Australian slang
Australian slang words you will actually hear
The Australian slang words you'll hear in your first week are arvo, brekkie, barbie, servo, thongs, mate, no worries, how ya going, she'll be right, yeah nah, nah yeah, maccas, esky, bottle-o, chuck a sickie, smoko, knackered, taking the piss, fair dinkum and hooroo. Twenty words. You'll hear half of them before you've found the bus stop.
Each one gets the meaning in a line, a sentence you can say back, and a clip of a local saying it, because "how ya going" at full speed sounds nothing like it looks. No history lesson. Nobody at the pub cares where arvo came from.
The first five you will hear
Five bits of Aussie slang that turn up on cafe menus, road signs and hostel whiteboards before you have unpacked.
1. Arvo
Afternoon. Any time after lunch until the light goes.
Say it: "I'll swing past this arvo."
Hear it
Arvo: Arvo
A local says arvo on its own, then in a sentence.
2. Brekkie
Breakfast. The cafe menu says it, the hostel sign says it, and after a week so will you.
Say it: "Brekkie's included, but get in before nine."
Hear it
Brekkie: Brekkie
A local says brekkie on its own, then in a sentence.
3. Barbie
A barbecue, both the event and the grill. If you are told to bring a plate, they mean food to share, not an empty plate.
Say it: "We're doing a barbie Sunday, come round."
Hear it
Barbie: Barbie
A local says barbie on its own, then in a sentence.
4. Servo
Petrol station. Also the pie, the coffee and the milk you buy there at 11pm. Petrol, not gas. Gas here is the stuff in the bottle under the barbie.
Say it: "Pull into the servo, I need water."
Hear it
Servo: Servo
A local says servo on its own, then in a sentence.
5. Thongs
Flip flops. Rubber sandals with a strap between the toes. Nothing to do with underwear, which will save you one very awkward conversation.
Say it: "Chuck your thongs on, we're walking to the beach."
Hear it
Thongs: Thongs
A local says thongs on its own, then in a sentence.
Thongs is the headline act of Australian English vs American English. Read the full table.
Aussie slang for visitors: the four you will say back
These are the ones that get said to you, so you need a reply ready.
6. Mate
Friend. Also the bloke at the counter, the bus driver and the person you met four seconds ago. Said slow and low, "maaate", it means you have done something.
Say it: "Cheers, mate."
Hear it
Mate: Mate
A local says mate the friendly way, then the slow way.
7. No worries
It's fine. Also you're welcome, and also okay. It's the answer to thank you and the answer to sorry.
Say it: "No worries, mate."
Hear it
No worries: No worries
A local says no worries mate, relaxed, as a reply.
More on this saying: No worries, mate.
8. How ya going
How are you. It is a greeting, not a question, so nobody wants the medical history. Say "good, you?" and keep walking.
Say it: "How ya going? Good, you?"
Hear it
How ya going: How ya going
A local says how ya going at normal speed, which is fast.
9. She'll be right
It will be fine. Said about a leaking tent, a late bus, a ladder that wobbles. Calm, not a promise.
Say it: "Tyre's a bit low. She'll be right till Monday."
Hear it
She'll be right: She'll be right
A local says she'll be right on its own, then in a sentence.
More on this saying: She'll be right.
All three of she'll be right, no worries and how ya going, with the tone, are on one page. She'll be right meaning
Yeah nah and nah yeah
Two words, either order, and the order is the whole message.
10. Yeah nah
No. The yeah is just softening the blow.
Say it: "Yeah nah, I'm staying in tonight."
Hear it
Yeah nah: Yeah nah
A local says yeah nah, then uses it to turn something down.
More on this saying: Yeah, nah.
11. Nah yeah
Yes. The nah is clearing the throat before the yes.
Say it: "Nah yeah, I'll come."
Hear it
Nah yeah: Nah yeah
A local says nah yeah, then uses it to agree.
Listen for the last word. That is the answer. Everything before it is padding. Yeah nah yeah is also a thing, and the rule holds: it is a yes.
Food, drink and where to get it
12. Maccas
McDonald's. The signs say it now too. Macca's with an apostrophe if you are being precise, and nobody is.
Say it: "Maccas run after the pub?"
Hear it
Maccas: Maccas
A local says maccas on its own, then in a sentence.
13. Esky
The cooler. An ice box for drinks and food on the way to the beach. It started as a brand name and now it is the only word. Cheap ones from the servo, dear ones from the camping shop, all of them are an esky.
Say it: "Chuck it in the esky."
Hear it
Esky: Esky
A local says esky on its own, then in a sentence.
14. Bottle-o
The bottle shop, where you buy takeaway alcohol. Supermarkets mostly do not sell it here, so this is the trip you will make.
Say it: "I'll duck to the bottle-o before it shuts."
Hear it
Bottle-o: Bottle-o
A local says bottle-o on its own, then in a sentence.
Slang for work: chuck a sickie, smoko, knackered
If you are on a working holiday, these three come up on day one of the job.
15. Chuck a sickie
Take a sick day when you're not sick. Peak season is the Monday after a long weekend and the day after a big game.
Say it: "Half the site chucked a sickie for the grand final."
Hear it
Chuck a sickie: Chuck a sickie
More on this saying: Chuck a sickie.
16. Smoko
The work break. Ten or fifteen minutes mid-morning, a coffee and a sit down. Smoking not required.
Say it: "Smoko's at ten, kettle's on."
Hear it
Smoko: Smoko
A local says smoko on its own, then in a sentence.
17. Knackered
Exhausted. Wrecked. Done for the day. Also stuffed, buggered and cooked, which all mean the same thing.
Say it: "I'm knackered, that was a double."
Hear it
Knackered: Knackered
A local says knackered on its own, then in a sentence.
There is more for hostels and hospitality shifts. Aussie slang for backpackers
The last three: taking the piss, fair dinkum, hooroo
18. Taking the piss
Two meanings. Joking or winding someone up, which is friendly. Or taking advantage, which isn't. Tone tells you which.
Say it: "Nine bucks for a flat white? They're taking the piss."
Hear it
Taking the piss: Taking the piss
More on this saying: Taking the piss.
19. Fair dinkum
Genuine, real, the honest truth. As a question it means "seriously?" You will hear it more from older blokes and out in the bush than at a city cafe, so use it lightly or you will sound like you are doing a bit.
Say it: "Fair dinkum, it was that big."
Hear it
Fair dinkum: Fair dinkum
A local says fair dinkum on its own, then as a question.
More on this saying: Fair dinkum.
20. Hooroo
Goodbye. Old school, still around, mostly from anyone over sixty and anyone else being cheerful. You'll hear it more than you'll say it, and that's fine.
Say it: "Hooroo, see you Monday."
Hear it
Hooroo: Hooroo
A local says hooroo as a goodbye.
The full Australian slang dictionary
Twenty words gets you through week one. Week two, someone will say heaps, reckon, ta, sweet as, or flat out like a lizard drinking, and you're back to nodding and hoping.
One thing that helps: half of these are just a word cut in half with an o or an ie stuck on the end. Arvo, servo, bottle-o, brekkie, barbie. Once you see the pattern you can guess most of the next hundred.
The whole thing is at the Australian slang dictionary. The sayings, the full sentences that make no sense until a local explains them, are at Australian sayings. She'll be right, no worries and how ya going are three of them. There are a lot more.
Hear it before it is said to you
Reading "how ya going" is one thing. Having it fired at you across a counter at 8am is another. The Aussie Talk app puts the slang dictionary and the sayings in your pocket with locals saying them, so the sound is already in your ear when it counts.
And once the words are sorted, fix the place names. Cairns will trip you up before arvo ever does: the most mispronounced Australian place names.