Aussie Slang
Your culture shock starts the moment you step off the plane. The Australians ‘chew’ their English, well that’s the impression I got as a South African accustomed to mostly pure Queen’s English. Maybe I was thinking “Crocodile Dundee“?
On this page, I’m hopefully going to introduce you to some Aussie slang / lingo / language. Purists of the Queen’s English might claim that these are abominations, distortions – but rather think of them as defining the culture, the way of life, what it means to be Australian.
So let’s get started 
“Mate” – Friend. Everybody down under is your “mate“. Every properly formulated Aussie sentence contains at least one “mate“.
“Sheila” – Girl, babe, chick, woman. When they get together it’s a “hen party“.
“Knock-committor” That’s what a Sheila’s calls a hammer!! Be afraid, very afraid !!!
“Yeah” – Most likely a “yes”, but maybe used as a general filler as in “yeah, yeah” or “Yeah, Mate“. Woman in particular manage an entire mobile conversation filled with “yeah – (pause) – yeah…”.
“No worries” – A substitute phrase for “okay”. First encounters made me damm worried!!!
“Yip” – Now when it comes to pronunciation it could be said as though it was actually spelt “Yup“. Either way it means “yes”.
“Bunny boiler” – A really stunning girl. Down under there’s lots of them
Whilst on the subject of girls
“Slag” or “Mole” – Old Australian term for a woman that is sexually very free. Nowadays you’d probably say “hooker” or “whore“.
“Ditzy” – The epitome of the dumb blonde!!! someone who is time consuming, 99% preoccupied with themselves and drives everyone else around them slowly mad…BUT it is never their fault…the world and everyone in it conspires against them! I was blessed to receive this gospel straight from another almost blond sheila!
“walkabout” – What you do when take a walk somewhere.
“Cheers” – I’d always thought of this as a “toast” or “good bye“, however downunder it is closer to a “thank you“. So when something is handed, respond with “cheers“.
“dunnie” – Yet another name for a “toilet“, “loo” or “bog“. Sometimes those who are particulary proud of their achievements in this department say “thunderbox“.
“off crook” – taking a “sickie”, that is a day off because you claim you’re not feeling well or need a manicure / pedicure / hair do. This is also the day you send the boss the “I’m not well” email.
“short shift” – This is what happens when you get dumped before going on your first date.
“chook” – Chicken, yeah – the real feathered ones that lay the eggs!
“chokkers” – Packed, like a bus filled to capacity – people standing.
“kudos” – compliment, flattering remark.
“bleeder” – Bloodhound dog.
“brown nosing” – Overt praise usually directed towards your boss (in an attempt to gain favor or preferential treatment)
“ac” – This has nothing to do with power but rather an “air conditioner” eg. “Yeah mate, I got ac at home“. Energex and government regularly run adverts asking people to set their air conditioners at 24 degrees.
“CS Cowboy” – An alcoholic blend of Butterscotch schnapps and Cream Liqueur. As a South African, drink has the texture of Marula Cream and a taste something like Sambuca crossed with Shnapps.
“postie” – The bloke who drives the motorcycle delivering the post.
“garbo” – The bloke driving the garbage / rubbish truck. All the trucks here in Australia have metal arms that jump out and grab the bins, then give ‘em a good old shake before putting them back on the payment.
“Wowser” – Someone who doesn’t smoke or drink – a spoil sport – disruptive person.
“soek” – Softy, really sensitive. Usually directed towards at a bloke that’s a real wimp.
“whipper snipper” – That garden tool that spins the nylon gut to trim the edges of the lawn. South Africans call this a “weed eater”.
The same thing but with a spinning metal blade is called a “brush cutter“.
“UGO” – Unidentified garden object. This could be anything from a pretty flower to the mold destroying your driveway.
“like Teflon” – When used to describe someone, it means nothing sticks to them i.e. they are not guilty, it is never their problem or fault. They’re always innocent.
“in the burg” – Another way of saying “suburb”.
“Whirly Bird” – Because of the heat here in Queensland, lots of houses have a semi-circular sheet metal extractor fan attached to the roof. Supposedly this helps take the bite out of the 35+ daily temperatures!
“Yowie” – A seriously big bloke – a monster, something like Big Foot in the USA.
Pronunciation is also different compared to the Queen’s English for some words – it’s not just the accent!
“Debut” – Sounds like “day boo“
“Here” – Closer to “ear“, the “h” kinda disappeared!!
“Toyota” – Say “toy” followed by “yota“.
For more information on Aussie Slang, checkout a slang dictionary here or here
