“I’ll have a schooner of four x.”

“What?”

“A schooner of gold, mate.”

“I really can’t understand you.”

*points to the beer on tap

“Oh.”

***

I’ve been living in Australia for almost one year now (!!!) and during this entire time, I’ve kept a running list on my phone of all the Australian lingo I’ve encountered. When I first moved to Australia, I would hear or read some of these words and just assume it was a mistake. For instance, that someone “accidentally” called the trunk of a car the “boot” or the table counter a “bench”.

As I heard these words more often, I realized that this is actually how they speak. And so I started recording it because I knew these foreign words (let’s remember that Australians speak English) would be something I would want to share with you! So if you ever come to the Land Down Unda, here’s how to decode Australian slang. This is long, but entertaining. Enjoy!

Stubby cooler = coozy

Soz = sorry

Chuck a sickie = call in sick for work or school

Wag it = skip school or play hooky

Bench = the table counter

Boot = the trunk of the car

Queue = a line (as in the line for the water slide is really long)

Chips = French fries

Heaps = a lot

Keen = excited about

Good onya = good idea or good job

Sauce = ketchup (or like, anything you dip fries or meat in???)

Arvo = afternoon

Ripper of a day = it’s a freaking beautiful day outside

Frothing at the mouth = drooling over something yummy

Jumping castle = a bounce house

Fairy bread = a hot dog bun with icing and sprinkles on top (surprisingly good)

Hundreds of thousands = sprinkles

Sausage dogs = wiener dogs (like a Dashound)

Spewing = to puke

Saying “triple” or “double” with numbers (for example, my number is triple seven-3656)

Pronounce aluminum like al-you-min-e-um

Have a cracker of a weekend = have a great weekend (?? still not too sure about this one…)

Sanga = sandwich

Describing yourself or someone else as “ferral” or “derro” = ratchet/derelict

Calling the last day of work before a holiday a “breakup”

Footy = AFL and/or Rugby League (?)

Schooner = i don’t know. It’s like a 15 ounce glass that they use for beer. But also there’s a pot and a pint which are different sizes from a schooner. I usually just point to a glass when I order a beer.

Maccas = McDonald’s

Bottle-o = a liquor shop

Fair dinkum = true/truth

Right-o = okay

How ya goin’, mate? = How are you? (usually reply with: “ya mate, how ya goin?” You don’t actually care how the person in “going”)

Ta = thank you

Saying “this is yum” to describe a delicious meal

Slush puppy = a slurpe or slushie

Scroll = a cinnamon bun-looking pastry that can be salty or sweet

Grous = cool/badass

Skull it = chug it

Torpedo it = put a straw in a beer bottle and chug it (i think this is a Kiwi thing?!)

Adverts = television commercials

Knots and crosses = tic tac toe

Rockmelon = cantaloupe

Saying herb with the H sound………

Togs = bathing suit

Bathers = bathing suit

Dugong = a manatee

Afternoon tea = dinner

Shit talking = (ask Jack) (this is in my notes and I haven’t asked him. Seems self explanatory?!)

Lemonade = Sprite (I’m serious)

No mucking around = don’t fool around

Whinge = to whine

Servo = service station

Tradie = tradesperson (plumber, electricians, etc)

Mozzie = mosquito

Chook = a chicken

Spag Bol = Spaghetti Bolognese

It’s tropical = it’s hot

Do a shoe-y = pour a beer in your shoe and drink it (only on special occasions)

Yabbies = shrimp

Prawns = shrimp

Knippers = shrimp (obsessed with shrimp much?!)

Trackies = sweat pants

Cob loaf = a bread bowl with thick and cheesy soup

Sticky beak = a rubber necker

Spitting the dummy = throwing a tantrum

Sarsaparilla is a licorice flavour type of drink

Off chops = rolling (lmfaooo!)

Maggot bling = extremely drunk (bringing this phrase to America!)

Saying “but” or “hey” at the end of an unfinished sentence: “I was walking down the street but.” BUT WHAT?!

So do I say some of these words now? Yeah. I can’t help it. When you’re around Aussies 24/7 you start to pick up their lingo. (Sometimes I wonder if if sounds weird coming from my American accent). And no, I don’t have an Australian accent (the dream!!). Maybe one day.

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