Funny Australian words often involve shortening common terms (like Arvo for afternoon, Brekkie for breakfast, Bottle-o for liquor store) or using colorful nicknames for people/things, such as Ankle Biter (child), Bogan (unsophisticated person), Budgie Smugglers (speedos), Chook (chicken), or Dunny (toilet).
Crikey. An exclamation of surprise.
(/ˈkuːiː/) is a shout that originated in Australia to attract attention, find missing people, or to indicate one's own location. When done correctly—loudly and shrilly—a call of "cooee" can carry over a considerable distance. The distance one's cooee call travels can be a matter of competitive pride.
Australian slang for a mosquito.
"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the "Oggy Oggy Oggy, oi oi oi" chant used by both football and rugby union fans in Great Britain from the 1960s onwards. It is usually performed by a crowd uniting to support a sports team or athlete.
Examples of these include Murri (Queensland and north-west NSW) Koori (Victoria and NSW), and Nunga (Adelaide and surrounds). Use 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander' when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people generally. Using 'First Peoples' and 'First Nations' is also generally acceptable.
/ˈɔːzi/ (also Aussie) (informal) a person from Australia.
unrefined or unsophisticated person (Australian slang) The term bogan (/ˈboʊɡən/) is an Australian and New Zealander slang word. It can be used to describe a person with a working class background.
Galah. (Noun) A stupid or idiotic person; often accompanied by the adjective 'flaming'. Inspired by our very own native bird, known for flying into windows. “Nah mate, Johnno's a flamin' galah.”
In Australian English, a billabong (/ˈbɪləbɒŋ/ BIL-ə-bong) is a small body of water, usually permanent. It is usually an oxbow lake caused by a change in course of a river or creek, but other types of small lakes, ponds or waterholes are also called billabongs.
American Slang
Avo means avocado. It's not to be confused with arvo, which means afternoon.
'Aborigine' is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia's colonial past, and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. You're more likely to make friends by saying 'Aboriginal person', 'Aboriginal' or 'Torres Strait Islander'.
LAMBRUK: a homestead. LANGI: dwelling. LARNOOK: habitation. LARUNDEL: camp. LUMEAH: here I rest.
"Koori" comes from the word gurri, meaning "man" or "people" in the Indigenous language Awabakal, spoken on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. On the far north coast of New South Wales, the term may still be spelt "goori" or "goorie" and pronounced with a harder "g".
An Australian classic, “no worries” is often said instead of “that's alright” or “it was no trouble”. Similarly, you might hear “no dramas”, which means the same thing. If you thank someone for helping you and they say “no worries” or “no dramas” it means it was no problem for them to assist you.