The Essential Aussie Dictionary

As I got off the plane, I paused to take in the feeling of stepping back on home soil. I looked around and listened—Australian accents all around me. I beamed enthusiastically at passersby. They probably thought I was weird, but I didn’t care. Nothing felt better than being back home, especially during the summer.

Before leaving New York, fellow Shen Yun dancer Rebecca Jiang instructed me to have fun in the motherland. I knew I would, but what about the non-Australians in our company? Would they be able to comprehend the laidback Aussie language?

Thus, I have prepared an Aussie-English dictionary to assist new visitors to my homeland:

  • Arvo: the afternoon
  • “Aussie Aussie Aussie!”: the start of a battle cry usually used at sporting events. (The traditional reply is “Oi Oi Oi!”)
  • Barbie: barbecue
  • Bathers/Cossie/Togs: swim wear, swim suit
  • Beauty: great; fantastic
  • Billabong: a watering hole
  • Billy: teapot; a container for boiling water
  • Bloke: man; guy
  • Brekkie: breakfast
  • Brizzie: Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland
  • Bunyip: a mythical aboriginal bush spirit animal that lives in swamps and billabongs
  • Bush: the Outback, or anywhere that isn’t in town
  • Cheers: thanks
  • Chrissie: Christmas
  • Didgeridoo: an Australian Aboriginal musical instrument made from a hollow log
  • Dingo: the Australian wild dog that howls but does not bark
  • Docket: a bill, receipt
  • Esky: a large insulated food and drink container usually used for picnics and barbecues
  • Fair Dinkum: true, right
  • Fairy Floss: cotton candy
  • G’day/Gidday: the universal Australian friendly greeting or hello
  • Gobsmacked: surprised, astounded
  • Gumtree: Australian eucalyptus tree
  • Jumbuck: sheep
  • Lamington: an Australian delicacy, made from spongecake that is cut into squares and covered in chocolate and coconut
  • Lollies: candy, sweets
  • Maccas: McDonald’s
  • Mate: friend, buddy
  • Mozzie: mosquito
  • No worries: expression of forgiveness or reassurance.
  • Rapt: pleased, delighted
  • Reckon!: You bet! Absolutely!
  • Rellie/Relo: family relative
  • Shout: turn to buy—a round of drinks usually
  • Singlet: a sleeveless cotton undershirt
  • Stoked: very pleased
  • Sunnies: sunglasses
  • Ta: thank you
  • Telly: television
  • Thongs: rubber backless sandals, flip flops
  • Tomato sauce: ketchup
  • Trackies: track suit
  • True blue: patriotic, Australian person or thing
  • Vegemite: a savory spread made from an extract of brewers yeast, eaten on toast
  • Yabby: inland freshwater crayfish or lobster found in Australia
  • Yewy: U-turn
  • Yonks: a long time, ages
  • Zinc: sunscreen

 

Am I forgetting anything?

Helen Blogger

Helen Shia

Dancer

February 12, 2013

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