If you think your English is good enough to understand the average Aussie then think again 😉 Ozzies have a hilarious way of speaking. Not only do they tend to abbreviate many words like “brekkie” for breakfast, “arvo” for afternoon and “tradie” for tradesman, they also use extremely funny phrases and expressions. Here are 11 funny Aussie expressions that I heard during my first year in Australia.
1.Happy little vegemite
“She’s a happy little vegemite”
↳ Meaning: being very happy or satisfied.
Vegemite is Australia’s famous salty-tasting spread made of yeast extract, similar to the English Marmite. They say you either love it or you hate it. I personally looooove it! Did you ever try a vegemite-cheese-scroll at Coles or Woolies? Heaven!
2. I’m not here to fuck spiders
“Let’s get started mate, I’m not here to fuck spiders”
↳ Meaning: I’m not here to waste time.
Nowhere in the western world you’ll find so many (deadly) freaky spiders as in Australia. They even include them in their expressions!
3. Bloody oath
“Wanna go to Maccas this arvo? Bloody oath!”
↳ Meaning: Absolutely yes, or definitely!
One of those sayings you really have to know in order to understand them. This is one of the (many) times I was in Oz and had to admit that I had no clue what on earth they were talking about.
Oh, and Maccas = McDonalds, in case you were wondering 🙂
4. Like a pick-pocket at a nudist camp
“He didn’t understand it and felt like a pick-pocket in a nudist camp”
↳ Meaning: to be very confused
Hahahahahaha. Aussies and their humor, love it.
5. To have a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock
“He must have a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock if he thinks he can finish that marathon”
↳ Meaning: To not be right in the head, to have a screw loose. Like the saying “not the brightest crayon in the box”.
I like how typically Aussie this saying is. You won’t find another country that has a saying about kangaroos 😉
6. To have a pommie shower
“Mate you smell. Did you wash yourself this morning? Nah mate, I just had a pommie shower”
↳ Meaning: To just put some deodorant on after a night of going out and drinking
‘Pom’ means ‘Prisoner of Motherland’ and is what Australians use to refer to an English person. Others claim Pom comes from the word pomegranate because an Englishman’s skin can get as red as a pomegranate from the Australian sun.
7. Don’t wake up next to a koala
“It’s okay you’ll get here late. Just make sure you don’t wake up next to a koala”
↳ Meaning: Don’t get into an accident, be safe.
The owner of the hostel where I did my 88 days of farm work sent me a text saying “Don’t wake up next to a koala’ when I told him I’d be arriving late. I replied “Ehhh, I don’t intend to…? :)”
8. Shark biscuit
“Look at those Shark biscuits trying to become real wax heads”
↳Meaning: someone new to surfing.
And surfers are called wax heads, if you didn’t get that one yet 😉
9. Chuck a sickie
“I’m not feeling so well today, I’m gonna chuck a sickie”
↳ Meaning: to call in sick at work.
Did you know Australians actually get a certain amount of sick days? At my last job I got 10 paid sick days a year. 10! When I worked in The Netherlands I rarely called in sick at work. But in Australia they just ‘give you’ 10 days to be sick. Rightio, mate!
10. To drink with the flies
“Guess I’ll just go to the bottle-o and drink with the flies tonight”
↳ Meaning: to drink alone, all by yourself.
Flies… Oh I remember the flies… When Spring arrived in central NSW there were flies EVERYWHERE! Their favorite part to attack are your eyes and no matter what chemical stuff you spray on, they will hunt you down and annoy the shit out of you. At least in Australia you know you’ll never be alone when you go outside 😉
11. Woop woop
“It’s gonna be a long drive, he lives in woop woop, mate.”
↳ Meaning: the middle of nowhere
Whereas “woop woop!” in Europe and maybe America would generally be used by excited girls “Let’s go have a party, woop woop!”, in Australian slang this means middle of nowhere.
What can I say? I just love the Ozzies and the way they speak. If you came across some other funny Australian expressions then please let me know by leaving a comment below 🙂
All pictures in this blog post were edited with Eef’s Presets – get yours here.
❤ Eef
13 Comments
maria luiten
Bumfucknowhere…the outback…in the middle of nowhere
eefexplores
Hahaha never heard that one before. Thanks! 😃
Anne Marie
Ze zijn echt grappig
Ik kon het goed lezen!
eefexplores
Haha mooi zo mammie! Dan gaan we morgen op je Australische uitspraak oefenen 😉
Keshia
Venemous as a snake! She/he is venemous like a snake. A dangerous person.
eefexplores
That’s also a very typical one! 😀
Chloé
Can’t be fucked. Instead of can’t be bothered 😂😂
eefexplores
Ze zijn ook zo heerlijk grof in de mond he, die Aussies 😉
Monique
Flat out like a lizard meaning overworked, too much work, too busy with work.
eefexplores
Haha never heard of that one, nice!!
Ragnar
A Shark Biscuit is actually a body board rider. They’re also called Esky Lids, Speedbumps and Turtle Fuckers.
eefexplores
Hahahahaha. Oh Aussies ❤️
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