What is this?

formerly a blog about India.
now technically in the beyond
six months in Oz

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Australian Slang

In the first of what I anticipate to be at least a few posts on Australian slang, I wanted to introduce you all to a some words and phrases I've learned since coming down under. These are all things that real Australians say.

G'day mate = we're starting with the easy ones here. This translates to "hello, friend!"

Oz = Australia

big unit = this means a large, stocky, or otherwise solidly built person. Normally it's a man but it can also refer to a woman.



cheers = thank you

prank me = call me once and then hang up before I can pick up. This is normally used to either a) give someone your mobile number or b) let someone know that you've arrived and need to be let in to the building.

lappy = laptop

heaps = a lot. Australians say this heaps.

massive = large

bum bag = fanny pack. Weirdly enough both fanny packs and bum bags are traditionally worn on the front...perhaps we call them by their backside names because otherwise it would be too lewd?

pap malone = a phrase that means "on my own" (because it rhymes, obviously). It can be shortened to "pap," as in, "I didn't leave for the bar since I didn't know when you would get there and I didn't want to be on my pap."

bogan = people from the way outer suburbs of a city. They often speak a little bit funny, dress a little bit differently, and are generally looked down upon by cityfolk. However, if an Australian starts to sound too American, they will attempt to "bring the bogan back."

hooroo = a bogan way of saying goodbye

No comments:

Post a Comment