Akubra a commercial brand of hat often worn by people in rural areas.
Anzac Australia New Zealand Army Corps, also a biscuit (cookie) made and sent overseas to Australian soldiers by their family members. The biscuit was originally named Soldiers Biscuits
B & S Ball A dance night usually held in rural areas traditionally to enable young bachelors and spinsters to meet and possibly find a partner. Today it is attended by a wider range of people from city and country.
I hope your chooks turn into emus and kick your dunny down I hope you get some bad luck
London to brick a certainty. ie. "I will bet you London(something big) to a brick (something small)"
QANTAS Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service
RSL Returned Services League, clubs who support the families of returned service personnel, a good place for social gatherings
Stubbies a brand of men's clothing usually referring to the shorts produced by the company.
Vinnies St Vincent De Paul opportunity shop
a few roos loose in the top paddock mentally deficient
a man's a mug usually inferring that the speaker has been taken in by trickster or knows he is about to be.
a over t **** over tit, or head over heels.
a rooster one day, a feather duster the next a sudden fall from prominence
a sandwich short of a picnic, or, a couple of snags short of a barbie not quite all there. as in a person with mental deficiencies
*** a usually derogatory term for Australian Aborigine
aerial ping-pong a less than nice name for Australian Rules Football
amber fluid beer, nectar of the gods
ambo ambulance officer
ammo short for ammunition
ankle biters small children
apple isle Tasmania. apples are grown in the cooler climate of Tasmania
**** bottom, behind, rear end
as rare as hen's teeth; or as rare as rocking horse manure very rare
aunty the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) a public free to air radio and television broadcaster
aussie salute the flick of an arm to brush away flies
ave a go yer mug Have a try. a call often heard at sporting events to tell the sportsperson to at least try. Also used as an invitation to throw the first punch in a fight.
back of Bourke a long way away. Bourke is a distant country town in New South Wales
backblocks rural parts, outback, not in the city
baggie green the green cap worn by test cricketers
bail up to prevent a person from moving on. Also a command used by bushrangers to tell those they were robbing to stop and hold up there hands.
ball tearer something to get excited about
banana bender a person from Queensland
barbecue, barbie, bbq different ways of referring to a cook out
barny a fight or brawl
bastard often used as a term of endearment, sometimes used as an exclamation of frustration or anger, occassionally used as an insult
beer o'clock any time of day or night that the speaker would like to drink a beer. Often near knock-off time at work one will ask 'what time is it' and the answer will come 'beer o'clock'
beyond the black stump a mythical place a long way from whereever you happen to be.
biff hit, punch
big smoke city
billabong a pool of water left behind when a river stops running, sometimes a lagoon
billy a tin can with a wire handle used for boiling water to make tea over an open fire
billy lids rhyming slang for 'kids', children
biscuits or bikkies these are sweet snacks referred to as 'cookies' by Americans
bit o' skirt a woman
bitza a dog of questionable breeding. ie it has bits of (bitza) this and bits of (bitza) that in its heritage
biz or bizzo business
blimey a contraction of "blind me!" a variation of "strike me blind!"
bloke a real Aussie man
bloody this is the great Australian adjective. ie. "She's a bloody bottler" (ie. it is really good!) often used as an exclamation in the sense, "Bloody hell!"
blow a rest. as in "I will take a blow for a few minutes."
blow in a person who is not exected. as in: Don't know who he is. I guess he's a blow in.
blowie a blow fly, or an undesirable person that hangs around like a fly
bludger 1) a person who begs. 2) a lazy person
blue 1) popular nickname for red haired people. 2) an error. 3) a fight
blue heeler a breed of cattle dog developed in Australia for its feisty toughness and its habit of biting rather than barking.
bluey a rollof blankets; ie. He humped his bluey all over the country. Also a parking fine from days gone by when hey were issued on blue paper
bob shilling
bob's your uncle an exclamation meaning that "it will be all right". Often following a list of directions.
bodged or botched often used in the sense of 'bodged up'. A rough repair
bonzer, or bonza very good.
boofhead a thick headed person
boomer a male kangaroo
boomerang 1) a curved wooden implement used for hunting, fighting and competition throwing. Often thought of as something which returns to the thrower however hunting boomerangs were never designed to return. 2) ny object you want returned to you. ie. "That's a boomerang, make sure you bring it back."
booze alcohol
booze bus a mobile breath analysis unit used by the police at the roadside
boss of the board the person in charge of the shearing shed during shearing.
bottler very good, ie. good enough to bottle
brisket chest
brownie 1) a sweet damper made with the addition of dried fruit and sometimes syrup or brown sugar 2) faeces
brumby a wild horse
buckleys no chance. As in "You've got two chances buckleys and none!" thought to have derived from a store in Victoria called "Buckleys and Nunn"
bugger a cheeky person, an endearment
buggered broken, stumped
bull dust 1) fine powdery dust 2) an exclamation of disbelief. "Bull dust! I was there and that never happened"
bullamakanka a mythical place a long way away
bung 1) a threaded lid especially for a drum or similar container. 2) broken ie, The tv's gone bung.
bunyip a large and frightening creature from Australian Aboriginal stories which lived in billabongs.
bush bashing driving where there is no road
bush telegraph word of mouth
bush tucker native food
bushie a person who originates from the outback (bush)
bushwalking hiking
bust a gut work hard
butchers hook usually shortened to butchers, rhyming slang for look
cadbury a person who becomes drunk on very little alcohol, as in the tv advertisement for Cadbury's chocolate that used the motto "A glass and a half"
camp oven a cast iron pot with a lid which is used over an open fire or in a hole in the ground covered in hot coals.
carrying on like a pork chop acting very excitedly
cheese and kisses rhyming slang for missus, wife.
chiacking or schiacking horsing around
chin-wag a chat or conversation
china plate (often shortened to china) rhyming slang for mate. ie. friend
chook a hen, common poultry, also an affectionate name a person
chuck throw clumsily.
chunder vomit
clean skin 1) unbanded cattle 2) any unclaimed item
clear as mud not clear at all
clobber clothing, particularly your best clothes.
coathanger Sydney Harbour Bridge, nicknamed so for its resemblance to a coathanger
cobber (often shortened to cob) friend, mate
cockatoo 1) A large parraot native to Australia. 2) A person who is a lookout during illegal ativities. derived from the habit of a flock of cockatoos which always have one or more birds situated high in a tree while the rest of the flock drinks to watch out for dangers.
cocky a farmer. derived from the fact that most Australian farmers grow more cockatoos than anything else. ie. the cockatoos fly in and eat all of the crops.
come in spinner a term used in the game of two-up asking the person who has the coins to come in and spin them, These days this term is used more often to mean, come in sucker.
comic cuts, sometimes shortened to simply comics guts, stomach
coming the raw prawn expecting too much of another, or, telling lies
conked out broken down, not working
cooee a long call often used in country areas over long distances to warn or hail a person.
coolgardie safe a usually tin cupboard used for storing perishable items often it was a small cupboard with a ring at the top so that it could be suspended oout of reach of camp dogs etc.
copper 1) a police person 2) a large copper tub used for boiling washing.
couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag is unable to fight, weak
crash go to sleep, usually in a place other than your own bed.
crikey an exclamation, possibly derived from "Christ!"
crook 1) a criminal 2) ill as in crook as rookwood, rookwood being a cemetery in sydney suburbs
crook as Rookwood very sick, crook meaning ill nd Rookwood being the name of a cemetary in Sydney suburbs
crow eater a person who resides in South Australia
cunning as an outhouse rat, or, cunning as a shithouse rat very cunning
cuppa cup of tea or coffee
dag a person who is unkempt, unfashionable, or odd. Also used as an affectionate term. Also a piece of sheep faeces stuck to the wool.
daks trousers
damper bread-like food made of flour, raising agent, salt and water.
date a bottom, rear end, backside
date roll toilet paper
dead horse rhyming slang for 'tomato sauce' (ketchup)
dead ringer one exactly the same as another.
deenah shilling
derro a derelict person, a homeless person
didgeridoo a long tube of wood often decorated with traditional patterns and used as a musical instrument by Australian Aborigines. Traditionally didgeridoos are played by men in the northern regions of Australia
digger an Australian soldier, particularly soldiers of the First World War, now often used as an affectionate term for older men.
dill a silly or stupid person as in "don't be such a dill!"
dingo an australian dog that usually avoids confrontation with humans; when used to refer to a person it means "lacks courage"; ie "He's gone dingo on us."
dingo's breakfast a piss and a look around
dinky-di genuine. especially genuinely Australian. "He's alright, He's dinky-di."
dip ya lid tip your hat
dob to inform on someone for a wrong doing.
dobber an informant
doco documentary
dog and bone rhyming slang for telephone
dolled up dressed up as for a speial occasion
done me block became angry
done me dash ruined my chances
donk an engine, often a generator motor.
down the gurgler down the drain, gone, can't be retrieved
drinking with the flies drinking alone
drongo an idiot or stupid person
dropped me bundle lost my senses
dry as a dead dingos donger very dry, a physical condition often a precursor to beer o'clock (donger means penis)
duffer 1) a cattle thief 2) a silly person
dunno a crude contraction of don't know
dunny toilet
durry a cigarette
ear-bashing to talk, usually long and boring stories or lectures.
eat the horse and chase the jockey very hungry
elbow grease hard work. as in "the only way to clean that is with a bucket of elbow grease."
esky generically considered to be any insulated box used to keep food and drinks cooled. ESKY is a brand name and other coolers should be referred to in another way. probably derived from 'eskimo'
fair crack of the whip. An exclamation of injustice. A request for a fair go.
fair dinkum an exclamation. a question. a statement. meaning "Seriously!", "Is that true?", and "That is true"
fair go an even chance
fair suck of the sav give me a fair go. (sav is short for saveloy)
fairy floss cotton candy, also anything without substance, all full of sugar and air.
family jewels testicles ie. the stones that make a family
family jewels male genitalia
fit as a Mallee bull very fit.
five finger discount shoplifting
flat out like a lizard drinking very busy
flat out like lizard on a rock lying around
freshie freshwater crocodile
frog and toad rhyming slang for 'road', often shortened to simply 'frog'; ie. "Hit the frog." means "Hit the road."
fruit loop a weird, strange or deranged person
full as a boot very drunk
furphy a lie, usually close to believable
furphy a fib or lie
g'day a contraction of "good day"
gabba short for Wollongabba, a suburb of Brisbane and especially the Queensland Cricket Ground found there.
galah a noisy pink and grey bird of the parrot family. also used as an insult meaning a stupid or silly person as in "Don't be such a galah!"
gaol the correct Australian spelling for jail
gettin schick : I am looking for confirmation on the meaning of this phrase. I believe it means getting drunk.
gibbers stones, usually flat stones useful for skipping across water.
gidgea a scrubby looking member of the acacia tree family
gidgea bug a small shield shaped beetle that lives amongst gidgea trees and gives off a potent odour especially just before rain.
give it a burl make an attempt.
goanna a large monitor lizard.
goes like the clappers goes very fast
good oil accurate information
goog or googy an egg, or anything egg-shaped
goonie a cask of wine
got his wobbly boots on he is drunk
greenie an environmental activist
grog an form of drinking alcohol
grotty dirty, possibly drived from grotto.
grouse very good
gun the best in the class. ie the best and fastest shearer in a shed.
gunjah marijuana
gunyah an Australian Aboriginal word meaning shelter
half yer luck I wish I had a least half of your luck
harold holt bolt; run off; disappear; the name of a former Australian Prime Minister wo disappeared during a morning swim on a beach. used in the sense, "He wont stay long, he'll do the harold holt."
he's so slow it takes him an hour and a half to watch sixty minutes he is very slow : thanks to Sharon who quoted this one!
heart-starter first drink of the day, usually first alcoholic drink though increasingly the first coffee of the day is referred to this way
hi the sack go to bed.
hit the turps drink alcohol. ( nicknamed turpentine)
hit with the fugly stick very ugly, f***ing ugly
hoo-roo goodbye
hooley-dooley an exclamation of surprise. "Hooley-dooley how'd you do that?"
hoon, also lair a, usually young, male that drives fast and makes a nuisance of himself.
hump 1) to carry 2) have sexual relations with.
humpy a simple dwelling made from cast off or readily found materials
icy pole a frozen block of lemonade or other flavoured drink.
idiot box television
in two shakes of a lamb's tail, or two shakes of a dog's hind leg very soon
jackaroo A young often inexperienced man working on a sheep, grain or cattle station.
jackaroo job any task carried out ineffectively
japanese riding boots thongs, the footwear known in other parts as jangles, or flip-flops
jiffy a very short period of time as in "I'll be there in a jiffy"
jillaroo A young, often inexperienced woman working on a station.
joe blow an average person
joshing joking
journo journalist
jumbuck a sheep, especially a ram. as in the song Waltzing Matilda.
jumper a sweater, knitted, crocheted or woven piece of clothing.
kark it to die.
kelpie an Australian bred sheep dog renowned for its intelligence.
kindy short form of kindergarten. In some states this a pre-school for children too young for grade school in other states it is the first year of grade school
kiwi a small brown flightless bird from New Zealand. also used to refer to a person from New Zealand who is not a Maori.
knackered very tired, worn out
knackers 1) testicle 2) place where horses and other animals are slaughtered for pet food.
knock to criticise. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it"
knock off 1) finish work; 2) to steal; 3) to have sex with as in "I wouldnt mind knocking her off"
knockers breasts
knocking shop a brothel
knuckle sandwich a punch in the mouth
kyber pass rhyming slang for **** (rear end)
lamington cubes of sponge cake rolled in chocolate icing and then rolled in desicatted coconut
larrikin a person, usually male, that is likeable and humorous, often referring to a person who pulls pranks
like a bull in a china shop carelessly
like a rat up a drain pipe very quickly
lingo language
little aussie battler an ordinary Australian who is doing it tough. ie. battling poverty/struggling to keep up etc,
lob 1, To throw a ball overarm 2. to arrive as in: "He'll lob soon."
lolly candy of confectionery. Also to do ones lolly means to have a tantrum.
long neck a tall beer bottle usually about 750ml in volume
long paddock the stock routes and public roads where cattle sheep and horses graze.
lower than a snakes belly very low
lucky country Australia
lurks 'n' perks extra benefits
lush an abbreviation for luscious meaning a person who is dressed up and attractive, usually used with sarcastic overtones.
mad as a cut snake really really angry, or really crazy
mad as a hatter crazy. Hat makers once used arsenic in the hat making process which did affect their mind over time.
mary-jane marijuana
mate friend, usually male to male with no homosexual overtones
mates rates discounts for friends
matilda a swag or bedroll. I have heard it said 'matilda' is the only woman a man can trust to always be there. The popular folk song Waltzing Matilda means carrying your swag.
me name is mud my reputation is ruined
mexican a person residing in Victoria, if spoken by a person from NSW, or a person from NSW if spoken by a Queenslander. ie, they live south of the border
molly dooker, or south paw left handed person
more front than Myers showy and pushy person
muck up to misbehave, hence Muck up Day is the last day of school.
mucked in contributed, added to, joined with hard work especially charitably so.
mull n. marijuana v. to chop up the marijuana before smoking it
muster round up as of cattle or sheep.
nappy diaper, traditionally a square of material folded and used as underwear for infants.
never-never a non-specific place in the outback, supposedly because if you go there you will never-never want to leave. Used by the Northern Territory tourism board to advertise the territory. A book by Mrs Aeneas Gunn (1870) first white woman to Elsie Station in the NT wrote a book titled "We Of The Never Never"
nipper a child
nit wit a person of little wit.
noah's ark rhyming slang for a shark, often shortened to simply 'noahs'
noodling sifting through dirt and rock piles near opal mines in the hope of finding opals the miner has missed. This practice requires the permission of the miner.
not the full quid, or, a sixpence short of a quid. a quid is slang for the monetary 'pound'. Used to describe a person who has mental deficiencies
nulla-nulla an Australian Aboriginal word for wooden club especially used in hunting or fighting.
off like a bride's nightie leave quickly, nightie = nightdress
on the fang hungry
on the wallaby travelling around looking for work
one pot screamer a person who gets very drunk on very litle alcohol ie. a pot or schooner of beer will get them drunk.
overlander a drover who crosses large tracts of land while moving flocks of sheep or herds of cattle
oz Australia
paddemelon a small inedible melon growing wild as a weed
paddymelon a small wallaby
pat malone rhyming slang for alone; often shortened to simply 'pat'. ie. 'On your pat' means 'You are alone'
patsy a person who is blamed for an action he did not do or a person who is easily conned or suckered
pavlova a dessert created in Melbourne in honour of the ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is made from a large meringue, cream, and fruit
phiz physical body
pie floater a meat pie floating in a thick pea soup.
piker a person who does not keep up socially with their peers. stops drinking before others do or goes home early
pinch 1) steal 2) arrest
poddy an unbranded calf
poddy dodger a cattle thief who mostly steals unbranded calves.
pom an English person, possibly from the acronym POHM (Property Of His Majesty) Supposedly stencilled on crates that came over with the First Fleet
port a suitcase (mainly used in Queensland)
possie position
postie the postman or mailman
preggers pregnant
pressie present or gift
pub crawl moving from pub to pub drinking
quid a pound note
racehorse a handrolled cigarette or joint which is very thin
rapt short form of enraptured, very pleased
red rattler one of the older railway trains whose carriages were painted red and rattled along the tracks
reffo a refugee, often used in a derogative way.
rego car registration
rellies or rello's relatives
remittance man a person whose family has sent him to Australia from England on the promise they family would continue to make payments to him so long as he did not come home. Most often these men received only a few payments before not hearing any more from their family back home.
riding shanks' pony walking; ie. long shank bone in your leg.
ringer the fastest shearer in a shed, ie "The ringer rung the shed again." probably from the saying "run rings around". Also a senior stockman on sheep or cattle property.
rip snorter very good
ripper an exclamation meaning very good
rollie a hand rolled cigarette
root sex. Hence the American phrase 'rooting for your team' takes on a whole new meaning here,
ropable very very angry
rough end of the pineapple the bad end of a deal
rouse on to rouse on someone is to give them a dressing down
rouseabout a shed hand in a shearing shed. the rouseabout picks up the fleece once the shearer shears the sheep, then flicks it out on a table so the fleece can be skirted, the rouseabout also keeps the floor of the shed clean.
salty a saltwater crocodile
sand groper a person who resides in Western Australia
sanger sandwich
schickered drunk. esp. very drunk
schooner ofen shortened to schooie. In some states this is a 485ml beer glass. Other states refer to this as a pot.
scrubber 1) wild cattle 2) uncouth or undesirable women
septic tank rhyming slang for yank; American, often shortened to simply 'septic'
she'll be right it will be all right
she's apples everything is in order
sheila a real Aussie woman, though now considered an insult.
shivering like a dog shitting razor blades shivering a lot
shonky questionable
shoot through like a Bondi tram leave very quickly, Bondi is a popular beachside suburb
shout often refers to the practice of buying something for another. as "My shout mate!" Most often referred to as paying for a round of drinks. "I shouted last round. Must be your shout."
sickie a day taken off dur to illness, sometimes used as an excuse when there is no illness. "Bob took a sickie today."
silk shirt on a pig a waste of resources
silly as a two-bob watch very silly, 'two bob' being a small amount of money.
skint penniless, broke
**** 1) a woman of loose morals 2) a female dog
smoko morning or afternoon tea break.
snag a sausage
sparrow fart that time of day so early the birds are only just waking up
spunk 1) good looking 2) semen
square up 1) to settle a debt 2) to face one another for a fist fight
squatter a person who was given permission to squat on land and hence take possession of it by the british authority in the early days of settlement. The squatter then had to prove he was using the land.
squatter a land owner, originally called squatters because they could simply squat on land and work it to make it their own.
squattocracy the descendants of the original squatters who inherited their fortun from family rather than making it themselves.
station a large farming property for sheep, cattle, grain etc.
sticky beak a nosy or interfering person
stirring the possum stirring someone up to make them react
stone the crows! an exclamation of surprise, used somewhat similarly to "darn!"
stonkered drunk
straight up a query, exlamation or statement meaning truthful, honest or fair dinkum
streuth, or strewth an exclamation that is a shortened version of "Gods truth"
strides trousers. ie. He wore his good strides today. perhaps derived from the action of striding.
strife trouble or problems hence the rhyming slang of 'trouble and strife' for 'wife'
strine Australian: if you say Australian quickly pronouncing it as a single syllable and ommitting a initial 'a' and the 'l' you will get it.
stubbie a short beer bottle usually containing about 330ml of beer.
sundowner a swagman who being a cunning fellow and averse to physical labour he would arrive at a property on sundown and ask for provisions for the night and dry place to roll out his swag. He would of course be rolled up and gone by morning before he could be given any work to do.
swag a bedroll traditionally containing all of the swagman's possessions
swagman an itinerant worker who carried his swag (bedroll) as he traveled from place to place seeking work. It was customary for property owners who had no permanent work available to offer some basic provisions (sugar, flour, tea, tobacco) to a swagman in exchange for some chores such as carting water or chopping firewood.
talk a dog off a meatwagon talk a lot and convincingly
tar boy usually the youngest member of a shearing team, the tar boy carries a bucket of stockholm tar and a paint brush and hurries to any shearer who calls "Tar Boy!" so the shearer can apply the tar to the sheep after a cut. Stockholm tar is no longer used and tar boys are seldom found in shearing sheds these days.
the missus my wife
thunderbox a lavatory in an outbuilding.
tin lids rhyming slang for 'kids', children
tinnie arsed lucky beyond understanding
tinny 1) a can of beer. 2) an aluminium boat
togs 1) swimming clothes 2) or more generally any clothes.
trey bit threepence
troppo a person affected by the heat.
trouble and strife rhyming slang for wife
tucker food.
tucker food.
turn out 1) a gathering ie. party or dance etc. 2) an object known whos name the speaker cant think of at the time, ie, hand me the
two-up a game of chance involving the tossing of two old pennies so that they spin in the air and fall in one of the following combinations, heads=heads, heads-tails, tails-tails. Hene the saying "come in spinner" a call for a new person to toss the coins. This game is traditionally played and gambled on during ANZAC Day 25th April
up a gum tree stuck in tight situation.
up the creek without a paddle gotten into trouble and wont be able to get out of it.
up the pole in trouble
up yourself conceited
useful as a hip pocket in a singlet not very useful at all
ute utility, a work vehicle, a pick-up truck
wag 1) truant from school. 2) a fun or playful person ie. He's a wag
walloper a policeman, possibly from the days gone by when the local sargeant would be more likely to give a young person a walloping and send them home when he caught them in mischief, oddly this word also refers to lies. as in "He told a walloper"
wattle a scrubby member of the acacia family with prominent displays of yellow flowers. The tree is named after the building method of 'wattle and daub'
wattle and daub a building method used by original settlers which involved wattling (weaving) thin strips of timber or bark and then daub them with clay. Our watle tree was named after this process not the other way around.
welcome as a pork chop in a synagogue not welcome at all
white ant 1) n. a termite 2) v. to undermine or sabotage
whoop-whoop a mythical place in the outback, a long way from anywhere
wog a now disused word meaning a person of ethnic origin espcially from Italy or Greece. Only people of ethnic origin can use this word in these days of politial correctness
wouldn't work in an iron lung very lazy
wrinklie an old person
xxxx fourex, a brand of beer sold mostly in Queensland
yabber talk a lot
yabbie freshwater crayfish
yahoo a lout or hoon. young man who is acting irresponsibly
yakka work, ie hard yakka is hard work
yarn story, talking, yarning = storytelling, "I'll have a yarn with him."
yobbo often shortened to yob. meaning a loudmouthed person or lay-about
yonks a long period of time. ie. You were gone for yonks
zac a sixpence
zambucks ambulance officers, possibly derived from the name of an ointment available in the early 20th Century.
zonked very tired, exhausted