Australian English –Strine Mate

Australian English, colloquially known as ‘strine’ was born mainly from a mixture of the 2 main groups of convicts it received in its early history, The Irish & the Cockneys from East London. It is characterised by flat long vowels, speaking through the nose (but not all speakers), shortened nouns, & some consonants that are pronounced so softly you can hardly hear them. Words like those with little emphasis on the consonants can easily merge into one as in the common phrase like  ‘Owya goin’ mate?’ Or ‘How you going mate?’

Australian English is well known for shortening nouns; surnames, place names and christian names. Generally you take the first syllable and add a “y” or “o” (Jenkins-Jenko, Woolridge-Woolly, Coolangatta-Cooly). First names with an “r” in them will be Barry-Bazza, Sharon-Shazza and Larry-Lozza.
These days the spoken Australian English like most English slanguages is a mixture of the British English taught in schools & the American English more often found on the television.

Quintessential Australian

Mate: no other word can let you know that you’re talking to an Australian than ‘mate’. Even though it is used also by the Brits specifically English, and forms a great part of New Zealand speak, it is the frequency that it is used in Australia.
Mate is used instead of friend, or a colleague that you vaguely know or an unknown male person in your vicinity. Some of its uses are:
G’day (or Gidday) mate!  
Old mate
Flatmate/Housemate- someone who shares a house with another
Workmate- work colleague

Gidday or G’day– Good day. The typical Aussie greeting
No worries mate-   this expression is based on the idea that Aussies have a laid back or relaxed attitude to life. No worries mate is used in a variety of situations.
Meaning ‘You’re welcome’, ‘Don’t you worry about it’ or “I understand you’

Bloody- the great Australian superlative or intensifier. You’re bloody stupid. Bloody hell!

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Greetings & Salutations

Coo-ee-   call from a distance (in the forest) to see if anyone is around

Get amongst it- go do it

G’day mate

Have a good day

Hey big fella/champ   (said by men to men)

Hi darl! Hi darling (said by women only)

How they hanging? ‘One to the left, one to the right’?

How the hell are ya?

How ya goin champ?

I’ll hit the frog and toad (rhyming slang for road) I’m off

Not bad- this means good

Not too bad- depends on the tone of voice, but can mean very good, or just good

No worries mate- you’re welcome

No wuckers/ (no wucking furries-in full)

Ow ya goin mate? (said fast nobody can understand this owyagoin mate?)

See you round like a rissole- basically, see you next time

Ta- short for thanks, also used in England

Thanks heaps- thanks a lot
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Chatting Up/ Cracking on to Blokes/ Sheilas

Are you trying to crack on to me? (Are you trying to chat me up?)- Crack onto someone

Crikey! You scrub up alright Sheila! (Wow, you look well dressed Madam)- scrub up

Check out the t-bar on that chick. ( T-barring is about wearing g-string underwear and comes from the latest fashion of wearing low cut jeans, that often display the underwear beneath)- t-bar

She’s a bewt looking sheila. (She’s an attractive woman) – bewt looking

She bangs like a dunny door (a woman of easy virtue)

She’s smuggling smarties {(Smarties are Australian M & M’s) to have erect nipples}

That chick is perving on you Wazza. (to admire someone from the opposite sex) – perve

There will be no pub kissing in this establishment (pub kissing- to be kissing passionetly in the bar usually whilst drunk and the offending parties should really be in a private room)

Wazza is trying to cut your grass- cut someone’s grass
Wazza is trying to pick up your girl

Who are you spading tonight Wazza? –spading
spading is to do the groundwork to take a girl home

You’d smash that wouldn’t ya champ? ( you would like to be intimate with that girl wouldn’t you?)

You’re a spunk luv. (you are very attractive love) – spunk

List of Sexy Australians Male and Female

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In the bar

“It’s always offshore in the pub”

Beers: most consumed Carlton Draught; formerly it was Victoria Bitter & Carlton Cold Filtered. Other good ones are Cascade, James Boags, Coopers Red & Pale Ale, Tooheys Dry, Eumundi   Warning! Never try Fosters or XXXX & other Queensland beers for fear of death. Australian spirits include Bundaberg Rum. Whilst around Adelaide various regional wines are consumed due to their long tradition of producing some of Australia’s most well known wines like Wolf Blass or Penfolds.

Beer gut. I’ve worked hard for my beer gut

Beer pig- beer lover who also drinks a lot

Blotto- to be very drunk You’re blotto mate

Booze– Let’s get on the booze tonight (let’s have a drink/get drunk tonight)

Bottlo- bottle shop (registered shop where you buy alcohol)

BYO- bring your own sign in unlicensed restaurants

Crack open a coldie- to open a beer

Crack a tinny mate

Drinker’s elbow
An injury you get from bending your elbow while drinking

Don’t be a wet blanket Shaz, let’s party!
A partypooper

Let’s get pissed-get drunk

Let’s by some cheap plonk
cheap alcohol

Liquid lunch- a lunch that includes a lot of alcohol

I’m as pissed as a fart- (to be very drunk)

It’s always offshore in the pub

It’s beer o’clock- time to drink beer

It’s your shout Wazza
Shouting is to take a round to buy the alcohol for your group

Paint the town red- to go out drinking

Somebody spiked my beer with alcohol

Skull- drink it out

Take aways– alcohol bought from a pub to take home

That bar is chockers (chock a block). (to be full of people)

Tie one on- to go out drinking

Vomit- have a bark, chunder

We were drinking till the cows come home
Drinking very late

You’re a born again pisstank

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That’s Cool

Beauuiful  beauuuuiful (in Australian the ‘t’ is hardly heard in this word, but if it’s really beautiful it’s beauuuiful)

Bonzer mate! That’s great mate

Cool- Understood, agreed, great

Cool bananas- that’s good

Corker- really good

Fully sick mate- really awesome

Fully sick mate subwoofer mate

Grouse- this is a purely Victorian saying meaning great

Sweet- that’s great

I’m a happy little vegemite- to be happy

It’s going off- it’s excellent

It’s all time- the best that can be

Nice one- Well done

Siiick- awesome

That’s grouse! (Victoria only)

You little ripper mate

You bloody bewdy mate

You’re a happy camper- a happy person/soul

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Sayings

Does that grab you by the short & curlies? ( Is that interesting to you?)

Flat out like a lizard drinking (to be very busy)

Go hard or go home

Haven’t seen ya for yonks Mick
Not to see someone for a long time

He’s as mad as a cut snake (completely crazy person)

He’s like Errol with delicate things. Everything he touches he f*?ks

I haven’t got a brass razoo (to be completely broke)

I’m as happy as a pig in shit (to be ecstatic)

I’m in  like Flynn (to be a sure fire to get what you wanted, i.e a girl)

I’m so hungry I could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck (to have an extreme case of hunger)

It’s better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick   (it’s better than the worst case scenario)

Let’s hit the frog and toad (rhyming slang for road)

Let’s make like a shepherd & get the flock out of here

Let’s make like a Russian and Fuckovsky

Pull your head in!- (stop playing up)

She’ll be apples (everything will be ok/ is sufficient)

You’ve got 2 chances: None & Buckley’s (to have no chance at all)

You must have heard that through the bush telegraph– gossip network

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Having a Laugh

Crikey, that was close mate- in memory of the late Steve (crikey) Irwin

There’s no flies on me (I’m not at fault/ or the weak link in the chain)

True blue, dinky di (A true or typical aussie)

Thunderbox- Toilet

U beaut Ute- A pick up truck

Not the full quid

He’s got a kangaroo loose in the top paddock (someone of low intelligence or crazy)

He’s wearing budgie smugglers (to be wearing Speedos, on men it looks like they are trying to hide a Budgerigar)

I got up at sparrow’s fart? (To get up early)

I come from a land where men are men and many sheep tremble

Stop telling furphies
Stop telling lies

That’s as useful as tits on a bull/ an ashtray on a motorcycle

Well I’m off like a brides nightie (to be leaving in a hurry)

Why do you ask 2 dogs? (you ask this question when you don’t know why someone asked the previous question)

You’re tripping on hard drugs (are you out of your mind)

You’ve got 2 chances, Buckleys and none
No chance at all (Buckley’s chance+ no chance)

You couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery
You couldn’t organise a root in a brothel

You bloody  shark biscuit/toast/esky lid/speed hump ( a curse towards a bodyboarder who are not popular amongst surfers)

You wanna bikkie? (Would you like a biscuit)

You’ve got as much chance as a one legged man in an arse kicking competition
You’ve got as much luck trying to push shit uphill with a blunt stick

You want dim sim?

Your mother wears army boots

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Explain Yourself

No probs Bob
Agreed-ok-I’ll do it

Are you talking to me or chewing on a brick. Either way you’ll lose your teeth

As ugly as a hat full off arseholes

Bloody oath mate! (you can say that again)

Bloody Pom’s:- Damned English people

Bugger- (Oh damn!)

Bugger all- nothing at all

Bugger off!- go away!

Buggered if I know! To have no idea

Buggered- to be trashed or fatigued
I’m buggered I’m very tired

Bullshit! A load of crap

Bunch of fives- a punch.  Do you want a bunch of fives?

Bush week– What do you think this is bush week?
an answer to someone who expects too much or a task you don’t want to say yes to

C- bomb:-You c-hunt! Oh! my god you just dropped the c-bomb
The c-bomb should never be said around women (because they do like like you referring to their genitals in such an obscene manner)

Did you let fluffy out the gate?- (Did you Fart?)

Did you just open your lunch box? Did you just fart?

Don’t push the envelope- don’t push the issue too far

Dunno- (I don’t know)

Easy tiger- Calm down

Frillnecking- (to show off) That hoon has been frillnecking through the main street of town all day

F-bomb:- Oh F*#k it! Oh my god, you just dropped the F- bomb

F@*! you & the camel you rode in on!

Fudge!
A polite way of saying the F-bomb

Get a woolly chook up ya!
Get a dog up you!

Get that into you black guts- have some of this

Have you got leaky gas pipes?- Did you/have you farted?

Hoon- ( a purposely dangerous driver) Bloody hoon! Get off the road

I can’t go out tonight. I’m skint
to be broke

If you had a brain you’d be dangerous
not too smart

I’m ropeable!
Not happy at all

I’m strapped for cash
Have little money

I wasn’t born yesterday/in the last shower.- (I’m not so easily fooled)

Not happy Jan- (Girls usually say this, as in the Yellow Pages ad where it came from, letting someone know you are not happy with a situation)

Shazza chucked a wobbly and went home
a tantrum

She’ll be right mate
Everything will be ok

Shit a brick!
What a surprise

Suffer in your own jocks- Suffer in your own underpants
Bad luck- It’s your problem

That’s a piece of piss

Toilet
I’m going to the loo/dunny/thunderbox

That’s way out at woop woop
To be a long distance from nowhere

Watch out or there’ll be biffo!

We’re not here to f@*! spiders

What crawled up your arse & died? Why are you in such a bad mood?

What the? (short for- What the hell is that?)

You bloody mongrel (not a very nice person)

You’re having a shocker
To be in bad form- to be messing up everything you are doing

You pissant

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Weather

Freo/Fremantle Doctor- a refreshing sea-breeze that cools down a hot summers day in Perth

It’s so windy it could blow a blue dog off a chain

It’s so cold it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey

It’s chilly on the willy (men) & nippy on the pippy (women) / it’s really cold

It’s nuts off

 

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Related articles

• British, Scottish, Irish (and Extras) Slang(melissajagears.com)

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• Strine-ing the friendship (smh.com.au)
• Barack Obama’s Australian slang shows closeness to Julia Gillard (telegraph.co.uk)