Australians use a variety of slang for being drunk, including common English terms like pissed, wasted, or hammered, but also unique slang like "blotto" (very drunk), "molo" (drunk/intoxicated), and terms for drinking like "grog," with some terms falling in and out of fashion, but "pissed" remains popular.
'bloke' - Man. 'bloody galah' - Silly person; fool. 'blotto' - Very drunk.
Pissed – Intoxicated, Drunk.
Slang Terms Teens Use for Drinking and Getting Drunk
Turnt. Wasted. Hammered. Smashed. Sloshed.
Plonk is perhaps Australia's best-known word for alcohol.
26 English Slang Words For Being Drunk
The alcohol in drinks is called ethanol (ethyl alcohol). It is made when yeast ferments the sugars in grains, fruits and vegetables. For example, wine is made from the sugar in grapes and vodka is made from the sugar in potatoes.
Lit. /lit/AdjectiveAmazing, cool, or fun. If something's fantastic, it's lit. This term can also be used to describe being drunk or high.
A hangover refers to a set of symptoms that occur as a consequence of drinking too much. Typical symptoms include fatigue, weakness, thirst, headache, muscle aches, nausea, stomach pain, vertigo, sensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, irritability, sweating, and increased blood pressure.
Slang for Drunk
"Oy oy oy" in Australia is most famously part of the patriotic chant "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" used at sporting events to show national pride, but "Oi" also functions as a general Australian informal interjection, like "hey" or "excuse me," to get someone's attention. The chant itself comes from the British "Oggy Oggy Oggy" cheer for Cornish pasties and became popular in Australia after the 2000 Olympics.
Woop Woop is used to refer to a place in the middle of nowhere. People use it to signify that a location is far away, unfamiliar to them, and difficult to get to.
The dunny was originally any outside toilet. In cities and towns the pan-type dunny was emptied by the dunny man, who came round regularly with his dunny cart. Dunny can now be used for any toilet. The word comes from British dialect dunnekin meaning an 'earth closet, (outside) privy' from dung + ken 'house'.
Here are 5 common Aussie slang words/phrases: G'day (hello), Mate (friend), Arvo (afternoon), No worries (no problem/you're welcome), and Barbie (barbecue), with many Aussies shortening words (like Brekkie for breakfast, Servo for gas station) and using colourful terms for everyday things.
A "bogan" in Australia (and New Zealand) is slang for an uncouth, unsophisticated, or unrefined person, often from a working-class background, characterized by specific tastes, fashion (like mullets, flannelette shirts), speech, and behavior, though the term can be derogatory, humorous, or even self-adopted, depending on context and intent, referring to a laid-back, anti-establishment attitude rather than just poverty.
Binge drinking is when you drink a lot of alcohol in one session to get drunk. The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol recommend that to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol, healthy adults should drink: no more than 4 standard drinks in one day. no more than 10 standard drinks per week.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
10 Old-Timey Ways to Say You're Hungover
Gen Z leads the sober curious movement, with 65% planning to drink less and 39% committing to a fully dry lifestyle in 2025. This is in comparison with 30% of baby boomers and 49% of Gen Xers who say they plan to drink less in the new year.
wrecked (slang) soaked (informal) out of it (slang) plastered (slang) drunken.
Aussie slang for beer includes "Coldie," "amber fluid," "stubby" (a small bottle), "tinnie" (a can), "longneck," and depending on the glass size, a "schooner," "pot," "middy," or "handle," with "slab" meaning a carton, all great for a "barbie" (barbecue) with mates.
You generally should not drive after two glasses of wine, as even one drink impairs driving, and two can easily put you over legal limits, with factors like your weight, sex, and food intake affecting your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). While some guidelines suggest two standard drinks in the first hour might be acceptable for some men, this is an oversimplification, and many experts advise against driving after any alcohol to be safe, recommending waiting several hours or using rideshares/public transport instead.
Alcohol is an intrinsic part of Australian culture and it plays a central role in most people's social lives. Heavy drinking is seen as acceptable in almost all social situations, from weddings to sports matches, and even at funerals or baby showers.