The Basics of Aussie Slang Australian culture and customs are unique, but not as unique as the Australian

language. Ourown style of English is so full of colloquial expressions, slang words and slang phrases it isenough to confuse other speakers of English quite easily.So just so you don't look like a completedrongo, here are enough Aussie words to help you getby in Australian society! Now, the accent, well thats another story... The really basic basics. Gday is hullo, pronounced Gidday which is a shortened form of Good Day, andused mostly in informal situations. More formally we would say Hullo, Good Morning,Good Afternoon, or the likes. Goodbye is, um, er, Goodbye. Although some people say Hooroo, pronouncedooroo. Bloke is an Aussie male who generally is a hard worker and does the right thing.Eg., "Bills a Good Bloke". Mate is Friend, mainly for males. Everyone in Australia is mate, so we wouldoften say "Gday mate" or "Thanks mate". Onya means Well Done, a shortened form of Good On You. The best "Aussieism"in my opinion. Abbreviations For some reason Australians shorten words wherever possible, particularly peoples names. They are generally shortened to one syllable if possible, and then have a suffix added to theend. Here are a few examples: "a" A Cup of Tea or Coffee becomes a Cuppa. "ie" Angela becomes Angie. Elizabeth becomes LizzieAustralian becomes AussieBarbecue become Barbie/ Football becomes Footy, pronounced with a soft "T"somewhere between T & D/ mushie:- a mushroom. "o" Burgess becomes Burgo/ Johnathon becomes JohnnoSmoko means a break from work for a smoke, which now means a tea break even if youdont smoke/ garbo :the garbage man "zza" or just "z Marion become Mazza or MazSharon become Shazza or ShazWarwick (me) becomes Wozza (which I hate) or Woz. drongo?a stupid, inept, awkward or embarrassing person, a dimwit A Ada m's ale :- Water / aerial ping pong : - A u s t r a l i a n R u l e s F o o t b a l l , d e s c r i p t i o n u s u a l l y u s e d derogatorily by Rugby Fans/ after dark :- shark RhS/ ANZAC B baccy :- tobacco / back of Bourke :- a long way away from wherever you are, specifically inland anda w a y f r o m c i v i l i s a t i o n . B o u r k e i s a n i n l a n d t o w n , h e n c e . . .

/ bad case of the trots :- diarrhea / bananabender :- a resident of Queensland, perhaps a little derogatory / barbie :- Barbecue. Similar to a cook out, abarbie is a popular way to get together with friends in the warmer months of the year. (Not to be confusedwith Ken's girlfriend) / barney :- an argument or fight / barrack :- to cheer for your team or player in sport, orto take sides in an argument.C chook : chicken, old chook= old woman, /henpecked ? D Dad 'n Dave :- a shave, RhS / dag : - b i t s o f m a n u r e t h a t s t i c k t o t h e l o n g w o o l a r o u n d a s h e e p ' s bottom forming small dangling balls. Also a term for a funny person, nerd, goof, loser. In this respect it canhave either an endearing or disparaging meaning, although is usually used for a likable fellow/ dead cert :ac e r t a i n t y b e y o n d d o u b t , a s u r e w i n n e r , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n r e f e r r i n g t o horse or dog races/ deadhorse :- tomato sauce/ decko :- a look or glance/ Deli :- Delicatessen, a small local shop that sells assorted

foods and other daily necessities. Called a Milk bar in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia/ didjeridoo, didgeridoo :- An Australian Aboriginal musical instrument made from a hollow log. It is used inCorroborees, religious ceremonies, and thus has great spiritual significance. Traditionally a man (never a woman!) would walk in the bush asking for the spirits to point out "the tree" to use. The hollow log or limb ist h e n t r e a t e d w i t h h o t c o a l s t o c l e a n o u t t h e h o l l o w , a n d d e c o r a t e d w i t h a p p r o p r i a t e d e s i g n s . P l a y i n g a Didjeridoo is difficult, requiring a combination of vibrations from very loose lips, vocal sound to imitate birdsa n d a n i m a l s , a n d c i r c u l a r b r e a t h i n g , b l o w i n g a n d b r e a t h i n g a t t h e s a m e t i m e , f o r continuous sound/ dingo :- The Australian wild dog, that howls but does not bark. Brought to Australia thousands of year ago bythe Aborigines, the scientific name is "canis lupus familiaris". It can also be used to describe an ugly woman/ dinkum :- real, honest or genuine. Can also be used to question validity, e.g.., dinkum? See also fair dinkum.E entree : starter or appetizer in a meal before main course US

F fag :- a cigarette. Not a homosexual man. faggot :- a homosexual man/ fair crack of the whip :- togive some one an equal opportunity or equitable treatment. See also "Fair Go".G gab : to chatter or gossip, Ir. Gift of the gab K kangaroo :- The larger marsupials of the family Macropodidae. It has short forelimbs but long feetand powerful legs with a tail for support and balance, and moves around by bounding and leaping. Legendhas it that when the white man first came to Australia he asked an Aboriginal the name for the funny lookingcreature bounding in the distance. Apparently the Aborigine replied "Kangaroo" which in the Aboriginel a n g u a g e m e a n s " I d o n ' t u n d e r s t a n d y o u " . S o n o w w e h a v e a n a n i m a l c a l l e d " I d o n ' t u n d e r s t a n d y o u " . Dinkum? Dunno, but an amusing story nonetheless/ Kelpie :a sheep dog or cattle dog. The kelpie bloodlinecomes from dogs imported from Scotland, and indeed kelpie is Gaelic for water spriteM mystery bags :- sausages. So named because you don't really know what the ingredients are. Snags N no worries! :- typical Aussie attitude that everything will be OK, there will be no problems/ nong :- asilly person or fool O ocker :pronounced ocka, a stereotyped uncultivated or uncultured Aussie male who exhibit s excessive drinking of alcohol, womanising, chauvinism, and worships the God called Footy! To call a femaleocker is to suggest that she is somewhat butch. Similar to the US redneck. See also yobbo P p l o n k :cheap wine, perhaps a contraction of vin blanc. Also to put s o m e t h i n g d o w n unceremoniously/ pooped :- tired, exhausted Q Q u i d s : lots of moneyR rake : comb/ Razoo :- a fictitious coin made from brass. The term is usually used to indicate that someone has no money. "I haven't got a brass razoo!"/ Roo :- short for KangarooS sanga, sanger :- a sandwich/ schoolie :- a teenager of school age or just graduated. Schoolies weekis now quite a tradition where High School graduates celebrate the end of the academic year with a week of revelry in southern Queensland. There is concern however that the celebrations are getting somewhat out of hand/ scorcher :- very hot day. In capital cities a schorcher would be 35c and up, in the bush 40c and u p/

seppo, septic, septic tank :- a derogatory term for an American, "septic tank" rhyming with "yank", RhS/sickie :a day off work, although often the reasons for taking a sickie have nothing to do with sickness orhealth but rather with recreation and enjoyment. On a very hot day, it is amazing the number of people whotake a sickie/ Stubby : a 375ml. beer bottle T ta :- thank you, GB/ Thongs :- rubber sandals, called flip-flops in New Zealand on account of the noiset h e y m a k e w h e n w a l k i n g / thunder box :- dunny, toilet/ t i n g l e , t o g i v e s o m e o n e a noun:- to give someone a telephone call/ tinnie :- a can of beer, or a small boat in the Northern Territory, even though they are both made of aluminium. U u n i :- contraction of university. US = college/ up north :- Queensland according to New South Wales,which is up north according to Victoria/ up yourself :- having a large ego/ ute :- a utility vehicle, invented inAustralia. US = pickup truck. W W a l t z i n g M a t i l d a :- to walk or wander aimlessly in the bush or country. Immortalised in the song "Waltzing Matilda", the unofficial Australian National Anthem. Matilda, the old term for a swagman's bedroll,swag, pack, or sack which contained essentials (sometime complete belongings) when traveling in the bushby foot / the Wet :- the rainy season during Summer in northern tropical Australia