OZ English Course

My students makes me laugh every single day...not because they are great...Not at all. But going to the school in Australia is like when you start going out to a night club for the first time: you expect something that you will never find. Australian students are able to ask questions like: Dou you wear shoes in Spain? Do you eat frogs in France? Everyone is a ninja in Japan? No comment... This is only a proof of what I have to deal with everyday...but this is not the case (I promise I will talk in the next future about Australian education)...

Today, bored as usual in my school, fed up because my students don’t even know where Spain is…I told myself: “Deivid, why don’t you write down all these words that these bastards are saying all the time? At the end of the year, it should be nice having a list with all the Australian words…and here I am.

For many of you, it can sound like a little bit freak, but you have to know something…after a couple of days living in this country, without abbreviations, Australian slang or idioms, you are not able to understand even the 30% of a normal conversation… Australians actually use abbreviation and their own words for everything…it’s like a way of reinforcing their own proud feeling of being Australian…

Below you will find a guide to all these words: some of them are very common in the English speaking countries, some others are Australian, some others come from the great and amazing Cocodrilo Dundee, some others are abbreviation of the abbreviations and some of them have no meaning for the native speakers…Fu**ing Australia…


• ASAP: as soon as possible. It’s a classic. You can find it in every dictionary.

• DOB: date of birth. Never seen before, even in official documents.

• BIR: native speakers don’t have an idea about the meaning of it. My theory is: Built-In Robe. It’s like a wardrobe inside the wall.

• OZ: abbreviation of the abbreviation of the Word Australian. The evolution was Australian – Aussie – OZ.

• City: common name to refer the city center of Melbourne. It can spread out as much as you want.

• Tassie: abbreviation for Tasmania. It can be used for the island itself and for their citizens.

• Mossie: abbreviation for mosquito.

• RSVP: réservez s’il vous plaît. English? No, French. Australians (smarter than any other civilization) think that if they say a few words in French, they are cooler. If you want to look like proper French, you should say them moving your hands, arms and legs in a very romantic way. At the same time, you should pronounce them with your mouth almost closed.

• Mate: top 10 of the Australian slang. Friend.

• Bloke: same meaning as before.

• G’Day: top 10 as well. It should be used since the very first second that you land in Australia.

• Kiwi: Australian word for New Zealand. I think it’s only used for New Zealand’s citizens.

• NZ: abbreviation in written documents for New Zealand.

• Footy: Australian rules football. Here in Australia, especially in Melbourne, it can be synonymous of breathing, eating and/or any other physical necessity (you can think what you want).

• BTW: by the way. It’s used in the spoken language.

• OMG: Oh my God!. One of the most extended.

• ATM: in any other country, it would mean AutomaTic Machine, but everything is different in Australia, and so does this word. It means At The Moment. ATM.

• Good on ya: This is one of my favorites. It can mean a lot of things; it’s like a common sentence, but the most extended meaning could be I’m glad for you…

• Arvo: afternoon. No one knows the evolution.

• Ripper, beauty, bonza: It’s like a trilogy; you have to say the 3 of them. Something nice.

• Beauty: It can mean anything that is nice.

• Pull your pork: to masturbate. It’s very rude, from the countryside.

• Loo: toilet.

• Happy as Larry: very happy. I’m still looking for this Harry.

• Lollywater: soft drink.

• Goon: cheapest wine in the market. The cheapest it is, the most Australian you fell. Be ready to spend a few hours in the toilet.

• Kick the bucket: to die.

• Barbie: Australian way for BBQ (see next).

• BBQ: barbecue.

• Possie: position. It’s used very often in footy games.

• Larrikins: some guys (one of my favorites).

• Bummes: bad experience.

• Tucker: food.

• Dunny: the same as loo.

• Cuppa: cup of tea.

• Smoke-o: cigarrette. I don’t smoke, but I promise that if someone invites me to a smoke-o, I would say yes!!!

• Sheila: woman.

• Bruce: man.

• Sheila hit on me: you want to go out with someone.

• No worries!: Australian version of No problem!

• How are u going?: it means how are you. It can sound a little bit easy, but you should pronounce only one letter per word (like H a u going?).

• Wanker: person who loves that fact and consequences of masturbating.

• Brekkie: Australian word for breakfast.

• Fucking Amazing Mate: originally created by French and Spanish native speakers, it can be found as FAM.

• We'll be up shit creek on a barbwire canoe without a paddle: to express a feeling about a situation that, to your eyes, might lead nowhere or in a more difficult position.

• That thing is cactus mate!: something is not working.

• That’s gay: something that you don’t like.

• This is as clear as mud to me: it's confusing.

• She makes me crack a fat: she gives me an erection.

• To be jacked-off by something: to be annoyed.

• To wake up at sparow fart: to wake up early.

• Maccas: Australian word for Mc Donald’s.