Australia
Before You Go
When You Are There
Language
Offices to Serve You Abroad
The common language of Australia is English, but it has been adapted and modified to form `Strine', a colourful and abbreviated version of the mother tongue. The rather nasal Australian accent is quite distinctive and is spoken without any real regional variation throughout the country. The vocabulary contains a number of words of Aboriginal origin (didgeridoo and kangaroo), but the real joy of `Strine' is its slang. The following is a short list of words and abbreviations you may encounter.
| Australian | English | |
| ABC | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | |
| ACT | Australian Capital Territory (Canberra Area) | |
| ALP | Australian Labor Party | |
| ANZAC | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps | |
| arvo | afternoon | |
| barbie | barbecue | |
| bludger | scrounger | |
| blue | a fight, or a redhead | |
| bottle shop | off license/liquor store | |
| bush | countryside | |
| BYO | bring your own (drink to a restaurant) | |
| cask | wine-box | |
| chook | chicken | |
| chunder | to vomit | |
| cockie | farmer | |
| crook | ill | |
| drongo | slow-witted person | |
| dunny | outside lavatory | |
| esky | large insulated box for keeping beer or refreshments cold | |
| fossicking | hunting for precious stones | |
| galah | a kind of parrot, an idiot | |
| garbo | garbage collector | |
| g'day | good day, traditional Australian greeting | |
| interstate | anything to do with the other Australian states | |
| jackaroo | young male trainee on a station (farm) | |
| joey | baby kangaroo | |
| lair, larrikin | rogue, layabout, ruffian | |
| lamington | a square of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and coconut | |
| lollies | sweets, candy | |
| ocker | an Australian male with crude manners | |
| ripper | good (also `little ripper') | |
| sandshoes | trainers, sneakers | |
| semi-trailer | articulated truck | |
| shoot through | to leave | |
| snags | sausages | |
| sprog | baby | |
| station | large farm or ranch | |
| strides | trousers | |
| stubby | small bottle of beer | |
| Tassie | Tasmania | |
| tinny | can of beer | |
| uni | university | |
| unit | apartment, flat | |
| ute | utility truck (pickup truck) | |
| wowser | prude, killjoy | |
| yakka | work |
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