I remember the first time I went to Australia, i couldn’t understand a word of what people were saying… I studied English for 9 years at school, lived in England for 2 years and I felt like i was landing on another planet. Aussies definitely have a unique accent when they speak, very different from the American or British one, it’s like learning a completely new language! Few Bondi Rescue watchings, many barbecues with my friends Scotty, Danny, Luke, Lori-Rae and some Delta Goodrem listenings later, I’ve finally got the hang of this “bloody” accent.
If right now you feel lost like i was, check this video out…
or learn few typical expressions!
Barrack for. Cheer. as in barrack for the Blues (a sports team).
Battler. Someone who tries hard despite money problems.
Bitumen. Paved road, asphalt.
Bludger. One who won’t work and usually relies only on Social Security payments.
Bonnet. Hood (of a car)
Boot. Trunk (of a car)
Bottle shop. Liquor store.
Bushfire. Forest fire, wildfire.
Bushranger. Outlaw, highwayman.
BYO. Bring your own (wine). Said of restaurants without a liquor licence.
Cask (of wine). Boxed wine ready to drink from a spigot.
Chemist, or chemist’s. Pharmacy or drugstore.
Come good. Turn out okay.
Cut lunch. Sandwiches.
Deli. Milk bar, delicatessen.
Esky. Insulated container (usually to keep beer cold).
Flake. Shark meat, what you usually get in fish and chips.
Give it away. Give up.
Grazier. Cattle or sheep farmer.
Holidays (sometimes colloguially shortened to hols). Vacation.
Knock. Criticise.
Lamington. Sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut.
Lift. Elevator.
Lolly. Candy.
Lay-by. Buy on instalment without taking the goods until fully paid for.
Milk bar. Usually a general store.
Newsagent. Newspaper shop.
Non-smoking area. No smoking area.
Offsider. Assistant or partner.
Out of pocket. Spent more than was received.
Pavlova. Meringue and cream dessert.
Pictures. The movies, cinema, as in Let’s go to the pictures.
Ratbag. A weirdo or something like that.
Ropable. Extremely angry or bad-tempered.
Sealed. Paved, as in sealed road. Not a dirt road.
Shellacking. Criticism for a thorough and shameful defeat.
Shonky. Dubious, unreliable.
Shopstealing. Shoplifting.
Sunbake. Sunbathe.
Takeaway. Take out, to go.
Windscreen. Windshield (of a motor vehicle).
Catch ya ’round mates 🙂
yeah, there are many kinds of accents.
Great list, and reminds me of a happy 2 years in Oz decades ago – many words I’d forgotten and some I didn’t know. However, I think your English language must have been primarily US influenced, as many of the expressions listed as Aussie are the normal British words (e.g.: bonnet, boot & windscreen of a car, knock, lift, newsagent, out of pocket, pavlova, pictures (esp North of England) and takeaway…).
Hey Alison!im glad this post remembers you the good old times, I loved living in Australia as well 🙂 It might have been indeed, im a French native speaker and watch a lot of US series…so maybe it had influenced my vocabulary. Hope you still enjoyed mate 😉