Much has been written about the differences between British English and American English. However, nothing quite matches Australian English for its lively colourful phrases. Some words and expressions are quite naturally taken from British slang. Some words have completely different meanings in Australia than in Anglophone countries north of the Equator. A number of commonly-used words have been shortened considerably. Other words are indigenous to Australia and derived from Aboriginal terms, such as "boomerang" and "kangaroo". In general, however, the wonderful slang of Australian English is primarily because Australians take English as a game to be played, and they love to have fun with it. Some of the words and expressions are readily understandable but others can be incredibly obscure in their meanings and derivations.
In addition to the slang, Australian pronunciation can be peculiar. To the casual listener is sounds similar to Cockney pronunciation, but it differs in many ways. Australian speech also tends to be more contracted, with some sounds and even entire syllables omitted. Most obvious in Australian speech are the "I" sound for "A" and "Ah" for "R". These can best be illustrated with examples of pronunciations such as "egg nishner" = "air conditioner", "G'dye, myte" = "Good day, mate", "Strine" = "Australian", or "Wyne chevva cold share" = "Why don't you have a cold shower." (American English has some similar examples, as in the phrase "Jeet jet?" = "Did you eat yet?")
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--> Strine (Australian) Glossary from A to Zed <--
Act: Pretending to be something you're not.
Aggro: Aggressive.
Alf: Stupid person.
Amber or Amber fluid: Beer.
Arvo: Afternoon.
Aussie (pronounced "Ozzie"): Australian.
Avagoyermug: Traditional rallying call, often heard at cricket matches (contraction of "Have a go, you mug!")
Back of beyond: Far away in the outback.
Back of Bourke: The middle of nowhere.
Bag: Lady who is not particularly pleasant.
Bail out: Leave.
Bail up: Hold up, rob, earbash.
Banana bender: Resident of Queensland.
Barbie (Barbecue): Like a cook out. Many people get together for a 'Barbie' in the warmer months. They are usually BYO (Bring your own) meat and drinks.
Barney: Fight or scuffle.
Barrack: To cheer on a team at a sporting event.
Bathers: Swimming costume (Victoria).
Battler: Hard trier, struggler.
Beaut, beauty, bewdie: Very good. Excellent.
Belt up!: Shut up!
Berko: Angry.
Bible basher: Minister.
Bickie: Dollar.
Big mobs: Large amount, heaps.
Bikies: Motorcyclists.
Billabong: Water hole in a dry riverbed, or more correctly an ox-bow bend cut off in the dry season by receding waters.
Billy: Used for making tea in, usually over a campfire. The best billies are the old ones, which make better tea.
Bitumen: Surfaced road.
Black Stump: Out towards the horizon. A long way away.
Block: Block has a few meanings but the more Aussie one is your head.
Bloke: Person, usually a male.
Bloody: All-purpose intensifying adjective.
Blowies: Blow flies.
Bludge: Not doing anything or getting things of others.
Bludger: Lazy person.
Blue: A fight, or the nickname of someone with red hair.
Bonzer: Great.
Boomer: Very large, or a particularly male kangaroo.
Boomerang: Curved flat wooden instrument used by Aborigines for hunting. If your boomerang returns, it means you MISSED!
Booze: Alcohol, usually beer.
Booze bus: Police van used for random breath testing for alcohol.
Bottle shop: Liquor shop.
Buckley's: No chance at all.
Bug (Moreton Bay bug): Small crab.
Bullamanka: Imaginary place even beyond back of Bourke, way beyond the black stump.
Bull dust: Fine and sometimes deep dust on outback roads.
Bunyip: Mythical bush spirit.
Burl: Have a try, as in "give it a burl".
Bush: Somewhere in the country or away from the city. Go bush means go back to the land.
Bushbash: Force one's way through pathless bush.
Bushranger: Outlaw, analogous to the outlaws of the American Wild West (some goodies, some baddies).
Bush tucker: Native foods, usually in the outback.
BYO: Bring Your Own (booze to a restaurant, meat to a barbecue, etc.)
Caaarn!: Traditional rallying cry at football games (contraction of "Come on!").
Camp oven: Large, cast-iron pot with a lid, for cooking on an open fire.
