Almost every language and dialect has its own slang. Australian English is no different. This got me thinking, which are the best Australian slang words you can use?
We recently covered both British slang words and American slang words. I though it was only fair that we covered Australian slang words too.
Australian slang borrows a lot from British slang. Although, there are a lot of Aboriginal and native Australian influences on their slang as well. It also shares a lot in common with New Zealand slang due to its proximity.
15. Mate – Good Friend
When you think of Australian slang words, mate is probably the first one that comes to mind. This is mostly down to fact that American TV shows and movies often use it to signify that someone is Australian.
Mate is used to describe someone as being a close or good friend. It is most commonly used by people who’ve known one another for several years. If you hang around the pubs in Australia, you’ll her it quite a bit.
The term mate originates in British slang, where it was taken from the Aboriginal mate, meaning “Greetings”. Once Australia was colonized by the British, the Australian settlers adopted the phrase as their own.
14. Goon – Wine in a Box/Bag
In American slang, a goon is an insult- someone who serves someone else mindlessly, often in criminal activities. Whilst this is sometimes used in Australia, thanks to American media, it is more commonly used in another context…
Goon is Australia’s most famous alcoholic beverage. It is wine that backpackers and hikers often drink. Originally, it came in a box that was present at most campsites, but eventually, it was sold in a bag.
This bag can fit inside a backpack, and is the bane of Australian high school teacher’s existences all across Australia. However, it is cheap and not particularly great quality, as such, it is often used as an insult to alcoholic beverages that don’t taste very good..
13. Sanger – Sandwich
Slang often has a knack for coming up with creative terms for food. In several dialects of English, there are slang terms for all types of food, especially sandwiches.
Sanger is the slang term for a sandwich. The term can be used to describe any type of sandwich, usually with the type of sandwich before it, eg. Tuna sanger or ham and cheese sanger.
During the 1940’s, a brand of sandwich appeared in Australia, Sanger. This brand became quite well known across Australia. Today, hearing it called a sanger is almost as common as hearing the term “Sandwich”.
12. Iffy – Risky
When it comes to universally understood Australian slang words, iffy is perhaps the most common. Most people, whether young or old, rich or poor generally understand what iffy means. It is also used abroad as well.
Iffy is generally used to say that someone or something isn’t quite right. It might be that someone is suspicious or that something seems very risky. In some cases, it may even be used to say that something is flimsy or unstable.
The term first came into use in the US in the 1930’s. It was initially used by American workers to say that they weren’t sure if Franklin Roosevelt’s policies would work (to curtail the Great Depression).
11. Bogan – Unsophisticated
Australian English is generally considered to be a sophisticated language, but there are Australians who aren’t “sophisticated”. It is generally considered an insult, although some Bogans would consider it a badge of honor.
Bogans are generally young people, who’s demeanor, speech and clothing is very unsophisticated. Think about the teenagers who hang outside shops in the dodgy part of town- they’re Bogans.
In fact, some would argue that using slang makes you a Bogan. Although, the term itself is more often used to describe someone’s physical demeanor and speech, rather than what they say themselves, although its all accumulative.
10. Straya – Australia
Straya is perhaps one of the most common Australian slang words. It is more commonly used by younger children, although, hearing it said by older people isn’t too uncommon either.
Of those adults who use it, most are considered Bogan. For these Bogan, the way they’d say “Australia” is straya. This can be used to describe both the main island everyone thinks of, as well as including Tasmania.
Straya comes the Australian way of pronouncing the name of their own country. Over time, this has been shortened down for convenience, but to many who don’t use the slang, it looks very Bogan.
9. Runners – Trainers / Sneakers
All three major dialects of English- American, British and Australian English have their own term for running shoes (I don’t really know why!) Australian English has chosen to colloquially call them runners.
The term runners can be applied to most running and/or gym-specific shoes. However, the use of this term is very regional, with many other slang terms for these types of shoes being used in different neighborhoods.
Other slang terms that are used in differing parts of Australia also include: sandshoes, gym boots, or joggers, daps, tennis shoes or the Americanized sneakers. These are all used in the same context as runners.
8. A Cold One – Beer
Alcoholic beverages commonly have their own slang terms. The most common alcoholic beverages- beer and wine have hundreds of slang terms in hundreds of languages. Australian English is no exception.
In Australian English, many refer to a beer as a cold one. Whilst you won’t hear TV ads directly call their product a cold one, they may refer to it as a part of the ad itself.
The origin of the term is fairly self-explanatory. Beer is best served cold, often coming out of some form of refrigeration. As such, the vats majority of beer drank is cold, therefore one bottle is a cold one.
7. Bloody – Very
British English is famous for using the somewhat rude, somewhat curse word bloody. Following on from that, the Australians have taken that, tweaked its meaning somewhat and use it in their everyday life.
Bloody is used as an intensifier- to show that something is more than just what follows it. Although it can vary depending on the context, it is most commonly used in the same place as very.
With that being said, many in Australia, especially those who are older or richer, view the term as somewhat offensive. Usually, this group consists of old grannies. If you use it in font of them, they’ll just tell that it’s rude.
6. Snag – Sausage
In Standard English, a snag is some form of problem, usually one that is unexpected. However, Australians have taken the term and reinvented it, with a completely new meaning and usage.
Snag is used to describe a sausage. In Australian slang, it can be used to describe just one sausage, or several, no need for the added “s”. It can also be used in the phrase veggie snag or vegetarian sausage(s).
Although we aren’t really sure where the term snag came from, it probably came from the now-unused British slang term snag, meaning a light snack. There are no conclusive theories as to why it applies specifically to sausages.
5. Mongrel – Annoying (Person)
In slang, there are literally hundreds of ways to describe someone as being irritating or annoying in hundreds of different languages. In Australian slang, they use mongrel…
Mongrel is used to describe someone or something as severely annoying or irritating, almost to an extreme. It can also be used to describe something as weird- in the sense that its origin is unknown (although, you can’t use it to describe a person).
The word has been used less and less in this context over the past 50 years. This is mostly due to it having another meaning, one with deep racial undertones, that has prevented people from using it.
4. Dag – Nerd
One of the recurring themes of slang is its use to insult people. Whilst the vast majority of these slang terms are curse words, a few are not curse words. Dag is one of these such terms.
Dag is used in two major ways. Dag is most commonly used to describe someone as being a bit of nerd or geek. In the sense of someone who is into things that the vast majority of other people aren’t.
The other major way it is used is to describe someone as being unattractive. This can be in terms of someone’s physical looks or how they act. It shares a common origin with the British slang term hag.
3. Larrikin – Rebellious
Much of Australian slang originates in Britain. Excluding mate, larrikin is perhaps the most common non-British Australian slang word. Instead, larrikin potentially has its origins in Scots Gaelic.
Depending on who you speak to, it is either seen as an insult or something kin to a badge of honor. Many richer Australians use the term larrikin to insult rebellious youths who they believe are somewhat bogan.
However, to the vast majority of the Australian population, a larrikin is someone who’s up for a little fun… even if it is slightly illegal or defies normal social and political conventions.
2. True Blue – Australian
In America, they have Yank to describe an American (although some in the South dislike the term). Britain has the term Brit to describe a British person. Australia has this too, in the form of True blue.
The term True blue actually has two meanings. In its most commonly used meaning, it is used to describe someone who espouses true Australian values. It can also be used to describe an Australian, similarly to Yank or Brit.
Its other meaning derives from an English song in the 16th century. This is used to mean true, genuine or loyal. Someone who is a True blue is someone that you can trust to be honest. In many ways, it is similar to leale in Italian.
1. Sheila
In many languages, there are slang terms to describe a woman, some being positive, and others being negative. Australian English is no different, having the word Sheila to describe a woman.
Sheila is used to describe a teenage girl or woman. In recent years, it has fallen out of mainstream use, although in the countryside and in poorer areas of the outback, it is still commonly used.
The term Sheila comes from the girl’s name “Sheila”, which was very common in the early 20th century. This name became quite common, which eventually led to people joking that all girls were called Sheila, and it’s just stuck.
Which are your favorite Australian slang words? Tell me in the comments!