Dog’s eye with dead horse: Rhyming slang for meat pie with sauce.Chips: Used for both potato chips and fries (sometimes called hot chips).Carton/slab: A pack of 24 beers (cans or bottles).Bush Tucker: Food made from Australian native plants and animals.I’m certain I’ve missed more than a few here – particularly when it comes to regional variations. We’re a people of relatively simple tastes, and you’ll notice that virtually everything gets shortened down. Hell, don’t even believe the facts – pavlovas are as Australian as Phar Lap and Russell Crowe.Īustralian food and Australian slang have quite a bit in common. Food & Drink Don’t believe was New Zealanders say. Please do let me know if I’ve missed any and I’ll be sure to update. But damned if it doesn’t sound sexy in that Aussie drawl.Īfter my recent trek to the US showed me just how confusing our language can be, I’ve gone ahead and put through a (far from complete) dictionary of Australian slang for your reading pleasure. It’s a contrasting tongue – a mix of the obvious (calling soda ‘fizzy drink’) and the almost indecipherable (‘putting it on the Never Never’ means paying on a credit card).Īustralian English is a language that takes a little getting used to, but I’m hoping this far from complete guide to Australian slang will put you in good stead for those awkward few days where it’s all ‘G’day’ and ‘Strewth’ and you’ve got no idea what’s going on. It is the language of a people who call things what they are while simultaneously looking to limit the amount of time it takes to get a point across. A beautiful tongue made up of colourful metaphors and delicately constructed witticisms, but it is also a language of simplicity. Australian English (or Aussie slang, really) is a language of subtle poetry.

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