How To Speak Aussie

Welcome fellow Aussies (pronounced “ozzies”) and foreigners to todays topic “How To Speak Aussie”. Our language is a bizarre and colourful one, chocker block full of swearwords that now that I’ve looked into it in more detail, apparently each have a million different meanings. In fact there are so many varieties of profanity that I have covered them in a seperate section which is linked below! Grab a cuppa, have a read and see if you can learn all the lingo!

Swearing Aussie Style
Correct Pronunciation of Places & Towns
How To Create An Aussie Nickname
What Aussies call people
Aussie Jobs
Food & Drink in Australia
Common Sayings
Greetings
Places
Feelings & States of Being
Car Stuff
Clothing
Body Parts
Miscellaneous Other Things

Correct Pronunciation of Popular Cities & Places

Uh -stray-ya – Australia
Stray-ya – Australia (bogan)
Mel-bin – Melbourne
Can-brah – Canberra – aka The Nations Capital (usually in a sarcastic tone)
Bris-ben – Brisbane – aka Brissie
Tas-main-iah – Tasmania – aka Tassie
Care-ns – Cairnes
Oolah -roo – Uluru – aka Ayres Rock

How to create an Aussie nickname:

Replace any ‘r’ in the middle of the name with a z, for example:

Sharon – Shazza / Shaz
Laurel – Lozza / Loz
Karen – Kazza / Kaz
Darren – Dazza /Daz
Barry – Bazza /Baz

Add an ‘o’ at the end (usually male names), for example:

Rob – Robbo
Dave – Davo
Simon – Simmo
Steve – Stevo

Shorten the name and if you want add “er’s” to the end, for example:

Victoria – Vicky – Vicker’s
Rebecca – Bec – Becker’s

If those rules don’t work then use something ironic:

Blue – A red headed person
Shorty – A tall guy
Big Tim – Skinny guy

What Aussie’s call people:

Wife / Female Partner:

‘The Missus”
The Old Lady (careful using that one fella’s…)

Husband / Male Partner:

‘The Old Man’
Hubby

Types of People in General:

Young fella – young boy
Fella – man
Mate – friend
Sheila’s – Women (general)
Bloke’s – Men (general)
Bogan’s – White Trash
Ferals – Bogans/ Derros/ Children being naughty
Clown – silly person or if prefixed with a curse word then ‘an idiot’.
Povvo’s – Poor people (Insult)
Derro’s – Loser / Bogan
Hooligans – Young people that are unruly and often drunk and unlawful/ louts
No Hoper – loser/ unlikely to seek/gain employment or try and contribute meaningfully to society.
Bludger – Someone who is capable of work but remains on welfare for long periods of time
Crims – Criminals
Crooks – Criminals
Junkie – Drug addict
Pot head – Frequent Marijuana user
Kiddo’s – Children
Chook – lady – usually descriptive and prefixed by ‘good’ ‘funny’ or ‘old’
Ocka – Stereotypically Australian sounding person (think Steve Irwin)
Drongo – fool
Bushie – someone who lives deep in the bush, lives off the land and rarely leaves

Aussie Jobs:

Sparky – Electrician
Chippie – Carpenter
Brickie – Brick Layer
Tradie – tradesperson
Firie – Fireman
Copper / Cop – Police Officer
Ambo – Ambulance Officer
Pube – Public Servant
Barrister / Attorney – Lawyer
Checkout Chick/Bloke – Person working the register at a store
Servo Chick/Bloke – Person working at a fuel station
Garbo – Garbage man
Truckie – Truck driver
Polly – Politician
Office Boys – Tradie speak for non-tradies or ex tradies or tradies that are “off the tools” and now work in the admin section of the company.

Food & Meals

Barra – Barramundi (a type of fish)
Bennie – Eggs Bennadict
Brekkie – Breakfast
Chewy – Chewing Gum
Chips – Crisps / Potato chips
Fairy Bread – margarine on white bread with 100’s & 1000’s sprinkled over it.
Hot Chips – Fries
Jaffles/ Toasties – toasted sandwiches
Jam – Fruit based spread
Jelly – Jello
Lammo/Lamington – Sponge cake coated in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut, some may have a layer of strawberry jam in the middle.
Macca’s – Mc Donalds
Milo – a chocolate flavoured milk drink that is NOT MADE WITH HOT WATER ONLY YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!
Sanga – Sandwich
Sausage Sizzle – A barbecued sausage diagonally laid in a piece of bread served with or without sauce and onions – traditionally served at kids parties, school fates, on election days and on weekends at your local Bunnings store.
Schnitty – Chicken Schnitzel
Smoko – technically a smoke break but its what tradies call ‘brunch’
Snag – Sausage
Spag bol – Spaghetti Bolognese
Tim Tams – A delicious chocolate biscuit brand with a variety of flavours
Vegemite – Black deliciousness, best spread onto warm toast with butter, also goes well in a with cheese in either a sanga or a toastie.
Zooper Doopers – flavoured icy poles in a plastic tube

Beverages

Bundy – Bundaberg Rum
Cab Sav – Cabernet Savingon
Chardy – Chardonay
Champers – Champagne
Cuppa – Hot beverage
Soft Drink – Soda
Stubby – Bottle of beer
Tinny – Tin of beer
Goon – Cheap cask wine drunk right from its silver sack, usually by teenagers.

Common Sayings

Beut! Really Good
Bonza – Good
No Worries – Not a problem
Maaate – I need a favour
Crikey!/? – Wow! /WTF?
Bonkers – Crazy
Crackers – Crazy
Nutso – Crazy
Psycho – Crazy
Whacko – Crazy
Got a roo loose in the top paddock – Crazy
Chuckin a Wobbly – Acting Crazy/ Having a meltdown
Gone Burko – Gone crazy
Keep ya hair on! – Calm down
Don’t get your knickers in a knot! – Calm down
A Stubby Short of a Six Pack – Not very smart
A bit thick – Not very smart
Have a lark – Have a laugh/ joke
Cracked me up – Made me laugh
Have a sook – Act all whiney and grumpy
Fair game – Up for grabs
Fair Dinkum – Honest
Fair go – Be nice about it
Fair go – Give someone a fair chance
Have a crack – Give it a try
Flogged off – Sold cheap
Hang a Leak – Urinate
Off her tits – An intoxicated female
Righto – all right then / okay / I understand
Righto (sarcastically) – I don’t believe you
Got knackered – Hit in the balls
Am knackered – Really tired
On the tools – a tradesperson still working in/ using their trade (not yet retired)
Doing reno’s – renovating a house
He/she’s gone walkabout – He/she’s wandered off somewhere/ disappeared
Nicked off – left
Chuck a sickie – Fake a sick day off work
Shacked up with – Moved in with a partner
Get you’re hand off it! – Shut up, you’re obviously lying!
Up yourself – Full of ones own importance
Tarted up / Dolled up – Got dressed up nicely e.g. for a night out

Greetings

G’day – Hello
Howarya? – How are you?
Mornin’ – Good morning
Yeah? – Hi, I’m busy what do you want?

Places

Bottlo – Liquor Store
Bowlo – Bowling Club (lawn bowls, but think grog and pokies )
Chemist – Drug Store
Gaol – Prison
Grog Shop – Liquor Store
Local Shops – Small bank of shops located within suburbs traditionally containing an IGA, a chemist, a butcher, a bakery, a newsagent and a hairdresser.
Remand centre – Jail
Servo – Fuel Station
Shitter – Toilet
Shopping Centre – Mall
Shops – Grocery store / Mall
Shop – Grocery store
The Flicks / Movies – The Cinema
The Local – Favourite Pub
Loo – Toilet

Feelings & States of Being

Beaut – really good
Ripper – really good
Nackered – really tired / stuffed
Having a Barney – Having an argument
Pissed – unhappy (also see swearing Aussie Style)
Pissed – drunk
Sooky – whiny
Devvo – Devastated
Crook – Sick
Preggers – Pregnant
Up the duff – Pregnant
Starkers – completely naked
Snagged – stuck on something

Car Stuff

Ute – Pick up truck
Trailer – Box trailer
Caravan – Trailer
Wreckers – Junk yard
Boot – Trunk of a car
Bonnet – Hood of a car
Speedo – Tachometer
Chuck a Uey – Perform a U-turn
Smoke em up – Do a burn out
Doughies – Performing donuts
Jerry – Fuel can
Get bretho’d – Get pulled into a police random breath test
Get booked – charged with a crime

Clothing

Daks – Pants
Trackie Daks – Tracksuit Pants
Hoodie – Hooded jumper
Jumper – Sweater
Knickers – Underwear
Undies – Underwear
Scungies – Lycra undie type things that young girls often put on over the top of their normal undies if they wear skirts to school so that – to quote my daughter – “the boys don’t see my undies if I do a handstand”.
G Banger/ G String – A Thong
Thongs – Flip Flops
Uggies – Ugg boots /sheepskin slippers
Crocs – Bogan footwear half shoe/ half thong made of rubber with holes in the top

Body Parts

Noggin – head
Clacker – Bum e.g. “Got my undies stuck up my clacker” = A wedgie
Fanny – Vagina

Assorted Other Things

Bindi’s – Little weeds with spikes balls sticking out that invade lawns across the continent during summer praying on the bare feet of children.
Brolly – umbrella
Canteen – Cafeteria
Chucked – Vomited
Ciggies / Smokes – Cigarettes
Cyclone – Hurricane
Hills Hoist – A square shaped washing line that spins around and doubles as an amusement ride for small children and drunk teenagers.
Kindy – Kindergarten
Knock Off – Steal / A cheap replica / To finish work
Mozzie – Mosquito
Nicked – Stole
Paddock – field
Rip – An ocean current that silently drags you out to sea
Roo – Kangaroo
Scorcher – A really hot day
Slip n slide – a plastic sheet you put on an incline, add soap & water and slide down it, usually landing in a patch of bindi’s.
Tele – Television
Two Up – A gambling game that for some reason is only legal to play in Australia after 1pm on Anzac Day.