I picked up quite a few slang words during my time in Australia. Brook Attakorn/Getty Images I spent a year living in Sydney, and picked up quite a few Australian slang words I still use today. I call breakfast “brekkie,” and McDonald’s is always “Macca’s.
” I also love creative slang like “slippery dip” (a playground slide), and “goon” (boxed wine). On my very first day of work in Australia, I got my first lesson in Australian slang. I spent a year living in Sydney, Australia.
Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderMy new boss came up to me and asked a simple question: “How ya going?” “Going . . .
where?” I asked, eliciting a round of laughs. From Macca’s to budgie smugglers, the Land Down Under has plenty of incredible phrases to go along with its beautiful beaches and near-perfect weather. And while I no longer call Sydney home, there are still plenty of Aussie words that I can’t quite let go of.
Arvo (n): the afternoonA gorgeous arvo in one of Sydney’s best photo spots. Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderAussies, much like Californians such as myself, have a natural tendency to shorten words as they see fit. Arvo is one of them.
“Wanna meet at the pub for a drink this arvo?” is a question I heard frequently as the work day came to an end. Barbie (n): a barbecueOne of my barbies in Sydney. Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderBarbie is probably the most well-known Australian slang word in the US, right up there with “G’day mate.
” The phrase “shrimp on the barbie” became embedded in pop culture thanks to Paul Hogan’s Australian tourism ads, which ran from 1984 to 1990. As I quickly learned, Aussies never actually say “shrimp on the barbie. ” Prawns are far more common Down Under (yes, they’re different) and, I was surprised to learn, very popular at Christmas dinners.
“Can you throw some snags on the barbie for me?” was a far more common question. Bloody ripper (adj): really awesome, fantasticA bloody ripper double rainbow I saw during a weekend in Tasmania. Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderAussies and Brits love to claim that the other stole all their slang and “bloody” is one of those words with which they share a mutual affection.
While Americans may have picked up “bloody hell!” from the “Harry Potter” films (at least I did), Aussies love to use the phrase “bloody ripper!” when they’re really excited about something — or someone. “You got us free drinks? You bloody ripper!” Brekkie (n): breakfastA great Australian brekkie often involves avocado toast. Naomi Rahim/Getty ImagesThere is probably no Aussie slang I use more than “brekkie.
” This is the land that gave us avocado toast and Vegemite, so you know the first meal of the day is no joke to them. It can also be spelled “brekky,” depending on who you ask. “I’m just gonna grab some avo toast for brekkie and then I’ll be right over!”Budgie Smugglers (n): men’s brief, tight-fitting swimsuits (what we call Speedos)A man wearing budgie smugglers is seen at Bronte Beach in Sydney, Australia.
Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesDo I actually say the word budgie smugglers out loud? Absolutely not. My friends still make fun of me when I say I’m “going on holiday. ” But, in my mind at least, I will never say Speedos again.
Budgie smugglers is just way more fun — and it’s even been recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary. “It’s Christmas mate, put on your budgie smugglers and let’s go for a swim!” Day for it (phrase): the perfect day for the beach, a few beers, etc. I was always at Balmoral beach (pictured) when it was a day for it in Sydney.
DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty ImagesDo you know how I can always tell summer has officially hit Australia? Story after story suddenly pops up on my Instagram feed as my Aussie friends film Sydney beaches. “Daaaaaay for it,” they write in glowing letters floating in clear blue skies in the middle of January. Devo (adj): devastatedThese people were probably devo when it rained during the most recent Splendour in the Grass festival in Australia.
Marc Grimwade/WireImageWhen you’re feeling sad about a rainy day or a bad rugby game, why waste energy on extra letters? The Aussies sure don’t when they’re “devo. ” Not to be confused with defo, another Aussie slang word for “definitely. ” Deadset (adv): seriously, definitelyBondi beach isn’t the best beach in Sydney — and I deadset believe that.
Mark Evans/Getty ImagesAussies are famously laid-back, but if they use the word “deadset,” you know they’re serious. They could be “deadset” against something (“I deadset don’t remember”), or might be making sure you know they’re telling the truth. Think of it as the Australian version of the Kardashian sisters’ famous “bible” phrase.
“How ya going?” (phrase): How are you? What’s up?I’m guessing I asked this kangaroo “How ya going?” while in Tasmania. Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderThis is how most people greeted me in Australia, and I heard it way more than the far more famous “G’day mate. ” While I had no idea what my boss meant when he used it that very first day, I heard this phrase so much that I found myself saying it on the phone when I came back to the US (much to everyone’s confusion and amusement).
“Good on ya!” (phrase): Well done! Great job!A thumbs up — like this one from Team Australia’s Louise Bawden during the 2016 Rio Olympics — is the equivalent of a “good on ya!”LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty ImagesI heard this phrase a lot while working in an Australian newsroom. “You landed an exclusive interview? Good on ya! You had the number one story of the week? Good on ya! You figured out the perfect Vegemite to toast ratio? Good on . .
. ” OK, you get the picture. Goon (n): cheap wine, of the boxed varietyA goon bag and an Australian flag hanging on a washing line at the Play on the Plains Festival in Deniliquin, Australia.
Mark Kolbe/Getty ImagesRemember in college when you’d stand around in a circle with friends and everyone would chant “Slap! The! Bag!” while someone chugged cheap red wine out of a plastic contraption? Australians dabble in this tradition of youth as well, with their own (literal) spin. A goon bag is placed on a spinning washing line. Whoever the bag lands on has to drink.
The name of the game? Goon of Fortune (yes, it’s genius). Heaps (idiom): a lot of, tonsThere are heaps of beautiful beaches in Byron Bay — my favorite place in Australia. Brook Mitchell/Getty ImagesYou can look “heaps” like your grandma or know “heaps” of people going to the party.
Did you bring enough drinks for everyone? Heaps! Lollies (n): candy (but not the chocolate kind)Lollies by Allen’s are very popular in Australia. Amazon/Allen’s Snakes AliveHave you ever had a coworker go on a candy run and bring back Kit Kat bars when you were secretly pining for Sour Patch Kids? That would never be the case in Oz, where all non-chocolate candy is simply categorized as “lollies. ” Allen’s lollies were always my favorite (pro tip: get the frogs and snakes).
Maccas (n): McDonald’sIt’s not McDonald’s in Australia — it’s Maccas. McDonald’s AustraliaBrits call it “Maccies” and Americans like “Mickey D’s” — but for Aussies, it will always be “Maccas. ” And, if you ask me, the Australian McDonald’s menu is far more exciting than what we have in the US.
There’s the Big Brekkie Burger, a crème brulée McFlurry, and frozen Coke. Skull (v): to chugAustralian rugby player Toby Rudolf skulls a beer as he celebrates with fans after a match in Sydney on July 30, 2022. Matt King/Getty ImagesSkull means to finish your entire beer in one go.
It can be used as a challenge — “skull it!” — or encouragement, usually in the form of chanting “Skull! Skull! Skull!” until the very last drop. Shoey (n): The act of drinking a beverage — usually alcoholic — from a shoeAustralian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo celebrates on the podium with a shoey during the F1 Grand Prix on November 1, 2020, in Imola, Italy. Lars Baron – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesWho needs a glass when you could use your shoe? I’ve had more than a few nights out with Australians that featured a shoey, which involves pouring a beer into your shoe and skulling it.
Shoeys are so beloved by Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo that he always celebrates with one when he makes it on the podium. Sunnies (n): sunglassesAustralian icon Kylie Minogue sports a pair of sunnies. Edward Berthelot/GC ImagesI’m not sure I’ve ever heard an Australian say the word “sunglasses.
” And why should they? “Sunnies” is so much quicker — and cuter. Slippery dip (n): slideWhy call it a slide when you can call it a slippery dip?Alan Powdrill/Getty ImagesI will never forget when Hannah, one of my best friends in Australia, told me that Aussies call slides a “slippery dip. ” It’s so creative, weird, and fun.
Every time I pass by a slide now, I remember that word and smile. Straya (n): AustraliaI will always love Straya. Anneta Konstantinides/InsiderThis is how many Aussies love to refer to their home state and, after my year Down Under, it’s what I love to call the country that gave me so many incredible memories and friends.
Until next time, Straya. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/australian-slang-words-and-what-they-mean-2022-8
