Although Australia is primarily an English speaking country, it can still be hard to understand their language. Aussie’s love to use slang whenever they can (like, for EVERY SINGLE WORD). I’ve been in Australia for over a year now, and I usually still have a blank look on my face when my Aussie friends are talking to me. However, I’ve learned quite a few Aussie slang words over the past couple of months, so I decided to make a list to help out my fellow foreigners!
A
arvo – afternoon
“Wanna catch up for a coffee this arvo?”
B
bottle-o – a liquor store
“I’ve gotta hit up the bottle-o on the way to the BBQ tonight.”
C
cheeky – being sassy or rude in a funny way
“The kid’s were jumping on the couch when their mom wasn’t looking, they were being a bit cheeky.”
D
doona – a comforter
“In the winter, you’ll definitely need a warm doona on your bed.”
E
esky – a cooler
“Don’t forget to fill up the esky before we head to the beach!”
F
fair dinkum – real, true, honest
“I gave it a fair dinkum crack.”
G
grommet – a teenage surfer
“I started surfing at a young age; I use to be a grommet.”
H
hottie – a hot water bottle
“It’s gonna be a cold night, don’t forget to fill up your hottie!”
I
icy pole – a popsicle
“Mom, I ate all my dinner, can I have an icy pole now?!”
J
jumper – a sweatshirt
“It might be a little cold today, make sure you bring a jumper.”
K
keen – eager
“I’m pretty keen for the movies tonight.”
L
lollies – candy, sweets
“We’ll need to fill the pinata with lollies before the party.”
M
mozzie – a mosquito
“Don’t forget to put on bug spray before your bushwalk, there’s a lot of mozzies out today.”
N
nappy – a diaper
“Don’t forget to change the baby’s nappy before you head out.”
O
oi! – hey you!
“Oi! Throw me the tv remote.”
P
prawn – shrimp
“I love extra cheese and prawns on my pizza!”
Q
queue – a line
“The queue outside the bar was crazy last night!”
R
rego – car registration
“I forgot to pay my rego and now I can’t drive my car.”
S
smoko – quick break from work for a cigarette or snack
“Sweet! 11 o’clock! Time for smoko!”
T
tracky dacks – sweatpants
“It’s a pretty cold night, I’ll have to throw on some tracky dacks.”
U
ute – a pickup truck
“We’re moving houses next week, do you mind if I borrow your ute?”
V
vegemite – a savory spread for bread and sandwiches
“Mom, can I have a butter and vegemite sandwich for lunch please?”
W
whinge – to complain
“You need to finish all your vegetables before having dessert, and I don’t want to hear a single whinge.”
X
XXXX – (Four X) a type of beer made in Queensland
“I’ll grab a couple cases of XXXX on the way to the party tonight.”
Y
yarn – to talk with someone
“He loves a good yarn with his mates at the bar.”
Z
ziff – a beard
“He hasn’t shaved for six months, he has a wicked ziff.”