Arvo
Afternoon. Used heaps by basically everyone.
"Knock off early and we'll have a beer this arvo."
General
Australian slang that doesn't fit in a particular category. Some things you'll hear heaps, others every now and then, and many are regional or older.
Barbie
Barbecue. The grill, and the gathering around it.
"Barbie at mine Saturday?"
Bathers
Swimwear. The word you use depends on which state you grew up in.
"Pack your bathers, we're going to the pool."
Big Smoke
The city, usually Sydney or Melbourne, from the point of view of someone in the country.
"Off to the Big Smoke for the weekend."
Bingle
A minor car crash.
"Had a bingle in the Woolies car park."
Bit of a snort
Something impressive or powerful, usually a car or an engine. Also used for a quick drink.
"Yeah, she's got a bit of a snort to her."
Bob's your uncle
And that's it, done.
"Hold the button, count to ten, and Bob's your uncle."
Brass razoo
A coin that never existed. Not having a brass razoo means being completely broke.
"Haven't got a brass razoo till payday."
Brekkie
Breakfast.
"Brekkie at the cafe?"
Brolly
Umbrella.
"Grab a brolly on the way out."
Buckley's chance
No chance at all.
"Buckley's."
Budgie smugglers
Tight men's swimming briefs.
"Nah, budgie smugglers. Aerodynamic."
Cactus
Broken or dead.
"Nah, it's cactus."
Cark it
Die, or break down.
"Carked it halfway through the back lawn."
Chockers
Completely full or packed.
"Chockers. Park at the servo and walk."
Chook
A chicken, alive or roasted.
"Grabbed a chook from Woolies."
Chrissie
Christmas.
"What are you doing for Chrissie?"
Crook
Sick. Also broken, or bad.
"Nah, feeling crook."
Daks
Trousers.
"Back pocket of your daks."
Dead set
Truly, no word of a lie.
"Dead set?"
Dinky-di
Genuine and typically Australian.
"Dinky-di."
Dob
Tell on someone.
"Wasn't me. I'm no dobber."
Dodgy
Unreliable or poor quality.
"Seems a bit dodgy."
Dog's breakfast
Used to explain something that's chaotic or a complete mess.
"The new roundabout's a dog's breakfast."
Doona
A duvet or quilt.
"Winter doona's in the cupboard."
Doughie
Burnouts in a circle.
"He got done for chucking doughies in the Maccas car park."
Dunny
Toilet. Traditionally an outhouse down the back of the yard, now any toilet at all.
"Check for redbacks before you sit on the dunny."
Durry
A cigarette.
"Got a durry?"
Esky
A portable cooler box for drinks and food.
"Esky, chairs, umbrella."
Fair dinkum
Genuine, true, no word of a lie. Also a question: "Fair dinkum?"
"He's a fair dinkum bushie, grew up out past Bourke."
Fair go
A fair chance, or a plea for reasonable treatment. "Fair go, mate!" means "Be fair."
"Fair go, I had three."
Fair suck of the sav
Be fair, give me a break.
"Fair suck of the sav, I did them last night."
Fang it
To go fast.
"She fanged it down the highway to make her flight."
Flog the eyeballs off it
Use something as hard and as often as you can, usually a car or a tool.
"It's a hire car, mate. Flog the eyeballs off it."
Footy
Football. Which code depends on where you live: AFL in the south and west, rugby league in NSW and Queensland. Either way, best sport in the world.
"Footy on tonight?"
Furphy
A rumour or a false story.
"That's a furphy."
G'day
Hello.
"G'day mate, how ya going?"
Gammin
Fake, or only joking. Aboriginal English.
"You gammin!"
Get a wriggle on
Hurry up.
"Get a wriggle on then."
Give it a burl
Give it a try.
"Nah, but I'll give it a burl."
Give someone a bell
Phone someone.
"I'll give you a bell."
Go walkabout
Wander off, or go missing.
"Gone walkabout again."
Grog
Alcohol.
"Bringing grog?"
Have a squiz
Have a look.
"Let's have a squiz."
Have a whinge
Have a complain.
"Course he is."
Heaps
Very, or a lot.
"Heaps good."
Hills Hoist
A rotary clothesline in the backyard.
"Swinging off the Hills Hoist."
How ya going?
How are you? A greeting more than a question. The usual reply is "Good, you?"
"How ya going?"
In two shakes of a crying baby
Very soon.
"Be there in two shakes of a crying baby."
Keen
Up for something. "Keen?" on its own asks if you want to come.
"Heading to the beach. Keen?"
Kindy
Kindergarten.
"Yep, kindy finishes at three."
Mate
Friend. Also used for strangers, and with the right tone for someone you are about to have a go at.
"Thanks, mate."
Mate's rates
A discount for friends.
"Mate's rates. A slab."
Mozzie
Mosquito.
"Mozzies are out."
No worries
You're welcome, or that's fine.
"No worries."
No wucking furries
No fucking worries. A spoonerism of the stronger version of "no worries".
"No wucking furries."
Not much chop
Not very good.
"Not much chop."
Piece of piss
Very easy.
"Changing a tyre is a piece of piss."
Pokies
Poker machines.
"On the pokies with his pension."
Povo
Poor, broke, or cheap-looking.
"That car is a bit povo."
Prezzie
A present.
"Got a prezzie for Nan?"
Rattle your dags
Hurry up.
"Rattle your dags!"
Rego
Vehicle registration.
"Did you pay the rego?"
Ridgy-didge
Genuine, the real thing.
"Ridgy-didge. Got the certificate and everything."
Rort
A scam or a dodgy scheme, especially one that milks the system.
"What a rort."
Salvos
The Salvation Army, and its op shops.
"Salvos, five bucks."
Sell my mum to afford one
Something is so expensive you would have to do something drastic to buy it.
"I'd have to sell my mum to afford one."
Servo
Petrol station. Also where you buy a pie, milk and a bag of ice at 11pm.
"Pulled into the servo for a sausage roll and a Big M."
She'll be right
It will all work out. Used for reassurance, and sometimes as an excuse for not fixing something properly.
"She'll be right."
She's apples
Everything is fine.
"She's apples."
Shonky
Dishonest or badly made.
"Shonky builder. Never again."
Shout
To buy something for someone or others.
"Whose shout?"
Sparrow's fart
Very early in the morning, around first light.
"Had to get up at sparrow's fart to beat the traffic."
Stiff bikkies
Tough luck.
"Stiff bikkies."
Straya
Australia, spelt the way it sounds in a broad accent.
"Straya, mate."
Sunnies
Sunglasses.
"Seen my sunnies?"
Sweet as
Great, or no problem. The "as" ends the sentence on purpose.
"Sweet as."
Ta
Thanks.
"Ta."
Taking the piss
Mocking someone or joking around. "Are you taking the piss?" asks whether someone is serious.
"The boys were taking the piss out of his new haircut."
Tell him he's dreamin'
Said when someone suggests something ridiculous.
"Tell him he's dreamin'."
Thingo
A thing whose name you can't remember.
"Pass us the thingo."
Thongs
Flip-flops. In the US and UK a thong is underwear.
"Good thongs."
Too easy
No problem. Said when you agree to do something, or when someone thanks you.
"Too easy."
Trackies
Tracksuit pants.
"Nah, it's only Maccas. Trackies are fine."
Uey
U-turn.
"Chuck a uey."
Uni
University.
"Starting uni."
Unna
Isn't it, or right? Put at the end of a sentence. Aboriginal English.
"Hot today, unna?"
Ute
A car with an open tray at the back. Short for utility.
"Bring the ute."
Wag
Skip school.
"Wagged it and went to the beach."
Whinge
Complain, especially when nobody wants to hear it.
"Stop whingeing."
Wouldn't know him from a bar of soap
Have never met him; wouldn't recognise him.
"Wouldn't know him from a bar of soap."
Yarn
A chat or a story. In Aboriginal English, yarning is a way of talking and sharing knowledge.
"Having a yarn with Uncle out the front."
Yeah nah
No. Starting with yeah makes it sound a bit more friendly.
"Yeah nah, I reckon we give it a miss."
Yonks
Ages. A very long time.
"Yonks ago."