Aussie Lingo
New words to conquer -- learning English Down Under
by John Borthwick
"Sorry, Ocker. The Fokker's chokka," explained the reservations clerk at the airport in Outback Queensland, Australia.
"I beg your pardon?" responded the visiting journalist. "Are you speaking English?"
"Yeah, of course. Oh, sorry, mate," said the clerk. "I didn't realize you were from O.S."
"I'm not. Actually, I'm from England."
"Well, that's O.S. -- Overseas."
"Indeed it is. However, I still don't know what you said. It sounded like 'Rocker's fogger soccer.'"
The clerk chortled. "Mate, what I said was, 'Sorry, Ocker, the Fokker's chokka.'" Which means, for all you aspiring Aussies: "Sorry, friend, the plane is full."
Novelist Paul Theroux said that Language is Australia's greatest creative form. It's uncertain whether this linguistic playfulness is attributable to Australia's strong streak of Irish ancestry. What is certain is that Aussie slang (in particular) reveals a propensity for rebellious word tweaking and occasionally vulgar invention that stamps it as one of the more colorful mutations of English.
Australian vernacular language is sometimes known as "Strine." (The term derives from saying the word "Australian" through both closed teeth and nose.) Strine is not so much a dialect as a "slanguage." It is full of fun and flash. Some spurious scholars claim its adenoidal enunciation arose out of an Outback necessity to keep the trap (mouth) shut against blowies (blow flies). Elocuting thus (rather like a poor ventriloquist) you "day", for instance, becomes "die"; but if you "die", well, you've "doid".
Australian lingo is characterized by informality (you can use it anywhere except O.S.), a laconic, poetic originality ("he was uglier than a robber's dog...") and a dash of profanity -- which is probably better heard than read. An Australian accent varies more according to social class than geography. Even though diction may range from silvertail to Ocker (see glossary), an honest Australian accent is no bar to social mobility -- as long as you're not two snags short of a barbie (that is, stupid).
So, here's a glossary of basic Strine words. Without it, you'll be up the creek in a barbed-wire canoe without a paddle. And with it, you'll probably just make a nong (fool) of yourself, but 'avago (have a go) anyway. Just don't strine (strain) yourself.
| (The) Alice | Alice Springs, a famous oasis in the outback |
| Arvo | Afternoon |
| Aussie Rules | Australian Rules Football (soccer) |
| Barbie | Barbecue |
| Billabong | Water hole in a semi-dry river |
| Billy | Tin container used for boiling water to make tea. |
| Bloke | Man |
| Bloody | Universally undeleted expletive (e.g. "he's up at Tumba-bloody-rumba shootin' kanga-bloody-roos") |
| Blowie | Blowfly |
| Blue | A fight; also a redhead |
| Bonnet | Hood of car |
| Boot | Trunk of car |
| Brolly | Umbrella |
| Bushranger | Highwayman, outlaw |
| Carroboree | Aboriginal ceremonial gathering |
| Chemist | Pharmacist |
| China or Cobber | Friend, mate |
| Chips | French Fries |
| Chook | Chicken |
| Cockie | Farmer |
| Cozzie | Bathing suit (also bathers, swimmers, togs) |
| Crook | Broken, sick, or no good |
| Cuppa | Cup of tea |
| Dag | Person with absolutely no style, grace or cool |
| Damper | Unleavened bread (bush food) |
| Didgeridoo | Aboriginal musical instrument |
| Digger | Australian soldier, but used by foreigners to mean Aussie |
| Dingo | Australian native dog |
| Dinkum | Genuine or honest |
| Entree | First course of a meal, not the main dish |
| Fair dinkum | The real thing |
| Flat out | As fast as possible |
| Footpath | Pavement, sidewalk |
| Footy | Soccer (the game or the ball) |
| G'day | Good day, hello |
| Galah | Fool or idiot (after the parrot of the same name) |
| Greenie | A conservationist |
| Grizzle | To complain |
| Grog | Alcohol |
| Home unit | Apartment, flat |
| Joey | Baby kangaroo |
| Journo | Journalist |
| Jumbuck | Baby lamb |
| Jumper | Sweater |
| Kip | Sleep |
| Kiwi | New Zealander |
| Knock | To criticize |
| Jackeroo | Male ranch hand |
| Lollies | Candy |
| Loo | British / Australian slang for toilet |
| (The) Lucky Country | Name (ironic) for Australia coined by author Donald Horne |
| Mate | Friend (does not mean spouse) |
| Middy | Ten-ounce beer glass (in N.S.W.) |
| Mob | A group of persons or things (not necessarily unruly) |
| Mozzie | Mosquito |
| Napkin or Nappie | Baby diaper |
| (The) Never-never | Desert land in the far Outback |
| Nipper | Small child |
| Nought | Zero |
| Ocker | Aussie bumpkin, loudmouth (can be affectionate) |
| Outback | The bush; uncivilized, uninhabited country |
| Oz | Australia (ironic) |
| Pom or Pommy | Person from England |
| Postie | Postman |
| Ratbag | Eccentric character (also a friendly term of abuse) |
| Red-back | Poisonous spider |
| Ripper | Good |
| Roo | Kangaroo |
| Sandshoes | Sneakers |
| Schooner | Large beer glass (in N.S.W.) |
| Scrub | Bushland |
| Serviette | Table napkin |
| She'll be apples | It'll be right |
| Sheila | Woman |
| Shout | Buy a round of drinks (as in "it's your shout") |
| Silvertail | Member of high society |
| Sprog | Baby |
| Spunky | Good-looking person |
| Station | Large farm or ranch |
| Stickybeak | Busybody |
| Stockman | Cowboy, station hand |
| Strides | Trousers |
| Stubby | Small bottle of beer |
| Swagman | Vagabond, rural tramp |
| Ta | Thank you |
| Takeaway food | Food to go |
| Tassie | Tasmania |
| Taxi rank | Cab stand |
| Thingo | Thing, thingamajig, whatchamacallit |
| Tinny | Can of beer |
| Togs | Swim suit |
| Tucker | Food |
| Uni | University |
| Up the creek | In trouble |
| Vegemite | Brown yeast sandwich spread, much loved by Aussie kids |
| Walkabout | Traveling on foot for long distances, an Aboriginal tradition |
| Walloper | A policeman |
| Whinge | Complain |
| Wowser | Prude, killjoy |
| Yakka | Work |
| Yank | An American |