There are a couple classic threads from the old forum that I hope never get lost. One of them was Gronk's Aussie Slang thread. Questions about some Aussie slang came up in another thread today, so I figured I'd quote some of that thread here...

G'day all,
Me cobba Frapper sent me a PM today suggestin I start a thread dealin with Aussie slang.
I dunno how many of ya's are interested but I thought it would a bit of fun.

I'll give a bit of an example of the uses of various phrases so ya's get a better idea of how we use 'em.

Aussies (pronounced Ozzies) have a lazy way of using the english language and we quite often run all our words into one big word so it can be hard for other nationalities to understand.

We also abreviate a lot of words, eg "Barbeque" becomes "Barbie", and use a lot of nick names for people based on their real names, eg. Steven=Stevo, Gary=Gazza, Simpson=Simmo, Linson=Linno etc etc.

AnyhowIreckonitstimetogetonwithit eh!

Ankle biter : small child
Arvo : afternoon
Bastard : term of endearment (Howyagoinyaoldbastard?)
Bloke : man, guy
Bloody oath! : that's certainly true (Too bloody right!!)
Blowie : blow fly (also known as a dunny budgie)
Bodgy : of inferior quality
Bog in : commence eating, to attack food with enthusiasm
Bonzer : great, ripper, fantastic
Bored shitless : very bored
Brass razoo, he hasn't got a : he's very poor
Brekkie : breakfast
Brick shit house, built like a : big strong bloke
Brickie : bricklayer
Bush oyster : nasal mucus
Bushman's hanky : Emitting nasal mucus by placing one index finger on the outside of the nose (thus blocking one nostril) and blowing snot from the other nostril.

Hey Tommo..I'm leavin the ankle biters at Bazza's joint s'arvo n goin 'round ta Stewies for a while.
He's a bonzer bloke but I reckon he sucks too much cold piss (drinks to much beer) coz he's built like a brick shit house!
He busts his guts workin as a brickie but his missus shot through and hasn't left 'im with a brass razoo...poor bastard!
Do ya wanna come with me?
Bloody oath mate!


Cactus : dead, not functioning (Can't start my bike..I think the battery's cactus)
Captain Cook : look ("let's have a Captain Cook")
Cark it : to die, cease functioning
Cat burying shit, as busy as a : busy (Sorry I can't help ya right now..I'm as busy as a cat burying shit)
Cat's piss, as mean as : mean, stingy, uncharitable
Chewie : chewing gum
Chokkie : chocolate
Chook : a chicken (A dirt bike in OZ is often refered to as a chook chaser)
Chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy
Chunder : vomit
Clacker : anus
Cobber : friend
Cockie : farmer
Cockie : cockatoo
Cockie : cockroach
Coldie : a beer (also refered to as piss)
Come a gutser : make a bad mistake, have an accident
Compo : Workers' Compensation pay
Cooee, not within : figuratively a long way away, far off (USA ain't within cooee of OZ
Crack a fat : get an erection
Crack onto (someone) : to hit on someone, pursue someone romantically
Cream : defeat by a large margin
Crook : sick, or badly made

Anyhow thats enough for now..I'll post some more later
Dag : a funny person, nerd, goof (I get called a dag quite often )
Daks : trousers
Damper : bread made from flour and water
Date : arse hole ("get off your fat date")
Dead dingo's donger, as dry as a : dry ("I'm quite thirsty" becomes "struth I'm as dry as a dead dingo's donger!")
Dead horse : Tomato sauce (Yooz guys call it Ketchup)
Deadset : true, the truth
Dinkum, fair dinkum : true, real, genuine ("I'm a dinkum Aussie"; "is he fair dinkum?")
Dinky-di : the real thing, genuine
Dipstick : a loser, idiot
Dob (somebody) in : inform on somebody. Hence dobber, a tell-tale
Dog : unattractive woman
Dog's balls, stands out like : obvious (geez that sheila's funbags stand out like dogs balls!)
Dog's eye : meat pie (I had a dogs eye with dead horse for lunch)
Dole bludger : somebody on social assistance when unjustified
Donger : penis
Doodle : penis (also refered to as a Blue veined custard chucker)
Drongo : a dope, stupid person
Dropkick : see 'dipstick'
Dummy, spit the : get very upset at something
Dunny : outside lavatory
Dunny budgie : blowfly
Durry : tobacco, cigarette

Earbashing : nagging, non-stop chatter
Esky : large insulated food/drink container for picnics, barbecues etc. (Yobbo's often carry an esky full of cold piss when they go to a barbie..oh and some snags or slabs of dead cow)


Fair dinkum : true, genuine
Fair suck of the sav! : exclamation of wonder, awe, disbelief
Figjam : "!!!!! I'm good; just ask me". Nickname for people who have a high opinion of themselves.
Fisho : fishmonger
Flat out like a lizard drinking : flat out, busy ("I'm too busy to help you today" becomes "Can't help ya, I'm flat out like a lizard drinkin")
Flick : to give something or somebody the flick is to get rid of it or him/her
Footy : Australian Rules football
Franger : condom
Freckle : anus
Frog in a sock, as cross as a : (That blokes not happy..he's goin off like a frog in a sock!)
Fruit loop : fool
Full : drunk

As you can see I'm listing them alphabetically and this list is nowhere near complete.
There's a lot of other strine that would be difficult to explain to people not familiar with our culture.
I will continue to list more every day or so.

A funny game to play would be for you to write a phrase or a saying common to your country and I will attempt convert it into the equivalent strine.
G'Day : hello!
Galah : fool, named after the bird of the same name which flies south in the winter - a bloody silly thing to do in the Southern Hemisphere
Garbo, garbologist : municipal garbage collector
Garn : Short for "Go and get !!!!ed!". Can also be used as a friendly greeting.
Give it a burl : try it, have a go
Gobful, give a : to abuse, usually justifiably ("The neighbours were having a noisy party so I went and gave them a gobful")
Going off : Used to describe something like a party that's in full swing - "the place was really going off"
Good onya : good for you, well done
Goog, as full as a : drunk.
Greenie : environmentalist
Grog : liquor, beer ("bring your own grog, you bludger")
Grouse : great, terrific, very good
Grundies : daggy underwear like big floppy Y fronts
Gutful of piss : drunk, "he's got a gutful of piss"


Hoon : hooligan
Hooroo : goodbye


Jackaroo : a male station hand (a station is a big farm/grazing property)
Jillaroo : a female station hand
Joey : baby kangaroo
Jumbuck : sheep


Kangaroos loose in the top paddock : Intellectually inadequate ("he's got kangaroos loose in the top paddock")
Kero : kerosene
Knock : to criticise
Knocker : somebody who criticises
Knockers : bosoms...big ones!


Lair : a flashily dressed young man of brash and vulgar behaviour, to dress up in flashy clothes, to renovate or dress up something in bad taste
Lair it up : to behave in a brash and vulgar manner
Larrikin : a bloke who is always enjoying himself, harmless prankster (Billy, Frapper, Gronk)
Lend of, to have a : to take advantage of somebody's gullibility, to have someone on ("he's having a lend of you")
Lippy : lipstick
Liquid laugh : vomit
Lob, lob in : drop in to see someone ("the rellies have lobbed")
Longneck : 750ml bottle of beer in South Australia
Lucky Country, The : Australia, where else?
Lunch, who opened their? : OK, who farted?
Maccas (pron. "mackers") : McDonald's (the hamburger place)
Mallee bull, as fit as a : very fit and strong. The Mallee is very arid beef country in Victoria/South Australia.
Mappa Tassie : map of Tasmania - a woman's pubic area
Mate : buddy, friend
Mate's rate, mate's discount : cheaper than usual for a "friend"
Metho : methylated spirits
Mexican : a person from south of the (Queensland) border (gronk is a mexican)
Mickey Mouse : excellent, very good. (Strewth mate, this hot weather is mickey mouse)
Milko : milkman
Mongrel : despicable person
Moolah : money
Mozzie : mosquito
Mug : friendly insult ("have a go, yer mug"), gullible person
Mull : grass (the kind you smoke)
Muster : round up sheep or cattle


Naughty, have a : have sex
Nipper : young surf lifesaver
No drama : same as 'no worries'
No worries! : Expression of forgiveness or reassurance (No problem; forget about it; I can do it; Yes, I'll do it)
No-hoper : somebody who'll never do well
Not the full quid : not bright intellectually
Nuddy, in the : naked
Nun's nasty, as dry as a : dry


Ocker : an unsophisticated person
Offsider : an assistant, helper
Old fella : penis
Oldies : parents - "I'll have to ask my oldies"
Op shop : opportunity shop, thrift store, place where second hand goods are sold.
Outback : interior of Australia
Oz : Australia!
Hmmm Interesting.

Mickey mouse in the States usually means cheap, not good, was done in a hurry or terribly bad.

Example. Man that's one Mickey Mouse outfit. WHo's Mickey Mouse Idea was that?. What a Mickey Mouse way of doing business.

Interesting to see it means the opposite down unda.
Hey Frap,
It can also mean the same as you said down here too..it just depends on the tone of voice and the conversation its used in.

Further up the list I posted "captain cook" which means "Look" and I think its called rhyming slang.
The same can be said of one of the uses for "mickey mouse" which rhymes with "Grouse" which means great, fantastic, really good.

"Geez that new paint job on ya scoot looks mickey mouse!"

Gary

Continued...

Pash : a long passionate kiss; hence "pashing on"
Pav : Pavlova - a rich, creamy Australian dessert
Perve : looking lustfully at the opposite sex
Piece of piss : easy task (I got Berts "how to" vids the other day..they make changin the oil a piece O piss!)
Pig's arse! : I don't agree with you (Davo reckons big twins are better than Sporties..Pigs arse they are!!)
Piker : Someone who doesn't want to fit in with others socially, leaves parties early
Piss : beer. Hence "hit the piss", "sink some piss"
Plonk : cheap wine
Pokies : poker machines, fruit machines, gambling slot machines
Polly : politician
Pom, pommy : an Englishman
Pommy bastard : an Englishman
Pommy shower : using deodorant instead of taking a shower
Postie : postman, mailman
Pozzy : position - get a good pozzy at the football stadium
Prezzy : present, gift


Quid, make a : earn a living - "are you making a quid?"[Historical note: 'quid' is slang for a pound. £1 became $2 when Australia converted to decimal currency]
Quid, not the full : of low IQ. (That Frapper...he's not the full quid)


Rack off : push off! get lost! get out of here!
Rage : party
Rage on : to continue partying - "we raged on until 3am" (I've heard Stevo does a bit of this)
Ratbag : An annoying but also amusing and friendly bloke.
Raw prawn, to come the : to bullshit, to be generally disagreeable
Reckon! : you bet! Absolutely! also means "think" ( I reckon Frap is a cheeky bastard)
Reffo : refugee
Rego : vehicle registration
Rellie or relo : family relative
Ridgy-didge : original, genuine
Right : okay ("she'll be right, mate")
Rip snorter : great, fantastic - "it was a rip snorter of a party"
Ripper : great, fantastic - "it was a ripper party"
Ripper, you little! : Exclamation of delight or as a reaction to good news
Rock up : to turn up, to arrive - "we rocked up at their house at 8pm"
Rollie : a cigarette that you roll yourself
Roo : kangaroo
Root : synonym for !!!!! in nearly all its senses: "I feel rooted"; "this washing machine is rooted"; "(s)he's a good root". A very useful word in fairly polite company.
Rotten : drunk - "I went out last night and got rotten"
Salute, Aussie : brushing flies away
Salvos, the : Salvation Army, bless them
Sanger : a sandwich
Sav : saveloy ("fair suck of the sav!")
Scratchy : instant lottery ticket
Screamer : party lover; "two pot screamer" - somebody who gets drunk on very little alcohol
Seppo : an American (derived from rhyming slang; Yank becomes septic tank and then is shortened to seppo..non offensive term of endearment for our American brothers)
Servo : petrol station
Shark biscuit : somebody new to surfing
She'll be right : it'll turn out okay
Sheila : a woman
Shit house : of poor quality, unenjoyable ("this car is shit house", "the movie was shit house")
Shit house : toilet, lavatory
Shonky : dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky practice, shonky business etc.
Shoot through : to leave
Shout : turn to buy - a round of drinks usually ("it's your shout")
Show pony : someone who tries hard, by his dress or behaviour, to impress those around him.
Sickie : day off sick from work (chuck a sickie = take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy!)
Skite : boast, brag
Skull/Skol (a beer) : to drink a beer in a single draught without taking a breath
Slab : a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Sleepout : house verandah converted to a bedroom
Smoko : smoke or coffee break
Snag : a sausage
Sook : person or animal who is soft, tame, inoffensive. Hence sooky
Spag bol : spaghetti bolognese
Spewin' : very angry
Spiffy, pretty spiffy : great, excellent
Spit the dummy : get very upset at something
Spruiker : man who stands outside a nightclub or restaurant trying to persuade people to enter
Sprung : caught doing something wrong
Spunk : a good looking person (of either sex)
Squizz (noun) : look - "take a squizz at this"
Standover man : a large man, usually gang-related, who threatens people with physical violence in order to have his wishes carried out.
Station : a big farm/grazing property
Stickybeak : nosy person. Also means to "have a look" at (I'm goin for a stickybeak at the 2005 Sporties)
Stoked : very pleased
Strewth : exclamation, mild oath ("Strewth, that Chris is a bonzer bloke")
Strides : trousers
Strine : Australian slang and pronunciation (When I say "Australian" it sounds like "Strine")
Stubby : a 375ml. beer bottle
Stubby holder : polystyrene insulated holder for a stubby
Stuffed, I feel : I'm tired
Stuffed, I'll be : expression of surprise (I'll be stuffed if I can find that bloody hammer!....Well Stuff me!! hear it is!)
Sunbake : sunbathe
Sunnies : sunglasses
Surfies : people who go surfing - usually more often than they go to work!
Swag : rolled up bedding etc. carried by a swagman
Swaggie : swagman
Swagman : tramp, hobo


Tall poppies : successful people
Tall poppy syndrome : the tendency to criticize successful people
Taswegian : derogatory term for a person from Tasmania
Technicolor yawn : vomit
Tee-up : to set up (an appointment)
Thingo : Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit
Thongs : cheap rubber backless sandals (I think they are called flip flops in some other countries)
Tickets, to have on oneself : to have a high opinion of oneself
Tinny : can of beer
Tinny : small aluminium boat
Tinny, tin-arsed : lucky
Togs : swim suit
Too right! : definitely!
Top End : far north of Australia
Trackie daks/dacks : tracksuit pants
Trackies : track suit
Troppo, gone : to have escaped to a state of tropical madness; to have lost the veneer of civilisation after spending too long in the tropics.
Trough lolly : the solid piece of perfumed disinfectant in a men's urinal
Truckie : truck driver
True blue : patriotic
Tucker : food
Tucker-bag : food bag
Turps : turpentine, alcoholic drink
Turps, hit the : go on a drinking binge
Two up : gambling game played by spinning two coins simultaneously
Uni : university
Up oneself : have a high opinion of oneself - "he's really up himself"
Up somebody, get : to rebuke somebody - "the boss got up me for being late"
Useful as an ashtray on a motorbike / tits on a bull : unhelpful or incompetent person or thing - "he, she or it is about as useful as tits on a bull" etc. etc.
Ute : utility vehicle, pickup truck


Veggies : vegetables
Vee dub : Volkswagen
Veg out : relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
Veggo : vegetarian


Waggin' school : playing truant
Walkabout : a walk in the Outback by Aborigines that lasts for an indefinite amount of time
Walkabout, it's gone : it's lost, can't be found
Whacker, whacka : Idiot; somebody who talks drivel; somebody with whom you have little patience; a dickhead
Whinge : complain
White pointers : topless (female) sunbathers
Whiteant : to criticise something to deter somebody from buying it. A car dealer might whiteant another dealer's cars or a real estate salesman might whiteant another agent's property
Wobbly : excitable behaviour ("I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly")
Wobbly boot on, he's got the : drunk
Wog : flu or trivial illness
Wog : person of Mediterranean origin. A milder insult than the same word in the UK and perhaps elsewhere.
Wombat : somebody who eats, roots and leaves (see also root)
Woop Woop : invented name for any small unimportant town - "he lives in Woop Woop"
Wowser : straight-laced person, prude, puritan, spoilsport
Wuss : coward; nervous person or animal


Yabber : talk (a lot)
Yakka : work (noun)
Yewy : u-turn in traffic ("chuck a yewy at the next traffic lights")
Yobbo : an uncouth person (I get called this on occasion)


Zack : sixpence (5 cents) - "it isn't worth a zack", "he hasn't got a zack"


Well thats it for now...it aint anywhere near complete and there's a whole bunch of different ways aussies from different parts of OZ pronounce stuff.

When I say "Australian" it sounds like "Strine"...and most words that end with "er" are pronounced "a" (Cobba, rippa, tucka)

Sbeen bloody rippa torkin to yaz!

OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE! OY! OY! OY!

Gary

That's a big list.

That's a big list.
Strewth mate, they yabber real funny in Oz.

Gazza

Strewth mate, they yabber real funny in Oz.

Gazza
:rolleyes: same could be said about the septics :D

alot of it is also regional rhyming slag.
but once in a conversation, it makes sense.
anything that is locally found that ryhmes with the actual word is subsituted

eg.
dead horse = Tomato sauce
mickey mouse = grouse = good/great
septic tank = yank = american (septic is not used as a derogatory term)

i understand if you think its hard.
even i have trouble talking to an old timer sometimes.:)

cheers
crackers

Great stuff! First I've seen it. Is it my imagination or does it sound like everyone Down Under is having a blast? One long, eternal, sunshiny, carefree day in the Southern Hemisphere! (no sarcasm intended whatsoever)
What do they say? No worries!

Thanks for the re-post, Gary! (and all of the Ozzies also)

Too true blue :shhhh
Fair suck on a sauce bottle, mate :D

Whiffy

septic tank = yank = american (septic is not used as a derogatory term)


Actually this one is derogatory...it comes from rhyming slang for Yank = septic tank (a septic tank is full of shit) ===> seppo (short for septic tank)


But fair suck of the savaloy sunshine, don't come the raw prawn with me. :D


Up north here it's too hot to speak properly, we get real lazy and shorten everything....

Stevo, Not so much of the savaloy thanks very much.
'mouth like a dead bears bum' springs to mind....;-)

Whiff

gary , we must think quite a bit alike cause I was trying to figure out how to bring those posts over here too :smoke

Gary,

Great thing, bringing that Post to the New Site!!!!

I Love it!!!

Back to the top again!

gary , we must think quite a bit alike

That's a pretty scary thought eh? :eek: