100 Australian Slang Words & What They Mean
G’Day, Mate! How ya going?
Even though Australia is culturally similar to the US, and we claim to speak the same language, there have been countless moments where I’ve been left confused to decipher what on Earth the people in this country are saying. It doesn’t matter if I’d be drinking at a bar or trying to sound professional over email, there were always moments of sheer confusion living in Australia, but it’s all part of the adventure, right?
Their pals to the East in New Zealand aren’t much better. They even have a slang word to describe themselves (Kiwis). But I already wrote that post. And I only spent 3 weeks getting to know their lingo. This list comes from a year’s worth of slang I picked up working and traveling around Australia.
For the Poms reading this, or anyone else besides Americans who speaks English, you should hopefully benefit, too. Some of these words will overlap with the UK a lot, but most should be pretty unique to ‘Straya. (BTW Pom is a word they use for British people which means “Prisoner of Mother England” so you just got a bonus word. You’re welcome. And ‘Straya is a pretty obvious one, I would hope.)
So without further ado, here is a list of 100 Australian words and their American translations.
Hope you’re strapped in, cause this list is pretty full on (intense).
Tip #1: Learn the proper Aussie greeting.
I started my post with it, cause Aussie’s start everything with it.
G’Day, how ya going? You’ll hear it all the time. G’Day = good day. And the correct response to how ya going? is more than just a half-smile. In America, we say “How are you?” out of reflex, not expecting a response. Aussies usually want to hear how you’re actually going. Well, not where you are literally going. But how you’re doing.
Tip #2: If all else fails, start abbreviating things.
Maccas is McDonalds. Mozzies are mosquitos (I always thought it was mozzarella), a sammie is a sandwich, sunnies are sunglasses, bathers are your bathing suit.
They even abbreviate places. Brisbane = Brissy. Western Australia = WA. Wollongong = The Gong. You get the idea.
Tip #3: Most of the things they say (except the shortened words) come from either American or British English.
They call the world’s sport of fútbol “soccer” just like us. They say fortnightly just like the Brits (which means every other week, not every other night. I still get tripped up by that one).
Here’s another seasonal one. We’ve just finished Silly Season, which is that exciting time in the lead up to summer where there’s way too many parties to attend before Christmas/NYE.
They say eggplant like us, but coriander like them (cilantro) and rocket, too (arugula).
I could go back and forth forever, fair dinkum (legit). Yet despite how many funny expressions they borrow from the US and the UK, there’s this one word that literally no one else understands…capsicum. It’s a head scratcher for everyone outside of Australia and it means red (or green/yellow/orange) pepper, a la the below.
Tip #4: If you’re not sure about your abbreviated word, just add an O to the end of it.
Servo = service station (which means gas station). Bottle-o means bottle shop or liquor store. Vego is a vegetarian.
Avo = avocado. Not to be confused with arvo, which means afternoon. Yep, that’s a tough one. Not much of an abbreviation, hey? Damn, I’m such a drongo sometimes. (That’s an idiot.)
And “hey” is one of those filler words that literally means nothing, sort of like how we’d say “right?” But it definitely helps solidify your rhetorical question or comment, hey?
Tip #5: If an O doesn’t make sense, go for an “e” or “ie.”
They like to cute-ify things. Like a big, bad bikee. (You know, those dudes on motor bikes. Sounds real tough. Especially when he rides to the pokies. Which means a place you can gamble exclusively on slot machines.)
Take tradies for instance (tradesmen). Or, if you want to get more specific, the ones that work with bricks are called chippies and electricians are sparkies. The tradies enjoy a nice stubbie after work (#same), which is a can of beer. But say it in the plural and stubbies are a pair of short shorts on a dude, usually swimmers (another word for bathers). Although the shortest bathers of all are budgie smugglers. I’ll let you Google that one, too.
Tip #6: Learn the beer sizes.
Don’t order a pitcher cause the bartenders will look at you funny. That’s a jug, all over the country. But when it comes to other sizes, they often differ from state to state. The way each state orders a coldie (cold beer) is like chalk and cheese (a weird expression to mean “very different” which I sort of equate to our “oil and vinegar”).
You can get a pot of beer in Melbourne but that’s a middy in Sydney. Most people order a schooner which is slightly smaller than a pint. And pint is, well, the only word that we should all know and use. If only it was that easy…
Don’t forget to skull it, no matter the size (that means chug, mate. And mate, well, I hope that one was obvious before you even opened this article but it’s sorta like how we call everyone dude. But make sure you don’t go ‘round saying old mate. That doesn’t mean old friend as I once thought. Instead, it’s like saying “what’shisface?”)
Tip #7: Drinking culture is like another world.
After you skull your stubbie you have to get some Goon (cheap boxed wine which is basically like Franzia but tastes better and is weirdly stronger). I’m sure you’ll get a chance to play a round of Goon of Fortune, too (which is like the U.S. game of Slapping the Bag, but with a laundry drying rack involved. I’ll let you Google it.)
Hopefully it’s not chock a block in the bar so you can have a yarn with your girls about that hot ranga in the corner (Chock a block = busy/full, yarn = chat, ranga = Ginger). Yarn sounds a bit too weird to you? Well, you could also say “Chin wag” to mean chat, so take your pick.
If you’re a lad reading this, we can find you a choss instead. Just please don’t call her a mole or she’ll probably slap you, and call you a cunt in the American way. (Choss = hot girl, mole = promiscuous or more rudely, “slut,” and cunt is obviously a horrible word in America but Australians say it all the time to mean “good friend.” It’s a thing.)
Maybe you’re more into raves though? Nah yeah. That’s cool. (Nah yeah = yes, or in this case, “me too.” But if it was reversed, yeah nah, it just means no.)
Aussies are well known for throwing remote raves out in the bush (wilderness). In fact, they’re even called bush doofs (The only translation I’ve got for doof is it’s the phonetic spelling for the sound of a subwoofer playing really loud music. DOOF DOOF DOOF 🎶) and they’re usually off chops (hectic).
Pack up your swag before you head to the doof, and you can even bring a doonah if you’re keen for a bit more comfort (A swag is an Aussie sleeping bag they use for camping a lot without a tent. Doonah = down comforter. Keen = a word they say all the time for “I’m down” basically, or eager). You’ll need an esky too to keep the beers cold. (Cooler)
And don’t be a dag and forget the snags. You have to make ’em on the barbie. (Barbie = BBQ, Snags = sausage and a dag is like a nerdy/geeky/socially awkward person. I think…)
At the doof, just make sure you don’t go walkabout if you get too gaked off the pingas there. (Walkabout comes from Aboriginal culture where it refers to a coming of age event, but casually it means wandering off into the woods/disappearing. And gaked refers to being high on an illegal substance we like to call call Molly, but they call pingas.)
And don’t even get me started on the non-alcoholic bevvies. (Beverages. Are you catching on yet?). Coffee culture in Australia is unreal and a world of its own, with a language of it’s own to boot. I drafted up a brief little table of coffee conversions, but know that no matter what you order, I can almost guarantee it’ll taste better than our shitty drip coffee in the US. Sorry Starbucks.
Coffee 101: Aus vs the US
Flat White Latte (no foam) Long Black Americano Short Black Expresso
Also, speaking of coffee — to all those basic bitches who love a nice big iced coffee in the morning (lol me though), be careful here because they come with a scoop of ice cream.
Tip #8: Don’t order too many entreés.
Are you still with me? Good on ya. (Good work/job). But really, entreé doesn’t mean appetiser here. It’s your main course. Which is, you know, logical.
You’d really have a feed if you did so (big meal. Or just meal. So make sure you only order one eggs benny over brekky (breakfast) or you can skip breakfast all together and just go for a dart and durries (cigarette).
But don’t actually do that ’cause I think its chat to punch a dart (gross to smoke). I tried it once, made me munt (vomit). But she’ll be right. Even better, she’ll be apples. (Both of those are expressions that mean it’ll be ok…sort of?)
Tip #9: Thongs aren’t sexy underwear around here.
This is a common mistake most Americans make when they rock up (that’s show up) to Oz (Australia. I won’t even count this one, come on!).
Shelias and blokes can both wear thongs Down Under, because thongs means flip flops. (That’s the bogan way to say “women” and “men”. Bogan = redneck. See the dunny pic below for proof. That’s bogan for toilet. And toilet is the word that everyone uses for bathroom. Oh and don’t try being formal by calling it a restroom cause you’re guaranteed to meet some sarcastic bloke who will say “Are you planning to rest in there?”)
Don’t get excited if someone asks you for rubbers, either. They’re not condoms, they’re erasers.
Enough of the tips. I’m stuffed. Which doesn’t mean chuffed. And no it’s, not from eating too many entrees. Stuffed means tired. Chuffed means really excited/happy. I reckon you’re confused right about now.
Welcome to my life.
Reckon = think. No worries though, it takes some getting used to how these people speak. (“No worries” is used 24/7 to mean “it’s all good” or “no problem,” but I feel like Americans say this all the time, too. At least I do!)
I hope you got a kick out of this list as much as I did. Seriously, I frothed over it for the past year showing everyone a note I kept on my phone. (Froth = obsess or love)
To round it out, I’ll leave you with one final tip. Just when you thought you’ve learned enough Aussie slang…
Tip #10: Sometimes, the slang words even have slang words.
Love you my Occa mates, but you know its true. (Occa = Aussie= Australian). No wakkas though (No wakkas = no worries) I ceebs to explain how that even happens. (“Ceebs” = CBF which stands for Can’t Be Fucked)
What’s even better than the double slang is just the straight up bizarre expressions. Hands down, my favorite thing I’ve heard in Australia is: “I didn’t come here to fuck spiders.” Which basically means I’m not here to fuck around.
Ok ok, I could go on and on. But I’m done… for now. I have a feeling in my waters (gut feeling) that I’ll be back soon, and hopefully learn a lot more slang.
Until then, I hope you’ve learned some Aussie lingo for your adventure Down Under. Comment below or throw me a share and spread the love if so!
TA,
❤ Liv
(TA means thanks. I thought it was someone’s initials for the longest time. And yes, people actually say that out loud. It’s v awkward.)
