English is English, right? Wrong, so wrong…
Every English speaking country seems to have their own slang and accent, so much so that when you combine it with a fast talker, you’re often left guessing whether someone just asked you a question, insulted you or complimented you. Or was that some combination of the three?
Australia is no different, and when visiting Australia or making a new Australian friend you’ll quickly realize they say things a little bit differently Down Under. Here are 12 essential words you should learn in order to communicate the Aussie way:
Mate
A friend, or just a regular person.
ex. Steve, you’re my best mate!
Powerpoint
A power/electrical outlet.
ex. My phone’s dead, let’s use a powerpoint in Maccas.
Footy
The Australian Football League (AFL), or just the sport of Australian rules football.
ex. Sorry mate, I can’t, Footy’s on!
Schooner, pot or pint
The size of a glass of beer, based on each state.
ex. 10 schooners of VB please!
Maccas
A classic dining establishment named McDonalds.
ex. Let’s go to Maccas!
Bottle-o
A bottle shop – a shop that sells alcohol and is often attached to a pub or supermarket (note – Australian supermarkets do not sell alcohol).
ex. We need to stop off at the bottle-o
Cheers
Thanks!
ex. Cheers mate!
Bogan
Someone of lower social status, unsophisticated or trashy.
ex. Stop sayin’ f**k, you sound like a Bogan.
Thongs
Flip flops
ex. D’ya reckon I can wear thongs to the bar?
Root
For lack of a better word, hanky panky…
ex. Hey you, wanna root?
Pash
The prologue to rooting, essentially, snogging…
ex. Did you see them pashing last night?
Fair dinkum
Something that is true or genuine.
ex. This is a fair dinkum Bogan bar…
G’Day
Hello!
ex. G’Day mate!
Any unidentifiable ending in -o or -y
Chances are if you hear a short semi-word ending in -o or -y, its an abbreviation. Aussies love to shorten their words, so concentrate on the first part of the word and decipher what the long form could be from there.
ex. defo is slang for definitely, and Facey is short for Facebook
What’s your favourite Aussie slang word?
