Free Settler or Felon
Convict and Colonial History




Australian Slang - Local Lingo

Unique Phrases - Memorable Quotes - A


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


According to Watkin Tench who who arrived on the Charlotte with the First Fleet in 1788....

A leading distinction, which marked the convicts on their outset in the colony, was a use of what is called the Flash or kiddy language. In some of our early courts of justice an interpreter was frequently necessary to translate the deposition of the witness and the defence of the prisoner. I have ever been of opinion that an abolition of this unnatural jargon would open the path to reformation. And my observations on these people have constantly instructed me that indulgence in this infatuating cant is more deeply associated with depravity and continuance in vice than is generally supposed.

James Hardy Vaux author of Vocabulary of the Flash Language, Australia's first dictionary, penned at Newcastle in 1812, wrote that to speak good flash is to be well versed in cant terms. Vaux' Vocabulary of the Flash Language lays down many words that can still be found in our language today, e.g.,....croak = to die; bolt = to run. Others have long fallen into disuse e.g., chant = dwelling place; cly-faker = pickpocket.

Just as words from the flash language have disappeared, so too are some slang words disappearing from our language e.g., cobber = mate; blow = to boast. In their place come new words eg., sus = suspicious; blind = drunk.

Added to the slang words below are unique Australian phrases and memorable quotes.

A

ABSENTEE - a runaway convict, usually one who had gone missing from assigned service rather than a convict who escaped from confinement to take up criminal life as a bushranger

A BAKER'S DOZEN - 13 of something

ABDUL - Turkish soldier WW1

A BIT OFF - in poor taste

ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY - beyond doubt; you better believe it

A BUM - Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum - said by Prime Minister Bob Hawke following Australia's victory in the 1983 America's Cup

ACACIA - also known as "Wattle," "Mulga," "Giddea," and in some areas "Sally, being an Anglicized form of the aboriginal name Sallee (Morris: 1898)

ACCADACCA - slang for ACDC rock band

ACE - excellent

ACE - WW1 pilot who had shot down 5 or more enemy aircraft

ACE IT UP - be asked to improve performance

ACH-WILLIE - A. W. L. (WW2)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY - acknowledgment of traditional custodianship of the land at the commencement of functions, meetings and presentations of government departments, various sporting events, schools, universities and many other organisations. The ceremony has come to be resented by many non-indigenous Australians who believe it to be an example of tokenism. Indigenous activist Noel Pearson has warned the Acknowledgement of Country is being overused, diminishing the significance of the practice. See also 'Welcome to Country'

A COLD ONE – Beer

ACROSS THE DITCH - to cross the Ditch means crossing the Tasman Sea to Australia from New Zealand, or vice versa

ACT - Australian Capitol Territory - Canberra

ACT THE GOAT - behave foolishly

A CUP OF TEA, A BEX AND A GOOD LIE DOWN - marketing phrase for APC powders in 1960's

ADD INSULT TO INJURY - to make things worse than they already are

A DEAD CERT - horse race that is sure to win

A DETERMINED SOUL WILL DO MORE WITH A RUSTY MONKEY WRENCH THAN A LOAFER WILL ACCOMPLISH WITH ALL THE TOOLS IN A MACHINE SHOP - Quote - Robert Hughes 1938-2012. Australian-born art critic, writer.

ADFA - Australian Defence Force Academy

A DINGO TOOK MY BABY - A cry by Lindy Chamberlain in 1980 when she found her baby missing

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA - Portrait of Caroline Chisholm painted by A.C. Hayter

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR - The opening line of Australia's national anthem, expressing the aspiration for progress and unity for all of Australians. It is performed at various Australian ceremonies including Australia Day, ANZAC Day, some sporting events, as well as at school assemblies and awards ceremonies like the Olympics
On 1st January 2021 with the aim of honouring those with indigenous heritage, the second line of the anthem was changed from 'For we are young and free' to 'For we are one and free'

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are one and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

AERIAL PING PONG - Australia Rules Football

A FEW STUBBIES SHORT OF A SIX PACK - a little slow

A FEW SANDWICHES SHORT OF A PICNIC - a little slow

A FROG IN THE THROAT - a sore throat

AGGRO - aggressive

A GOOD BUST - a drunken spree, e.g. by a swagman when his work was finished

A GOOD MARK - a person who pays his men their wages without delay or drawbacks c. 1845

A HAIR PAST A FRECKLE - response when asked the time

AH WELL! IT'S COME TO THIS AT LAST - reported to be the last words of Ned Kelly

AIN'T - abbreviation of is not

AIR CON - Air conditioning

AIRY FAIRY - vague

AKUBRA - wide brimmed felt hat

ALDERMAN LUSHINGTON IS CONCERNED - said by convicts about a person who is drunk

A LEGEND - a great bloke

A LEMON AVENUE - a wowser

ALEXANDER PALM - Native Qld tree formerly used for making exquisite walking sticks (Morris: 1898)

ALF A MO - fraction of a second

ALICE, (THE) - Alice Springs

A LIFE LIVED IN FEAR IS A LIFE HALF LIVED - from Baz Luhrmann's movie Strictly Ballroom

ALL FROTH AND NO BEER - superficial, no substance

ALL IN - exhausted

ALL IS SET ON THE SIDE - term used in two-up

ALL THE GO - in vogue

ALL THE WAY WITH LBJ - a remark made by Prime Minister Harold Holt while visiting President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House during the Vietnam War era

ALL TIP AND NO ICEBERG - Paul Keating describing Peter Costello

ALL TO PIECES - to fall away

ALL OVER HER LIKE A RASH - can t keep his hands to himself

ALL OVER RED ROVER - finished

ALL PISS AND VINEGAR - sour, trouble-making person

ALL SIZZLE AND NO STEAK - not living up to expectations

ALL WRONG - runaway prisoner c. 1830s - 1840s

ALL YOUR CHRISTMASES HAVE COME AT ONCE - unexpected good luck

ALWAYS BACK THE HORSE NAMED SELF-INTEREST, SON. IT'LL BE THE ONLY ONE TRYING - Jack Lang

AMBER FLUID - beer

AMBO - paramedic

APM - 1. A Permanent malingerer. 2. Assistant provost marshall, an unpopular staff officer

AMSCRAY - scram

ANCHORS - brakes on a car

AND THE ARMY WHICH ALMOST FORCED A WICKED RELIGION UPON THE WORLD IS BEATEN AND HARMLESS THROUGH THE HEROISM OF THE WORLD'S GOOD MEN. WE ARE FREE TO BE HAPPY AGAIN. SIXTY THOUSAND AUSTRALIANS BROUGHT US THIS HAPPINESS WITH THEIR LIVES – Charles Bean, Official War Correspondent on the occasion of the presentation of Peace Souvenir Medals 1919

ANDREW MILLAR - nautical term among smugglers to describe revenue cutter

ANKLE BITER - small child

ANNIVERSARY DAY - Australia Day was first known as Anniversary Day - Celebration of the raising of the British Flag in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788

ANNUAL - a bath

ANTS PANTS - a person who thinks they are just the best

ANTY-UP a game of cards played for tobacco c. 1891

ANY TICK OF THE CLOCK - about to happen soon

ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corp

ANZAC BISCUITS -sent to soldiers in WW1, because they were able to keep for a long time

ANZAC BUTTON - nail used instead of a trouser button (WW1)

ANZAC DAY RULE - a tradition in Canberra that heaters should not be used before Anzac Day

ANZAC SOUP - shell hole water polluted by a corpse (soldier slang WW1)

ANZAC WAFER - army biscuit (WW1)

ANZUS TREATY - Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty - collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region

A PENNY SHORT OF A POUND - someone who is a bit stupid/slow

APPLE ISLE - Tasmania

APPROVER - one who gives evidence to prove the guilt of a criminal colleague. Often used in convict/bushranger days

ARCHIE - anti aircraft shell /gun WW1

ARC UP - to lose your temper

ARE YOUR EARS ON BACKWARDS? - didn't you hear me?

ARE YOUR EARS PAINTED ON? - as above - said to someone who isn't listening

ARGUE THE TOSS - dispute a decision

ARGY BARGY - argument

ARMY NERVOUS CORP - Army Service Corps (soldier slang WW1)

AROUND THE TWIST - insane

ARSE OVER TIT - falling over

ARSE UP - upside down

ARSE WIPE - an idiot; unpleasant person

ARSEY - lucky

ARSEY BASTARD - very lucky

ARTESIAN - colonial beer (Vic.,)

ARVO – Afternoon

A SHINGLE SHORT - wrong in the head

AS HAPPY AS LARRY - very happy

AS POPULAR AS A POLLY WAFFLE IN A PUBLIC POOL - not very popular at all

AS SCARCE AS HEN'S TEETH - very rare/ hard to find

AS SMOOTH AS SILK - everything went ok

AS TOUGH AS A UTE FULL OF MALLEE ROOTS - tough, hardy

AS USEFUL AS TITS ON A BULL - useless

ASH WEDNESDAY BUSHFIRES - a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983

ASHES, (THE) - Ongoing series of Cricket Tests between Australia and England

ASHTON'S CIRCUS - founded by ex-convict James Ashton in 1851

ASK THE LEYLAND BROTHERS - an Australian television show by Mike and Mal Leyland that screened in 1970s and 80s answering viewers' questions about natural history and places of interest in outback Australia

ASSIGNED SERVANT - convict allotted to a settler as a servant

ATMOTIC SHIP - (from Greek word for vapour) Convict surgeon William Bland patented the Atmotic Ship, Australia's first airship in 1851

AT THAT - meaning something in addition to, e.g. 'dear at that' the price is understood to be expensive

AUNTY - Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is sometimes informally referred to as "Aunty"

AURORA AUSTRALIS - southern hemisphere atmospheric phenomenon that be seen from Tasmania, New Zealand and Antarctica during winter months. Similar to Northern lights

AUSSIE - an Australian soldier's magazine published at ANZAC headquarters in France c. 1917 -18 for ciculation among the troops

AUSSIE/S - abbreviation of Australian. Often refers to Australian-born citizens of Anglo-Celtic descent

AUSSIE SALUTE – Wave to shoo the flies

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE! OI, OI, OI! - A popular chant often heard at sporting events and patriotic gatherings.

AUSTRALIA - In the introduction to 'A voyage to Terra Australis' published 1814, Matthew Flinders wrote: 'Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the original term, it would have been to convert it into Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and as an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth'

AUSTRALIA DAY - The official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it is anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip

AUSTRALIAN CRAWL - Possibly first used in Australia by Solomon Islander Alick Wickham c. 1890s. In the early 1900's Australian Olympic champion Fanny Durack also perfected the stroke, now commonly known as freestyle.

AUSTRALIA FELIX - Latin for fortunate Australia or happy Australia . The name given by Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell to lush pasture in parts of western Victoria in 1836.

AUSTRALIAN FLAG - (showing the Australian Flag) - the bottom of a shirt; used derisively by new chums to describe un-tucked shirt of bushmen who wore belts instead of braces (Morris 1898)

AUSTRALIAN FLYING CORPS (AFC) squadrons raised during 1914-1918

AUSTRALIAN GRIP - a hearty handshake. The bushman shakes hands very heartily - a long grip with the whole hand, following three deep shakes. He does not crush your hand but is sarcastic about the limp shakes and one finger shakes of people out from England (c.1890)

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE - AIF - when war was declared in 1914 volunteers from sheep stations, banks, schools flocked to join the 'expeditionary force' (AIF)

AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE - mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I

AUSTRALIAN TURPIN - bushranger

AUSTRALIA'S GOLDEN GIRL - Olympian Betty Cuthbert

AUSTRALIA'S GRACE DARLING - Nickname given to Mrs Eliza Dick who was honored for her bravery in rescuing several people in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day 1863

AUSTRALORP - Australian breed of chicken valued for egg production (1946)

AVAGOODWEEKEND - Have a good weekend

AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN BLOKE - I'd like to be seen as an average Australian bloke. I can't think of... I can't think of a nobler description of anybody than to be called an average Australian bloke - John Howard

AVO - Avocado

AWAKE - to know all

AWAY WITH THE PIXIES - day dreaming

AWNING OVER THE TOY SHOP - a man's beer gut

AXLE GREASE - butter

AY? - what did you say?