Insider Guides International Student Guide to Sydney | Page 23

23

Don’t understand a flamin’ word anyone is saying? Australians do have a
tendency to shorten words, not to mention make up a few words of their own.
Here are a few key Aussie slang words to make your life a bit easier:

Glossary of Terms
Arvo – Afternoon

Lingo - Language

Band-aid - Plaster/Plastic bandage (brand
name)

Main drag - Main road or street through a
town

Barby - (abr.) Barbecue

Manchester - Household linen

Big night - An exhausting evening

Mozzie - Mosquito

Bloke - Man

No worries! – Expression of forgiveness or
reassurance

Bottle-o - Drive through beverage retailer

Postie - (abr.) Postman or Postwoman

Breaky - Breakfast

Ring-in - Substitute

Cactus - Broken or damaged

Ripper - Great

Crook - Sickly or ill

Sanga - Sandwich

Dag - Unfashionable

Schoolies - End of school celebrations

Dead set – Certain; assured

Servo – Petrol station

Devo - (abr.) Devastated

Shonky – Poor quality

Digger - Soldier
Dodge - Considered of low quality, or
untrustworthy
Doona - Bed cover or quilt.

Shout - To buy drinks for everyone
Sickie – A day taken off work, but not
necessarily because of illness
Snags – Sausages

Dunny - Outside toilet

Strewth - Used in a state of shock

Durry - Cigarette
Esky – Portable icebox (brand name)

Sunnies - Sunglasses
Tucker - Food

Fair dinkum – True, genuine

Uni - University

G’Day - Hello

Wrecked - Destroyed

Garbo - Garbage collector

Write-off - Disregard

Good onya - Well done

Yakka – Hard or heavy work

Hoon - Reckless driver
Larrikin – Mischievous, wild or carefree
person

Yobbo - An uncouth individual

First Steps | insiderguides.com.au

First Steps

Communicating with Australians - What does this word mean?