Understanding Australian Language and Idiom
Aussie Slang is a Fun Part of Australian Culture and Tourism
Jul 20, 2009
As Australia was settled by the British in 1788, many of the slang expressions that are thought of as distinctly Australian, are actually hand-me-downs from England and Ireland. Even the ever-present "Mate" is still a common friendly address in England, also. Nevertheless, the Aussies have developed a range of idioms and slang words that amuse and confuse visitors.
In particular, there is a strong tendency to shorten words or make them into affectionate diminutives by adding "ie" or "o" , as in Brissie for Brisbane, Corro Drive for Coronation Drive in Brisbane. Favourite pubs (bars) are often abbreviated: thus, the Imperial becomes the Impy, and The Royal Exchange becomes the RE. It would require a book or several volumes to document the wealth of idiom, but the following terms are the most likely ones that tourists will encounter. Some are more likely to emerge in rural areas.
Aussie Slang Terms for Food and Drink
- Cuppa: As in the phrase "Fancy a Cuppa?" Traditionally, a cuppa was a cup of tea, but now can sometimes mean a coffee.
- Snags: Raw sausages, often offered from the barbie.
- Barbie: Very common term for barbecue.
- Sanger: A sandwich – which usually means 2 slices of buttered bread with filling. Buns are often called rolls, as in a salad roll. Other introduced terms terms for specific bread types are increasingly common – eg. panini, a wrap (with rolled flat bread) foccaccia.
- Chips: A difficult term that relies on the context. It most often refers to hot potato slices, otherwise known as French Fries. However, the packets of dry sliced potato usually referred to as Crisps in other countries are also refered to in Australia as "a packet of chips" or "bag of chips."
- Bickies: This is the affectionate term for biscuits, which are not bread, but sweet cookies.
- Lollies: Lollies are sweets or candy.
- Tinnie: While this can be a small aluminium fishing boat, it is most likely a can of beer, aluminium cans having almost totally replaced glass beer bottles, except for stubbies.
- Stubbies: A stubby is a small bottle of beer holding 330-375 ml. A Darwin Stubbie (available in the Northern Territory) is a joke expression, as the Darwin Stubbie is a huge 2 litre beer bottle.
- Chook: This is a popular term for a hen (chicken). In the 1940s, many households, even in the cities, had chooks in the backyard. The term can occasionally be used for cooked chicken: "Want a piece of chook?", but the US influence has most Australians asking for chicken .
Slang on the Australian Beach
- Cossie: Cossie is short for (swimming ) costume, and can refer to a one-piece or a brief bikini. Swimmers is an alternative term. Men's swimmers are occasionally called togs. Boardies (board shorts) are long swimmers for men.
- Sunnies: Sunglasses – an essential against the glare of golden sand.
- Sunscreen: The usual term for protective UV cream.
- Dumper: A bad wave form that drops on the swimmer and rolls them in the sand.
- Rip: A rip is a fast, strong current that travels along some beaches and out to the open sea. Most drowning deaths on Australian beaches are of overseas tourists, unfamiliar with this nasty phenomenon. Hence, the need to obey the demand to "swim between the Flags."
- The Flags: This should be a familar concept to overseas visitors as it is used in many beach resorts around the world. Lifesavers establish a safe swimming area and erect flags to mark the spot. Many swimmers resent the tight herding of swimmers when there are kilometres of beach. Nevertheless, doing so puts the swimmer at greater risk.
- Bluebottles: Bluebottles are small jellyfish with a long string-like stinger. They have a kidney-shaped blue float. The stinging tentacle can wrap around the leg or torso and feels much like an electric shock. If weather conditions leave lots of bluebottles cast up on the beach (easily seen) or id some are sighted in the surf, it is best to stay out of the water.
- Thongs: The visitor will see thongs on the beach. The term has been introduced to Australia to refer to the ultra-brief bikinis. However, the term thongs has also been used for generations to refer to rubber footwear, often called flipflops in other countries.
Other Useful Terms the Tourist Might Encounter in Australia
- Mate: Mate is still the most common form of address among men in Australia, and may even replace 'Sir' in casual shops and bars, especially in rural Australia. The cheeky "What can I do you for, Mate?" (a corruption of "What can I do for you?") is occasionally heard, and is not meant to be offensive.
- Ute: Most young farmers, tradesmen and even some young men in cities have a "ute". The term is short for "utility vehicle" , which means a tray-backed work vehicle or pick-up truck. It can be a small adaptation of a regular sedan or a large SUV style vehicle.
- Mozzies: Mosquitos, a persistent summer pest
- Blowies: Large green-backed blowflies which lay eggs on meat and other exposed food. Not to be confused with the smaller black bush flies, which make life in the bush miserable.
- Joe: If someone says they've seen a Joe on the bush track ahead, the term refers to a snake. Joe Blake is rhyming slang for snake.
- Saltie: One to be avoided. This is the saltwater crocodile, which finds unsuspecting overseas tourists swimming in tropical rivers and pools particularly tasty.
The above list has only scratched the surface of the vernacular used in Australia, and some Aussies will deliberately try to bemuse the visitor. Take it in good faith. Ask what the devil that means and the Aussie will take great delight in straightening the matter out, probably introducing three new strange terms into the bargain. There are, however, some terms that are best avoided because they are out-dated, and they can be found in this Suite101 article.
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