television.
If it's got tits or wheels, sooner or later you're gonna have problems with it. - Confucius might have supplied the Chinese with lots of ancient eternal wisdoms but the Aussies have created some of their own.

Jackaroo : a male station hand, a (cattle or sheep) station is a big farm/grazing property.
Jaffle - toasted sandwich.
Jaffle iron - camping tool, used to make a toasted sandwich.
Jillaroo : a female station hand.
Jocks - mens underpants.
Joe Blow - Mr. Average.
Joey - baby kangaroo, koala or any marsupial.
Journo - journalist.
Jumbuck - sheep.

This sheila with nice knockers will need to look for a kindie soon as she has been knocked up.

Kelpie - Australian sheepdog originally bred from Scottish collie.
Kero - kerosene.
Kicked the bucket - died.
Kindie - kindergarten, pre-school.
Kiwi - either a resident of New Zealand or a Chinese gooseberry (nowadays marketed as kiwi fruit) or a small endangered bird native to New Zealand.
Knock - to criticise.
Knock back - refusal (they knocked it back).
Knocked up - Made pregnant ( he knocked her up).
Knocker - somebody who criticises a lot.
Knockers - woman's breasts.
Knuckle sandwich - A punch!
Kraut - resident of Germany.

Lamington - small square of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing, and dessicated coconut.
Larrikin - a bloke who is always behaving silly.
Lay-by - store system of paying for goods in instalments. Also an attractive person (usually male) who is not old enough for sex yet, or where there is a big age gap
Lend of, to have a - to take advantage of somebody's gullibility, to have someone on ("he's having a lend of you").
Lippy - lipstick.
Lilo - Air mattress.
Liquid lunch - drinking beer at lunchtime.
Longneck - tall bottle of beer, 750ml or 26oz.
Lucky Country, The - Australia.

Mexican muso Felicia Meric finished playing and looks forward to a middy

Maccas - McDonald's (hamburgers).
Make tracks - let's go; let's make some tracks.
Map of Tassie - vagina, as the patch of pubic hair on a female resembles the shape of Tassie ( Tasmania).
Mate - this word is used heaps, no worries mate, thanks mate, f##k off mate, its uses are endless.!
Check out this little instruction movie on how to use the word mate;

Mate's rates - cheaper than usual price for a "friend".
Metho - methylated spirits.
Mexican - the meaning of this one varies from state to state, in New South Wales it means Victorians and in Queensland it refers to anyone who lives south of the Queensland border.
Middy : 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales.
Milk bar - corner shop that sells takeaway food.
Milko - milkman.
Missus - female partner/ wife /girlfriend.
Mob - group of people.
Mob - family or group of kangaroos.
Mongrel - despicable person.
Mozzie - mosquito.
Mudmap - map drawn in dirt on the ground or a quick sketch on a bit of paper.
Mull - grass (the kind you smoke).
Muso - musician.
Muster - round up sheep or cattle.

Naughty (having a) - having a root, sexual intercourse.
Never Never - the Outback, centre of Australia.
Nipper - young surf lifesaver.
No worries - frequently used expression usually meaning you're welcome, it's OK , don't worry about it, bye bye, basically endless situations where you can use it.
Nuddy, in the - naked.

Ocker - a yobbo, an unsophisticated person, or a redneck.
Off her tits - she is very drunk.
Off his face -he or she is very drunk.
Offsider - an assistant, helper.
Old Girl - mother.
Old Lady - wife.
Old Man - father.
Oldies - parents - "I'll have to ask my oldies".
On the blink - broken / rooted / not working.
On the nose - smelly.
Outback - interior of Australia.
Oz - Australia!

Pommie piss artists playing sillly buggers pissing their money up the wall drinking pints and pots getting pissed in Aussie pub. Don't put the pedal to the metal on the way home in your panelvan, the pigs might get you or you'll risk a prang and you'll be pushing up daisies.

Panelvan - A car like a station wagon but with the rear part being just a bit higher and usually without windows it made it a very practical vehicle for tradesmen to throw all the tools and stuff in and also became the vehicle of choice for hoons, usually with big V8 engines and wide tires. As there was plenty of room for a mattress in the back teenagers found the panelvan offered a hundred times more privacy and comfort than a backseat in a normal car and the panelvan developed a few nick names like 'sinbin' , 'shaggawagon' , 'f%*# truck' and 'root ute' and was often decorated with a sticker announcing 'if this van is rockin', don't bother knockin'.
Pedal to the metal - driving very fast with accelarator pedal down on the floor.
Perve (noun & verb) - looking lustfully at the opposite sex.
Piece of piss - easy task.
Pig - police officer.
Pig's arse! -: I don't agree with you, opposite of 'bloody oath mate'!
Pint - large glass of beer (esp. in South Australia).
Piss - beer. Hence "hit the piss", "sink some piss" , to order more beer; more piss, Miss!
Piss artist - someone who drinks a lot of piss.
Pissed - Americans are pissed when they are angry, in Australia this word means drunk, when Australians get angry they are "pissed off'.
Pissed it up the wall - wasted it.
Pissed off - Angry, unhappy with something. Can also be used to indicate someone's departure; he has pissed off - he has left, he's gone. Or to dispose of something or someone.
Pisshead - someone who drinks a lot of piss.
Pissup - a gathering where a lot of piss or other alcohol is being consumed.
Playing sillybuggers - waste time, mess around. Bob Hawke confused the hell out of the translator of Malaysia's Prime Minister by using this term.
Please explain... - Pauline Hanson's trademark expression. (see politicians page)
Plonk - cheap wine.
Pokies - poker machines, fruit machines, gambling slot machines.
Pollie - politician.
Pom, pommy, pommie - an English person.
Pommie bastard - an English person.
Pommie shower - spraying a bit of deodorant instead of taking a shower.
Poofter - homosexual man.
Postie - postman.
Pot - 285 ml beer glass in Queensland and Victoria, also marijuana ( geez, we smoked some good pot, man!)
Pozzie - position - get a good pozzy at the football stadium. In photography; give us a pozzy/possie!
Prang - car accident.
Preggo - pregnant.
Prezzie - present, gift.
Pub - bar
Pushie - pushbike, bicycle.
Pushing up daisies - carked it / dead and buried.

Queer - homosexual person or behaviour.
Quid, make a - earn a living - "are you making a quid?"
Not the full quid - stupid.

Rack off - push off! get lost! get out of here! also "rack off hairy legs!".
Rage - party.
Rage on - to continue partying - "we raged on until 3am".
Rapt - pleased, delighted.
Ratbag - mild insult.
Rats ass - I couldn't give a rats ass! I don't care!
Raw prawn, to come the - to bullshit, to be generally disagreeable.
Reckon! - I reckon! you bet! Absolutely! I reckon that...- I think that...
Reffo - refugee.
Rego - car registration.
Rellies - relatives.
Ripper - great, fantastic - "it was a ripper party"
Ripper, you little! -: Exclamation of delight or as a reaction to good news.
Road train - big truck with many trailers.
Rock up - to turn up, to arrive - "we rocked up at their house at 8pm".
Rollie - cigarette you roll yourself.
Roo - kangaroo.
Root - sexual intercourse.
Rooted - sexual intercourse (Bruce rooted Mary), tired (I'm rooted, mate!) , broken (that car's rooted, mate!)
Rort (verb or noun) -: Cheating, fiddling, defrauding (expenses, the system etc.). Usually used of politicians
Rotten - drunk - "I went out last night and got rotten".
Rotto - Rottnest Island in W.A.
R.S.L. - Returned Services League-Social club, good place to play pool or have a counter lunch, originally only for returned soldiers but as they gradually all died and no new wars were fought for a while they emptied out to the point that all of the public was invited to fill the bars again.
Rubbish (verb) - to criticize.

Strewth, what a spunk, I'll shout her a schooner, I'd be stoked if I can shag her in my sinbin

Salute, Aussie - brushing flies away.
Salvos, the - Salvation Army.
Sandgroper - a person from Western Australia.
Sanger - a sandwich.
Sambo - a sandwich.
Sandgroper - resident of Western Australia.
Schooner - large beer glass in Queensland; medium beer glass in South Australia.
Scorcher - a very hot day.
Scratchy - instant lottery ticket.
Screamer - party lover; "two pot screamer" - somebody who gets drunk on very little alcohol.
Screenie - someone who likes to watch heaps of movies.
Seppo - can mean both septic tank or American person (as both are deemed to be full of shit).
Servo - service station or petrol station.
Session - having a few drinks with some friends that lasts for an extended period.
Shag - see root.
Shaggawagon - see panel van.
Sheila - girl, woman.
She'll be right - it will be OK.
Shonky - dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky practice, shonky business etc.
Shoot through - to leave.
Shout - turn to buy a round of drinks ("it's your shout").
Shout - buy a round of drinks.
Sickie - taking a day off being sick ( usually a hangover)
Sinbin - see panel van.
Sixpack short of a carton - that bloke is a sixpack short of a carton - he is a bit stupid.

Slash - to urinate.
Smoko - work break, even non-smokers have smoko, it just means stop to eat or have a coffee.
Snag -a sausage or Sensitive new Age Guy.
Sook - person or animal who is soft, tame, inoffensive. Hence sooky (adj.)
Spag bol - spaghetti bolognese, according to research by Dr. Adele Wessell, a historian at Southern Cross University, this is what Aussies most often cook at home!
Sparkie - electrician.
Spewin' - very angry.
Spiffy, pretty spiffy -great, excellent.
Spit the dummy - get very upset at something.
Spruiker - man who stands outside a nightclub or restaurant trying to persuade people to enter.
Sprung - caught doing something wrong.
Spunk - a good looking person (of either sex).
Squiz - having a look at something, have a squiz at it.
Starkers - naked.
Station - a big farm/grazing property.
Stickybeak - nosy person.
Stoked - very pleased.
Strewth - exclamation, mild oath ("Strewth, that Chris is a bonzer bloke").
Strides - trousers.
Strine - Australian slang and pronunciation.
Stone the crows! - Bloody hell! Jesus Christ!
Stubby - bottle of beer, usually 375 ml. but over 2 litres in the Northern Territory.
Stubby holder - polystyrene insulated holder for a stubby.
Stuffed, I'm stuffed mate! - I'm tired.
Stuffed, I'll be - expression of surprise.
Sunbake - sunbathe.
Sunnies - sunglasses.
Surfies : people who go surfing - usually more often than they go to work!
Stubbies - brand of shorts worn by man, often as workwear. Also a beerbottle as described below.
Swag - Green canvas bedroll, previously carried by bushmen but now often seen tied on the back of utes.
Sweet FA - Sweet F#*k all, bugger all, not much, very little.

Too right! The true-blue troopy is better than a Toorak tractor to tow the tinny from Tassie to the Top End

T.A.B .- Totalisator Agency Board - betting shop, mainly for horse racing.
Tall poppies - successful people.
Tall poppy syndrome - the habit of criticizing successful people.
Tart yourself up - to go and apply your make-up.
Tasmaniac - resident of Tassie.
Tassie - Tasmania.
Technicolour yawn - chunder/vomit.
Tee-up - to set up (an appointment).
Thingo : Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit.
Thongs - not underwear like in the U.S. but rubber footwear also known as flip-flops. You need to know this as some bars have signs "No Thongs" on the door, there is no need to remove your undies before entering the bar.
Tinny - either a can of beer or an aluminium fishing boat.
Togs - swim suit.
Too right! - definitely!
Toorak tractor - refers to four wheel drive vehicles that never leave the city, Toorak is an expensive suburb in Melbourne where pricey Range Rovers are commonly used to do super market shopping.
Top End - far north of Australia.
Trackie daks/dacks - tracksuit pants.
Trackies - track suit.
Troopy - Toyota Troopcarrier, model of four wheel drive that seats at least eight people.
Truckie - truck driver.
True blue - patriotic.
Tucker - food.
Tucker-bag - food bag.
Tuck shop - canteen where students buy food at school.
Turps - turpentine, alcoholic drink.
Turps, hit the - go on a drinking binge.
Two up -: gambling game played by spinning two coins simultaneously.

U-ie - U-turn.
Uni - university.
Unit - flat, apartment.
Up himself / herself - have a high opinion of yourself /"he's really up himself".
Up shit creek without a paddle - having a problem, being stuck.
Up somebody, get - to rebuke somebody /"the boss got up me for being late" .
Useful as an ashtray on a motorbike / tits on a bull - unhelpful or incompetent person or thing /"he, she or it is about as useful as tits on a bull" etc.
Ute - car with open back, like a pick-up truck in the U.S.

Vegies - vegetables.
Vee dub - Volkswagen.
Veg out - relax in front of the TV.
Vego - vegetarian.
Vinnie's - St. Vincent De Paul's (charity thrift stores and hostels).

Welcome to Woop Woop

Waggin' school - not attending school.
Walkabout : a walk in the Outback by Aborigines that lasts for an indefinite amount of time.
Walkabout, it's gone : it's lost, can't be found.
Wedgie - yanking someone's underpants upwards to force their underwear to bunch up in their bum-crack. Amusing for the perpetrator but not for the victim. Some poorly designed underwear does this spontaneously.
Whacker, whacka : Idiot/ somebody who talks drivel/ somebody with whom you have little patience/ a dickhead
Whacko the diddle-o - you beauty
Whacko - exclamation of happiness, when something exceeds expectations in it's success.
Wharfie - dock-worker.
Whinge - complain, especially English people have a reputation for this, hence the often heard expression 'whingeing Pom'.

White ants - refers to termites that like to eat houses but a biologist can tell you termites and ants are in no way related and are completely different animals.

Whitefella - another word for white (Caucasian) people. Some Aborigines refer to people as blackfellas and whitefellas, while they use these words it is not usually appreciated if white people use them, so avoid the use of this one.
White pointers : the breasts of a woman sunbathing topless who obviously does not do this on a regular basis.
Wing nut - person with prominent ears.
Within cooee - within shouting distance.
What size donk you got mate? When you have engine trouble the outback mechanic might ask you for the size of your car engine (donk), not to be confused with dong.
Wobbly - excitable explosive behaviour ("He threw a wobbly").
Woftam - Waste Of F#*%ing Time And Money, see some woftams here.
Wog - derogatory term for immigrant from Italy or Greece but also used to vaguely describe sickness (in bed with a wog- probably flue or cold).
Work - something you gotta do at times so you can afford to go to the pub.
Woop Woop - non existing place used to describe a very remote place, made even more famous in the movie 'Welcome to Woop Woop'.
Wowser - straight-laced person, prude, puritan, spoilsport.
Wuss - coward/ nervous person or animal.

Yabbie - small freshwater crayfish.
Yakka - work, that's hard yakka mate!
Yewy - u-turn in traffic ("chuck a yewy at the next traffic lights").
Yank - American person.
Yank tank - Large American car.
Yobbo - Male person who is usually dressed in blue singlet, pair of stubbies, thongs (if not barefoot) and spends most of his time drinking, fishing, being loud- and foulmouthed, watching the footy and usually drives an old ute or V8 panel van too fast with swag in the back and beercans on the floor. Could also be a redneck.
Youse - you (plural), instead of 'have you guys got any beers cold' say 'hey, youse got any beer cold'?
Yowie - Aussie version of the mythical Bigfoot, the teribble snowman etc.

Zeds - Sleep; 'stack some Zzzz's'
Zilch - nothing.
Zillions - lots and lots, where millions could not express it.
Zonked - exhausted.

Aussie Lingo Exam

When you can say the following phrase: 'Bonza Ocker Bottler Beaut, Corker Whacko Didgeridoo Cobber Mate' you are on your way to speaking like a real Aussie.

Australian Radio Alphabet

The Americans have forced their radio alphabet on the rest of the world but we prefer this Aussie radio alphabet;

Radio alphabet copyright of Amazingaustralia.com.au, but may be republished on your site with acknowledgement, and may be used at any time in radio communications, at own risk.

A final word of advice

In certain situations and areas it may be helpful to include the infamous F#*#! word at least once or twice in every sentence and also to finish at least half your sentences with 'mate' at the end so people understand you better.
It will make communication easier in for example; outback pubs, barbeques and parties where you see lots of blue singlets around you. It is up to you to judge when to do this.
In major cities this is not necessary and, at for instance Sydney cocktail parties, it is definitely not a good idea to do this.

If you are interested in learning real Aussie lingo buy yourself an Aussie phrase book!

Latest developments in Aussie language;

Billabonk - to make passionate love in or beside a waterhole.
Bludgie - a partner who doesn't work but is kept as a pet.
Dodgeridoo - a fake indigenous artefact.
Fair drinkum - good quality Aussie wine.
Flatypus - a cat which has been run over by a car.
Mateshit - all your flatmate's belongings lying strewn around the floor.
Shagman - an unemployed male roaming the Australian bush in search of sexual activity.
Yabble - the unintelligible language of Australian freshwater crustaceans.
Bushwanker - a pretentious drongo who reckons he's above average when it comes to handling himself in the scrub.
Shornbag - a particularly attractive naked sheep.
Technicolour lawn - the front yard after a rave party.

Computer terminology from Australian language;

Most people are unaware how many Australian words are used in other languages, below is a list of words that have been in use in Australia for centuries and that are nowadays adopted by computer users all over the world;

Log On - Make the barbecue hotter
Log Off - The barbecue is too hot
Monitor - Keeping an eye on the barbecue
Download - Get the firewood off the ute
Hard drive - Trip back home without any cold tinnies
Floppy Disc - What you get lifting too much firewood at once
Keyboard - Where you hang the ute and bike keys
Window - What you shut when it's cold
Screen - What you shut in the mosquito season
Byte - What mosquitoes do
Bit - What mosquitoes did
Mega Byte - What Townsville mosquitoes do
Chip - A bar snack
Micro Chip - What's left in the bag after you have eaten the chips
Modem - What you did to the lawns
Dot Matrix - Old Dan Matrix's wife
Laptop - Where the cat sleeps
Software - Plastic knives and forks you get at Big Rooster
Hardware - Real stainless steel knives and forks from K Mart
Mouse - What eats the grain in the shed
Mainframe - What holds the shed up
Web - What spiders make
Web Site - The shed or under the verandah
Cursor - The old bloke who swears a lot
Search Engine - What you do when the ute won't go
Yahoo - What you say when the ute does go
Upgrade - A steep hill
Server - The person at the pub who brings out the counter lunch
Mail Server - The bloke at the pub that brings out the counter lunch
User - The neighbour who keeps borrowing things
Network - When you have to repair your fishing net
Internet - Complicated fish net repair method
Netscape - When fish manoeuvres out of reach of net
Online - When you get the laundry hung out
Offline - When the pegs don't hold the washing up

Link to our online Aussie dictionary !

Put one of the cool animated banners below on your site that link directly to our online Aussie dictionary so your visitors can learn the lingo ! Paste the codes below into your HTML and the image will be served from our server and link directly to the dictionary. The link opens a new window so surfers will be returned to your site when they're finished reading.

Do you run a Dutch website? Put this banner on your site that links to our Aussie - Dutch dictionary !!

Do you run a German website? Put this banner on your site that links to our Aussie - German dictionary !!

Have you heard any amazing Aussie lingo? Then tell us!

Amazing Australian language

Aussie Dictionary - Aussie Radio Alphabet - New Language Developments - Aussie Computer Terms - Put An Aussie Dictionary On Your Site

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