Australia is a multi-cultural country with a rich variety of slang and colourful vernacular expressions from many different sources. Here are some that you might find in my books.
“Arse” = Rear end.
“Arvo” = Afternoon.
“Battler” = Someone who doggedly struggles to make a living against the odds.
“Barramundi” = An amazingly tasty Aussie fish.
“Big note” = Sums up Jamie perfectly. Someone who exaggerates his own achievements.
“Bingle” = Vb. Crash into–as in minor car accident. Also Noun. A dent or scratch.
“Bitzer/Bitza=A mixed breed of dog. Bitza this and bitzer that. A mongrel.
“Bottle” = “Lost his bottle”- i.e. his spine… as in spineless.
“Boot”= Trunk of car
“Bogan” = Someone who is boorish, uncultured and unsophisticated.
“Brissy” = Brisbane, Australian City (pronounced “Brizzy”).
“Buckley’s chance” = No prospect whatever.
“Cark it” = To die.
“Change-over time” = Sydney Cab shifts change at 3pm. It’s difficult to get a cab then.
“Chook” = A chicken.
“Chalk that one up” = Count it as a win.
“Chuck a wobbly” = Lose one’s temper, panic, tantrum, annoyance… whatever.
“Cockie/Cocky” = Cockatoo. Either an Australian bird (a cockatoo) or an Aussie farmer.
“Cobber” = Mate, pal.
“Cozzy/Cozzie/Cossie” = Swimwear.
“Crook” = No good, bad, Third Rate.
“Daggy” = Ugly, unfashionable. “Dag” = A nerd
“Daks” = trousers.
“Dinki-Di” = Quintessentially Australian. Authentic.
“Do a runner” = Leave, escape ASAP.
“Dobbing in” = Inform on, betray.
“Dog’s breakfast” = A shambles, chaotic, a bit of everything.
“Done like a dinner” = Completely and efficiently demolished.
“Dosh” = Cash/Money
“Drongo” = An idiot
“Dud” = Used as a verb–to trick, swindle or scam.
“Dunny” = A toilet
“Earbash” = To harangue. Earbasher = An obnoxious windbag.
“Esky” = A portable insulated food and wine container, popular at barbecues.
“Fair dinkum” = The Gospel truth.
Furfy = A rumour, a false report.
“Hang in there till the Bitter Lemon” = Stay until the very end.
“Hard Yakka” = Extremely tough work.
“Hoon” = Oaf. Hooligan.
“Journo” = Journalist.
“Jumbuck” = A sheep.
“King-Hit” = Sucker punch.
“Knackered” = worn out.
“Mates Rates” = Special price for friends.
Motza/motsa = A large sum of money.
“Musos/Muzos” = Musicians.
“Muster dog” = A dog, usually a Kelpie, trained to round-up livestock
‘No worries, mate” = Everything is okay.
“Naff” = Tacky (mostly UK English slang).
“Ocker” = An aggressively boorish Aussie male.
“Oz” = Australia, Australian.
“Paddo” = Padddington-a trendy Sydney Eastern Suburb
“Perving/perve” = Looking at someone lasciviously.
“Plonk” = Wine or alcohol of any kind, often of indifferent quality.
“Pom” or “Pommy” = Slang for an English person. Elliott talks about his former Pommy owner, Ian..
“Porkie/Porky” = Lie, untruth. Rhyming Slang “Pork Pie” = Lie
“Porkied” = lied. Rhyming slang Pork Pie/lie.
“Put a sock in it” = Shut up!
“Ripper” = Something terrific, admirable or excellent.
“Rort” = A scam, trick or fraud.
“RSL” = Returned & Services League. Local Club ran by Veteran’s Association
“SCG” = The Sydney Cricket Ground
“Sanger” = A sandwich.
“Schmackos” = Tasty dog treat.
“Seppo” = American. Rhyming slang “Septic Tank” = Yank.
“Sheila” = Girl.
“Shot through” = Departed briskly.
“Schmick” = Smart, stylish.
“Silly-Mid-Pisspots” = Drunken cricketers.
Reference to Silly-Mid-Off, a cricket fielding position, suicidally close to the batsman.
“Sinking the slipper = Putting in the boot – kicking someone’s arse.
“Sickie” = A day’s sick leave when you’re not ill. Chuck a sickie.
“Snag” = A sausage, or banger. Elliott loves them!
“Smart Arse” = The guy or dog who thinks he knows everything!
“Spruiking = Touting/scalping/scamming/swindling.
“Spunk” = Heart-throb
“Sticky Beak” = That thing that nosey people always do!
“Stubby” = A short, squat beer bottle.
“Swish/swisho” = Up market. Usually describes someone who isn’t,
but is still flaunting it as if they were.
“The Baggy green” =The Australian national team cricket cap.
“The Big A” = “He was given The Big A” – He was summarily dismissed.
“The Full Welly” = Flat out! Everything! Reference to a full Wellington Boot.
“Through to the keeper” = We’ll just let that one go, without comment. Take no notice.
“Toot sweet” = Right now/straight away- bastardization of French “toute de suite”
“Trick Cyclist” = Psychologist, whom Adriana consults about Elliott’s behaviour.
“Troppo – to go troppo” = To go crazy, wild, mental.
“Trizz up” = Make beautiful.
“Two-bob” = Cheap.
“Uey – chuck a uey” = An abrupt U-turn, which Jamie does in Three Dogs and a Wedding.
“Ute” = Abbreviation for utility truck – Pick-up truck
“VB” = Victorian Bitter – a popular brand of beer.
“Whinge” = Complain.
“Woop Woop” = Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, which is where Barrunyup Dog Pound is situated, and where Elliott spent some unwelcome time.
“Wrap your laughing gear ‘round that” = Your mouth is your “laughing gear”, so you are being encouraged to eat up!
“Yobbo” = A loudmouth larrikin.
“Zhooshed-up” = Beautified, accentuated.