People from other countries always say that the English language is the most difficult to learn as it differs from the United Kingdom to the United States and then to the land down-under here in Australia. The lingo of the Aussie is said to perplex many a foreigner, particularly our Aussie slang.

I have a French Canadian brother-in-law who moved here years ago and he is still coming to grips with Aussie slang.  I remember when I first visited him and my sister in Canada and he kept asking my sister for translation.  For example, I asked if there were any ‘bickies’ in the cupboard to have with my ‘cuppa’ and he looked bewildered!

So I guess the first rules in Aussie lingo is that we have a tendency to add either an ‘y’ or an ‘o’ to the end of words.  For example:

Aggro – aggressive                                          Bicky – biscuit or cookie

Arvo – afternoon                                              Ciggy – cigarette

Compo – compensation                                   Cocky – Cockatoo or Farmer

Dero – derelict                                                 Coldy – a cold beer

Garbo – Garbage Removal worker                   Cossy – a swimming costume

Journo – Journalist                                           Footy – Football

Rego – registration                                          Pressy – present or gift

Smoko – coffee break                                      Lippy – lipstick

Yobbo – Australian male                                 Sicky – sick leave

Cuppa – cup of tea                                          Chrissy – Christmas

We also like to put the word ‘ay’ at the end of a sentence, i.e: “It’s a nice day – ay”?  Or we like to say “you know” a lot because we cannot articulate at times!

Some common Aussie slang is:

Shit-faced – meaning very drunk or pissed

Rooted – meaning exhausted or something that is completely irreparable

Dobber – meaning an informative or tell-tale

Wowzer or Knee Driller – meaning a religious person

Wanker or Tool – meaning a loser

Fruit Loop or Whacko – meaning someone who is mentally challenged

Dero – meaning a homeless person

Bogan or Westie – meaning a person who is from the West or the country of low socio-economic circumstances

Poser – meaning a person who boasts or show-off a lot.

Pig – meaning a Police Officer

Abbo or Coon – meaning an indigenous Australian (a very derogatory term)

Sheila – A girl

Some translations from American to Aussie: