Aussie Slang 101

When I first traveled to the land down under, I was constantly bombarded with friends joking about throwing “another shrimp on the Barbie, mate”. If you are one of those people, reading this, please do not be offended at the blank stare you received- you were probably the hundredth person to make this joke.

I know this is the stereotypical Aussie phrase, but I have I have never heard that in the 6 months I have been here. Outback Steakhouse and Crocodile Dundee have left me quite verbally unprepared for city life in Australia. It turns out boomerangs, walkabouts, koalas and wallabies are only found in the bush (AKA outback or rural areas).

In Sydney, and the rest of metropolitan Australia, I find the language culture to be a perfect mix of British tradition and laid-back California surf lingo. In Sydney, it is quite common to have afternoon tea (with milk, sugar and a biscuit of course), celebrate the Queen’s birthday and drive on the left-hand side of the road. P.s. fellow adventure addicts, Do NOT forget to look the opposite way before crossing the road! I cannot begin to tell you how many near-death experiences I had with busses my first week here.

[or die]

Anywhoo, just thought I would update everyone on the real slang of Sydney that I have picked up so far. Enjoy! : )

Reckon [rek-uh n] (v). = to think, believe; “Do you reckon you will come out tonight?”, “What do you reckon?” Aussies use this word so frequently I reckon I’ve heard it a million times. This word replaces the American version of “think”.

Heaps [heeps] (n). = used in place of “tons” or “a lot” to describe a large amount of something; “There were heaps of people at the festival” or commonly used in the phrase, “Thanks heaps!”

Ta [tah] = Thanks! ; derived from Irish immigrants saying Thanks, sounding like “tanks”, shortened later to “ta”

University, more commonly uni = college


Full on (adj.) = intense, extreme

Bogan (n.)/ boganey (adj.) = hick, white trash

Hot chips = French fries

Toilet = bathroom/restroom

Pram = stroller

Nappie = diaper

Devo = sad, bummed (short for devastated)

Entrée = appetizer

Main = entrée

Serviette = napkin

Mackers = McDonalds

Capsicum = bell pepper

Period (punctuation) = full stop

(the letter) Z = “zed”

(the letter) H = pronounced “Heich” instead of the American “eich”

Bacon = Canadian bacon/ham… there is no thin (regular American) bacon anywhere ever

Cut  = feelings hurt

How ya goin’? = How are you doing?/ How’s it going?

Good on ya’ (said so fast that it always sounds like one word “goodnya” = Good for you

What’s doing? = What’s going on?

HAHN = BEER hahah