Australian Slang

Australian slang is becoming a normal part of the Australian English language. This kind of language is unique among Australians. It is now widely spoken across the country, with some of them being adopted by larger part of the English-speaking community. Tourists who perform Australia tour try to learn the Australian slang as part of the fun. Most of the times, the Aussie slang is used to entertain and project humor to people.

However, Australian slang may confuse people who haven't experience any forms of communication in Australia. They might foresee positive words as a form of mockery or the other way. Since Australian slang is exclusively heard in Australia, it will be difficult for newcomers to understand and use some words and phrases. Communicating with others will be paralyzed because of the fear that what they might say is offensive. And if this happens, the expected joyful visit will become a disaster.

To avoid confusion on the Australian slang, try to learn the language. Focus on the most basic words. Words that you need on the beginning part of your Australian tour. To spark up your Australian slang learning, here are some basic Australian slang words found on the web.

G'day is the term used by typical Australians to greet their fellowmen. It means hi or hello. Instead of lady, they call woman as “Sheila”. Mate is their word for buddy or friend. If you're given an instruction to travel “20 clicks”, that means you have to go 20 kilometers. If they say you only have a Buckley's chance, you've got no chance at all. Blue is always known as sad or lonely, in Australia, it conveys argument and mistakes.

They also use a very unique language in sports. When somebody ask “Who do you barrack for?”, he/she wants you to know who are you cheering for. In Britain, barrack means to hoot against something, which is completely opposite to its usage in Australia. Rooted for them means tired. To cream is to defeat the opponent with a very large margin. They call football as “footy”. But on each state, the term is used differently.

If it's about food and drinks, Australia's language is more related to British than the Americans. They call their snacks as biscuits instead of cookies or crackers. Served coffee beverages are given unique descriptive names such as flat white, for an espresso with milk. and short black, (espresso) or long black. McDonald Restaurants are referred to as Maccas. Cheap and non-branded wines are called “cleanskins”.

In transportation, they call utility vehicles as “ute”. Police vehicles or panel vans used by policemen are called black marias in some parts of Australia. Some police vans are also called as dog box.

This are just samplers of the Australian slang. There's still more of it once you set a foot in the country. So you better study more of the Australian English to make your visit or stay more convenient.