Australian English vocabulary
Encyclopedia
Many works giving an overview of Australian English
have been published; many of these are humour books designed for tourists or as novelties.
One of the first was Karl Lentzner
's Dictionary of the Slang-English of Australia and of Some Mixed Languages in 1892. The first dictionary based on historical principles that covered Australian English was E. E. Morris
's Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages (1898).
In 1976 the Australian Pocket Oxford
Dictionary was published. In 1981, the more comprehensive Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English
was published, after 10 years of research and planning. Updated editions have been published since and the Macquarie Dictionary is widely regarded as authoritative. Oxford University Press published their own Australian Oxford Dictionary
in 1999, as a joint effort with the Australian National University
, and have also some other dictionaries of Australian English, including the Oxford Dictionary of Australian English and the Australian National Dictionary.
Various publishers have also produced "phrase books" to assist visitors. These books reflect a highly exaggerated and often outdated style of Australian colloquialism
s and they should generally be regarded as amusements rather than accurate usage guides.
which means a "remote, sparsely-populated area". Another is Jackaroo
, a type of agricultural worker.
Many such words, phrases or usages originated with British and Irish convicts transported to Australia in 1788–1868. And many words which are still used frequently by rural Australians are also used in all or part of England
, with variations in meaning. For example: a creek
in Australia (as in North America
), is any "stream
or small river
", whereas in England it is a small watercourse flowing into the sea
; paddock is the Australian word for "field
", while in England it is a small enclosure for livestock
. Bush
(as in North America) or scrub mean "wooded areas" or "country areas in general" in Australia, while in England they are commonly used only in proper names (such as Shepherd's Bush
and Wormwood Scrubs
). Australian English and several British English
dialects (e.g. Cockney
, Scouse
, Geordie
) use the word mate
to mean a friend, rather than the conventional meaning of "a spouse", although this usage has also become common in some other varieties of English.
The origins of other terms are not as clear, or are disputed. Dinkum or fair dinkum means "true", "the truth", "speaking the truth", "authentic" and related meanings, depending on context and inflection. It is often claimed that dinkum was derived from the Cantonese (or Hokkien) ding kam, meaning "top gold" or "deposit", during the Australian goldrushes of the 1850s. This, however, is chronologically improbable since dinkum is first recorded in the 1890s. Scholars give greater credence to the notion that it originated with a now-extinct dialect word from the East Midlands
in England, where dinkum (or dincum) meant "hard work" or "fair work", which was also the original meaning in Australian English. The derivation dinky-di means a 'true' or devoted Australian. The words dinkum or dinky-di and phrases like true blue are widely purported to be typical Australian sayings, however these sayings are more commonly used in jest or parody rather than as an authentic way of speaking. These sayings are however used authentically in North Queensland.
Similarly, g'day, a stereotypical
Australian greeting, is no longer synonymous with "good day" in other varieties of English (it can be used at night time) and is never used as an expression for "farewell", as "good day" is in other countries.
Sheila, Australian slang for "woman", is derived from the Irish
girls' name Síle (IPA
: /ʃiːlʲə/, anglicised Sheila).
"Bludger" – someone who is lazy – is derived from the British slang term of the same name referring to a pimp.
have been incorporated into Australian English
, mainly as names for flora and fauna (for example dingo
, kangaroo
). Beyond that, few terms have been adopted into the wider language, except for some localised terms, or slang
. Some examples are cooee
and Hard yakka. The former is a high-pitched call which travels long distances and is used to attract attention. Cooee has also become a notional distance: if he's within cooee, we'll spot him. Hard yakka means hard work and is derived from yakka, from the Yagara/Jagara language once spoken in the Brisbane
region. Also from the Brisbane region comes the word bung meaning broken. A failed piece of equipment might be described as having bunged up or referred to as "on the bung" or "gone bung". Bung is also used to describe an individual who is pretending to be hurt; such individual is said to be "bunging it on". However, at the same time, the word bung can also be used to describe someone who actually is injured, as in "he's still got a bung leg".
of the person, the person's behaviour, etc. Many of these words occur in other English dialects, especially New Zealand English
, whilst others are unique to Australian English. Some of these words were once heard to be derogatory, but many now have been adopted.
e.g. Bluey - a person with red hair
s. For example males are often referred to by a diminutive of their surname e.g. "Gibbo" for "Gibson".
.
What Americans call a sweater
is often referred to as a "jumper" as in the UK, a Sleeveless T-shirt is called a "singlet" and sunglasses
are commonly shortened to "sunnies". The footwear known as "flip-flops" in the US are called "thongs" or "pluggers" in Australia.
.
.
instead of the more American English version of sidewalk. Although the latter's usage is increasingly accepted and understood, the use of footpath continues to be prevalent in colloquial usage and government signage. The term pavement is also commonly used but the term is more generic and does not uniquely refer to a pedestrian walkway beside a road.
vocabulary, for example the term biscuit
is the traditional and common term rather than the American
terms cookie
and cracker
. As had been the case with many terms, cookie is recognised and understood by Australians, and occasionally used, especially among younger generations. Australians may also call biscuits "bikkies".
Australians, like the British
, use the term chips where Americans say french fries
. In Australia, like the American
s, chips is also used for what are called crisps in the United Kingdom. American restaurants such as McDonald's
continue to use the term french fries in Australia, so the term fries is understood and sometimes used by Australians (though it is commonly applied only to chips of that particular elongated shape).
In a few cases such as zucchini
, snow pea
and eggplant, Australian English uses the same terms as American English
, whereas the British use the equivalent French terms courgette, mangetout and aubergine. This is possibly due to a fashion that emerged in mid-19th century Britain of adopting French nouns for foodstuffs and hence the usage changed in Britain while the original terms were preserved in the colonies.
Australia uses the botanical name capsicum
for what the Americans would call (red or green) bell pepper
s and the British (red or green) peppers.
Australians generally use the term rockmelon where North Americans would use the term cantaloupe
, although in Victoria and Tasmania the two terms are used interchangeably.
In Australian English, dried fruit
s are given different names according to their variety and use. Raisin
s (grapes) are largest while Sultanas
(grapes) are of intermediate to small size and have a wider range of uses which includes their use as a snack food
. Both are generally recognised as being primarily for use in recipes or in cereals.
In Australian English as in British English, tomato sauce
(often known simply as "sauce") is the name given to a product similar to what Americans call ketchup
. However, American-style ketchup, with its slightly spicier and sweeter taste, is still sold in many grocery stores and is common in fast food outlets such as McDonald's. Other sauces made from tomatoes are generally referred to by names related to their uses, such as barbecue
and pasta sauce.
Served coffee
beverages are given unique descriptive names such as flat white
, for an espresso
with milk. Other terms include short black (espresso
) and long black
(espresso diluted with water, similar to an Americano in the United States). Since the mid-1980s other varieties of coffee have also become popular, although these have generally been known by names used in North America
and/or Europe
.
As in British English, the colourless, slightly lemon-flavoured, carbonated drink known in North America and elsewhere under brand names such as Sprite
and 7 Up
is called lemonade, while the more strongly flavoured drink known as lemonade
in North America that is typically made of lemon juice and sugar is sometimes referred to as lemon squash, pub squash, traditional lemonade or club lemon, particularly in carbonated form.
The carbonated drink commonly called sarsaparilla
in Australia is a type of root beer
, named after the sarsaparilla root from which root beer is made. However, the taste is quite different, to the point that they may be considered two completely different products.
Australians also often refer to McDonald's
restaurants as Macka's or Maccas (Macka being a nickname for any person with a "Mac" or "Mc" surname). The corporation itself sometimes refers to itself informally as Maccas in advertising.
Cheap, unbranded Australian wine is called "cleanskin
" wine, after the term for unbranded cattle. Cheap cask wine
is often pejoratively referred to as goon (diminutive slang for flagon
), and the plastic cask is referred to as a "goon sack", "goon bag" or "goony" . Wine purchased in a box containing a bladder with a plastic spigot may be referred to pejoratively as "Chateau d'Cardboard", "gin's handbag" (the term "gin" being a slightly pejorative term for an older Aboriginal Lady) or a "Dapto
Briefcase". More expensive bottled wine tends to be known by its grape variety or varieties in Australia; this is possibly due to the Appellation
rules prohibiting the use of regional names (such as burgundy
or chablis) to describe wines of a particular style that are not made in the country of the style's origin. Hence, chardonnay
and sauvignon blanc
are examples of popular white wines grown and consumed in Australia and shiraz and cabernet sauvignon
(often shortened to "cab sav") are examples of popular red varieties.
A portable cooler, usually made of metal, plastic and/or polystyrene foam, is called an esky
. This is a genericised trademark from the trade name Esky.
A series of Australian tourism advertisements shown in the United States used the expression "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie
for you". Australians, however, invariably use the word prawn and never use shrimp. The translation was a deliberate one for American audiences. Shrimp is sometimes used to refer to someone who is short.
is served in pubs in Australia, the names of these glasses differ from one area to another. However, the range of glasses has declined greatly in recent years.
In Australia a table grouping teams according to their position in a league is called a ladder
.
is immensely popular in Australia and has contributed slang terms to Australian English
. Some of this is shared with rival cricketing nations, such as England
and New Zealand
.
Australians can be bowled over (taken by surprise), stumped (nonplussed) or clean bowled or alternatively hit for six (completely defeated). When answering questions, one can play a straight bat (or a dead bat) (give a non-committal answer) or let that one through to the keeper
(often shortened to let that one through or the slightly more Americanised let that one slide) or shoulder arms (dodge the question), particularly if they are on a sticky wicket
(in a tight situation). The questioner in turn can send down a bouncer
, a googly
, a flipper
or a yorker
(difficult questions to varying degrees). Alternatively, the question could be a long hop
or a dolly – an easy question that person being questioned can use to his or her advantage. The expression "to bat for the other side" is commonly used in respect of gay men or lesbians, and is not necessarily a pejorative.
If you take a proactive stance, then you are "taking it on the front foot", whereas if you are reacting to matters, "you are taking it on the back foot." Both are methods of playing cricket shots in terms of footwork.
or its shortened form footy is used by Australians for several different codes of football or the ball used to play any of them. Australians generally fall into four camps when it comes to the use of the word.
See also
– a pickup truck
in American English.
Truck
(rather than lorry
) has been the more usual term for heavy goods vehicles in Australia since World War II. Four-wheel drive
, which is often abbreviated in writing as 4WD and in speech as "fourby" (4x4), is the usual name for the class of vehicles called SUVs in American English, as well as for utes with 4WD capability. In contrast to American English, neither utes nor passenger 4WD vehicles are usually regarded as being trucks in Australia. Four-wheel drives that are used only in the city and never for off-road driving are commonly given derogatory nicknames based on the names of wealthier suburbs of Australia's various state capital cities, the most common of these is Mosman Taxis, referring to the affluent Sydney
suburb of Mosman or Toorak Tractors, referring to the Melbourne
suburb of Toorak
and their use by many parents to ferry their children to and from school.
There are a variety of terms for large and/or articulated trucks
, depending on the type of cargo area, size/length, number of axles/wheels and so on. A single trailer articulated truck (typically with 22 wheels in Australia) is known as a semi-trailer
or semi ([ˈsemi], not [ˈsɛmaɪ] as in the USA), an articulated truck with two trailers (typically with 34 tyres) is known as a B-Double (the lead trailer is shorter, with a fifth wheel supporting the second trailer). The largest of all articulated trucks are road train
s, which have at least two full length trailers
(plus 42 tyres). In all articulated truck configurations, the powered vehicle at the front is invariably known as a prime mover except when driven without trailers, in which case it is called a Bobtail
.
Articulated Bus
es are commonly known as either "Bendy Buses" (as in the UK) or "Banana Buses" in the major cities, where they are prevalent.
s used by police forces are known in some parts of Australia as black marias (although this term is also used to refer to the vans used to transport prisoners between prison and courts), in accordance with international usage. The panel van is often referred to as a paddy wagon in Western Australia
, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia and some parts of Victoria. In Victoria they are most often called divvy vans, an abbreviation of the Victoria Police
jargon divisional van, especially in low socio economic areas with high crime rates. The staccato chant of "You're going home in the back of a divvy van" (followed by clapping) can occasionally be heard when a crowd is nearby one of these vehicles, or when a person is led away by the police at a sporting or other large event. This term is often used in any state where Australian Rules football
is the primary kind of football. In Sydney, some people refer to similar vehicles as bull wagons and in the Riverina
they are known as bundy wagons. In South Australia any form of police van used to restrain more than one person is often called a dog box. This term came about from Australian utes
being converted into police vehicles through the addition of a simple metal box, which looks a lot like an aluminum dog crate.
Large special purpose police vans, generally built on truck chassis, which have facilities to test whether drivers' judgment and reaction times are impaired by alcohol are known as booze buses. In two states, booze buses are also able to check drivers for consumption of illegal drugs. These are known as BAD (Booze And Drugs) buses.
(ADF) is made up of the Australian Army
, the Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) and the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). Each have their own distinct traditions but share a defence force culture. This culture includes Australian military slang. Some words, such as digger
, meaning a soldier, have become widely used by Australians in general. Most slang used in the ADF is restricted to its personnel, or is widely understood outside Australia.
in Australia, as in the UK, is both used to describe time away from normal employment or school, and to describe recreational travel involving a stay away from home. A government decreed day off work is called a public holiday as in the UK. Australians, in common with the British, do not use holiday to describe days such as Valentines Day or Mothers Day which do not involve time away from work.
As in the UK, the term "Fall" is not used as another word for "Autumn
".
Also, the verb "root" ("to root"), while it has the same American and British meanings of "to fix oneself in" (never "to root for": to lend support, usually a sporting person or team, instead "to barrack for" is used), in Australian English it is also a verb that means "to have sex with". While not an especially offensive, this is still a vulgar expression in Australia, usually used in the "broad" language among friends. For example, this became confusing for international audiences of Chris Lilley's Summer Heights High
, where character Mr. G sings: "she's a slut and she knows it/she wants to root all the boys", in which many misunderstood the verb to be "she wants to ruin all the boys". "Rooted" (like the term "buggered") is a term used to describe something ruined, or a person in a state of exhaustion.
With regard to foreign countries, the word abroad is rarely used in Australian English. Overseas is commonly used in the same sense because all other countries are overseas from Australia.
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
have been published; many of these are humour books designed for tourists or as novelties.
One of the first was Karl Lentzner
Karl Lentzner
Karl Lentzner was a German-born linguist who published works pertaining to Australian English vocabulary in the late 19th century.His Colonial English: A Glossary of Australian, Anglo-Indian, Pidgin English, West Indian, and South African Words Karl Lentzner (1842–1905) was a German-born linguist...
's Dictionary of the Slang-English of Australia and of Some Mixed Languages in 1892. The first dictionary based on historical principles that covered Australian English was E. E. Morris
E. E. Morris
E.E. Morris was an Australian academic who in 1898 published Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words....
's Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages (1898).
In 1976 the Australian Pocket Oxford
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
Dictionary was published. In 1981, the more comprehensive Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English
Macquarie Dictionary
The Macquarie Dictionary is a dictionary of Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand English. Originally it was a publishing project of Jacaranda Press, a Brisbane educational publisher, for which an editorial committee was formed, largely from the Linguistics...
was published, after 10 years of research and planning. Updated editions have been published since and the Macquarie Dictionary is widely regarded as authoritative. Oxford University Press published their own Australian Oxford Dictionary
Australian Oxford Dictionary
The Australian Oxford Dictionary, sometimes abbreviated to AOD, is a dictionary of Australian English published by Oxford University Press....
in 1999, as a joint effort with the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, and have also some other dictionaries of Australian English, including the Oxford Dictionary of Australian English and the Australian National Dictionary.
Various publishers have also produced "phrase books" to assist visitors. These books reflect a highly exaggerated and often outdated style of Australian colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
s and they should generally be regarded as amusements rather than accurate usage guides.
History and origins
Australian English incorporates many terms that Australians consider to be unique to their country. One of the best-known of these is outbackOutback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
which means a "remote, sparsely-populated area". Another is Jackaroo
Jackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
, a type of agricultural worker.
Many such words, phrases or usages originated with British and Irish convicts transported to Australia in 1788–1868. And many words which are still used frequently by rural Australians are also used in all or part of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with variations in meaning. For example: a creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in Australia (as in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
), is any "stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
or small river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
", whereas in England it is a small watercourse flowing into the sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
; paddock is the Australian word for "field
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
", while in England it is a small enclosure for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. Bush
The Bush
"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
(as in North America) or scrub mean "wooded areas" or "country areas in general" in Australia, while in England they are commonly used only in proper names (such as Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
and Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
). Australian English and several British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
dialects (e.g. Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
, Scouse
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
, Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
) use the word mate
Mate (colloquialism)
Mate is a colloquialism used to refer to a friend and is commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is or has been used interchangeably with many equivalent terms, such as buddy , pal or bro . It is sometimes abbreviated to M8..-Origin:Mate is a colloquialism...
to mean a friend, rather than the conventional meaning of "a spouse", although this usage has also become common in some other varieties of English.
The origins of other terms are not as clear, or are disputed. Dinkum or fair dinkum means "true", "the truth", "speaking the truth", "authentic" and related meanings, depending on context and inflection. It is often claimed that dinkum was derived from the Cantonese (or Hokkien) ding kam, meaning "top gold" or "deposit", during the Australian goldrushes of the 1850s. This, however, is chronologically improbable since dinkum is first recorded in the 1890s. Scholars give greater credence to the notion that it originated with a now-extinct dialect word from the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
in England, where dinkum (or dincum) meant "hard work" or "fair work", which was also the original meaning in Australian English. The derivation dinky-di means a 'true' or devoted Australian. The words dinkum or dinky-di and phrases like true blue are widely purported to be typical Australian sayings, however these sayings are more commonly used in jest or parody rather than as an authentic way of speaking. These sayings are however used authentically in North Queensland.
Similarly, g'day, a stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
Australian greeting, is no longer synonymous with "good day" in other varieties of English (it can be used at night time) and is never used as an expression for "farewell", as "good day" is in other countries.
Sheila, Australian slang for "woman", is derived from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
girls' name Síle (IPA
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
: /ʃiːlʲə/, anglicised Sheila).
"Bludger" – someone who is lazy – is derived from the British slang term of the same name referring to a pimp.
Words of Australian Aboriginal origin
Some elements of Aboriginal languagesAustralian Aboriginal languages
The Australian Aboriginal languages comprise several language families and isolates native to the Australian Aborigines of Australia and a few nearby islands, but by convention excluding the languages of Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islanders...
have been incorporated into Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
, mainly as names for flora and fauna (for example dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
, kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
). Beyond that, few terms have been adopted into the wider language, except for some localised terms, or slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
. Some examples are cooee
Cooee
Cooee! is a shout used in Australia, usually in the Bush, to attract attention, find missing people, or indicate one's own location. When done correctly - loudly and shrilly - a call of "cooee" can carry over a considerable distance....
and Hard yakka. The former is a high-pitched call which travels long distances and is used to attract attention. Cooee has also become a notional distance: if he's within cooee, we'll spot him. Hard yakka means hard work and is derived from yakka, from the Yagara/Jagara language once spoken in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
region. Also from the Brisbane region comes the word bung meaning broken. A failed piece of equipment might be described as having bunged up or referred to as "on the bung" or "gone bung". Bung is also used to describe an individual who is pretending to be hurt; such individual is said to be "bunging it on". However, at the same time, the word bung can also be used to describe someone who actually is injured, as in "he's still got a bung leg".
Terms for people
Australians use a variety of terms to refer to people. These terms may indicate such things as the person's ethnicity, the place where the person resides, the social statusSocial status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
of the person, the person's behaviour, etc. Many of these words occur in other English dialects, especially New Zealand English
New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...
, whilst others are unique to Australian English. Some of these words were once heard to be derogatory, but many now have been adopted.
e.g. Bluey - a person with red hair
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
Proper nouns
It is also common amongst Australians to shorten the names of places, people, companies, etc. Some of these terms are regional, while others are in relatively widespread use. Many terms derive from company or brand names and some from rhyming slang or the use of diminutiveDiminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
s. For example males are often referred to by a diminutive of their surname e.g. "Gibbo" for "Gibson".
Clothing
Australians use many unique terms to relate to items of clothing. Some of these terms are regionalRegional variation in Australian English
Australian English is relatively homogenous when compared to British and American English. The major varieties of Australian English are sociocultural rather than regional, being General Australian, Broad Australian and Cultivated Australian. There is however some regional variation between the...
.
What Americans call a sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
is often referred to as a "jumper" as in the UK, a Sleeveless T-shirt is called a "singlet" and sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
are commonly shortened to "sunnies". The footwear known as "flip-flops" in the US are called "thongs" or "pluggers" in Australia.
Furniture
Australians use the British English terms of cupboard and wardrobe for furniture in which clothes or other items are stored. Australians recognise the American term closet, but mostly associate it with the phrase coming out of the closetComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
.
Household
Australians use the word tap, as the British do, to refer to a water outlet, in contrast to faucet used in some regions of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Civic infrastructure
Australians, in common with the British, use the word footpathSidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
instead of the more American English version of sidewalk. Although the latter's usage is increasingly accepted and understood, the use of footpath continues to be prevalent in colloquial usage and government signage. The term pavement is also commonly used but the term is more generic and does not uniquely refer to a pedestrian walkway beside a road.
Food and drink
Where foodstuffs are concerned, Australian English tends to be more closely related to the BritishBritish English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
vocabulary, for example the term biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
is the traditional and common term rather than the American
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
terms cookie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
and cracker
Cracker (food)
A cracker is a baked good commonly made from grain flour dough and typically made in quantity in various hand-sized or smaller shapes. Flavorings or seasonings, such as salt, herbs, seeds, and/or cheese, may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before baking...
. As had been the case with many terms, cookie is recognised and understood by Australians, and occasionally used, especially among younger generations. Australians may also call biscuits "bikkies".
Australians, like the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, use the term chips where Americans say french fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
. In Australia, like the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s, chips is also used for what are called crisps in the United Kingdom. American restaurants such as McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
continue to use the term french fries in Australia, so the term fries is understood and sometimes used by Australians (though it is commonly applied only to chips of that particular elongated shape).
In a few cases such as zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
, snow pea
Snow pea
The snow pea is a legume, more specifically a variety of pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe...
and eggplant, Australian English uses the same terms as American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
, whereas the British use the equivalent French terms courgette, mangetout and aubergine. This is possibly due to a fashion that emerged in mid-19th century Britain of adopting French nouns for foodstuffs and hence the usage changed in Britain while the original terms were preserved in the colonies.
Australia uses the botanical name capsicum
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
for what the Americans would call (red or green) bell pepper
Bell pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...
s and the British (red or green) peppers.
Australians generally use the term rockmelon where North Americans would use the term cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
, although in Victoria and Tasmania the two terms are used interchangeably.
In Australian English, dried fruit
Dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit where the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is prized...
s are given different names according to their variety and use. Raisin
Raisin
Raisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. Raisins may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing...
s (grapes) are largest while Sultanas
Sultana (grape)
The sultana is a type of white, seedless grape assumed to originate from the Turkish, Greek, or Iranian area...
(grapes) are of intermediate to small size and have a wider range of uses which includes their use as a snack food
Snack food
A snack is a portion of food oftentimes smaller than that of a regular meal, that is generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from fresh ingredients at home....
. Both are generally recognised as being primarily for use in recipes or in cereals.
In Australian English as in British English, tomato sauce
Tomato sauce
A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish...
(often known simply as "sauce") is the name given to a product similar to what Americans call ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
. However, American-style ketchup, with its slightly spicier and sweeter taste, is still sold in many grocery stores and is common in fast food outlets such as McDonald's. Other sauces made from tomatoes are generally referred to by names related to their uses, such as barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
and pasta sauce.
Served coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
beverages are given unique descriptive names such as flat white
Flat White
A flat white is a coffee beverage originating from Australia and New Zealand. It is prepared by pouring microfoam over a single shot or double shot of espresso...
, for an espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
with milk. Other terms include short black (espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
) and long black
Long black
A long black is a style of coffee, most commonly found in New Zealand and Australia. It is now becoming available in the UK, predominantly in London....
(espresso diluted with water, similar to an Americano in the United States). Since the mid-1980s other varieties of coffee have also become popular, although these have generally been known by names used in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and/or Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
As in British English, the colourless, slightly lemon-flavoured, carbonated drink known in North America and elsewhere under brand names such as Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored , caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929...
and 7 Up
7 Up
7 Up is a brand of a lemon-lime flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The rights to the brand are held by Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States, and PepsiCo in the rest of the world, including Puerto Rico, where the concentrate is manufactured at the Pepsi facility in Cidra...
is called lemonade, while the more strongly flavoured drink known as lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
in North America that is typically made of lemon juice and sugar is sometimes referred to as lemon squash, pub squash, traditional lemonade or club lemon, particularly in carbonated form.
The carbonated drink commonly called sarsaparilla
Sarsaparilla
is a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to Central America. Common names include Sarsaparilla , Honduran Sarsaparilla, and Jamaican Sarsaparilla...
in Australia is a type of root beer
Root beer
Root beer is a carbonated, sweetened beverage, originally made using the root of a sassafras plant as the primary flavor. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and soft drink. The historical root beer was analogous to small beer in that the process provided a drink...
, named after the sarsaparilla root from which root beer is made. However, the taste is quite different, to the point that they may be considered two completely different products.
Australians also often refer to McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurants as Macka's or Maccas (Macka being a nickname for any person with a "Mac" or "Mc" surname). The corporation itself sometimes refers to itself informally as Maccas in advertising.
Cheap, unbranded Australian wine is called "cleanskin
Cleanskin (wine)
In Australia, cleanskin wine is a term for wine whose label does not indicate the winery or the winemaker's name. Instead, cleanskin labels usually only show the grape variety and the year of bottling, as well as other information required by Australian law - alcohol content, volume, additives and...
" wine, after the term for unbranded cattle. Cheap cask wine
Box wine
A box wine is a wine packaged as a Bag-In-Box. Such packages contain a plastic bladder protected by a box, usually made of corrugated fiberboard.- History :...
is often pejoratively referred to as goon (diminutive slang for flagon
Flagon
A flagon is a large leather, metal or ceramic vessel, commonly a pitcher, often used for drink, whether this be water, ale, or something else.-Christian use:...
), and the plastic cask is referred to as a "goon sack", "goon bag" or "goony" . Wine purchased in a box containing a bladder with a plastic spigot may be referred to pejoratively as "Chateau d'Cardboard", "gin's handbag" (the term "gin" being a slightly pejorative term for an older Aboriginal Lady) or a "Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...
Briefcase". More expensive bottled wine tends to be known by its grape variety or varieties in Australia; this is possibly due to the Appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
rules prohibiting the use of regional names (such as burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
or chablis) to describe wines of a particular style that are not made in the country of the style's origin. Hence, chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
and sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
are examples of popular white wines grown and consumed in Australia and shiraz and cabernet sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
(often shortened to "cab sav") are examples of popular red varieties.
A portable cooler, usually made of metal, plastic and/or polystyrene foam, is called an esky
Esky
Esky is an Australian brand of coolers. Outdoor recreation company Coleman Australia bought the Esky brand from Nylex Ltd after the Company went into administration in February 2009.The name is a reference to the association of Eskimos with cold climates....
. This is a genericised trademark from the trade name Esky.
A series of Australian tourism advertisements shown in the United States used the expression "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie
Shrimp on the barbie
"Shrimp on the barbie" is an often-quoted phrase that originated in a series of television advertisements by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan from 1984 through to 1990. The actual quote spoken by Hogan is "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you", and the actual slogan...
for you". Australians, however, invariably use the word prawn and never use shrimp. The translation was a deliberate one for American audiences. Shrimp is sometimes used to refer to someone who is short.
Beer glasses
Not only have there been a wide variety of measures in which beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
is served in pubs in Australia, the names of these glasses differ from one area to another. However, the range of glasses has declined greatly in recent years.
Sport
To barrack for a sporting team, means to hoot or cheer in support of something. The American term "root" is not used, as this is both a noun and verb referring to the act of sexual intercourse (noun) and to having sexual intercourse (verb – "rooting").In Australia a table grouping teams according to their position in a league is called a ladder
Game ladder
A ladder tournament is a form of tournament for games and sports. It is an extended tournament, which can potentially go on indefinitely. In a ladder tournament, players are listed as if on the rungs of a ladder. The objective for a player is to reach the highest rung of the ladder...
.
Cricket
The game of cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is immensely popular in Australia and has contributed slang terms to Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
. Some of this is shared with rival cricketing nations, such as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Australians can be bowled over (taken by surprise), stumped (nonplussed) or clean bowled or alternatively hit for six (completely defeated). When answering questions, one can play a straight bat (or a dead bat) (give a non-committal answer) or let that one through to the keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
(often shortened to let that one through or the slightly more Americanised let that one slide) or shoulder arms (dodge the question), particularly if they are on a sticky wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
(in a tight situation). The questioner in turn can send down a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
, a googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
, a flipper
Flipper (cricket)
The flipper is the name of a particular bowling delivery used in cricket, generally by a leg spin bowler. In essence it is a back spin ball. Squeezed out of the front of the hand with the thumb and first and second fingers, it keeps deceptively low after pitching and can accordingly be very...
or a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
(difficult questions to varying degrees). Alternatively, the question could be a long hop
Long hop
A long hop is a type of inadvertent delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes a short delivery which is not especially fast, which is thus easy for the batsman to hit because he has plenty of time to observe the speed and direction of the ball after the bounce and choose his shot accordingly...
or a dolly – an easy question that person being questioned can use to his or her advantage. The expression "to bat for the other side" is commonly used in respect of gay men or lesbians, and is not necessarily a pejorative.
If you take a proactive stance, then you are "taking it on the front foot", whereas if you are reacting to matters, "you are taking it on the back foot." Both are methods of playing cricket shots in terms of footwork.
Football
The word footballFootball (word)
The English language word football may mean any one of several team sports , depending on the national or regional origin and location of the person using the word....
or its shortened form footy is used by Australians for several different codes of football or the ball used to play any of them. Australians generally fall into four camps when it comes to the use of the word.
- In the states of Victoria, Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, the word "football" (or more commonly, "footy") usually refers to Australian Rules FootballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
(also known simply as Australian football or "Aussie Rules"). In these states there is little or no popular differentiation between the two kinds of Rugby football, although some people use the terms "League" and "Union". - In the states of New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(NSW) and QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, most people refer to Rugby LeagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
simply as "football", "footy" or "League". Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is known as "rugby", "union", "rahrah" or (less kindly) "Thugby". Australian Rules FootballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
is known in these areas as "AFL" (a name which, strictly speaking, refers to the main governing body, the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
), "Aussie Rules". - In areas in which all three codes are popular, especially the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and the RiverinaRiverinaThe Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
(south-western NSW), the word "football" is ambiguous and the names "league", "union" and "AFL" (or just "rules") are used to avoid confusion. - Association Football is generally known as soccer in Australia. In 2005, the governing body changed its name to Football Federation AustraliaFootball Federation AustraliaFootball Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
. Many Sydney-based media sources now also refer to the game as "football". - In Australia, American football, which has a small following, is known as GridironGridiron footballGridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
. - Players, officials and followers of Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, have devised many unique concepts, terms, slang and nicknames. Some of these, such as "footy", Grand FinalGrand FinalGrand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
and State of OriginState of OriginState of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
have entered wider Australian usage, even among followers of other codes of footballFootballFootball may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
.
See also
Work vehicles
In Australian English the term "ute", short for utility vehicle or utility truck, refers to a passenger car-like vehicle with a tray backCoupé utility
The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....
– a pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
in American English.
Truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
(rather than lorry
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
) has been the more usual term for heavy goods vehicles in Australia since World War II. Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
, which is often abbreviated in writing as 4WD and in speech as "fourby" (4x4), is the usual name for the class of vehicles called SUVs in American English, as well as for utes with 4WD capability. In contrast to American English, neither utes nor passenger 4WD vehicles are usually regarded as being trucks in Australia. Four-wheel drives that are used only in the city and never for off-road driving are commonly given derogatory nicknames based on the names of wealthier suburbs of Australia's various state capital cities, the most common of these is Mosman Taxis, referring to the affluent Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Mosman or Toorak Tractors, referring to the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
and their use by many parents to ferry their children to and from school.
There are a variety of terms for large and/or articulated trucks
Semi-trailer
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of its weight is supported by a road tractor, a detachable front axle assembly known as a dolly, or the tail of another trailer...
, depending on the type of cargo area, size/length, number of axles/wheels and so on. A single trailer articulated truck (typically with 22 wheels in Australia) is known as a semi-trailer
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
or semi ([ˈsemi], not [ˈsɛmaɪ] as in the USA), an articulated truck with two trailers (typically with 34 tyres) is known as a B-Double (the lead trailer is shorter, with a fifth wheel supporting the second trailer). The largest of all articulated trucks are road train
Road train
A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...
s, which have at least two full length trailers
Trailer (vehicle)
A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
(plus 42 tyres). In all articulated truck configurations, the powered vehicle at the front is invariably known as a prime mover except when driven without trailers, in which case it is called a Bobtail
Tractor unit
A tractor unit, prime mover , road tractor, or traction unit is a heavy-duty commercial vehicle within the large goods vehicle category, usually with a large displacement diesel engine, and several axles. The tractor unit serves as a method of moving trailers...
.
Articulated Bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
es are commonly known as either "Bendy Buses" (as in the UK) or "Banana Buses" in the major cities, where they are prevalent.
Police vehicles
The panel vanPanel van
A panel van is a form of solid van, smaller than a lorry or truck, without rear side windows...
s used by police forces are known in some parts of Australia as black marias (although this term is also used to refer to the vans used to transport prisoners between prison and courts), in accordance with international usage. The panel van is often referred to as a paddy wagon in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia and some parts of Victoria. In Victoria they are most often called divvy vans, an abbreviation of the Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
jargon divisional van, especially in low socio economic areas with high crime rates. The staccato chant of "You're going home in the back of a divvy van" (followed by clapping) can occasionally be heard when a crowd is nearby one of these vehicles, or when a person is led away by the police at a sporting or other large event. This term is often used in any state where Australian Rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
is the primary kind of football. In Sydney, some people refer to similar vehicles as bull wagons and in the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
they are known as bundy wagons. In South Australia any form of police van used to restrain more than one person is often called a dog box. This term came about from Australian utes
Coupé utility
The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....
being converted into police vehicles through the addition of a simple metal box, which looks a lot like an aluminum dog crate.
Large special purpose police vans, generally built on truck chassis, which have facilities to test whether drivers' judgment and reaction times are impaired by alcohol are known as booze buses. In two states, booze buses are also able to check drivers for consumption of illegal drugs. These are known as BAD (Booze And Drugs) buses.
Military slang
The Australian Defence ForceAustralian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
(ADF) is made up of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN) and the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF). Each have their own distinct traditions but share a defence force culture. This culture includes Australian military slang. Some words, such as digger
Digger (soldier)
Digger is an Australian and New Zealand military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. It originated during World War I.- Origin :...
, meaning a soldier, have become widely used by Australians in general. Most slang used in the ADF is restricted to its personnel, or is widely understood outside Australia.
Other words used
The word holidayHoliday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
in Australia, as in the UK, is both used to describe time away from normal employment or school, and to describe recreational travel involving a stay away from home. A government decreed day off work is called a public holiday as in the UK. Australians, in common with the British, do not use holiday to describe days such as Valentines Day or Mothers Day which do not involve time away from work.
As in the UK, the term "Fall" is not used as another word for "Autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
".
Also, the verb "root" ("to root"), while it has the same American and British meanings of "to fix oneself in" (never "to root for": to lend support, usually a sporting person or team, instead "to barrack for" is used), in Australian English it is also a verb that means "to have sex with". While not an especially offensive, this is still a vulgar expression in Australia, usually used in the "broad" language among friends. For example, this became confusing for international audiences of Chris Lilley's Summer Heights High
Summer Heights High
Summer Heights High is a Logie Award-winning Australian television mockumentary series written by and starring Chris Lilley. It is a parody of high-school life epitomised by its three protagonists: effeminate and megalomaniacal "Director of Performing Arts" Mr G; self-absorbed, privileged teenager...
, where character Mr. G sings: "she's a slut and she knows it/she wants to root all the boys", in which many misunderstood the verb to be "she wants to ruin all the boys". "Rooted" (like the term "buggered") is a term used to describe something ruined, or a person in a state of exhaustion.
With regard to foreign countries, the word abroad is rarely used in Australian English. Overseas is commonly used in the same sense because all other countries are overseas from Australia.
Old, declining or expired slang
Many terms fall out of usage due to the informal nature of slang.See also
- Australian EnglishAustralian EnglishAustralian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
- Australian comedyAustralian comedyAustralian comedy refers to the comedy and humour performed in or about Australia or by the people of Australia. Australian humour can be traced to various origins, and today is manifested in a diversity of cultural practices and pursuits...
- List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin
- List of Australian place names of Aboriginal origin
- StrineStrineStrine is a term coined in 1964 and subsequently used to describe a broad accent of Australian English. The term is a syncope, derived from a shortened phonetic rendition of the pronunciation of the word "Australian" in an exaggerated Broad Australian accent, drawing upon the tendency of this...
Further reading
- Hornadge, Bill.(1989) The Australian slanguage: a look at what we say and how we say it (foreword by Spike MilliganSpike MilliganTerence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
). Richmond, Vic: Mandarin ISBN 1-86330-010-4