| Submitted by: David Stybr United States |
| Submission Date: 14 February 2005 |
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Loo: Lavatory or toilet.
Lot: The whole thing.
Lurk: Scheme (no negative connotation).
M
Ma Stater: Resident of New South Wales.
Mad: Crazy (seldom means anger).
Mallee: Remote bushland of Victoria.
Manchester: Household linen.
Mate: This usually means a friend but it can be used to talk about or to anyone - even a total stranger.
Matey with: Familiar or friendly with.
Matilda: The belongings of a swagman, wrapped in a blanket or bedroll.
Middy: 285 ml beer glass (New South Wales).
Milk bar: Corner general store.
Milko: Milkman.
Mob: Group of person or things (not necessarily unruly).
Mozzie: Mosquito.
Mug: Either a fool or your face.
N
Naff: Ridiculous, useless.
Nana: Banana.
Nark: Spoilsport.
Narked: Annoyed.
Neddies: Horses.
Never-never: Desert region far away in the outback.
Nick: To steal.
Nick out: Go somewhere for short period of time.
Nit: Fool or idiot.
No hoper: Hopeless case.
No shortage of oscar: To be flush with money.
No worries!: Everything will be fine!
Noise off: Speak loudly.
North Island: Mainland Australia, according to someone in Tasmania.
Northern summer: Summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Nulla-nulla: Wooden club used by Aborigines.
Num-nums: Tasty food.
O
Ocker: Uncultivated or boorish Australian.
Off-sider: Assistant or partner.
Oil: Information.
On a good lurk: To have a good job.
OS: Overseas.
Outback: The bush, or uncivilised uninhabited region.
Oy!: An ocker's call; hey!
Owyergoin: How are you going? Often used with 'G'day' and 'Mate'.
OYO: On your own (flat or apartment).
Oz: Australia, as in Oz-tralia.
P
Packed out: Filled to capacity.
Packet: Large some of money, an envelope.
Paddock: Field or meadow.
Pally: On friendly terms with.
Paper yabber: Letter.
Parcel: Package.
Pastoralist: Large-scale grazier.
Pavement pizza: Vomit.
Pavlova: Traditional Australian meringue and cream dessert, names after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.
Pearler: Excellent.
Perve: To gaze with lust, purview.
Pester: Annoy or bother someone.
Petrol: Gasoline.
Piffle: Nonsense.
Pinch: To arrest.
Pineapple, rough end of: Stick, sharp end of; misfortune.
Piss: Alcohol, usually beer.
Piss turn, **** up: Boozy party.
Piss weak: No good, gutless.
Pissed: Drunk.
Pissed off: Annoyed.
Pivot on: Consider.
Plant the foot (to the floorboards): Drive fast.
Plonk: Cheap wine (contemptuous contraction of 'vin blanc').
Poddy dodger: Cattle rustler. Poddy calves are milk-fed but not by a cow.
Poker machine, pokies: Slot machine or fruit machine but with playing card pips. Found in clubs mainly in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Pom or Pommy: English person.
Poofter: Homosexual.
Possie: Position.
Postie: Postman.
Pot: 285 ml glass of beer (Victoria and Queensland).
Prang: Accident or crash.
Proprietary (Pty.): Company (Co.).
Pub: Any hotel. A favourite meeting place of many Australians.
Push: Group or gang of people, such as shearers.
Putt-putt: Any small vehicle.
Q
Q: Thank you (mumbled).
QANTAS: Acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service.
Quack: Doctor, especially if not very good.
Quick smart: In a hurry.
Quids: A lot of money.
R
Rainbow sneeze: Vomit.
Rapt: Delighted, enraptured.
Ratbag: Someone who does not behave properly.
Raw Prawn: A lie or a con job.
Razoo: Fictitious coin, as 'I haven't a brass razoo'.
Reckon!: You bet! Absolutely!
Rego: Registration, as in car rego.
Ridgy-didge: Original, genuine.
Ringer: Fast sheep shearer.
Ripper: Good.
Road train: Multi-trailered semi truck. Legal only in Northern Territory.
Roo: Kangaroo.
Roo bar: Metal rod on front of vehicles to protect against kangaroo strikes.
Root: Have sexual intercourse.
Rooted: Tired.
Ropable: Very ill-tempered or angry.
RS: Lousy (rat shit).
Rubbish: To tease, as in 'to rubbish'.
Rug up: Dress for warmth.
S
Sack: To dismiss from a job.
Salvo: Member of the Salvation Army.
Sandgroper: Resident of Western Australia; sand-burrowing desert insect.
Scallops: Fried potato cakes (Queensland and New South Wales), shellfish (elsewhere).
Scheme: System or method (no negative connotation).
School: Group of drinkers, each of whom buys a round.
Schooner: Large beer glass (New South Wales, South Australia).
Screamer: Noisy drunk.
Scrub: Can be the same as the bush or it can mean areas in the country without many trees.
Sea wasp: Deadly box jellyfish.
Sealed road: Surfaced road.
See you in the soup: See you around.
Semitrailer: Articulated truck.
Septic: Disparaging term for an American ('septic tank' rhymes with 'Yank').
Session: Lengthy period of heavy drinking.
Sheila: Female or woman.
Shellacking: Complete defeat.
She'll be right!: Everything will be fine!
Shivoo: Rowdy party (archaic).
Shonky: Unreliable.
Shoot Through: To leave or disappear in a hurry.
Shout: Pay for someone else, particularly a round of drinks.
Shove off!: Go away!
Shirty: To get upset or angry.
Sickie: Day off work ill, or malingering.
Silk shirt on a pig: Something wasted.
Sink the boot: Go in hard.
Skint: Broke.
Skite: To boast.
Slab: 24 cans (tinnies) of beer, shrink-wrapped as a unit.
Slog: Hard work.
Smoko: Smoke or tea break.
Snag: Sausage.
Sport: More general way to refer to someone rather than a mate.
Spunky: Good-looking, attractive as in 'what a spunk'.
Square off: Apologise and make reparations.
Square up: Prepare to fight (as in boxing).
Squatter: Large landowner who originally occupied land as a tenant of the government.
Squattocracy: Australian 'old money' folk, who made their fortunes by being first on the scene and grabbing the land.
Station: Large farm or ranch.
Sticky beak: Nosy person.
Stinger: Deadly box jellyfish.
Strewth!: It's the truth! An exclamation, often of surprise.
Strides: Daks, trousers.
Strine: Australian slang ('Australian' spoken in strine).
Stubby: 375 ml bottle of beer.
Sunbake: Sunbathe.
Surfy: Surfing fanatic.
Swag: Canvas-covered bedroll used in the outback.
Swagman: Vagabond, rural tramp.
Swimmers: Swimming costume (Queensland, Victoria).
T
Take away food: Take-out food.
Tall poppies: Achievers, often a disparaging term.
Tariff: Rate.
Taswegian: Resident of Tasmania (patterned after 'Norwegian').
Tea: evening meal.
Technicolour yawn: Vomit.
Tee up: Organise or arrange.
Telly: The television.
Thingo: Thing, whatchamacallit, whomajigger, hooza meebob, doo velacki, thingamajig.
This arvo: This afternoon.
Thongs: Rubber sandals, flip-flops
Tinny: Can of beer. Also a small aluminium fishing dinghy (Northern Territory).
Togs: Swimming costume (Queensland, Victoria).
Too right!: Absolutely!
Top End: Northern part of the Northern Territory.
Top Ender: Resident of the Northern Territory.
Trucky: Truck driver.
True blue: Dinkum.
Tucker: Food. Australian schools call their canteens a 'tuckshop'.
Twit: Fool or idiot.
Two-pot screamer: Someone who can't hold his liquor.
Two-up: Traditional Australian heads/tails gambling game, played with 2 coins.
Tyre: Australian and British spelling of 'tire'.
U
Underdaks: Underwear.
Uni: University.
Up a gumtree: In a quandary.
Up north: New South Wales and Queensland, according to someone in Victoria.
Ute: Utility truck or vehicle.
V
Vee-dub: Volkswagon car.
Vegemite: Popular vegetable extract used as sandwich spread.
Velvet: Highly profitable or advantageous.
W
Waffle: Nonsense.
Wag: To skip school or work.
Walkabout: Lengthy walk away from it all.
Wallaby track, on the: To wander from place to place in search of work (archaic).
Waltz Matilda: To carry a swag.
Weatherboard: Wooden house.
Wet, the: Rainy season in northern Australia.
West Island: Australia, to a New Zealander.
Wharfie: Dockworker.
Whinge: Complain and carry on unnecessarily.
Whomajigger: Term for person or thing whose actual name one can't remember.
Willy-nilly: Small dust twister. Also, without thought.
Wobbly: Disturbing, unpredictable behaviour, as in 'throw a wobbly'.
Woomera: Stick used by Aborigines to throw spears.
Wowser: Spoilsport or puritan.
X
XXXX: Fourex, a favorite brand of Queensland beer.
Y
Yabbie: Small freshwater crayfish.
Yahoo: Noisy and unruly person.
Yahooing: Boisterous behaviour.
Yakka, yakker: Hard work, an Aboriginal term
Yank: American.
Yankee shout: A round of drinks in which everyone pays his own. Yank tank: An American car.
Yobbo: Uncouth, aggressive person.
Yonks: Ages, a long time.
Youse: Plural of you (by the grammatically challenged).
Z
Zebra crossing: Broad-striped pedestrian roadway crossing.
Zed: Australian and British pronunciation of 'Z'.
Zeds: Pertaining to sleep (zzz).
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Rec.Travel Library
The World
Pacific
Australia
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