The Ultimate Guide to Aussie Slang

Living down under and the local lingo (language) is confusing?

Relax, we’ve put together this ultimate guide to Aussie slang!

The Australian lifestyle is relaxed and this is reflected in Australian speech. Aussies love to abbreviate words, the obvious example university becomes “uni”and slang words are also created by adding “o” at the end – even if it makes the word longer. Righto then, what else?

A modern trend is for Aussies to abbreviate the word and then also add an ‘s’ to the end, for example awkward becomes “awks”, or even affixing an ‘ie’ on the end – think “Selfie”

That’s right, the term “Selfie” was introduced to the world by an Aussie uni student!

In fact, Australians have been shortening words creating an Australian English since the 1800s. So, it’s not a modern laziness, rather a tradition.

Impress your flat mates with your Aussie lingo!

We totes (totally) get it! Abbreviated words create familiar friendly feels. Uncover the explanations for the below comprehensive guide to Aussie slang words, listed alphabetically by categories:

Aussie Slang – Places (A-Z)

• Bottle-O – bottle shop
• Bowlo – lawn bowls
• Brisvegas – Brisbane
• Brizzie – Brisbane
• City of Churches – Adelaide
• City of Lights – Perth
• Ekka – annual Brisbane Exhibition Show
• Footy – any game of football (soccer, rugby, rugby league or even Aussie rules AFL!)
• Freo – Fremantle
• Garden State – Victoria
• Maccas – McDonalds (even Maccas uses this one now!)
• Melbs – Melbourne
• RSL – Returned Services League
• Servo – Petrol service station
• ‘Straya – Australia
• Sydneysider – Someone living in Sydney
• Tassie – Tasmania
• The Alice – Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• The Coathanger – Sydney Harbour bridge
• The ‘G – The Melbourne Cricket Ground or MCG
• The ‘Gabba – Woolongabba Cricket Ground
• The Gong – Wollongong, New South Wales
• The Rock – Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock), Northern Territory
• The Toaster – apartment and hotel building next to the Sydney Opera House
• Top End – Northern end of Northern Territory
• Uni – As in University. Yes, Australians will abbreviate anything!
• Unit – apartment
• Woolies – Woolworths branded supermarkets

Aussie Slang – Times (A-Z)

• Arvo – afternoon
• Brekky – breakfast
• Brunch – A later time to have breakfast, closer to lunch
• Chrissie – Christmas
• Fortnight – 2 weeks or 14 days
• Hols – holidays
• Smoko – smoking break

Aussie Slang – Expressions (A-Z)

• Are your ears painted on? – someone who doesn’t listen
• Av a go – abbreviated from ‘have a go’ meaning to try something
• Bingle – a minor car accident
• Bloody oath – meaning that’s the truth
• Blue – to have an argument
• Bring a plate – bring a plate of food to the party
• Cant be bothered – I could do that, but no, I don’t think I will do that because I don’t feel like making an effort
• Carked it – died
• Carrying on – having a little tantrum
• Cheers – to toast something with a beverage and also to say thank you
• Choc a bloc – someone who is so full of food as they have had too much to eat
• Chockers – same as above!
• Clear as mud – something complicated explained but still not understood
• Cooee – a loud cry in the bush
• Cool as – the as on the end adds emphasis, so really cool!
• Convo – conversation
• Crack the whip – telling someone to hurry up!
• Crook – sick
• D&M – deep and meaningful conversation
• Daggy – describing a person that is not cool (can also be used affectionately)
• Deadest – true
• Deadly – really awesome
• Devo – devastated
• Do the Harry Holt – Bolt, leave the party with no announcement Harry Holt was an Australian Prime Minister who disappeared off Victoria’s coast in 1967
• Dodgy – when something is not right
• Dodgy as – when something is really not right
• Dogs breakfast – a complete mess
• Easy as – very easy
• Exy – expensive
• Fair dinkum – true or genuine
• Fair enough – Ok then
• Feral – usually a wild animal but used to describe something as bad
• Flat out – really busy
• Fully sick – really cool
• G’day – hello
• Give me a bell – call me on the telephone
• Go off like a frog in a sock – going crazy.
• Go troppo – to lose the plot or go crazy
• Go with the flow – see how it goes, decide later
• Gobsmacked – surprised or shocked
• Going off – angry to the point of yelling
• Gone walkabout – someone who has wandered away (repurposed from indigenous heritage)
• Good on ya – well done or good for you (can be shortened to “on ya”)
• Hard yakka – hard work
• Have a captain cook – have a look
• Have a crack – try something new
• Heaps – many or a lot, used in expression I miss you heaps
• Hectic – cool, good.
• Hit the frog and toad – leaving an event
• Hooroo – goodbye
• How ya going – how are you?
• I’m knackered – when you are more than just tired. Sheer exhaustion.
• Iffy – a bit risky
• It’s cactus – something is broken
• Lippy – lipstick
• Mad as a cut snake – crazy
• Mates rates – large discount by knowing someone
• Mucking around- When you are not focused on the task and you know you will get into trouble, we were just mucking around!
• My Shout – When you offer to pay for the bill, or next drinks
• No worries – When you hear this, you know it’s going to be alright.
• Not fussed – don’t care
• One for the road – last drink
• Pash – kiss
• Play it by ear – see how it goes, decide later
• Pozzie – good position
• Rev up – when someone purposefully teases some one (like revving up a motor)
• Righto – ok then
• Rip off – when someone is asking too much money for something
• Ripper – fantastic!
• Ripsnorter – having an awesome time
• Rug up – dress warmnly
• She’ll be right – It’s fine
• Skite – to boast or brag
• Snowed under – when you have too much on
• Spit the dummy – when an adult has a tantrum
• Squiz – take a look
• Sticky Beak – take a look
• Stoked – used when you are very pleased with something
• Struth or Strewth – true, originating from “God’s truth”
• Stuffed – tired or full
• Stunned mullet – shocked
• Sus it out – This expression is used when someone will find out about something and share the information with you.
• Sweet – good
• Sweet as – awesome, the ‘as’ on the end gives emphasis
• Ta – thank you
• Taking a sickie – messaging work you are unwell (when you are not)
• Tee-up – setting up a meeting as in “I’ll tee it up”
• Thingy-ma-jig – a word to use when you cannot think of the word of an object
• Too right – a term of agreement
• Try hard – negative term for someone who tries too much to please others
• U-ey – u-turn when driving
• Veg out – relax
• Yeah, nah – meaning the person has heard you ‘yeah’ but no they are not agreeing with what was said (very confusing!)
• What’s the john dory – what’s the story
• Within cooee – within shouting distance
• Wonky – something is wobbly or unsteady.
• Woop woop – middle of nowhere
• You’ve got buckleys – no chance (William Buckley historically had no chance of creating peace between settlers and indigenous people)
• Zilch – nothing, nada, zero

Aussie Slang – Food (A-Z)

• Avo – avocado
• BLT – bacon lettuce tomato sandwich
• Bubbles – sparkling wine
• Chewie – chewing gum
• Choccy biccy – chocolate biscuit
• Chook – chicken
• Cuppa – cup of tea
• Dog’s eye – meat pie
• Flat white – coffee with milk
• Icy pole – flavoured ice treat on a stick
• Jaffle – toasted sandwich
• Lamington – small square of sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut flakes
• Lollies – sweets
• Mushies – mushrooms
• Pavlova – meringue dessert with cream and toppings debated as to originating in Australia or New Zealand
• Roadie – taking a drink on the way with you
• Sambo – sandwich
• Sanga – same as sambo
• Schnitty – schnitzel, a breaded chicken/veal fillet
• Slab – 24 cans of beer
• Snag – sausage
• Spag bol – spaghetti bolognaise
• Stubby – a small bottle of beer
• Tinnie – can of beer
• Tucker – food
• Vino – wine

Aussie Slang – Items or things (A-Z)

• Barbie – barbeque (BBQ)
• Bathers – swimwear
• Boardies – swimwear
• Bog – toilet
• Bog roll – toilet paper
• Box seat – best seat
• Brollie – umbrella
• Budgie Smugglers – male swimwear (speedos)
• Ciggie – cigarette
• Durry – same as ciggie
• Esky – Ice box to keep drinks and food cool at a barbie
• Facey – Facebook
• Gray nurse – grey Australian $100 note
• Jocks – mens underpants
• Lobster – red Australian $20 note
• Pineapple – yellow Australian $50 note
• Prezzie – present
• Rego – car registration
• Sunnies – sunglasses
• Telly – television
• Thongs – flip flops
• Togs – swimwear
• Trackie daks – tracksuit pants
• Uggies – ugg boots, sheepskin boots to keep your feet warm
• Undies – underpants

Aussie Slang – Animals and insects (A-Z)

• Blowie – blow fly
• Chook – Chicken
• Cockie – Cockatoo, Australian native bird with sulphur (yellow) crest
• Mozzie – mosquito
• Roo – Kangaroo

Aussie Slang – People (A-Z)

• Ambo – ambulance officer
• Bloke – male person
• Bludger – someone who is lazy
• Bogan – a socially unacceptable or uncouth person
• Copper – police
• Firies – firefighters
• Garbo – garbage collector
• Greenie – a conservationist or environmentalist
• Journo – journalist
• Mates – friends
• Muso – a musician
• Pollie – a politician
• Postie – postman
• Relo – relatives
• Roomie – room mate
• Secos – security staff
• Sook – a person who likes to cry over things
• Surfie – a surfer
• Vego – vegetarian
• Westie – someone from Western Sydney

Aussie Slang – Feelings (A-Z)

• Aggro – Angry
• Awks – awkward
• Crikey – surprised
• Devo – devastated
• Full on – intense
• Jelly – jealous

Aussie Slang – Uni (A-Z)

• Biro – pen (brand name)
• Doco – documentary program
• Tutes – tutorials, smaller less formal lessons

There you have it. The Scape ultimate guide to Aussie slang. Why not avago at dropping a few Aussie slang words into your next convo with your roomie?!