The Essential Aussie Dictionary

As I got off the plane, I paused to take in the feeling of stepping back on home soil. I looked around and listened—Australian accents all around me. I beamed enthusiastically at passersby. They probably thought I was weird, but I didn’t care. Nothing felt better than being back home, especially during the summer.

Before leaving New York, fellow Shen Yun dancer Rebecca Jiang instructed me to have fun in the motherland. I knew I would, but what about the non-Australians in our company? Would they be able to comprehend the laidback Aussie language?

Thus, I have prepared an Aussie-English dictionary to assist new visitors to my homeland:

Arvo: the afternoon
“Aussie Aussie Aussie!”: the start of a battle cry usually used at sporting events. (The traditional reply is “Oi Oi Oi!”)
Barbie: barbecue
Bathers/Cossie/Togs: swim wear, swim suit
Beauty: great; fantastic
Billabong: a watering hole
Billy: teapot; a container for boiling water
Bloke: man; guy
Brekkie: breakfast
Brizzie: Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland
Bunyip: a mythical aboriginal bush spirit animal that lives in swamps and billabongs
Bush: the Outback, or anywhere that isn’t in town
Cheers: thanks
Chrissie: Christmas
Didgeridoo: an Australian Aboriginal musical instrument made from a hollow log
Dingo: the Australian wild dog that howls but does not bark
Docket: a bill, receipt
Esky: a large insulated food and drink container usually used for picnics and barbecues
Fair Dinkum: true, right
Fairy Floss: cotton candy
G’day/Gidday: the universal Australian friendly greeting or hello
Gobsmacked: surprised, astounded
Gumtree: Australian eucalyptus tree
Jumbuck: sheep
Lamington: an Australian delicacy, made from spongecake that is cut into squares and covered in chocolate and coconut
Lollies: candy, sweets
Maccas: McDonald’s
Mate: friend, buddy
Mozzie: mosquito
No worries: expression of forgiveness or reassurance.
Rapt: pleased, delighted
Reckon!: You bet! Absolutely!
Rellie/Relo: family relative
Shout: turn to buy—a round of drinks usually
Singlet: a sleeveless cotton undershirt
Stoked: very pleased
Sunnies: sunglasses
Ta: thank you
Telly: television
Thongs: rubber backless sandals, flip flops
Tomato sauce: ketchup
Trackies: track suit
True blue: patriotic, Australian person or thing
Vegemite: a savory spread made from an extract of brewers yeast, eaten on toast
Yabby: inland freshwater crayfish or lobster found in Australia
Yewy: U-turn
Yonks: a long time, ages
Zinc: sunscreen