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Now, back to some great Aussie sayings....
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| Don't get them mixed up |
Blokes and Sheilas
Blokes are men and Sheilas are women. Bloke has been in use since1829, but Sheila comes from an Irish word meaning girlfriend, and didn't come into use until around 1914 in Australia. |
Crikey
This word expresses surprise or astonishment. Made famous by Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter. |
| Not made from dog's eye...or is it? |
Dogs Eye
Believe it or not, this means a meat pie. It derives from the Cockney rhyming slang that was in use when the convicts came to Australia. |
Fair Go
To have a fair go means that you have a reasonable chance or a fair deal. Everyone is entitled to a fair go - we all should be given the same chance. Another variation is 'Fair shake of the sauce bottle' meaning that you want to be given the same chance as everyone else. |
Flat Out Like A Lizard Drinking
A particular favourite of mine - I don't use it, but I like it as it gives you a good visual when someone says it. As you would expect, it means that you are going flat out or at top speed. |
| Larry. He's happy. |
Happy As Larry
I'm not sure who Larry is, but he's happy and it means that you are happy too! The origins of this phrase are unknown, but it was first recorded in Australia in the 1880's, but there is some evidence that it has Irish or Scottish origins. |
| Give the hard word....okay, there are no memes |
Hard Word
Okay, I misunderstood this one when I heard it. I thought it meant to come down hard on someone, be stern with them. Apparently not - it usually means to make demands on someone sexually, but it can refer to monetary demands as well. Yes, I misused it and yes, people laughed. |
Mad As a Cut Snake
If you are mad as a cut snake, you are very eccentric / crazy or very angry. As in, 'I was happy as Larry until Johnno tried to put the hard word on me, then I was as mad as a cut snake." The phrase was first recorded in the early 1900's, and a similar phrase is mad as a gumtree full of galahs. Personally, I like that one better because galahs make me smile as they waddle around with their pink a grey plumage, pecking at tasty morsels in the grass. But I digress... |
| It's been awhile since I've referenced Star Trek |
Like a Stunned Mullet
Aside from the hairstyle (although I have seen some 'stunning' mullets!), this phrase means that you are dazed, stupefied, unconscious or shocked.  |
No Worries
Almost the minute that you arrive in Australia, this saying rings in your ears. If someone says that to you, it means that all is good, that it is no trouble at all or everything will be alright. This was first recorded in the 1960's. |
| Even roos can be ocker |
Ocker or Yobbo
To be ocker or a yobbo means that you are an uncouth, uncultivated or an aggressively boorish Australian male or just a typical average Australian male. |
To Get the Rough End of the Pineapple
This means that you got a raw deal or received unfair treatment.  |
| This one looks quite calm |
To Carry On Like a Pork Chop
This is a pretty common phrase that you hear a lot. It means to carry on, rant, to have a tantrum. It is meant to allude to the sound of a pork chop sizzling in the pan. |
You Right?
This is also very common, and often heard in a shop - as in 'Are you all right?', as in 'Do you need help or assistance?'. |
Sanger
This one had me stumped for a long time. It is a slang word for sandwich. Don't ask me..... |
Snag
Again, a slang word for sausage. You can actually have a snag sanger if you are interested.
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I Didn't Come Down in the Last Shower
This means that you aren't stupid, no one is going to pull the wool over your eyes. The first evidence of this phrase was in Australia in 1883.
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| Even koalas do it |
Sickie - To Chuck a Sickie
A 'sickie' is a sick day off work, usually without any medical reason. To 'chuck a sickie' means that you are going to take a day off work 'sick', even though you most likely are not ill. |
Spit the Dummy
In Australia, a soother is called a dummy, so if you spit the dummy, you have a tantrum or a cry. |
| An Australian Classic |
Straight to the Poolroom
If you haven't seen it, please see the 1997 movie 'The Castle'. It is absolutely full of Australian sayings, slang and culture. This phrase comes directly from the movie, when the main character, Darryl, is given something really special and he wants it to go straight to the poolroom for display and for everyone to see. |
To Have Tickets on Yourself
People that have tickets on themselves are usually conceited or have an inflated sense of ego. The phrase first became popular during the First World War and had increased usage in the 1920's and 1930's.
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On the Turps
This comes from a shortening of the word 'turpentine' and it alludes to the use of turpentine or methylated spirits by down-and-out alcoholics. Originally used to refer to someone drinking gin or rum, it is now used for all alcoholic beverages. A similar phrase for being drunk is having a 'gutful of piss' (piss being a slang word for alcohol). If you can't handle very much alcohol, you are a 'two pot screamer' - a pot is a measurement of draft beer and is half the size of a pint of beer.
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General Insults
Aussies have a very creative use of language, and this shines bright when they are insulting someone. Some examples of creative insults are:- A few (kanga)roos loose in the top paddock. (a bit daft, not all there in the head)
- Couldn't find a grand piano in a one roomed house.
- Couldn't blow the froth off a glass of beer.
- A (lamb or pork) chop short of a barbie (barbecue).
- Useless as ashtray on a motorbikes
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