150+ Australian slang words: nobody likes a bogan

There are some downright weird Australian slang words. Bogan, bludger, ocker – what on earth do they mean? Read on for an introduction to Australian phrases. It’ll make sense soon – you’ll be right, mate!

A row of brightly colour beach boxes on a beach in Australia. The first box is painted with the Australian flag. Read through an introduction to Australian slang words.
Here’s an introduction to some Australian slang words. If you’re travelling to Oz, you’ll need it.

Why is avocado shortened to avo?

What is a bogan and why doesn’t anyone like them?

And is goon of fortune truly the greatest drinking game known to man?

Of all the English-speaking countries, Australian slang words are probably the most interesting.

For the uninitiated however, our local slang can seem really confusing.

Linguistically, the origins of many of these slang words and phrases are British. Others sprung forth from our many Indigenous languages, or our extremely varied culture.

And admittedly, some were coined out of sheer laziness, which is why so many Australian slang words are just the shorted version of many ‘normal’ words.

The funny thing about Australia is that our slang isn’t just used by ‘bogans’ (read on to find out what a bogan actually is).

It’s part of the lexicon of all Australians, no matter what their class or level of education.

As an Australian local, I use many of these words and phrases in my day-to-day life. Drop these into conversation with an Aussie and they’ll definitely know what you mean.

A person stands in front of a pair of giant brown boots.
Bogans would wear these Ugg boots to keep warm in winter. I’m wearing a pair as I type this. Make of that what you will.

A guide to Australian slang words

This Australian slang dictionary will have you speaking the local lingo in no time at all!

Slang in ‘Straya (Australia) is traditionally known as ‘Strine.

I’ve tried to limit this list to words I’ve heard others use recently and I’ve eliminated almost all the racial slang, because there’s no place for it anywhere.

Also, some of these Australian slang words and phrases are only used in certain states – which makes sense. We are a continent after all.

This guide to Australian slang includes:

This guide to Australian slang may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may make small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Australian slang words & phrases: A-C

SLANG WORD DEFINITION
Agro To be aggravated, or a bit grumpy.
Arvo Short for afternoon.
B&S Ball This Australian slang phrase is not as common as it once was. Basically stands for a β€˜Bastards & Spinsters Ball’ and they used to be a way for young singles to meet in country towns. Everyone turns up in their vehicles, there’s a raging party and they sleep/pass out in their swags, alone or if the night has worked out well, with company.
Bail To leave, or not turn up in the first place. β€œThe dinner was boring, so Steven decided to bail.”
Barbie Not to be confused with the doll! Rather, barbecue. You would have probably heard this used in the popular slang phrase of β€˜throw another shrimp on the barbie!’. Except they’re not called shrimp here, they’re prawns.
Bathers Swimsuit – but only in some parts of the country, to be extra confusing.
Biccie A biscuit (or cookie), commonly used in the phrase β€œtea and biccies”, a hangover of Australia’s colonial days.
Bizzo Business, ie β€œNone of your bizzo”. You can also substitute for β€œNone of your beeswax”.
Blackfulla/Blackfella/Blakfella A form of terminology used by Australia’s Indigenous population. So, don’t freak out if you hear someone of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent refer to themselves as such in conversation. Also, don’t use it if you’re not First Nations yourself, eg if you’re a β€˜Whitefulla’.
Bloke A man – that is, a dinky di, true blu, Aussie bloke.
Bloody Not a swear word, β€œbloody” is generally used for extra emphasis. I.e. Lisa was having a bloody good time at Sam’s party.
Bludger A good-for-nothing layabout.
Bogan A bogan is a stereotypical Australian, with a potty mouth, bad dress sense and a fondness for alcoholic beverages. Also known as an β€œAussie Bogan” although I don’t know why – they are, after all endemic to Australia.
Bogan slang A sub-branch of Australian slang. Usually consists of the most crudely shortened words and mate’s names. For example, shortening someone with the last name of β€œFitzgerald” to β€œFitzy” or β€œRobert” to β€œRobbo”. And so on.
Boofhead A silly-billy. This is the nickname my family have traditionally applied to our dogs.
Bonza Great, fantastic, awesome.
Booze bus A bus the police operated, used to stop cars and breath-test people, to catch them if they’re drink driving.
Bottle-o A bottle shop or off-licence.
Brekky The first (and therefore most important) meal of the day.
Buckleys To have little or no chance of achieving something. β€œShe had buckleys of getting to work on time.” That may or may not be me, most days.
Budgie smugglers Tight gripping swimmers (speedos), β€˜popularised’ (not really) by former PM Tony Abbott.
Buggered Really, really tired. Not the other less PG meaning.
Bush The Australian bush, but is also used to refer to anywhere rural, ie to go β€˜out bush’.
Cabbie Cab-driver.
Carton A case of beer.
Cashed-up Bogan A bogan with money. Due to Australia’s mining boom, many blue collared workers have made a ton of money in recent decades, leading to the invention of this term.
Chewy Chewing gum.
Chips Chips can refer to either hot chips (fries) or crisps. It’s all about the context.
Chock-a-block Full or really busy.
Convo A conversation.
Cooee To be in close proximate to something, like β€œTom lived within cooee of the local fish and chip shop.”
Cozzie A swimming costume. Also may be known as β€˜swimmers’, or β€˜bathers’, although the latter I find to be a throwback from Britain. Australia is a continent after all, so the slang can differ depending on where you are.
Chook Chicken. β€œWhat’s for dinner tonight, love? Not bloody chook again!”
Chrissie Christmas.
Crikey! An exclamation of surprise, popularised by the Crocodile Hunter (RIP)
Coppers Policeman.
Crock An injustice. β€œThose weren’t the best burgers in Perth! That place is such a crock.”
Crook To be ill. β€œAlex was feeling crook.”
Cuppa A cup of tea.
The C-word This word can be an insult in Australia, but also a slang word – between friends, it’s fine to use.

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A cup of tea (cuppa if using Australian slang words) with mountains in the far distance.
Grabbing a cuppa in the Hunter Valley.

Australian slang words & phrases: D-G

SLANG WORD DEFINITION
Dag An eccentric or sloppy person.
Daks Trousers.
Deadset For extra emphasis, to be 100% sure. β€œAlex is deadset the hottest dude I’ve ever seen.”
Defo Definitely. An Australian slang word used more in text than spoken word.
Dero Short for derelict. Can be applied to any noun – person, place or item.
Devo To be devastated.
Dinky-di Genuine. There are a lot of different Australian slang words for this, as you’ll see! It’s like we have an honesty complex or something…
Dog A dirty act. If Jimmy kissed Riley’s girlfriend it would be considered a β€œdog move”. Australian slang words can be… not the nicest sometimes?
Dog’s breakfast Something has been severely messed up. β€œHe made a real dog’s breakfast out of that spreadsheet.”
Dole bludger Not at all a nice nickname for someone on welfare.
Dunny Some very funny Australian slang. Traditionally an outdoor toilet.
Durry Cigarette, which also gets called a β€˜ciggy’ or a β€˜dart’.
Exxy Expensive.
Facey Facebook, everyone’s fave social media site.
Fair call Uttered when one is in agreement with another, when a reasonable statement is uttered. β€œThe sky is blue and what would you know anyway, because you are colour-blind.” β€œOkay. Fair call.”
Fair dinkum Another way of saying β€˜too right?’. It’s one of the most well-known Australian slang phrases.
Fang it To speed with enthusiasm, particularly around corners.
Far Out An expression of exclamation, often used instead of the other F-word…
Feed A meal. β€œFancy a feed?”
Feral Someone who is a bit wild/ a bit of a dirty hippy.
First Nations/First Peoples Australia’s Indigenous population.
Flanno A flannelette shirt, a uniform of choice in Australia.
Flog Someone who is considered to be arrogant, and again an Australian slang word that is region specific – I’ve never heard anyone call someone or themselves a flog in NSW, but hear it ALL THE TIME in Victoria.
Franger A condom.
Footy Football. Can be used to describe both Rugby League and Aussie Rules, but never soccer.
F***wit A popular swear in Australia for someone who’s a bit of a wanker.
G’day One of the best known Aussie slang words, although it’s not used so much by younger generations. Put simply, it means β€˜hello’ and is short for β€˜good day’.
Gnarly Awesome, popular among surfers.
Going off Busy or ramping up.
Good on ya An Australian slang phrase which means β€˜good work’! Often accompanied by β€˜mate’ or a friendly slap on the back.
Goon Boxed wine, popular amongst the student crowd. This has led to the popular backyard game of β€œgoon of fortune”, where the bag is removed from the box and pinned to the clothes line. It is then spun around and whoever it lands on has to have a drink, pouring it straight from the clothesline into their mouth.

Once empty, a goon bag can be inflated to form a makeshift pillow.

Grog Alco-mo-hol.
Grouse Cool, excellent. β€œThat dinner you made was grouse, Louise.”
G-string What’s called a β€˜thong’ elsewhere. Thongs are slang for something completely different in Australia… see below.
Gutless Cowardly.

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Sydney Harbour at sunrise is a bit of an all right.

Australian slang words & phrases: H-M

SLANG WORD DEFINITION
Hard yakka Hard work. β€œWalking up this hill is hard yakka.”
Heaps Used for positive emphasis. β€œThat concert was heaps good.”
Hectic Crazy. β€œLast night’s episode of Married At First Sight was hetic, aye?”
Hills hoist A clothing line that folds in on itself, not unlike an umbrella. Perfect for pegging up your goonbag.
Hole Anywhere that is rather rundown and/or derelict. β€œSunnydale is such a hole.”
Hooroo A farewell.
Hottie A hot water bottle.
Iffy Not trustworthy or seems a bit β€˜off’. β€˜You could eat that two week chook, but it smells a bit iffy to me.’
Keen To be ready, eager to do a particular thing. β€œWould you like to go to the movies?” β€œYeah. I’m keen.”
Journo A journalist.
Lappy Laptop
Larrikin A dying breed of Australian, who is easy-going and fun-loving, whilst being a bit cheeky.
Legless Very drunk. β€˜He was totally legless last night!’
Lippie/lippy Lipstick. β€œI’ll just pop some lippie on darl, before we head down to RSL for tea!”
Lollies Sweets, candy.
Longneck A 750ml bottle of beer.
Maccas MacDonalds. β€œI’m gonna go for a late night maccas run. Does anyone want a cheeseburger?”
Manchester Linen and sheets. Apparently this term came about from boxes of the stuff being shipped over from England with β€œManchester” being written on them. That was taken to mean what the items were, rather than the city they had come from! Not as common as it once was.
Mate This is how every Australian will constantly refer to you, friend or foe.
Midi A 285ml glass of beer, also known as a β€œpot” in some states.
Mole A derogatory term often used by women to describe other women, so definitely an Aussie slang insult. β€œSheena kissed Kylie’s boyfriend.” β€œUgh. She’s such a mole.”
Mongrel A bad tempered person.
Moolah Money, cold hard cash.
Mozzie A mosquito.

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A statue of a large mosquito.
The big mozzie in Hexham, NSW.

Australian slang words & phrases: N-R

SLANG WORD DEFINITION
No dramas A response to someone asking a request of someone else. β€œWill, would you be able to get a side of garlic bread with that pizza order?” β€œSure – no dramas.”
No worries! This Australian slang phrase is pretty much our national catchphrase. Used in place of β€œall right” and β€œfine”.
Nuddy To be naked. β€œHe ran around the backyard in the nuddy, after playing goon of fortune.”
Ocker A rough, uncultivated Australian. The stereotypical Aussie accent is considered to be β€œocker”. Yet, people from the cities don’t tend to speak that way. Once again, we’re a continent and people do have different accents, depending on where you hail from, a point I find myself arguing ALL THE TIME.
The Outback The desert. It’s a beautiful place and well worth visiting.
Op Shop A charity store and where I personally buy most of my clothing.
Olds, Oldies One’s parents or folks.
Old mate Used in lieu of a person’s name. Particularly handy if you’ve forgotten the name of whoever you’re referring to at the time. β€œI saw Shelley kissing old mate the other day. You know. The guy with the hair.”
Oz Straya, mate!
Pash To kiss, with tongue.
Perve To admire someone ‘hot’ or beautiful.
Piece of piss Easy!
Piss off Leave, depart. Quickly. Can also be hurled at an insult towards another, or used in a jovial manner when someone is being mildly annoying. “Piss off, Tom!”
Pissed Drunk. There’s a lot of Australian slang words for this state of being!
Pokies Slot machines. Gambling is sadly massive in Australia, particularly in New South Wales and dare I say actively encouraged by government.
Pom, pommie, pommies The English.
Pot Similar to a midi – 285ml in size and the standard size of a drink in the state of Victoria (make sure you ask for a pint instead, if you want a bigger drink).
Prezzie A present.
Rage To party. β€œHe raged at the blue light disco all night long.”
Rapt To be excited about something. β€œShe was rapt as she had always wanted to go on a Backstreet Boys’ cruise.”
Ratbag A scallywag.
Reckon To state an agreement with someone, you’d simply answer β€œI reckon you’re right.”
Rego Car registration.
Relos One’s relatives.
Ripper To indicate that something is good, ie β€œYou little ripper!”
Rock up To arrive. β€œMollie rocked up to Brad’s party, half an hour late.”
Roo Kangaroo
Rooted To be exhausted, I guess to the same point as what you’d be if you’d engaged in vigorous sex, as root means that too. Although that’s not my intended meaning when I get home, collapse on the couch and announce that I’m rooted – I can assure you of that!
Ropeable To be quite angry, to see red.
Rort To be cheated, a dishonest practice. β€œThat was a bit of a rort.”
Runners Exercise shoes – also can be called β€˜joggers’.

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Large limestone stacks protrude from the ocean, known as 'The 12 Apostles'. Read up about Australian slang words and how to use them correctly.
Rocking up at Victoria’s famous rocks, the Twelve Apostles.

Australian slang words & phrases: S-Z

SLANG WORD DEFINITION
Sanga A sandwich.
Snag A sausage.
Schooner A glass of beer at 425ml (yes, we have many different drink measurements here!)
Servo A service station or centre.
Sickie To chuck a sickie is to stay home from work. You may or may not be actually sick.
Sheepshagger Someone from New Zealand.
Shithouse Of poor quality. β€œThat chicken was shithouse. I will never dine at Red Rooster again.”
Shoot through To leave, sometimes used to mean the person in question has disappeared with their tail between their legs, or left someone else in the lurch.
Shout To treat someone. β€œIt was his shout for drinks.”
Sick Used as a replacement for β€˜cool’.
Slab A case or carton of beer.
Slippery-dip A simple playground slide.
Slag Someone who’s a bit gross or a bit too flirtatious – often a derogatory word applied to women. β€œShirley hit on Pete.” β€œOh yeah, she’s a bit of a slag, isn’t she?”
Smoko Traditionally a cigarette break. You can now say you’re doing for a smoko if you’re taking around a 10-15 minute break from work.
Sook Someone who’s being a bit whingy or is seeking attention, ie my dog.
Spewing To be angry about something. β€œShe was spewing because she’d left her phone at work.”
Spunk Not what you think it means – rather, it’s someone you find attractive. β€œMary thought Jarred was super spunky.”
Stiffy Erection.
Stoked Happy. Interestingly, this is one of the few Australian slang words that has been popularised in the USA, as I’ve heard many American friends use it.
Straya The country of β€œAustralia”.
Strine Our β€œofficial” name for Australian slang!
Strewth An exclamation of surprise.
Stubby Beer.
Stubby holder Beer holder, designed to allow the drinker to grasp onto their cold can without their hands freezing in the process.
Stuffed To be pooped. β€œHe’d been drinking at the beach all day and he was stuffed.”
Sunnies Sunglasses.
Swag A one person tent you can roll up. Ideal for camping.
Ta Thanks! I find this one fine to use in person but it can sound a bit passive-aggressive via text.
Tall poppy sydrome National ideology, where it’s seen as lame to overachieve and anyone who does gets cut down to size.
Tassie-tuxedos Black puffer jackets, worn in winter to keep out the frigid cold.
Tea Dinner. β€œWhat are we having for tea tonight?”
Tinny Confusingly, this can refer to a can of beer or an old, usually metal boat. So you could be drinking a tinny on a tinny! (Don’t try this at home, folks).
Trackie-daks Tracksuit or sweat pants.
Tradie Someone who works in a trade – electricians, plumbers, builders, etc.
Thongs Australia’s national footwear – everyone else knows them as β€œflip flops”. So when Australians are talking about their thongs, it’s not what you may initially think.
Too easy A response when someone says thank you to you, similar to β€˜no problem’. β€œThanks for my pint of beer.” β€œToo easy, mate.”
Top End The far north of the country – the Northern Territory.
Toot sweet This Australian slang phrase I believe is adapted from the French – β€˜tout de suite’. It’s of a similar meaning – to get something done quickly.
True blue Genuine.
Tucker Food, commonly used to refer to β€˜bush tucker’.
Turps Alcohol. β€œTo get on the turps” is to drink.
Two-up A game commonly played on ANZAC Day (25 April), because how better to commemorate our fallen shoulders than getting pissed and gambling at the local pub? Sigh.
U-ie To manoeuvre one’s car into a u-turn is to β€œchuck a u-eee.”
Unit A flat or apartment.
Up yourself To think the world of yourself. Traditionally, Australians hate people with an over-inflated sense of self-worth.
Ute A pickup truck.
Vego A vegetarian.
Woop woop Anywhere far away from where a conversation (or convo) is taking place. β€œAh yeah, TJ lives out woop woop, doesn’t he?”
Yeah, nah Simply, no. We’re an indecisive bunch.
You beauty! That’s excellent!
You little ripper! You’re the best!
Youse The pluralised version of β€˜you’, embedded in the local vernacular.

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The Bogey Hole in Newy (Newcastle).

Concluding this guide to Australian slang words & phrases

Hopefully this has cleared up some of the confusion surrounding Australian slang. If not… well, you’ll be right, mate.

Do you have anymore Australian slang words to add to this list?

For more, check out my other content on Australia.


Pin me baby one more time πŸ“Œ

What is a bogan? A deadset dole bludger in trackie-daks and thongs? Have no idea what that sentence means? Fair call. Read on if you want a thorough understanding of #Australian slang.


This guide to Australian slang may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may make small commission, at no extra cost to you. This goes towards the cost of running this blog. I only recommend goods and services I think are helpful and use myself. Thank you – I absolutely appreciate the support!

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28 Comments

  1. Love these posts! Most of the words I don’t commonly use, but I am forever saying “no worries” and I just can’t stop that habit. I do get a few strange looks when travelling! “Thongs” is another one that got me some weird looks. I would not have even considered that “slippery dip” would not be understood!

    1. I say “no worries” like a woman possessed, so I feel your pain. And neither! A slippery dip is a slippery dip… duh!

      1. We’ve never heard of a slippery dip… Sounds more like what we call going “commando”.. In South Africa that means going for a dip in the altogether…which means going for a swim naked or “kaalgat”

  2. Haha, some really good ones here! ‘no worries’ is so pervasive, I don’t even notice that anymore. I thought of a few others as well but now, of course, I can’t for the life of me think of them…

      1. There’s a fair bit of ‘fair dinkum’ usage in our household. πŸ˜€ I will put some more thought into this when I have a moment to breathe as it’s one of my favourite things to talk about (I’m an ESL teacher and my academic background is in linguistics). πŸ˜€

        1. I was having a discussion about “fair dinkum” with someone and I’m starting to think it’s become a QLD thing – I’ve not heard anyone in NSW or VIC say it for donkeys. I’d love to have the input of a pro, that’s for sure!

          1. Well, neither my husband nor I are Queenslanders, in fact, he’s a born and bred Melburnian. We only moved up here three years ago and he’s been ‘fair dinkuming’ ever since I’ve known him (and that’s been a fair few years). I’ve got a few VIC friends who use it too. Just my two cents… πŸ˜‰

          2. Haha, I guess it’s just not something my friends or family seem to say! Maybe it’s just NSW then – who knows!

  3. When I was just in Australia I could never understand what people meant by ‘avro’. Now I know! Definitely an essential read for anyone who is planning on going to Australia soon.

  4. Ahhh this takes me back home ?. Dero is my favourite, I love to whip that one out to confuse the Brits. I also like Avo (avocado). Great post, thank you!

    1. It’s like having your own language… which sort of sounds like gibberish. Total street cred on your behalf, I reckon!

  5. Gosh I love this!!! It’s so true, especially what you say about “slippery dip”. I got the strangest looks at the park when I said this in New Zealand… It’s funny because I’ve never really known it as anything else. Thanks for the chuckle!

    1. I know! I find it weird that the Kiwis don’t call it the same thing (but then… jandals… what, how?). We definitely use way more slang than any of us would ever realise!

  6. These are great! Super educational post! I know about 1/2 of them from Aussie YouTubers I follow & knowing Australians in real life, but a bunch are new to my American English vocabulary! I’d be so lost if you used a bunch of them in a sentence.

  7. Signing in from Tassie. Everyone is wearing their Tassie Tuxedos. (Black Puffer Jackets) A lot of snow about. Loved your photos of the big mosquito. Would be another way to choose destination routes. Go via all the ‘big things’

    1. Oh, Tassie Tuxedo, I love it! There’s a bit of that going on in Melbs too. And yes so true. I have definitely driven a distance simply to see a Big Thing in the past, haha.

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