From colourful phrases to downright bizarre slang, we Aussies have a language all of our own. With only a week to go until Australia Day, now is the perfect time to brush up on your slang.
Aussie salute – the action of brushing flies away from your face.
Buckley’s chance – no chance, unlikely to occur, as in ‘they’ve got Buckley’s chance of beating Australia in the cricket’.
Budgie smugglers – men’s swim suit, briefs or speedos.
Cactus – dead or no longer functioning, as in ‘I had to get a new car as my old one was cactus’.
Cane toad – someone from Queensland.
Chockers – extremely full, as in ‘the car was chockers when we went camping’.
Chuck a sickie – To take a sick day off work when you are not actually sick, often to do something fun like go to the beach or attend a cricket match.
Cockroach – someone from New South Wales.
Dead horse – rhyming slang for tomato sauce.
Devo – short for devastated, used to show how upset someone is, as in ‘I’m devo that I dropped my pie on the ground’.
Dodgy – not quite right, disagreeable or suspicious.
Facey – this short form for Facebook is a popular abbreviation particularly with younger generations, as in ‘Check out my holiday photos on Facey’.
Flat out like a lizard drinking – really busy, working as hard or fast as possible.
Grommet – you’ll hear this one if you’re hanging out at the beach, it is a term for a young surfer.
Have a blue – to have a fight with someone.
Jumbuck – sheep.
Kangaroos loose in the top paddock – unintelligent, strange or a bit loopy.
Mad as a cut snake – very angry or furious.
Muddy – a mud crab, considered a delicacy in Australia.
Never never – the outback or centre of Australia.
Ocker – unsophisticated or uncultured. Can be used as a noun or adjective.
Piker – someone who backs out of or leaves early, often used socially such as when someone leaves a party early.
Ridgy-didge – true, authentic or the genuine article.
Ripper – really great, as in ‘I had a ripper time on holidays’.
She’ll be right – don’t worry, everything will be alright.
Slab – a 24 pack of small 375ml bottles or cans of beer.
Straya – short for Australia, because why say the full word when you can leave a few syllables out? This applies doubly when referring to our home country.
Trackie daks – tracksuit pants.
True blue – used as a compliment to indicate that someone is genuinely Australian and a good person.
Up yourself – to be narcissistic or have an overly high opinion of yourself.
Veggo – someone who is a vegetarian or used to describe food that is vegetarian.
Wobbly – excessive, often angry, behaviour, as in ‘I knocked over his drink and he chucked a wobbly’.
Yobbo – a disruptive and uncouth person, generally loud and rowdy.
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