In a recent Buzzfeed article a number of Americans were enlisted to try to guess the meaning of some Aussie slang words. Hilarity ensued, when ute (“utility vehicle”) was guessed to be a “cowboy” or a term of abuse, while dunny (“toilet”) was defined as “vagina”. They did very well with some words though, guessing that sunnies are “sunglasses” (one also suggested they may be “boobs”) while someone guessed correctly that budgie smugglers are Speedo’s or other swimwear for men (think about it…).

I enjoyed the idea so much that I decided to do a mini experiment myself. My subject was my American-born husband, Matthew. However, he’s already very well acquainted with Aussie English. He’s made an effort to learn the dialect and when he’s in Australia he occasionally attempts to speak with an Aussie accent (although he sounds more like a New Zealander…)

Matthew already knows that Macca’s is MacDonald’s, footy is football, a jumper is a sweater, a bikkie is a biscuit (which is a cookie). He knows that uni is short for “university”, the nickname for Karen is Kaz, and Barry becomes Baz. He knows that when I’m crook I’m feeling sick, that something which is fair dinkum is honest, genuine, and true, and that he’s a bloke (and a spunky one at that!).

So, I had to choose words which I thought would be new to him, which proved to be more difficult than I first thought. I gave him these words without word class or example sentences, so he couldn’t make an educated guess based on context. Here are the words with his full responses.

Chunder: “Do you come from the land down chunder? It sounds like chum. It’s fish guts to attract sharks?”

(Chunder is vomit. We also have the tasteful phrases spew, chuck up, and liquid laugh.)

Coit: “I know what coitus is…Hmm, my answer’s not coit there.”

(Coit is ass/arse. We also use clacker and bum. FYI – Fanny does not mean “bottom” in Aussie English! It means women’s genitalia…)

Bondi cigar: “A vibrator or dildo? It’s not a sex toy?”

(I think I alluded to this phrase being rude by the way I said it. Bondi is one of Australia’s most famous beaches, and a Bondi cigar is a turd spotted floating in the water, when you’re swimming!)

Coldie: “A cold beer?”

(A coldie is a beer, not necessarily a cold one, but I’ll give him a “correct” on this one. This man knows Australian culture very well. Everything has something to do with beer!)

Dero: “A derelict?”

(Correct! Dero is a shortening of “derelict”, and means a homeless person, a tramp, or hobo. You see, Matthew already knows the formula to translate some Aussie slang. Many words ending with -o, -y, or -ie are abbreviations. For example, mozzie = mosquito, while arvo = afternoon.)

Blue: “Something naughty?”

(In its adjectival form, blue is risque or x-rated, as it is in the States. More commonly, in its nominal form, a blue is an argument or a fight.)

Grundies: “Dirty underwear?”

(I’ll give him a point here. Grundies are undies, short for underwear, or boxer shorts. Not necessarily soiled ones! Grundies is rhyming slang for Reg Grundy, an Australian television mogul.)

Plonk: “Is that something you do in the toilet? It sounds like onomatopoeia.”

(Plonk is cheap alcohol, especially cheap wine. It usually suggests the booze is also nasty.)

Cobber: “That’s someone who fixes your shoes!”

(Not “cobbler”! Cobber is a friend, like mate. It’s a term found mostly in older Australian English. It’s also a name for a chocolate-covered caramel, like a milk dud.)

Digger: “A miner?”

(A digger can be a gold miner, but most commonly, it is a term for an Australian or New Zealand soldier, especially a war veteran. I’ll give him a point for this one though.)

Reffo: “A referee?”

(This was a clever guess with him again using the secret Strine formula! But a reffo is short for a refugee.)

Larrikin: “A cross between a lorakeet and a toucan?”

(A larrikin is a cheeky young man, or a trouble making prankster. It’s still used but is more of an older term.)

Sanger: “Here in America we have country and western sangers.”

(A sanger is a sandwich.)

Tingle: “The feeling that someone is talking about you behind your back? Or the feeling one gets from climbing the rope in P.E. back in high school?”



(Tich. This means to give someone a telephone call, as in, “I’ll give you a tingle this arvo”.)

Nuddy: “It sounds like nutty. Hmm. Hand me that nuddy? No? Is it short for a place called Nudgeworth?”

(Being in the nuddy means being naked.)

Banger: “As in bangers and mash?”

(Correct! A banger is a sausage. As soon as I asked him I realized that this phrase has made it’s way into American culture via British-style pubs.)

Seppo: “Isn’t that an American? I think Septic Tank was a chain of pubs.”

(Correct! A Seppo is an American person. Seppo is short for “septic tank”, and in rhyming slang septic tank = Yank.)

Tinny: “Too much treble in music?”

(A tinny is a can of beer.)

Yakka: “Someone who won’t shut up?”

(Yakka is work, and hard yakka is a common phrase meaning hard work.)

Hooroo: A kangaroo who comes around a lot but they haven’t named it yet?”

(Hooroo means goodbye. It might be pronounced as “oo-roo!” We also say cheerio or toodle-oo!)

Matthew scored a total of 6 out of 20 possible points for his guesses. This isn’t bad at all, considering that these are tricky phrases!

Hooroo everyone!

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