It was a given that there would be challenges communicating while in Central and South America, as our Spanish was limited.  Trying to converse in Southeast Asia was unthinkable except for some of the most rudimentary salutations and expressions of appreciation.  We thought it would be easy to have in-depth conversations in South Africa; however, we discovered it very difficult at times to understand the locals . . . especially if they were Afrikaners.

Of all the countries we’ve traveled to, in and around, we did not believe a translator would be needed to understand the folks down under.  And I am not talking about the Aborigines.  But just as we have our own local colloquialisms back in the U.S. (e.g., soda, soft drink or pop), it’s become necessary to have an Aussie dictionary to help interpret some of the words and phrases which have caused us to say . . . huh????

Although some of the slang is not used in every day conversations, it is worth mentioning simply because it’s always good to know a few words in the local dialect.  For example . . . You might be on the dunny with your daks down to your ankles when a jumped-up mate exclaims good-on-ya and for lack of understanding you come across as being a bogan, drongo, dills or hoon.  Or while traveling during arvo in your ute in the whoop-whoop you see a knackered blow-in attached by blowies or mozzies while he’s shank’s pony and you do a chuck a U-ey to see if he wants to join you for tea.  (See below to translate.)  The following is a partial list of words and their meanings that are listed in the Lonely Planet guide book for Australia and New Zealand:

arvo – afternoon

avos – avocados

bloke – man (that one we knew already)

blowies – large flies

blow-in – stranger

bluger – lazy person

blue – to have an argument or fight

bogan – young, unsophisticated person

bonzer – great

bot – to obtain by begging

daks – trousers

dill – idiot

drongo – worthless or stupid person

dunny – outdoor toilet

chuck a U-ey – do a U-turn (Australia is very U-turn friendly, which in our case is a good thing.)

fair dinkum – honest, genuine

good on ya – well done

grouse – very good

hoon – idiot, hooligan, yahoo

humbug – begging for a cigarette and drinks

jumped-up – full of self-importance, arrogant

knackered – broken, tired

mate – general term of familiarity, even if you don’t know the person (we knew that one too)

mozzies – mosquitoes

ripper – good

sanger – sandwich

shank’s pony – travel on foot

sheila – woman (heard that one also)

shonky – unreliable

sick (pronounced seek) – good or great

sunnies – sunglasses

tea – evening meal (depending on where you live in the States, could be supper or dinner)

two-pot screamer – someone who cannot hold their alcohol (An extinct species in Australia.)

tucker – food (that’s four we knew before arriving)

ute – short for utility; pick-up truck

whinge – complain, moan

whoop-whoop – Outback, miles from nowhere (been there, done that)

yonks – ages, a long time

In addition, there is a plethora of words referring to various businesses, and here are two:

Woolies – Woolworths (a nationwide grocery store chain)

Macers – McDonalds (yes the same)

Although the following would typically not be used in mixed company back home, it does deserve special recognition, as it is truly one of the most versatile words I have ever encountered.

piss – beer

pissed – drunk

pissed-off – annoyed (Ladies and gentlemen we have a match!)

piss weak – no good, gutless

take the piss (not what you think) – deliberately telling someone a mistruth

There are many more Aussie-specific words that would likely be censored by our Cooney World Adventures web master (aka Catrell) if I included them.  I am just hoping my tribute to the versatility of the word piss remains, as I am sure you will find it highly educational and informative.  Or maybe not, but it helps to understand the local culture and is part of the travel mystique.