CNN
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Can you tell “yeah, nah” from “nah, yeah”? Or “woop woop” from “wig out”?
Australians have long taken pride in putting their own spin on the English language.
They have become known throughout the English-speaking world for their penchant for shortening words like “sunglasses” to “sunnies,” “swimsuit” to “swimpers,” “afternoon” to “arvo” – the list goes on.
And over time, Australian slang has become the subject of much online conversation – expressions often become TikTok trends (No, Cleo!) or seep into pop culture.
Amanda Laugesen, editor-in-chief of the Australian National Dictionary at the Australian National University (ANU), tells CNN Travel that many Australian expressions have their roots in British English, but Australian English has also uniquely absorbed words from the country’s indigenous languages.
Fairness and anti-authoritarianism have become a common theme in everyday language over time, says Laugesen.
If you are looking to apply for citizenship or simply planning to visit this southern country, these are some important terms you should definitely know.
In Australia, “yarn” is another word for “chat.” To “yarn” simply means to have a conversation.
A story in itself is a story. For example, someone might “have a story for you.”
According to ANU, Yakka means hard work – or strenuous work.
The word is derived from “yaga”, which means “work” in the Yagara language – the traditional language of the Yagara people who live in the region around present-day Brisbane.
Australians like to use “yeah” as a word before continuing their train of thought. However, it gets a little confusing when you try to figure out if someone is saying “yes” or “no.”
So “yes, no” simply means no.
“Are you coming to the beach today?”
“Yeah, no, I don’t think so.”
Australians use this expression to express their frustration with a situation.
It is sometimes also used as “crazy Brussels sprouts!”
This expression is used by Australians to describe a place that is very far away from them.
Usually it is remote, and sometimes the word also suggests that it is a backward place.
“They live in the Woop Woop.”
That’s what many young Australians say when they’re feeling a little anxious.
Or if you really think too much about a situation, you would say you are “loud.”
Just be calm.
But in real Australian culture, it’s not particularly offensive.
This line comes from the classic Australian film “The Castle,” in which the main character Daryl Kerrigan fights for his house when the bank tries to buy it to build a new airport.
Every time Kerrigan makes an offer, he defends his house with a simple phrase: “Tell him he’s dreaming!”
The expression has now penetrated Australian culture and is often used in response to a seemingly outrageous request.
Laugussen tells CNN Travel that towards the end of the 19th century, Australians began to develop their own distinctive accent and language, which clearly distinguishes Australians from the British.
“A lot of it is quite colloquial and informal,” she says. “It includes what we would now consider typically Australian (mild swear words).”
An example of this informality is the expression “cracking the sh*ts”.
That sounds unpleasant, but it doesn’t mean what most people think.
“Crack the sh*ts” means to get really upset about a situation. It’s pretty much another way of saying “to have a temper tantrum.”
If someone is the “ant-rabbit,” then he is the best.
It is an expression that describes something great
In Australia, a fighter is someone who perseveres, even when things get difficult.
According to the ANU, this can describe a person who “has few natural advantages, who works doggedly for little pay, who struggles to make a living (and who shows courage in doing so).”
Simple: Relax. “Calm your farm” is a way of telling someone to calm down.
Work as hard as you can on a particular task.
For example, if you get a call while you are at work, you could respond with something like, “Can’t talk, I’m totally drunk as a lizard and drinking.”
Don’t worry, don’t worry, everything is fine.
According to ANU, Australian English often uses the feminine pronoun “she”, whereas standard English would use “it”.
“She’ll be right” essentially just means that everything will be fine.
A bogan is an uncultured or uncultured person, according to the ANU dictionary. The term used to be an insult, but has recently become more commonly used in contexts that are “neither derogatory nor negative”, according to the Australian National Dictionary.
The origin of the phrase is unclear. It is thought to be derived from the Bogan River, a river in western New South Wales – but the ANU said it is unlikely to be related. The phrase became widespread in Australian culture after it was used in the television series The Comedy Company in the 1980s.
At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Steven Bradbury was running at the back of the pack in the final of the men’s 1,000-meter short track race when the leader of the pack suddenly fell, taking the other athletes at the front with him.
Bradbury shot through the field by a considerable margin to win gold, becoming Australia’s first Winter Olympic champion.
This moment has become an infamous cultural moment for Australians, hence the expression “do a Bradbury” is used when someone unexpectedly succeeds in doing something they didn’t expect.
“Sook” is a word Australians use when someone doesn’t get their way and is depressed or upset because of it. To have a “sook” means to be in a bad mood. Sometimes Australians say that someone is a “sooky la la” if they remain in a bad mood even though they don’t get what they hoped for.
Interestingly, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word first appeared in Britain in the 1850s and apparently comes from the verb “to suck.” It also appeared in the writings of Lewis Garrard.
However, according to anecdotal reports, it does not seem to have survived in British English. Whatever its origins, it is widely used in spoken Australian English and certainly worth knowing.
A chook is simply a chicken. In Australia, the term is indispensable as fried chickens are sold in supermarkets and are popular with many. Pubs and clubs across the country also hold chook raffles where participants win a chicken.
According to the ANU, the term was first used in 1855 as “chuckey” and has since been used to refer to other birds and sometimes older women in the form “old chook”.
A phrase Australians essentially use to say they’re not stupid. According to the ANU, it can be used to respond to someone who thinks you’re stupid and “indicates that you have more experience or cleverness than you let on.”
Sometimes it is used when someone is trying to explain something that seems obvious to the person doing it. For example:
“Before you go on a hike, you need to check the temperature.”
“Yes, of course! I didn’t come down during the last rainstorm.”
One thing Australians like to do is add an “o” or an “ie” to the end of an abbreviated word to shorten it, says Laugussen. Some of these words are:
Servo: Simply put, a servo is a service station. The word was shortened from service station to “servo”.
Ambo: A paramedic.
Bottle-o: In Australia, you can only buy alcohol in licensed stores that specifically sell drinks, also known as Bottle-O’s.
Arvo: Not to be confused with Avo, which is an avocado – Arvo is the Australian term for the afternoon.
