Never mind Local Language, some need a little help with the Brits English

[Jack Peterson]

Talking to a Canadian recently, I found myself repeating many times ( or explaining things)

 So I thought I would just put up this to help those that sometimes wonder what on earth we Brits are actually saying ( of course we like the Locals use slang a Lot as I guess many other nationalities do)

SO

 Morning All 

 

[GeoffH]

We use almost all of those in Aussie as well... but it's interesting that here we don't say Dog's Dinner we say Dog's Breakfast - and it's used like "well you made a right Dog's Breakfast of that haven't you (and it means made a mess of it).

[Jack Peterson]

Just now, GeoffH said:

We use almost all of those in Aussie as well.

 Well you would Geoff, that's why you have that  little flag in the Corner of your own flag. the slang would come with that 

[Jollygoodfellow]

14 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Well you would Geoff, that's why you have that  little flag in the Corner of your own flag. the slang would come with that 

I think my one handed ancestors made up a lot of their own versions of slang.

125 Australian Slang Words & Phrases
A Cold One – Beer
Accadacca – How Aussies refer to Australian band ACDC
Ankle Biter – Child
Arvo – Afternoon (S’Arvo – this afternoon!)
Aussie Salute – Wave to scare the flies
Avo – Avocado
Bail – To cancel plans. ‘Bruce bailed’ = Bruce isn’t going to turn up.
Barbie – Barbecue
Bathers – Swimsuit
Beauty! – Great! Most often exclaimed as “You Beauty”
Billabong – A pond in a dry riverbed
Billy – Teapot (In the Outback on the fire)
Bloody – Very. Used to extenuate a point
Bloody oath – yes or its true. “You right mate?”… “Bloody Oath”
Bludger – Someone who’s lazy, generally also who relies on others (when it’s someone who relies on the state they’re often called a ‘dole bludger’)
Bogan – This word is used for people who are, well let’s say, rednecks. Or, if you like, just call your friends a bogan when they are acting weird.
Booze Bus – Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
Bottle-O – Bottle Shop, basically a place to buy alcohol
Brekky – Breakfast
Brolly – Umbrella
Bruce – An Aussie Bloke
Buckleys Chance – little chance (see this)
Budgie Smugglers – Speedos
Buggered – Exhausted
Bush – “Out in the bush” – “he’s gone bush” In the countryside away from civilisation
Cab Sav – Cabernet Sauvignon
Cactus – Dead, Broken
Choc A Bloc – Full
Choccy Biccy – Chocolate Biscuit
Chook – Chicken
Chrissie – Christmas
Ciggy – a Cigarette
Clucky – feeling maternal
Cobber – Very good friend. ‘Alright me ‘ol cobber’.
Coldie – Beer. ‘Come over for a few coldie’s mate.’
Coppers – Policemen
Crack the shits – Getting angry at someone or something
Crikey – an expression of surprise
Crook – Being ill or angry; ‘Don’t go crook on me for getting crook’
C*nt, the “C” word – Used when exchanging pleasantries between close friends or family member. If someone calls you the “C” word in Australia (and you haven’t done anything to make them angry), then breathe a sigh of relief… it means you have entered the mate zone.
Dag – Someone who’s a bit of a nerd or geek.
Daks – Trousers. ‘Tracky daks’ = sweatpants (tracksuit pants)
Dardy – meaning “cool”, is used amongst South West Australian Aboriginal peoples and has also been adopted by non-indigenous teens. – source
Deadset – True
Defo – Definitely
Devo – Devastated
Drongo – a Fool, ‘Don’t be a drongo mate’
Dunny – Toilet
Durry – Cigarette
Esky – An insulated container that keeps things cold (usually beers)
Facey – Facebook
Fair Dinkum – ‘Fair Dinkum?’ … ‘Fair Dinkum!’ = Honestly? … Yeah honestly!
Flannie / Flanno – flannelette shirt
Flat out – Really busy – “Flat out like a lizard drinking” – As busy as a bee
Footy – Football (AFL / Aussie Rules)
Frothy – Beer
F*ck Me Dead – that’s unfortunate, that surprises me
Furphy – rumours or stories that are improbable or absurd
G’day – Hello
Galah – an Australian cockatoo with a reputation for not being bright, hence a galah is also a stupid person.
Gnarly – awesome – often used by surfers
Going off – busy, lots of people / angry person “he’s going off”
Good On Ya – Good work
Goon – the best invention ever produced by mankind. Goon is a cheap, boxed wine that will inevitably become an integral part of your Australian backpacking experience.
Hard yakka – Hard work
Heaps – loads, lots, many
Hoon – Hooligan (normally driving badly!)
Iffy – bit risky or unreasonable
Knickers – female underwear
Lappy – Laptop
Larrikin – Someone who’s always up for a laugh, bit of a harmless prankster
Legless – Someone who is really drunk
Lollies – Sweets
Maccas – McDonalds
Manchester – Sheets / Linen etc. If you’re from England, finding a department within a shop called Manchester could seriously confuse you.
Mongrel – Someone who’s a bit of a dick
Mozzie – Mosquito
No Drama – No problem / it’s ok
No Worries – No problem / it’s ok
No Wucka’s – A truly Aussie way to say ‘no worries’
Nuddy – Naked
Outback – The interior of Australia, “The Outback” is more remote than those areas named “the bush”
Pash – to kiss
Piece of Piss – easy
Piss Off – go away, get lost
Piss Up – a party, a get together and in Australia – most social occasions
Piss – (To Piss) to urinate
Pissed – Intoxicated, Drunk
Pissed Off – Annoyed
Rack Off – The less offensive way to tell someone to ‘F Off’!
Rapt – Very happy
Reckon – for sure. ‘You Reckon?’… ‘I reckon!’
Rellie / Rello – Relatives
Ripper – ‘You little ripper’ = That’s fantastic mate!
Root Rat – someone who enjoys sex (maybe a little too much)
Rooted – Tired or Broken
Runners – Trainers, Sneakers
Sanger – Sandwich
Servo – Service Station / Garage
Shark biscuit – kids at the beach
Sheila – A woman
She’ll be apples – Everything will be alright
Shoot Through – To leave
Sick – awesome; ‘that’s really sick mate’
Sickie – a sick day off work, or ‘to pull a sickie’ would be to take a day off when you aren’t actually sick
Skull – To down a beer
Slab – A carton of beers
Smoko – Cigarette break
Snag – Sausage
Stiffy – Erection
Stoked – Happy, Pleased
Straya – Australia
Strewth – An exclamation of surprise
Stubby – a bottle of beer
Stubby Holder – Used so your hands don’t get cold when holding your beer, or to stop your hands making your beer warm!
Stuffed – Tired
Sunnies – Sunglasses
Swag – Single bed you can roll up, a bit like a sleeping bag.
Tea – Dinner
Tinny – Can of beer or small boat
Thongs – Flip Flops. Do not be alarmed if your new found Australian friend asks you to wear thongs to the beach. They are most likely expressing their concern of the hot sand on your delicate feet.
True Blue – Genuinely Australian
Tucker – Food. ‘Bush Tucker’ tends to be food found in the Outback such as witchety grubs.
Two Up – A gambling game played on Anzac day.
U-IE – to take a U-Turn when driving
Up Yourself – Stuck up
Woop Woop – middle of nowhere “he lives out woop woop”
Ya – You
Yous – (youse) plural of you!
Some of these words may not be as commonly used these days, but you might still hear them being used ironically or by older Australians.

[Mike J]

19 hours ago, GeoffH said:

We use almost all of those in Aussie as well... but it's interesting that here we don't say Dog's Dinner we say Dog's Breakfast - and it's used like "well you made a right Dog's Breakfast of that haven't you (and it means made a mess of it).

In the military when someone really messed up we would say "you just $hit in your mess kit".  Mess kit being your kit for eating meals while in the field.

[graham59]

The Aussies (and Kiwis) are much 'closer' to the Brits in their use of English...slang or otherwise, IMO.

The strong accent (mainly cockney-derived...to my ear anyway) can be hard for many Brits to grasp at first though...especially on the noisy construction sites or bars, where I have mainly encountered them.

Americans tend to have a more Irish-derived accent IMO, which funnily enough, is slightly easier on the ear.

(Then again...I am half Irish )

Edited July 11, 2020 by graham59

[Reboot]

I didn't know Brits spoke English! 

Edited July 12, 2020 by Reboot

[graham59]

7 hours ago, Reboot said:

I didn't know Brits spoke English! 

Oh yes....and the full, rather than the 'simplified' colonial version. 

[Jack D]

On 7/12/2020 at 7:29 AM, graham59 said:

Oh yes....and the full, rather than the 'simplified' colonial version. 

I can write in both the British and the 'simplified' colonial version, which we Yanks prefer to call 'American English.'

I had an English gf in between my two marriages, and she taught me many English slang words and expressions. For what it's worth, she self-identified herself as English, and she didn't see herself as a Brit.

The problem comes with my speaking, since during my visits to England, the locals thought that I was a Canadian.... I guess that they could have thought of a much worse place.  

Edited July 14, 2020 by Jack D
removed extra words

[Tommy T.]

6 hours ago, Jack D said:

The problem comes with my speaking, since during my visits to England, the locals thought that I was a Canadian.... I guess that they could have thought of a much worse place.  

Hey Hoser!!! What's wrong with sounding Canadian...eh?