strewth!it's the

The Illustrated Dictionary of
Australian English

Words and Phrases in Afferbeck Lauder

Ca

cack
1 excrement
The baby cacked its nappy.
2 a person or thing that is extremely funny
That guy is such a cack.
3 to laugh uncontrollably
We were cacking ourselves!
cackhanded
left‐handed
cackle berry
a chickens egg
cactus
not working, ruined
That thing is cactus, mate.
camp
1 stay somewhere temporarily
You can camp at my place until next week.
2 an effeminate homosexual man
He's as camp as a row of tents.
3 a homosexual man whether effeminate or not
Replaced by the word gay since the '70s.
camp oven
cast-iron pot
camp ovenUsed for cooking on a camp fire.
canary
unroadworthy certificate
The cops put a canary on my car!
So called because it is printed on yellow paper.
cane it
to drive fast or accelerate
cane toad
a player for qld
In the State of Origin rugby competition.
Hence, any Queenslander. As opposed to a cockroach.
nrl slang
caper
1 an occupation or job
What caper are you in?
2 behaviour
There was singing and dancing, all that kind of caper.
3 whatever is happening
What's the caper?
captain cook
a look
Let's have a bit of a captain cook around the town..
rhyming slang: captain cook for look
carcass
your body or yourself
Park your carcass on the sofa, mate!
cardie
a cardigan
cark it
to die, to fail or break down completely
carn!
come on!
A sporting barrackers cry.
Carn the Blues!
since the 1960s
carnie
1 an agricultural show worker
2 a carnation
carry on like a pork chop
make a fuss about nothing
cask
a cardboard box for storing and serving wine
Invented by Thomas Angrove, the wine cask contains a lining which collapses as the wine is drawn off, thus preventing contact with air.See goon for more information.
since 1965
cashed-up
having ready money since the 1930s
cat's piss ∼ mean as …
mean, stingy, uncharitable
cattle duffing
the thieving of cattle
Generally involving the alteration of brands.
since the 19th century
celler dwellers
the team at the bottom of a footy competition table
Also known as easybeats.
footy slang

Ch

chain ∼ drag the chain
to shirk or fall behind in one's share of work or responsibilitycolonial slang
chain ∼ on the chain
serving one's sentence as part of a chain gang colonial slang
chalkie
a schoolteacher
But most people just call them teachers.
aussie diminutive since the 1940s
chardonnay socialist
a derogatory political label
Said of someone who pays lip service to left-wing views while enjoying an affluent lifestyle.
charge
to surf extremely well surfing slang since the 1970s
chasey
a schoolyard game
Also known as chasings, tag, tiggy, tig, tip
chateau cardboard
cask wine
A euphemism for cask wine.
chatty
rough, dirty, in poor condition
Originally convict slang meaning infected with lice.
since the 1940s
checkout chick
female working at a supermarket cash register
cheerio
1 goodbye
Cheerio, I'm gunna hit the frog and toad.
2 a cocktail frankfurt in qld & northern nsw
cheesed off
very annoyed
chewie on your boot!
a cry intended to disconcert a footy player taking a kick aussie rules slang
chew & spew
takeaway food shop
chiack
to taunt or tease
chief cook and bottle washer
the person in charge who does every other thing as well
chigger
a flannie-clad, mullet-sporting yobbo
From the name of the Hobart suburb of Chigwell
Qld: bevan∼bogan
NSW: westie
Vic: scozzer
Tas: chigger
tassie slang
chinless wonder
a feeble, pathetic male
chippie
carpenter
Chloe As drunk as Chloe
ChloeEntered the Australian vernacular to describe an extremely pissed person
(i.e. a person who is drunk enough to take off all their clothes in public).
Chloé was purchased by a local surgeon and hung in the National Gallery of Victoria, before puritanical Melburnians successfully campaigned for her removal. She has graced magazine covers, had wine named after her and poems written to her. She has experienced fame and adoration and has won high acclaim from critics. Her career began, like the many models after her, in Paris. She was created and moulded by a Master. She is a Melbourne icon, mascot for the HMAS Melbourne, an extremely fine work of art; she is an ingénue, a nymph, a celebrity. She is Chloé, the famous nude portrait which has graced the walls of the Young and Jackson Hotel since 1909.
Throughout her life, Chloe has kept company with artists, poets, wharfies, Prime Ministers and drunks, soldiers, sailors, celebrities, bushies, labourers and art connoisseurs. Her history involves transformation, death, intrigue, love, war, depression and passion.
Chloe now hangs in Chloe's Bar, so you can enjoy a drink or a meal while you admire this true Australian icon.
chloé has hung in the public bar of young & jackson hotel since 1909
chockers
1 completely full
I couldn't eat another thing, I'm chockers.
2 packed or overcrowded
The restaurant was chockers.
chockie
chocolate
I've brought you a box of chockies.
choko
a pear‐shaped light green fruit eaten as a vegetable
From a South American vine, often grown in backyards.
Said about someone who is totally useless:
He couldn't train a choko vine up a dunny wall.
choof
marijuana
See yarndi for a related term.
choof off
to leave
It's getting late, I might choof off now.
chook
a chicken or a fowl
A chook raffle is a fund-raising in which the prize is a chook.
Who wants a ticket in the chook raffle? It can also mean a situation where the fortunes can go either way.
I might get the job, but it's a chook raffle.
See headless chook for more.
chop & change
to change repeatedly
I wish she'd make her mind up, she keeps choppin and changin.
chuffed
very happy
chuck
1 to vomit
He's chuckin' up.
2 to contribute to the cost of something
We're all chuckin' in for the beer.
3 to throw
In the imperative it is never followed by the personal pronoun me.
You never chuck me anything – you always chuckus.
Chuck us that spanner, Joe.
If the spanner is broken beyond repair, it is chucked out, but not
by a chucker out …
chuck a leftie
turn left
chuck a right
turn right
chuck a uey
do a u-turn
chuck a wobbly
display sudden anger
Truth be known, Aussies don't really approve of people losing their temper — it is seen as overreacting — and this phrase is meant to belittle the behaviour.
There is a veritable plethora of put-downs on this same theme, including
chuck a mental—chuck a nana—chuck a spaz—chuck a willy
chucker out
a bouncer
Someone who removes undesirables from a pub or club.
chunder
to vomit
There are two different views on the origin of this term.
1 a contraction of ‘watch under’
Supposedly shouted by upper-deck passengers, warning those below, before vomiting over the rails.
2 rhyming slang for ‘spew’
Derived from Chunder Loo, a cartoon character created by the Australian artist Norman Lindsay in 1909, advertising boot polish.
aussie slang
circle work
creating circular skid marks with the tyres of a motor vehicle
A popular entertainment aussie-wide.
 

Cl

clapped out
old , worn out
clayton's
1 a proprietory name for an alcohol-free drink
Famous from a 1980s TV ad campaign featuring Jack Thompson.
The drink you can have when you're not having a drink.
2 no choice at all
We've got clayton's choice of where to drink, now the only other pub burnt down.
3 false , fake , substitute
These shark fillets are a claytons for coral trout.
aussie slang
cleanskin
1 an unbranded animal
2 an unbranded wine
clear as mud
confusing
clobber
1 clothes or gear
2 to hit someone
Say that again and I'll clobber you!
clod hoppers
a heavy boot or shoe
clubbie
a member of a surf-lifesaving club surf-lifesaving
clucky
feeling broody or maternal
clued-up
well-informed
cluey
smart , shrewd , well-informed
Ask Joe, he's pretty cluey about boats.
 

Co

coachwood
an australian tree
A light tough wood used for furniture
coathanger
the sydney harbour bridge
cobber
a friend , a mate
Most likely from the Yiddish chaber, meaning comrade.
since the 1890s
cobbler
an eel-tailed catfish wa slang Western Australian Flag
cockeyed bob
a violent squall or storm
Different to a willy-willy, which is a dry wind and generally less powerful.
wa and nt slang Northern Territory FlagWestern Australian Flag
cockatoo
someone who gives the alert
For example, when the police arrive.
So called in reference to the sulphur-crested cockatoo, a parrot which noisily warns the feeding flock of any danger.
since 1827
cock jogs
a brief men's swimming costume
See speedos for a full set of synonyms.
cock up
something that has gone wrong
cockie
a farmer
cocky ∼ like the cocky on the biscuit tin
not in it at all
cockroach
a player for nsw
In the State of Origin rugby competition.
Hence, any person from NSW. As opposed to a cane toad.
nrl slang
codger
an unusual , peculiar person
Often used affectionately.
coldie
a beer
I can't wait to get home and crack a coldie.
since the 1950s
collect
a winning bet
I got a nice collect on the Cup.
racing slang
collywobbles
a condition affecting the collingwood afl team
An affliction which causes them to consistently lose premiership matches.
See Collingwood FC for more information.
aussie rules slang coined by lou richards
come in spinner
1 a timely call to spin the coins in ‘two-up’
2 denoting a subterfuge
Usually a successful swindle or fraud.
compo
a payment made under a workers' compensation scheme
Dad was on compo after his injury at work.
conk
the nose since 1812
conk out
1 to break down
The engine's conked out again.
2 to collapse from exhaustion
I'm buggered, I'll just conk out on the sofa for a while.
connie
1 a tram conductor
Formerly an institution of Melbourne's tramways, prior to the automation of their duties.
2 a playing marble
3 a condom
4 a small stone suitable for throwing
There are a number of similar words from all over the country for this same item, all of which come from Aboriginal languages.
In Vic they have the brinnie, Qld has the gonnie,
SA has the ronnie, all along the east coast there is the connie,
whilst in WA they have the boondie, which also means a large rock, or a sand bomb used by kids. WA also has the coondie.
Australia-wide there is the goolie, and the gibber, the only one for which a definite origin is known.
conservatorium
a school of music
aussie term
convict stain
the symbolic memory of the convict era
For Australians the word convict only ever means a prisoner transported to Australia’s penal colonies.
Elsewhere in the English-speaking world it is a common term for a criminal convicted of an offence and serving time for it. The First Fleet arrived in Sydney in 1788 and within a year convicts sentences started to expire. Within five years, 85% of this cohort were emancipated, and once emancipated they could qualify for land grants. At its heart, convict society contained this central dynamic driving it towards freedom and normality. Most of those transported would spend far more of their lives at liberty than in chains, real or metaphorical. Once emancipated, most ex-convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society. However, convictism carried a social stigma, and for some later Australians being of convict descent instilled a sense of shame and cultural cringe. The convict taint was anathema to polite society, and social distinctions were drawn between free settlers and freed convicts.
This quotation from a novel of the 1890s encapsulates the social anxiety of a young man in love with the wrong kind of girl:

Love her! my God, I do love her!
But if there is this convict stain, what am I to do?

Not until well into the twentieth century did it become common for people to acknowledge convict ancestry with pride, and by that time prisoner was long established as the common word to describe incarcerated criminals. Perhaps the uneasy history of convictism in Australia meant that, following the end of transportation, our forbears just wanted to forget about it. In colonial times a convict was often called a public servant, and this was later applied to anyone who worked for the government.
coo-ee
greeting call from a distance in the bush
cooee ∼ within cooee
at hand, imminent
Are we within cooee of getting this done?
coondie
a rock
Either too large to move or small enough to pick up and throw.
Also called a connie or yonnie.
wa slang Western Australian Flag
coolibah
a eucalypt tree
coolibahBest known from the opening lines of Banjo Paterson's 1895 lyrics for the song Waltzing Matilda.
Often referring to the blue-leaved Eucalyptus microtheca found across central and northern Australia, a fibrous-barked tree yielding a durable timber and occurring in seasonally flooded areas.
from yuwaaliyaay language of northern nsw
Cootamundra wattle
a graceful wattle tree with bluish grey foliage
iCootamundra wattleAcacia baileyana is indigenous to the Cootamundra- Wagga Wagga area of southern NSW, but it has been naturalised as an environmental weed in other areas of Australia and overseas. It is often mistaken for local wattles and planted in gardens. cootamundra-wagga wagga map
cop
to get or receive
As in; He copped a $200 fine.
To cop a feel is to instigate or allow sexual fondling.
To cop a gong is to be awarded some recognition, such as a medal.
To cop the lot is to bear the brunt of some misfortune or to suffer multiple misfortunes at the same time.
To cop it sweet is to get what is coming.
The cops busted me; I had to cop it sweet.
copper
a policeman
Recorded in Britain and the USA in the 1840s.
since the 1880s
cop shop
a police station
An aussie original, now used in Britain and the USA.
since the 1940s
corella
a white australian cockatoo
corellaThe little corella (Cacatua sanguinea), also known as the short-billed corella, bare-eyed cockatoo, blood-stained cockatoo, and little cockatoo is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea.
They are relatively small cockatoos and all have pale bills. While most show yellow-tinged underwings and some red to the face, none has conspicuously coloured crests. It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the Pilbara. They would keep them as pets, or traditionally cook and eat them. The downy feathers are used in traditional ceremonies and dances where they adorn head and armbands.
corker
something excellent
corner country
the region where the borders of qld, sa, nt, and nsw meet
Also called the Corner
corroboree
an aboriginal dance ceremony with song and music
cossie
swimming costume
Also spelt cozzie.
cot
a bed
It's time to hit the cot.
Someone who is incapacitated and is only fit for bed is a cot case.
since the 1930s
country dunny
an outside lavatory
Located well away from the house on a rural property.
Hence, to be all alone like a country dunny is to be totally alone.
iconic australiana
country member
derogatory
He's a cunt, remember?
counter lunch
pub lunch
cow
1 a contemptible person
You miserable cow.
2 a bad-tempered woman
She was a mean old cow.
3 something unpleasant or annoying
I've had a cow of a day.
since the 1890s
cow cocky
a small-scale cattle farmer
 

Cr

crack a fat
get an erection
crack a tinnie
to open a can of beer
crack a wave
to catch a wave and ride it surfing slang since the 1940s
crack the whip
tell people to hurry up and get something done
crack onto
to pursue someone romantically
cranky
ill tempered
crash hot
something that is very good
crate
a run-down, dilapidated vehicle
crawbob
a yabby
Known by this name in coastal Qld & north-east NSW.
Also called a crawchie.
See yabby for more information.
crawler
a person who acts ingratiatingly to another
One of the worst epithets you can apply to someone.
Nearly as bad, and just as common, as a dobber.
since the 1920s
crescent
a shifting spanner in wa and tas
crib
1 a lunch box or bag
Also called a crib bag, crib box, or crib tin.
Hence, a packed lunch or the lunch break.
Originally Cornish dialogue, meaning a barred receptacle for fodder.
2 illegally moving your hand over the line
When shooting in a game of marbles.
crikey!
expression of astonishment
A euphemism for the blasphemous exclamation Christ!
crim
a criminal since the 1940s
cripple
1 among surfers, a derisive word for a kneeboarder
Because, of course, they can't stand up.
2 something totally amazing
It crippled me when Johnno did a three-sixty on that wave.
Such a thing is known as a crippler.
croak
to die
Originally aussie slang, now used elsewhere.
since 1812
crock of shit
nonsense, lies
crook
1 bad, unpleasant, inferior
The weather's crook.
2 ill, injured
I'm feeling a bit crook today.
3 angry
The boss went crook at me.
4 a stolen item
An Aussie original, also used in NZ.
5 a criminal
Originally US slang from the 1870s.
crooked on
angry with
The boss is crooked on me for being late to work.
since the 1940s
cross-country ballet
a derisive term for australian rules football
Not to be confused with cross-country wrestling, which is Rugby League or Union.
crow
Used in phrases such as :
The land where the crow flies backward
meaning any remote outback place
As the crow flies
a measure of distance in a straight line.
To draw the crow
is to be given the worst job.
Stone the crows!
is an exclamation of surprise or delight.
Meaning, Heavens Above! Good Lord!
since the 1920s
crow eater
a person from south australia since the 1880s
crust ∼ make a crust
to earn a living
 

Cu

cuddy
a horse
From a British dialect where it meant a donkey, not a horse.
since the 1890s
cunning ∼ as a shithouse rat
very cunning
cunning kick
a secret pocket for hiding cash
cunt
1 a contemptible person
You cunt!
2 any person
He's a lucky cunt
3 something annoying or frustrating
I can't get this cunt of an engine to run.
4 the vagina
Avoided in polite conversation, the word has given rise to the rhyming slang words berk and drop-kick
Cup ∼ the Cup
the melbourne cup
The Race that Stops a Nation is held annually on the first Tuesday of November at Flemington in Melbourne, Vic.
cuppa
a cup of tea or coffee
cut lunch
a packed lunch, usually sandwiches
cut-lunch commando
a derisive term for a member of the australian army reserve military slang since the 1950sAustralian Army
cut snake ∼ mad as a cut snake
very angry
strewth!it's the

The Illustrated Dictionary of
Australian English

Words and Phrases in Afferbeck Lauder