Part 1: The Basics
· G’day (ˈgid dā) exclamation: used as a greeting
e.g. – G’day, Jess! How was your weekend?
· mate (māt) noun: anyone and everyone, regardless of age, gender, or social status
e.g. – G’day, mate!
· Yank (ya ng k) noun: an American, sometimes used in a derogatory manner
e.g. – I hear that Yank accent. Where are you from?
· bloke (blōk) noun: a man
e.g. – Hey, mate! You see that Yank bloke over there? He’s from Las Vegas!
· partner (pärtnər) noun: a member of an established couple, male or female (not indicative of heterosexuality or homosexuality, as in the U.S.)
e.g. – Alice and her partner, Gary, drove down to the Gold Coast for a relaxing weekend.
· footy (ˈfoŏtē) noun: any Australian sport in which kicking a ball is involved; soccer, Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and Rugby Union are all referred to as footy (only slightly confusing!)
e.g. – Hey, mate! Did you catch the footy match last night?
· barbie (bärbē) noun: a barbeque
e.g. – Let’s meet at the park at noon. Bring some steak fillets (pronounced fill-its) for the barbie!
· prawns (prôns) noun: a shrimp
e.g. – Look at all those prawns, I reckon we should throw some on the barbie!
Part 2: Classic Aussie Phrases
· Cheers! (ch i(ə)rz) exclamation, informal: expressing good wishes, used in a myriad of contexts, including “hello”, “good-bye”, “OK”, “no worries”, “too bad”, “sorry”, etc.
e.g. – 1) It was good to see you again. Cheers!, 2) You didn’t want onions on that? I’ll send it back. Cheers!
· bugger (ˈbəg gə) vulgar slang 1) noun: a contemptible person, 2) exclamation: to express annoyance, 3) phrasal verb: go away (imperative)
e.g. – 1) All right, tell the bugger he can come in. 2) Oh, bugger! I forgot to lock the front door! 3) You’re annoying me! Bugger off!
· heaps (hēps) adverb, informal: a great deal, or a large amount of
e.g. – Be careful! There are heaps of sharks out there!
· chockers (ch äk (ə)rz) adjective, informal: to be full beyond capacity, containing or holding as much or as many as possible, at capacity
e.g. – I had to sit on my suitcase to close it! It was chockers!
· How’re you going? greeting: akin to the American phrase, “How are you doing?”
e.g. – G’day! How’re you going?
· Good on you! exclamation: good for you!
e.g. – Hey, mate - I hear you got a promotion yesterday. Good on you!
· onya (ôn yə) exclamation: conjunction of “good for you!”
e.g. – Did you really win the office footy pool? Onya!
· full-on (foŏl- ôn) adjective: forceful or extreme, intense
e.g. – Hey, mate! Did you catch the footy match last night? It was full-on!
· s’arvo (s’ är vō) conjunction, noun: the time from noon or lunchtime until evening; this afternoon
e.g. – Hey, mate! What are you up to s’arvo?
Part 3: More Favorite Aussie-isms
· Ta! (tä) exclamation, informal: expressing thanks, a shortening of “thank you”
e.g. – That bikky was delicious! Ta!
· tick (tik) noun, informal: a moment
e.g. – I’ll be with you in a tick!
· Ekka (ek kä) noun, informal: short for the Royal Queensland Show, originally named the Brisbane Exhibition, the last public holiday before Christmas and the unofficial end of winter, this event is the most popular of its kind in Brisbane
e.g. – Hey, mate! You going to Ekka?
· reckon (ˈrekən) verb, with clause, informal: to consider or regard in a certain way
e.g. – G’day! I reckon it might rain s’arvo.
· cuppa (ˈkəpə) noun, informal: cup of tea, cup of coffee, etc.
e.g. – Hello, mate. Would you like a cuppa?
Part 4: You’re Wearing What?
· thongs (θô nz) noun: sandals, specifically flip-flops
e.g. – Hey, mate. Can you hand me my thongs? This sand is hot!
· trainers (ˈtrān ərz) noun: shoes suitable for sports; tennis shoes
e.g. – Oh bugger! I forgot my trainers! Now I can’t go for a run.
· togs (tägs) noun: a very brief two-piece swimsuit for women; a bikini
e.g. – Did you see Jess’s togs? I reckon it barely covers her arse!
· trackies (trak ēz) noun: a loose, warm pair of pants with an elastic or drawstring waist, worn when exercising or as casual wear
e.g. – Those trackies look really comfortable. Onya!
· jumper (ˈjəm pə) noun: a garment with long sleeves, worn over the upper body; a sweater, a sweatshirt, a hoodie, etc.
e.g. – I’ll be ready in a tick! I just need to grab a jumper.
· singlet (ˈsin glit) noun: a sleeveless garment worn under or instead of a shirt; a tank-top
e.g. – I’m wearing a singlet under this jumper, since it’s supposed to warm up this arvo.
· nappy (ˈnap ē) noun: a piece of absorbent material wrapped around a baby's bottom and between its legs to absorb and retain urine and feces; a diaper
e.g. – Will you hand me a nappy? The baby needs a change.
Part 5: Holiday Essentials
· holiday (häliˌdā) noun: a vacation
e.g. – Only four more days until we’re on holiday!
· esky (eskē) noun: a cooler
e.g. – Oh bugger! I forgot to put the beer in the esky!
· caravan (ˈkarəˌvan) noun: a vehicle equipped for living, typically towed by a car and used for vacations; a travel trailer
e.g. – Did you see their caravan? I reckon it’s bigger than my house!
· ute (yoōt) noun, slang: a utility vehicle, such as a pick-up truck or SUV
e.g. – Hey, mate! Let’s hop in the ute and go fishing this arvo!
· bogen (ˈbōgän) adjective, informal derogatory: a hick, the Aussie answer to a redneck
e.g. – Did you hear that accent? He’s so bogen!
· boot (boōt) noun: the trunk of a car
e.g. – Grab the esky from the boot!
· bonnet (ˈbänit) noun: the hood of a car
e.g. – Open the bonnet, will ya? I reckon I should check the oil.
· servo (ˈsərvō) noun: gas station
e.g. – I hope we find a servo soon. I really need to use the loo!
· petrol (petrəl) noun: gasoline
e.g. – Keep your eye out for a servo, mate. We’re almost out of petrol.
· car park (kä päk) noun: a parking lot
e.g. – Let’s pull into this car park. I need to stretch my legs.
Part 6: Food & Beverage
· brekky (brek ē) noun, slang: the first meal of the day
e.g. – I’m starving! Let’s grab brekky at Mackers!
· Mackers (mak (ə)rz) noun, slang: McDonald’s
e.g. – Oh bugger! I just drove past Mackers!
· tea (tē) 1) noun: a hot drink made by infusing the dried, crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water, 2) noun: traditionally, a light, afternoon meal consisting of tea and cakes, but can also refer to any meal of the day
e.g. – 1) Would you like a cuppa tea, darl?, 2) Do you reckon I could go to afternoon tea a little early this arvo?
· flat white (flat (h)wīt) noun: an espresso-based coffee drink, similar to a cappuccino
e.g. – G’day, mate! I’ll take a flat white, please.
· long black (lô ng blak) noun: an espresso-based coffee drink, similar to an Americano, the closest thing to American-style coffee one can find in Australia
e.g. – You don’t have brewed coffee? I reckon I’ll take a long black then, mate.
· bicky (ˈbikē) noun, informal: a cookie or cracker; a biscuit
e.g. – Mmmm… I reckon we should have some bickies with our tea.
· lollies (ˈlälēz) noun, informal: a sweet food made with sugar or syrup; candy
e.g. – I would really love some lollies right now.
· popper (ˈpäpə) noun: a convenience beverage served in a box: i.e. a juice box
e.g. – Are you thirsty, darl? Would you like a popper?
· champers (ch amp äz ) noun, slang: a white, sparkling wine associated with celebration and regarded as a symbol of luxury; champagne
e.g. – Happy Birthday, mate! Let’s have a glass of champers!
· schooner (ˈskoōnä) noun: a tall beer glass, but smaller than a pint
e.g. – Hey, mate! I’ll have a schooner of Toohey’s! Ta!
· capsicum (ˈkapsikəm) noun: a tropical American pepper plant of the nightshade family, with fruits containing many seeds: i.e. green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, etc.
e.g. – I reckon I’ll take some capsicum on my sandwich. Ta!
· beetroot (bēt roōt) noun: a herbaceous plant widely cultivated as a source of food for humans, and for processing into sugar; i.e. a beet (Aussies are absolutely obsessed with beetroot, by the way. They put it on everything!)
e.g. – I reckon I’ll have the Oz burger at Mackers today. I love the beetroot!
