Vocabulary
Australian English differs from British and American English mainly in its use of accent, intonation and colorful slang phrases. However, in business practice, Australian slang is not commonly used. Australian English uses many words from Indigenous languages, such as kangaroo and boomerang, and other words that came from convicts and early settlers. In addition, Australians are prone to creating abbreviations of many words by taking the first syllable and adding ‘e’ or ‘o’ to the end (e.g., brekkie, journo, brollie and arvo). Below are some common words and phrases, divided into those that might be encountered in the workplace and those that would be rarely heard in or inappropriate for the workplace.
Workplace appropriate phrases
Arvo – afternoon
Aussie/Ozzie (pronoun) – Australian
Barbie – barbecue
Barrack for – to cheer for / support a team (usually football)
Battler – honest, hardworking people with a positive attitude; people who keep going in the face of adversity
Beaut/Beauty – fantastic
Bickie - biscuit
Bitumen – asphalt, paved road
Biz – business
Bloke – a man
Brekkie – breakfast
Brollie – umbrella
Bring a plate – to bring food to share with other guests at a party (on a plate)
Bush – out of the city, country areas
Chook – chicken (cooked or uncooked)
Click – kilometer
Crook – in addition to the obvious meaning, can also mean badly made or substandard
Doona – an eiderdown, comforter or bedspread
Esky – cooler bag for beer or meat, often used at a barbeque
Fair go! - giving people a chance
Footy – football (usually Australian Rules Football but also can be Rugby League, Rugby Union or Soccer depending on the state or the context)
Hotel – in addition to its general meaning in terms of tourist and visitor accommodation, it can also mean a pub or bar
How ya goin'/doin’? – How are you?
Kiwi – a person from New Zealand, not offensive
Knock – to criticize
Lollie – any candy (not just a lollipop)
Manchester – general name for bed sheets, pillow cases and table linen
Mate – friend or pal
Mozzies – mosquitoes
No worries! – no problem, don’t worry about it, you’re welcome
OS – overseas
Oz – Australia
Postie – mail carrier
Crisps - potato chips or hot chips
Shout – pay for a round of drinks
Stir – to joke or tease. A stirrer is someone who riles things up, especially by joking around.
Taking TOIL – taking time off for previous overtime work (‘time off in lieu’)
Phrases to know but not necessarily use (as these are not always polite in professional settings)
Aggro – aggravation or problem, e.g., a fight
Back of Beyond/Bourke – far away
Billy – teapot (rarely used, mostly outdoors)
A blue – an argument
Bludger – a lazy person (usually offensive)
Bogan – offensive term for people of disadvantage
Bonzer – great, wonderful (rarely used)
Buckley’s – to have no chance
Cobber – friend
Cossie – a swimsuit (from ’bathing costume’)
Dinkum/Fair dinkum – true, authentic (rarely used seriously)
Dunny – toilet (not polite use in the workplace but well known)
Galah – noisy idiot (also a parrot)
Go Walkabout – to take off, disappear, to take a lengthy vacation or time ‘away from it all’
Grouse – great, very good
Hard yacker/hard yakka – hard work
Hoon – to drive recklessly, or, a person who drives recklessly
Make a good fist of it – to do something (a task) well
Narky – annoyed or upset
Ocker – Australian who behaves in a very stereotyped manner, with strong accent
Oldies/Olds – parents (not polite use)
Pash – to kiss in an intimate manner
Pissed – drunk
Pom – slang for British person
Rack off - go away, get lost
Ratbag – weird or strange person or someone who cannot be trusted
Rentals – slang for parents (parental)
Ripper – something terrific (not in common use)
Sanger – sandwich
Servo – service station or garage, usually open 24 hours
Seppo – slang for an American person
Sheila – a woman (not polite use)
Skite – to boast
Sook – timid person, without bravery
Stoked – to be happy or excited
Strewth – surprise
Stubbie - bottle of beer
Suss – something that is suspicious
Tinnie – can of beer
Tucker – food (not polite use)
Yabber – to talk a lot
Yobbo – loutish badly-behaved male (from yob – boy backwards)
If you want to act like a local...
- In Australia, queuing (waiting in line) is expected and, in public spaces, it is customary to give up one's seat to pregnant, disabled or elderly persons.
- Table manners are Continental, meaning the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right. One should not switch the fork to the right hand. Elbows should be kept off the tables. To indicate one has finished eating, the fork and knife should lie horizontally with the handles towards your body in the middle of the plate.
- Dinner, also sometimes known as tea, is the main evening meal, between 6 and 8 pm, while supper is a late night snack or light meal. Brunch is a very common meal, particularly on weekends, eaten between 9 am and 1 pm and is more like breakfast than lunch.
- When meeting for the first time, people normally shake hands, firmly but not too hard. Personal space requirements should be observed, usually staying elbow to hand’s distance from another. Australians value eye contact but this should be not be constant and intense as that may be seen as staring and/or as an effort to intimidate.
- Australians appreciate people who express opinions, but not people who boast or speak over others. When speaking, use verbal clues such as “hmmm” and “oh” if it is necessary to think before speaking; staying silent for longer than around five seconds after a question can be seen as lack of confidence or rude.
- Avoid making comments about accents as this may be perceived as a way to establish a person's social class; accents can be seen as a strong indicator of class.
- If teased good-naturedly, reply in kind, as self-confidence can win respect. It is important for this teasing not to become offensive in return; if unsure it is best to just smile at the teasing.
- Australians drive and walk on the left, and pass on the right. This applies to the road, sidewalk (known as pavement) and escalators.
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