Local Lingo

Get a grip on the Local Lingo and the more colourful quotes and sayings. Best used when sitting at the pub or cafe when your ready to mingle in.

• Ace - excellent
• Ang on - wait a moment
• Arvo - afternoon
• Avago - have a go (ya mug - you fool - is added); try harder
• Barbie - barbeque
• Beer O'Clock - Knock-off time from work
• Bewdy - good, the best
• Beyond the black stump - far out from the city, county, outback
• Bingle - small car accident
• Blotto - very drunk.
• Bludger - (Dole) Someone who does not work or does very little, lay about
• Bluey - a swag, or blanket roll
• Bombed Out - unsuccessful
• Crikey - expression used for surprise
• Cactus - broken, useless
• Carked it - dead, died
• Cashed up - having plenty of money for a big night out.
• Chessed off - frustrated, mildly angry
• Chewy - chewing gum
• Chook - chicken, domestic fowl
• Chuck a wobbly - temper tantrum
• Cobber - a friend, mate, buddy, pal
• Cocky - know all, being smart, smart arse
• Come up a cropper - pleasing to the eye
• Crap on - stop exaggerating.
• Deadhead - someone who is being silly or stupid
• Dead set - certainty, assured
• Dinki Di- Real thing, genuine
• Do your nana (Lolly, loaf) - to get very mad / angry, tantrum
• Dob in - nominate someone for unpleasant task, whistle blower
• Drongo - fool
• Don't get your knickers in a knot - don't upset yourself
• Dry as a drovers dog - very thirsty
• Dunny - Toilet
• Esky - portable drinks and food carry box that remains cool with ice
• Fair crack of the whip - Ease up
• Fair dinkum - honest, genuine, telling the truth
• Fair enough - acceptable, Ok, all right
• Fair Go - grant chance, appeal for fairness
• Flaked out - to fall asleep, collapse
• Flat out like a lizard drinking - extremely busy
• Fossick - search for something
• Full as a goog - ate too much, or being drunk
• Get nicked - to tell someone to stuff it
• Get off your high horse - conceited
• Go off like a bucket of prawns in the sun - create a commotion and scene.
• Good one - excellent, approval, also form of sarcasim
• Good Tucker - good food, enjoyed meal.
• Grey Ghost - Parking Inspector
• Grouse - nice, like
• Gutful - had enough
• Have tickets on yourself - to be conceited
• Hit the deck - fall to the ground, to duck your head
• Hoon - reckless driver, idiot
• Hooroo - Good bye
• Knocker - person who critcises
• Lackie - servant.
• Larrikin - carefree, humorous person
• Like a possum up a gum tree - move fast
• Like a rat up a drainpipe - moving extremely fast
• Lingo - language
• Loaded - wealthy, cashed up or also means to be extremely drunk.
• Mate - friend, often used as greeting 'Gday mate'.
• M'oath - my oath,
• Mug - fool
• Mulga - country
• No hoper - social misfit, useless.
• Nick - to steal
• Nick off - to get or go away.
• Nifty - effective, handy, stylish, clever
• Ocker - uncultivated Australian person
• Outback - referring to the country, away from the city.
• Pot O' Beer - 285ml glass of beer
• Pong - smells, stinks
• Prang - a minor car accident
• Rack off - to get or go away
• Ratbag - cheeky youth, or rogue person
• Ripper - exclamation for excited 'you little ripper'
• Rort - illegal dealing, to con, scam
• Rubbish - not to believe, criticise
• Sangers - sandwiches
• She'll be apples / sweet - it will be OK, fine
• Shonky - poor quality
• Your Shout - your turn to buy a round of drinks.
• Slab - 24 Can pack of Beer
• Sickie- to take a day off work and not necessarily be ill.
• Skip - Australian born descent
• Smoko - short break at work
• Snags - sausages
• Stinker - bad, boring
• Stubbie - 375ml short stubby bottle of Beer
• Stone the crows - exclamation meaning astonishment
• Swag - a blanket roll of bedding
• Swagman - a man who travels around the country
• TA - Thank you
• Tart yourself up - to dress in your best clothes
• Ta ta - to say goodbye
• Tinnie - a can of beer
• Too right - total agreeance
• Toorak Tractor - A 4WD used only for City driving
• Top drop - an enjoyable drink usually referring to wine and beer
• True blue - the genuine thing.
• Twit - fool
• Two Pot Screamer - gets drunk on two standard drinks.
• Ute - open back van
• Veg out - to relax, unwind
• Wag - to be truant
• Wheelie - noisy skid while driving
• Whinge - to complain
• Whopper - something big
• Write off - a total loss
• Wuss - being weak, backing out of commitment, showing fear
• Yakka - hard work
• Yobbo - a beer swilling, esky carrying, thonged Aussie.
• Zonked - tired, exhausted