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 Shia
Dancer
February 12, 2013