Words and Slang in Oz

As I mentioned in my first posting Aussies like to shorten names. Here are some examples:

Darren – Dazzer
Sharon - Shazzer
Catherine - Cath

But they also have there own unique words and slang, I suspect a lot of which comes from England and from the Aboriginal and the mix of the 2 cultures.

Thanks – ta
Sandwich – Sanger
Afternoon – Arvo
Football – Footy (refers to Aussie rules)

Know these words and you will have no problem conversing with an Aussie:

Barrack – to support (used in a sporting sense)

I Barrack for the Maple Leafs

Dag – a funny person, nerd or goof
(generally used to describe a way of dressing down)

I look like a dag today

Fair Dinkum – true, genuine, the real deal

This is fair dinkum maple syrup from Canada

No Drama – Same as no worries

Pash – to kiss

I saw Dazzer and Shazzer pashing in the car

Rock up – to turn up or arrive

We rocked up at Bec’s house half an hour late

Ripper – Great, fantastic

It was a ripper party

Slab – a carton of 24 bottles or can of beer

We rocked up with a slab of VB and the party started

Thongs – Cheap rubber backless sandals

Grabs your thongs and lets go for a walk

Whinge – to complain

She’s such a whinger

One last thing, Aussies love to use the word Whilst. Where as Canada and US may use the word Where as or While. There is something about Whilst that is ingrained into Aussie vocabulary and language. So if you come across this word on a website and it's used frequently you can bet they are Aussie.