Australian Slang A - C

G'day mate, how ya goin'? - Bloody bonzer!

Want to know what Aussies are talking about?

Don't understand some words I use in the Outback guide?

The Aussie Slang Guide is here for your help.

Wear an akubra hat and feel like an Aussie. Learn about the Aussie salute, understand why you should be careful calling someone a bastard. Australian slang is unique and fun.

akubra	typically Australian wide-brimmed hat (Trademark)
artesian well	a well from which the water is forced up out of the ground by natural pressure
aussie	someone from Australia
aussie salute	the characteristic waving of the hand to chase away flies that continually and annoyingly buzz around one's face

back o'Bourke	back of beyond; in the middle of nowhere; a country area where few people live; the Outback
banana bender	someone from Queensland
banjo patterson	Andrew Barton "Banjo" Patterson (1864-1941) famous poet, journalist and horseman, author of Waltzing Matilda
barbie = barbecue	1) a metal frame for cooking food on outdoors; a grill pan 2) an outdoor party with food from the barbie
bastard	general form of address which can mean many things, from high praise or respect (He's the bravest bastard I know) to dire insult (You rotten bastard). Avoid if unsure.
big smoke	a city
billabong	a river's elbow that has been left behind when the river changes course but still fills up in the wet.
billy	a tin container used to boil water for tea over a fire
bitumen	surfaced road
bloke	an Australian male

bloody	very = used to emphasise what you are saying, it is not always meant rude
blowies	blow flies = a fly that lays its eggs on meat or wounds
boomerang	a curved flat wooden instrument used by Aborigines for hunting
bottle shop	liquor shop; a place to buy alcoholic drinks
brumby	wild horse
budgie	budgerigar, a small brightly-coloured bird that people keep at home as a pet, but also can be seen in the Outback
bull bar	outsize front bumper on a car or a truck as ultimate barrier against animals on the road
bull dust	fine, powdery and sometimes deep dust on outback roads, often hiding deep holes and ruts that you normally wouldn't drive into
bush	country; anywhere away from the city
bush tucker	fruits and anything edible you'll find in the nature
bushranger	Australia's outlaws, Ned Kelly was the most famous
BYO	Bring Your Own (booze to a restaurant, meat to a barbecue etc.)

camp oven	large, iron-cast pot with a lid, used for cooking in an open fire
chips	french fries, pommes frites
city slicker	s.o. who lives and works in a city and has no experience of anything outside it
claypan	a clay-covered depression which holds water after rain
coathangar	the Sydney Harbour Bridge
cobber	a word meaning a friend, used especially by men talking to other men
cockroach	s.o. from New South Wales
cocky	a small-scale farmer, a term generally referring to a grain grower
community	small townships which belong to a group of Aborigines
coolabah tree	an eukalypt that grows along rivers
corroboree	Aboriginal dance; any large and noisy gathering
corrugation	surface of an unsealed road which has the shape of corrugated iron
counter meal	pub meal
creek	a small narrow stream or river
crow eater	s.o. from South Australia