Tyler Kieft

I wanted to document here all of the words and phrases that Australians use that either we don’t have or don’t use as often as they do. I need to do this right now, before these phrases become integrated into my vocabulary and I forget which ones were once new to me. I’m sure that I’ll get back to the states in July and people will look at me funny when I use these words. Everything on this list is something I’ve heard used in actual conversation.

Before doing that I need to correct a popular misconception. An Australian would never say “throw a shrimp on the barbie” because here the word for shrimp is “prawn.” I have yet to eat a single prawn since arriving here, but I’ve tried duck, kangaroo, and lamb, and liked all of them.

And without further ado, the list:

Letters:
‘z’ is pronounced ‘zed’
‘h’ is pronounced ‘haich’ (with a leading soft h sound)

Words:
mate – buddy, good friend
brekkie – breakfast
pissed – drunk
Macca’s – abbreviation for McDonald’s (similar to Mickey Dee’s, I suppose)
cheers – thanks
seedy – dirty
dodgy – sketchy
uni – short for university (which is what they call college here)
goon – really, really crappy wine (usually boxed)
seppo – American (derived from septic tank, which rhymes with yank)
pom – Brit
bloke – guy
keen – as in “I’m keen to hit up Macca’s right now”
jelly – Jello (Australians don’t do PB&J sandwiches)
kebab – kabob
gridiron – American football
footy – AFL (Aussie Rules Football)
Aussie – Australian (pronounced Ozzie)
bottler – liquor store
budgie smuggler – very skimpy bathing suit (speedo)
skull – chug (as in an alcoholic beverage)
grog – alcoholic beverage
middy – small size (285ml) beer glass
schooner – large size beer glass, similar to a pint
rubbish bin – trash can
toilet – bathroom
washing – laundry (as in “I need to do my washing today”)
washing powder – laundry detergent
sunnies – sunglasses
shrapnel – change, coins
notes – bills (as in “five dollar notes”)
tute – tutorial (similar to a recitation)
timetable – class schedule
bush – the outback
queue – line
Tazzy – Tasmania (Although, incidentally, I’ve started using it to refer to a person from Tasmania, not the actual country, as one of my good friends who lives right next to me is from Tasmania and I need a word to come back with when he calls me a seppo. It’s catching on.)

Phrases:
How’re you going? – How’s it going? (This one really bothers me, as it sounds like a combo between “How’re you doing” and “How’s it going” but it’s used quite often and I’m starting to get used to it.)
No worries – No problem
She’ll be right – Don’t worry about it
Good on ya – hard to define, but similar to “good job” or “nice”
Full stop – said after something to provide emphasis, such as “If I don’t get some food right now I’m going to pass out, full stop.”
Get on the piss – start drinking