47 Australian Slang Terms

When you think of Australia, you probably think of stunning beaches, kangaroos, endless outback, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet – who are known for their fun and well…confusing way of speaking.

Aussie culture given birth to a ton of amazing slang words that have become the envy of the rest of the world. From bogan to arvo, the slang is so influential it’s hit the mainstream worldwide.

Here, we break down all the Aussie slang you need to know to speak like a local.

SlangHub’s Favourite Australian Slang

Before we get to the full list, we’ll start with the SlangHub team’s personal favourites. Here, our team has hand-selected 10 must-use Australian slang terms:

Arvo – Short for afternoon.

Example: “Let’s catch up this arvo for a coffee!”
Servo – A gas station or service station.

Example: “I’m stopping by the servo to fill up.”
Macca’s – McDonald’s, the fast-food chain.

Example: “Wanna grab brekkie at Macca’s?”
Bogan – Someone who’s unsophisticated or uncultured.

Example: “He’s such a bogan, always wearing singlets and thongs.”
Fair dinkum – Genuine or truthful.

Example: “He’s a fair dinkum Aussie bloke.”
Chockers – Completely full or packed.

Example: “The pub was chockers last night!”
Mate – A friendly term for a friend, or even a stranger.

Example: “How’s it going, mate?”
Stubby – A small bottle of beer.

Example: “Grab a couple of stubbies from the fridge!”
Straya – A casual or humorous way of saying Australia.

Example: “Love living in Straya, mate!”
Ripper – Something amazing or really good.

Example: “That was a ripper of a game!”

37 Popular Australian Slang Terms

Don’t worry, there’s more! Here are 37 more Aussie slang terms to add to your vocabulary:

1. Brekkie – Breakfast.
  
  Example: “What do you want for brekkie?”
2. Dunny – Toilet.
  
  Example: “I’ll be back, just heading to the dunny.”
3. Thongs – Flip-flops or sandals.
  
  Example: “Don’t forget your thongs for the beach!”
4. Mozzie – Mosquito.
  
  Example: “I got bitten by so many mozzies last night.”
5. Chunder – To vomit.
  
  Example: “I felt so sick, I almost chundered.”
6. Reckon – To think or believe.
  
  Example: “You reckon we’ll make it in time?”
7. Sanger – A sandwich.
  
  Example: “I’m having a ham and cheese sanger for lunch.”
8. Lollies – Sweets or candy.
  
  Example: “Grab a bag of lollies for the movie!”
9. Bail – To leave or abandon plans.
  
  Example: “Sorry, I have to bail on dinner tonight.”
10. Fair go – A chance or opportunity.
  
  Example: “Everyone deserves a fair go in life.”
11. Snag – A sausage, especially on a BBQ.
  
  Example: “Chuck another snag on the barbie!”
12. Avo – Short for avocado.
  
  Example: “I’ll have smashed avo on toast, thanks.”
13. Trackies – Tracksuit pants.
  
  Example: “It’s cold outside, I’m staying in my trackies all day.”
14. Bottle-o – A liquor store.
  
  Example: “Let’s grab some beers from the bottle-o.”
15. Crook – Feeling sick or unwell.
  Example: “I’m feeling a bit crook today.”
16. Deadset – Absolutely, for sure.
  
  Example: “Deadset, that was the best holiday I’ve ever had.”
17. Footy – Australian rules football or rugby, depending on the region.
  
  Example: “We’re watching the footy this weekend.”
18. G’day – A traditional Australian greeting meaning “hello.”
  
  Example: “G’day, mate! How’s it going?”
19. Tinnie – A can of beer.
  
  Example: “Crack open a cold tinnie, it’s a hot day!”
20. Cactus – Broken or not working.
  
  Example: “My car’s cactus, I need to get it fixed.”
21. Esky – A cooler box used for keeping drinks cold.
  
  Example: “Chuck the drinks in the esky for the BBQ.”
22. Bludger – Someone who’s lazy or avoids work.
  
  Example: “He’s such a bludger, always shirking responsibility.”
23. Hoon – Someone who drives recklessly.
  
  Example: “That guy’s a total hoon, speeding down the street like that.”
24. Daks – Pants or trousers.
  
  Example: “Put your daks on, we’re heading out.”
25. Schooner – A large glass of beer.
  
  Example: “I’ll have a schooner of the local lager, thanks.”
26. Larrikin – A person who is mischievous but good-hearted.
  
  Example: “He’s a bit of a larrikin, always cracking jokes.”
27. Bathers – Swimwear.
  
  Example: “Grab your bathers, we’re heading to the pool.”
28. Smoko – A break from work, especially to smoke.
  
  Example: “We’re taking a quick smoko before heading back to work.”
29. Roo – Short for kangaroo.
  
  Example: “We saw a roo hopping across the road!”
30. Tradie – A tradesperson, such as a plumber or electrician.
  
  Example: “The tradie is coming to fix the pipes tomorrow.”
31. Aggro – Aggressive or irritated.
  
  Example: “He got a bit aggro when we disagreed.”
32. Cuppa – A cup of tea or coffee.
  
  Example: “Fancy a cuppa this arvo?”
33. Strewth – An exclamation of surprise or disbelief.
  
  Example: “Strewth, I didn’t expect to see you here!”
34. Rough as guts – Something that’s poorly done or in bad shape.
  
  Example: “That old car is rough as guts.”
35. Ta – Thank you.
  
  Example: “Ta for the lift, I appreciate it!”
36. You beauty! – An exclamation of joy or approval.
  
  Example: “You beauty! We won the game!”
37. Yobbo – A loud, unruly person, similar to a bogan.
  
  Example: “That yobbo was causing a scene at the pub.”

We love this list and we hope you do too! And if you’re looking for more world slang suggestions, check out our other categories: