Aussie Slang - Some Words You NEED To Know
Whether English is your first language or not, if you’re coming to Australia you will need to learn ‘Australian English’! It takes many misunderstandings and laughs along the way, but you’ll get there! There are quirky expressions aplenty Downunder, that might leave you scratching your head if you're not familiar with them. Here are some of our favourites…
How’s It Going? Often this friendly Aussie greeting catches new expats off guard, who wonder how what is going! Many of us are then oblivious as to how to answer. The short answer is, that we should give a short answer, such as ‘good, thanks’.
Pants I always do a double take when someone starts telling me about their ‘pants’, I forget for a moment and assume that they’re strangely telling me about their undies… and then I remember! Trousers are often referred to as ‘long pants’ and shorts as ‘short pants’, but if someone just says ‘pants’ it can mean either.
Chips You get ‘hot chips’ or chips… hot chips are fries and chips could refer to either hot chips or crisps (if you’re from the UK). You just have to make an educated guess as to which one someone is referring to when they just say ‘chips’. You can usually tell!
Sausage Sizzle A Sausage Sizzle is a community barbecue event which are often held as fundraisers. Most Bunnings stores have a sausage sizzle held outside either all week or just at the weekends. Volunteers run these sizzles and you can buy a sausage in a slice of white bread with onions and sauce, and soft drinks are available to purchase too.
Brekkie Australians (and expats) love their abbreviations, and "brekkie" is no exception. It simply means breakfast, so don't be surprised if someone invites you to go out for brekkie with them.
Chrissy Short for Christmas, "Chrissy" is used to refer to the festive holiday season. Aussies love to celebrate Chrissy with family gatherings, beach barbies and seafood with pavlovas for dessert.
Stubby A bottle of beer is referred to as a stubby, and another necessity here is the ‘stubby holder’, which is a sleeve that you put over your drink to keep it cold as you drink from it. Beer is also referred to as a ‘cold one’
Fair Dinkum This quintessentially Australian expression is used to convey honesty, authenticity, and sincerity. If someone says, "fair dinkum?" they're asking if you're being genuine or telling the truth.
Maccas McDonalds
Servo Short for service/petrol/gas station, it’s where you get your fuel.
Now that you're armed with these essential Aussie slang words, you'll be ready to blend in seamlessly… just kidding….. there’s heaps more to learn! But this should get you started and help you to avoid a few blushes!
