The XYZ of Aussie ABCs

Well, I started compiling these over a year ago. And finally we make it to the end of our Australian Dictionary. Any Aussies out there, feel free to add in the comments [but, keep it clean, 'ey, cobber?]

X
XXXX : pronounced Four X, brand of beer made in Queensland

Y
Yabby : inland freshwater crayfish found in Australia (very good eatin’!)
Yakka : work (noun)
Yewy : u-turn in traffic (”chuck a yewy at the next traffic lights”)
Yobbo : an uncouth person

Z
Dazza [this is about the strange Aussie inclination to put "Z" sounds in as many words as we can. Dazza is a name given to someone whose actual name is either Darren or Daryl. Over here, Sharon would be known as Shazza, Barry as Bazza ... etc.]

***

Hope you’ve enjoyed this thread of posts. Now for non-Auzzies out there, some of the language from me and my Ocker friends  will be more understandable! To read the post where it all began, go to A is for Aussie…

Aussie ABCs: U-W

U
Uni : university
Unit : flat, apartment
Up oneself: to have a high opinion of oneself – “he’s really up himself”
Useful as an ashtray on a motorbike: unhelpful or incompetent person or thing – “he, she or it is about as useful as …” etc. etc.
Ute : utility vehicle, pickup truck

V
Vedgies : vegetables
Vee dub : Volkswagen
Veg [vej] out : relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)

W
Waggin’ school : playing truant
Walkabout : a walk in the Outback by Aborigines that lasts for an indefinite amount of time
Walkabout, it’s gone : it’s lost, can’t be found
Weekend warrior : army reservist
Whacker, whacka: Idiot; somebody who talks drivel; somebody with whom you have little patience
Whinge : complain
Whiteant (verb) : to criticise something to deter somebody from buying it. A car dealer might whiteant another dealer’s cars or a real estate salesman might whiteant another agent’s property
Wobbly : excitable behaviour (”I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly”)
Wog : flu or trivial illness
Woop Woop : invented name for any small unimportant town – “he lives in Woop Woop”
Wowser : straight-laced person, prude, puritan, spoilsport
Wuss : coward; nervous person or animal

ABCs: T is for Trakkie Daks

It’s been a while but Aussie ABCs is back!

Other Aussies feel free to add to this list, but keep it clean, alright?

T
Tall poppy syndrome : the tendency to criticize successful people
Technicolor yawn : vomit
Tee-up : (verb) to set up (e.g. an appointment)
Thongs : cheap rubber backless sandals (You get embarrassing misunderstandings with this one); New Zealanders call these jandles, ‘ey?
Tickets, to have on oneself : to have a high opinion of oneself
Tinny : can of beer
Togs : swim suit
Too right! : definitely!
Top End : far north of Australia
Trackie daks/dacks : tracksuit pants – the uniform of suburban parents everywhere…
Trackies : track suit
Troppo, gone : to have escaped to a state of tropical madness; to have lost the veneer of civilisation after spending too long in the tropics (not used very often anymore).
Truckie : truck driver
True blue : patriotic
Tucker : food
Turps : turpentine, alcoholic drink
Turps, hit the : go on a drinking binge

Aussie ABCs: ratbags & snags

   

Well it’s time to learn more of how we aussies abuse the English language. Today is brought to you by the letters R & S…

R is for

 

 

• Rapt [or wrapped] : pleased, delighted (I’m rapt that you came to visit me and brought me a box of chocolates)
• Ratbag : mild insult
• Raw prawn, to come the : to con or stretch the truth, to be generally disagreeable
• I Reckon! : you bet! Absolutely!
• Ya Reckon?!: “do you really believe that what you’re saying is true?”
• Rellie or relo : family relative
• Ripper : great, fantastic – “it was a ripper party”
• Right, she’s : it’ll be all right
• Right, that’d be : Accepting bad news as inevitable. (”I went fishing but caught nothing.” “Yeah, that’d be right.”)
• Rock up : to turn up, to arrive – “we rocked up at their house at 8pm”
• Row: [rhymes with cow] An argument, shouting match, loud disagreement
• Rubber: An eraser, for the Americans in my audience. Australian Architects working with Americans need to be careful of using this one in the office.

*Remember, those of you of North American or Irish persuasion, that Aussies tend to drop the letter “r” from the middle of a word. Hence anger is pronounced anga here and my city – though spelled Melbourne – is actually pronounced Melb’n.

S is for

• Sanger : [pronounced sanga] a sandwich
• Skull/Skol : to drink a beer/coke in a single draught without taking a breath
• Shonky : dubious, underhanded. E.g. a shonky practice, shonky business etc
• Servo : petrol station, gas station
• Shout: to pay for (”I’ll shout lunch” “No it’s my shout today”)
• Sook: [rhymes with look, cook] Noun. A soft, timid or cowardly person. A frequent complainer.
• Sooking: Verb. Whining, particularly about petty or inconsequential matters.
• Smoko : smoke or coffee break
• Snag : a sausage
• Spit the dummy : to get very upset at something
• Squizz (noun) : look – “take a squizz at this”
• Stoked : very pleased
• Stuffed, I feel : I’m tired
• Stuffed, it’s: It is broken, it’s worn out
• Sunnies : sunglasses

Slang that Australian Parents Might Use: N-P

 N is for -

 

• Nappy – diaper

 ***

O is for –

• Oldies or Olds - parents or grandparents.  

 ***

P is for –

• Prawn - I’ll probably never use this but it needs to go in. Prawn = shrimp
• Prezzie – present, gift. (Chrissie prezzies = Christmas presents)

Slang that Australian Parents Use: M

We last left our Aussie Alphabet at  the letter L. That must mean it’s time for …

M

• Macca’s - our affectionate name for McDonalds. Often Australians with a surname beginning with Mac are also called Macca.

• Mate - friend, buddy. Note: the meaning of the term is affected by tone of voice and context. For instance, “Good to see you mate” = “Good to see you, my friend”  while “Pull your head in mate!” = “Desist that activity you fool!”.   [Mate! can also replace expletives when you're hot or hit  your thumb with a hammer.]

• Milk Bar - corner store like a convenience store.

• Mozzie - mosquito.

K is for knock, L is for lolly

Gidday blokes and sheilas, here’s the latest addition to the Australian vocab list I’m building to help you decode some of the inevitable slang which I (as an Australian) will occasionally revert to.

K is for -

• Knock - [verb] to criticize or verbally disrespect something or someone. Occasionally there’s an unfortunate and embarrassing collision of idioms when the media refer to Australian society as a “country of knockers” …

L is for –

• Little tacka – young child
• Lolly – candy, sweet.

H is for hoon

In honor of Australia Day, here’s my latest addition to the Australian vocab list I’m building to help you decode some of the inevitable slang I will drop into.

H is for -

•  Heaps - a lot (e.g. “you’ve given me heaps of vegies!”)
• Hoon –

(noun) hooligan, fast and crazy driver; (verb) to drive recklessly.

I is for -

• Iceypole

- popsicle, flavoured frosted ice.

J is for – …. well, I can’t think of anything. Jackaroo or jumbuck maybe, but they’re not really relevant!

A dumb Australian animal … holding a koala.

C is for Chrissie, D is for Dunny

Still more Aussie idioms to help you decode Australian blogs and other media.

C

• Cactus: not functioning, ruined, messed up, dead. [e.g. Oh no! The TV's cactus! How am I going to watch the cricket?!]
• Chrissie: Christmas. Aussies love turning the end of words into an “ee” sound… No it’s not babyish!
• Chunder: vomit, both noun and verb.
• Crook: sick, faulty. [e.g.s - I can't come out, my kids are crook; and Oh no, this is a crook TV! How am I going to watch the cricket?!]

D

• Dag: silly person, a term of affection despite its origin (dirty wool around a sheep’s bum) and its adjectival use below.
• Daggy: corny, nerdy, out-of-fashion.
• Daks: trousers.
• Dummy-spit: tantrum, angry tirade.
• Dunny: toilet. You may as well get used to me using this word, there’ll inevitably be a lot of toilet jokes on this site.

Well, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go chunder in the dunny now; my guts are a bit crook and they haven’t been right since Chrissie.

B is for Blokes

Bail: To leave or abandon a situation especially when it gets difficult.

Barby or Barbie: Not the doll of the same name, but a short-hand for “barbeque”. This only gets confusing when you ask your (Australian) daughter to put some burgers on the barbie.

Bloke: A male person; a guy. When used of children, one must say “little bloke” and when used of teenage boys, one must say “young bloke”. For the rest of us men, it’s just bloke …

Bogan: Uncouth, unstylish individual of either gender. Bogans might be seen visiting the local shopping Mall wearing their signature blend of flannelette shirt, cheap sheepskin moccasin slippers and tracksuit pants (or black jeans). They usually talk rough and have little ambition beyond winning the lottery and males and females may also sport a mullet haircut. It is my fervent wish that my children do not grow up to be Bogans… or even boganesque!

[picture above] One of the Bogan’s many incarnations!

And most importantly…

Bum: a bottom, butt, backside.

BumBum: Gas, fart, bottom-burp.

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