35 Awesome Australian Slang Terms You Should Know

Australian English is more than just an accent, and the Aussie vernacular can easily leave both English speakers and foreigners perplexed. Australian English is similar to British English, but many common words differ from American English—and there are many unique Aussie words, slang terms, and expressions.

The term for Aussie slang and pronunciation is strine (which was coined by Charles Dickens’s great-granddaughter, Monica Dickens), and if you plan to visit the world’s smallest continent, this list of some of the most commonly used slang is for you.

Arvo is Australian slang for afternoon. According to Australian National University’s School of Literature, Language, and Linguistics, “Arvo is an example of a special feature of Australian English, the habit of adding -o to an abbreviated word. Other such words are bizzo ‘business’ and journo ‘journalist.’ First recorded in the 1920s and still going strong today.”

Barbeque. The phrase shrimp on the barbie comes from an Australian tourism ad starring Paul Hogan, the future Crocodile Dundee—and what he actually said was “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for ya,” not “I’ll throw another shrimp on the barbie.”

An uncultured person. According to the Australian show Bogan Hunters, a real bogan sports a flanno (flannel shirt), a mullet, missing teeth, homemade tattoos (preferably of the Australian Flag or the Southern Cross), and has an excess of Australia paraphernalia.

Bonzer can be used as an adjective meaning “splendid, great”; as an adverb meaning “beautifully, splendidly”; or as a noun to refer to a person or thing “that excites admiration by being surpassingly good of its kind,” according to ANU. Its etymology is uncertain: One theory is that it might trace back to the obsolete Australian word bonster.

An Australian word for a friend.

Australians have a dizzying array of nicknames for places in the country. Sydney, for example, goes by Dubbo by the Sea as well as Emerald City, Steak and Kidney, and World’s Biggest Theme Park, among others.

A insulated cooler for food and drinks.

A slang term meaning “genuine.” According to Merriam-Webster, it’s “often used as a general expression of approval.”

Since the 1930s, full as a goog has meant “very drunk,” “crammed with food,” or “very full.” In Australia, goog is a word for egg.

This Australian term for mosquito has been used since the early 20th century. As a 1916 issue of Punch noted, “Here in Victoria we go right along, cursing, the ‘mossies,’ fighting them every night, losing good sleep through them, and yet never attempting to use the nets.”

A pash is a long, passionate kiss, and a pash rash is red irritated skin as the result of a heavy make-out session with someone with a beard.

A relative. As ANU’s School of Literature, Language, and Linguistics notes, this term “is a typical example of the way Australians abbreviate words and then add the-ie (or-y) suffix.”

A term meaning “really great.”

A kangaroo. A baby roo, still in the pouch, is known as a joey.

In Australia, root is a term for sex. This one can get really get foreigners in trouble. There are numerous stories about Americans coming to Australia telling people about which team they root for. If you come to Australia and want to talk about the sports teams you support, use the word barrack instead. Per ANU, barrack’s “origin is probably from Northern Irish barrack ‘to brag; to be boastful.’ By itself barrack meant ‘to jeer’ (and still does in British English), but the form barrack for transformed the jeering into cheering in Australian English.”

A servo is a gas or service station, which are also called “petrol stations.”

These two Australian phrases both mean “everything will be all right.”

The term sickie is what Australians use to refer to a sick day. If you take a day off work when you’re not actually sick, it’s called “chucking a sickie.”

A 24-pack of beer.

The word sook is used to refer to a crybaby. If someone calls you a sook, it’s because they think you’re whinging, a.k.a. whining.

A phrase meaning “to shake things up” that dates back to the 1880s. Don’t confuse Australian possums with American opossums; they’re different animals.

A koozie or cooler. A stubbie holder is a polystyrene insulated holder for a stubbie, which is a 375ml bottle of beer.

This phase means “sweet, awesome.” Aussies will often put as at the end of adjectives to give it emphasis. Other examples include lazy as, lovely as, fast as, and common as.

How Australians say “thank you.”

A tradesman. Most of the tradies have nicknames too, including brickie (bricklayer), truckie (truckdriver), sparky (electrician), garbo (garbage collector), and chippie (carpenter).

A utility vehicle or pickup truck.

If Australians want to say “get on with it,” they’ll use the phrase we’re not here to fuck spiders. You can watch Aussie Margot Robbie discuss the phrase on The Graham Norton Show above.

This term for whining or complaining is also used in the UK.

This Australian phrase for hard work dates back to the 1840s and came from the Yagara language of Indigenous Australians in the Brisbane region.

A version of this story ran in 2015; it has been updated for 2024.