D
- dack
- 1 trousers
Generic use of a trademark.
2 to pull someone's pants down
I was dacked in front of everyone.aussie slang since the 1960s
- dad & dave
- a shave
After the two comical characters created by Steele Rudd in the late 19th century. Sometimes used to mean grave.rhyming slang: dad and dave for shave
- dag
- 1 a character
Someone eccentric but entertainingly so.first recorded in 1916
2 a socially awkward person, usually an adolescent
Someone who doesn’t buy into fashion and is hopelessly resigned to being themselves.popular since the 1960s
3 a lump of excrement-matted wool on a sheep's rear
The word was originally daglock, from a British dialect.borrowed into aussie english in the 1870s
Commonly used in the phrase rattle your dags.first recorded in the 1980s
- daggy
- out of fashion, uncool
I'm wearing my old dacks; they're not too daggy, are they? - dags
- comfortable old clothes
Usually worn around the house. - dagwood dog
- a battered sausage fried on a stick
Also called a pluto pup, or in SA, a dippy dog. - dam
- an artificial pond with earth walls
A classic australianism.
Outside Australia it refers only to the wall. - damages
- cost or expense
- damper
- a kind of bread
Traditionally baked in the ashes of a camp-fire, served with a mug of billy tea.
first recorded in the 1820s
- dandy
- a container of an individual serving of ice-cream
Used in SA, elsewhere known as a dixie.sa slang
- Dapto briefcase
- a cask of wine
Used in Wollongong NSW, after the township of Dapto.
Also called a Bellambi handbag.nsw slang
- darl
- darling
Also in the form: Hurry up darls, we'll be lateaussie slang since the 1930s
- Darwin rig
- mens' formal dress in the top end
Essentially there is no need for a jacket. The collar and tie is replaced with an open-necked shirt, long trousers are replaced with shorts and long white socks. Stubbies and t-shirts are out. In recent years standards have been more relaxed. It may now incorporate thongs as footwear but they must be high quality 'double pluggers'.
Also called a territory rig.nt slang
- Darwin stubby
- an exceptionally large bottle of beer
Created by Carlton United Breweries (CUB) when it began brewing NT Draught in 1957.
While more recently made Darwin stubbies hold a mere two litres of beer, they originally held the equivalent of six regular-size stubbies. The oversize bottle was used because of the logistics of shipping bottles large distances.
In May 2015 CUB announced that they will no longer brew NT Draught on a regular basis.nt
- date
- anus
- David Murrays ∼ no David Murrays
- no worries
From a well-known furniture store in Adelaide.sa rhyming slang
- Dawn Service
- a commemorative ceremony
Held at dawn on Anzac Day, April 25.
It is the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli of the ANZAC troops in 1915.first recorded in the 1920s
D
- dead horse
- tomato sauce
rhyming slang: dead horse for sauce
- deadly
- excellent, fantastic, cool
She was a deadly spunk in an even deadlier skirt.
The word has crossed-over into the speech of white adolescents, especially in the Northern Territory.aboriginal english slang since the 1980s
- deadly treadly
- a bicycle
Lacking in accessories such as brakes, lights, etcetera.
ocker slang
- dead set
- 1 without a doubt
I'm dead set against it
2 totally , utterly
He's a dead set nong.
3 honestly , fair dinkum
Dead set! - deadshit
- an annoying person
- dead'un
- a horse that is deliberately run to lose
- dekko
- a close look
Originally British army slang from India, from the Hindi dekho
aussie slang since the 1950s
- deli
- a delicatessen
In SA, WA, Qld, and elsewhere a deli is a milk bar or corner store, rather than a shop selling expensive food items.
aussie slang since the 1970s
- der
- a mocking exclamation indicating stupidity
Representing the natural exclamation of a brainless person attempting to think.
A der brain is a fool or an idiot.
aussie slang since the 1970s
- dero ∼ derro
- a person without a home , job , or property
aussie slang since the 1960s
- desert art
- a style of modern australian aboriginal art
Originating at Papunya, NT in the early 1970s.
Also known as Papunya Tula
aboriginal australia
D
- dial
- the face
- dice
- to throw away, discard, reject
The bookie diced his sheets when he saw the copper approaching. - dick daks ∼ dick togs
- a brief men's swimming costume
See speedos for a full set of synonyms. - didgeridoo
- the oldest wind instrument on the planet
There are numerous names for the instrument among the Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia, none of which closely resemble the word didgeridoo.
In everyday conversation bilingual Aboriginal people will often use the word interchangeably with the instrument's name in their own language.Although it has been suggested that this must be a borrowing from an Australian language it is not one. The name probably evolved from white people's ad hoc imitation of the sound of the instrument.
- dig
- 1 an innings in cricket
- 2 a cutting or sarcastic remark
- digger
- 1 any australian soldier
Originally a goldminer, then applied to soldiers from WWII.
2 a form of casual address
Especially to older men. Abbreviated to Dig - digger hat
-
an australian army slouch hat - dill
- a fool or simpleton
aussie slang since the 1940s
- dilly bag
- a small handwoven bag used by aborigines
Hence, a toiletries bag or similar.
From the Aboriginal language Yagara, from the Brisbane region. - ding
- a dent
Especially in a car panel or surfboard. - dingbat
- an eccentric, peculiar, or stupid person
A mild insult, originally US slang from the 1870s.
aussie slang since the 1910s
- ding-dong
- 1 a strenuously contested fight
There's a ding-dong behind the pub!
2 powerful
I've got a ding-dong headache… - dingo
- 1 the native dog
A wild dog, Canis lupus dingo, brought to Australia about 4000 years ago by Indonesian seafarers. Usually tawny-yellow in colour, with erect ears, a bushy tail and distinctive gait, and with a call resembling a howl or yelp rather than a bark.
It is endangered by hybridisation with feral domestic dogs.
2 a coward
A menace to pastoralists, to be trapped, shot, or poisoned at every opportunity; an animal detested by all, with a bounty on his head.
Consequently, any cowardly human, who refuses to face his responsibilties or his opponents, is a dingo.
To turn dingo on someone is to betray them.
aussie slang since the 1860s
- dingo's breakfast
- a piss and a good look around
In other words, no breakfast at all.
Also called a bushman's breakfast. - dink
- to carry a second person
On a bicycle or horse.
Same meaning as barie - dinkum
- genuine, true
A dinkum Aussie
Appeared first in the phrase fair dinkum in 1881 in Britain, in 1890 in Australia, and as a separate word dinkum, from 1905.
From Derbyshire and Lincolnshire dialects, meaning work or due share of work.
Altered variously to dink, true-dinks, and dinky-di.
aussie slang since 1905
- dinky
- of small size, dainty
- dip out
- 1 to opt out or not join in
Sorry, I'll have to dip out of the next beer.
2 to miss out on an opportunity
I waited for the free lunch, but dipped out.
3 to fail
Johnno dipped out in the first round. - dipstick
- a loser, an idiot
- dip your lid
- to lift your hat as a mark of respect
Hence, to show admiration, as in I dips me lid.
An allusion to the Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis who dips his lid upon first meeting his lady-love Doreen
published in 1915
- dirty
- 1 angry, seething
He was dirty on me for not inviting him.
aussie slang since the 1960s
2 to betray or cheat
He did the dirty on me.
british slang since the 1910s
3 as emphasis
A dirty big black snake.
ocker slang
- dishlicker
- a racing greyhound
Or any dog. - divvy
- 1 a dividend, payout, or collect
- 2 a portion of profits
Hence, to divvy up means to share out. - divvy van
- a police van
For conveying persons in custody.
So called because of the dividing section which separates the police from the prisoners. - dixie
- a container of an individual serving of ice-cream
Known as a dandy in SA.
D
- do
- 1 a festivity or party
We're having a big do next week.
2 to injure
He did his ankle jumping from the train.
3 to spend all your money
He did his dough at the races.
4 to be admirable
Used as a compliment or statement of phrase, as in
You'll do, mate! or How about that fullback? He'll do me!
5 to assault or beat up
As in the term do over.
Originally a Kiwi term from the 1860s.
aussie slang since the 1940s
- do a Melba
- to return from retirement multiple times
-
Alluding to the opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, who famously gave a number of farewell performances. - dob
- 1 to inform on
A cardinal sin. Aussies are noted for a deep-seated reluctance to report any fellow citizen to anyone in a position of authority. Police, bosses, foremen, wives, etc, must do their own detecting. I'll tell you if you promise not to dob me in. Hence, a dobber is a telltale or informer.
2 to contribute funds to a collection
I dobbed in twenty dollars for her present.
aussie slang since the 1950s
- doctor
- a cool southerly sea breeze
One that blows after a hot day in the south-west of WA.
In Perth it is known as the Freemantle Doctor. - dodger
- 1 bread
- 2 an advertising leaflet
aussie slang since the 1890s
- dodgy
- 1 suspicious, underhand
He's one of those dodgy salesmen.
2 unstable, unreliable
Those foundations look a bit dodgy. - doer
- a hard and keen worker
A terms of respect, the opposite of a bludger.
aussie slang since the 1900s
- dog
- 1 an informer
- 2 a prison warder
underworld slang
- dog & bone
- telephone
rhyming slang: dog & bone for phone
- dog fence
- the longest continuous barrier on earth
Also called the dingo fence, it keeps these predators in the north away from sheep country in the south. It stretches 5,614 kms from Jimbour on the Darling Downs, ending above the Great Australian Bight near Nundroo.
It is a pest-exclusion fence that was built to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Qld.
Although the fence has helped reduce the loss of sheep to predators, the exclusion of dingoes has allowed for increased pasture competition from rabbits, kangaroos and emus. Sheep are also being lost to increasing numbers of feral dogs.
See rabbit‑proof fence for a similar fence
constructed during the 1880s
- dog's eye
- a meat pie
rhyming slang since the 1950s: dog's eye for pie
- dog's balls
- something obvious
It sticks out like dog's balls! - dog's breakfast
- a mess
- dog tied up
- an unpaid debt
aussie slang since 1905
- dole
- social security benefits for an unemployed person
- dole bludger
- a derisive term for an unemployed person
Especially one who does not make an attempt to find work.
See bludger for more.
aussie slang since the 1970s
- do like a dinner
- to vanquish
aussie slang since the 1840s
- dolled up
- dressed attractively
- dong
- to hit or punch
I donged him on the head.
aussie slang since the 1910s
- donga
- a temporary dwelling
Hence, a demountable building, especially in a mining area. - donkey vote
- a stupid vote
In a parliamentary election, voters numerically rank each candidate in order of preference.
Voters who merely number the candidates in the order they are listed on the ballot paper (without regard for the merits of the candidates) are said to be casting a donkey vote.
aussie slang since 1962
- donkey-lick
- to defeat with ease
aussie slang since the 1890s
- donk
- the engine in a car, boat, etcetera
- doona
- a quilted bedspread
Originally a trademark, now used generically.
Elsewhere called a duvet.
A doona day is a kind of sanctioned sickie when you slop about the house in pyjamas and snuggle up on the couch with your doona. - doover
- a utility term for anything
Originally Aussie military slang from World War I.
Also expanded to dooverlackie. - do the bolt
- to run away or abscond
- do your dough
- lose all your money
The phrase to do your dough, usually by gambling, is an Aussie original. Dough was originally US slang from the 1850s.
aussie slang since the 1920s
- down the gurgler
- irretrievably lost or destroyed
aussie slang since the 1970s
- down under
- australia
-
Men at Work - Down Under - Also used of NZ and of Australia & NZ together.
since the 1880s
D
- drag the chain
- to lag behind
Originally from the shearing sheds, a term for the slowest shearer
aussie slang since the 1910s
- drinking with the flies
- drinking alone
- drop-kick
- an unpleasant, contemptible person
He's a real drop-kick.
From the Aussie Rules term for a drop-kick and punt.
rhyming slang: drop-kick and punt for cunt
- drongo
- a fool, a stupid person, a simpleton
Originally an RAAF term for a raw recruit, derived from the name of a well‑credentialled racehorse who could do just about anything … except win a race.
He was retired in 1925 after thirty-seven starts led to thirty-seven losses.aussie slang since the 1940s
- drop bear
- a native marsupial
A large, arboreal, predatory marsupial, Thylarctos plummetus, related to the koala.
Around the size of a large dog, having coarse orange fur with some darker mottled patterning.
A hazard in most cities, towns, and the bush, it appears yearly on 1st April. They hunt by ambushing unsuspecting tourists, dropping as much as eight metres from trees to attack, waiting up to four hours to make a surprise kill.aussie slang since the 1960s
- drop the kids off at the pool
- a euphemism for defecation
- drum
- reliable news or information
What's the drum for the next race?
Roughly equivalent to oil.
aussie slang since 1910
- drover
- someone who herds cattle or sheep
-
For the drovers life has pleasures,
That the townsfolk never know.
Clancy of the Overflow by A.B. Paterson - dry as a dead dingo's donger
- extremely thirsty
coined by barry humphries in the 1970s
D
- duck's disease
- shortness of stature
- duck's guts ∼ duck's nuts
- a very good thing
- ducks on the pond!
- female approaching!
A warning cry that a woman is approaching a traditionally all-male environment. It is a reminder that men should modify their language and behaviour to avoid giving offence.
First used in shearing sheds, now heard elsewhere, especially in a pub. - duckshove
- to evade a responsibility
- duco
- the paintwork of an automobile
A trademark registered in 1927, now used generically. - dud
- 1 a loser
That guy is an absolute dud.
2 to swindle or cheat
After they left with my money I realised I had been dudded.
3 something that is malfunctioning
Your car is a dud. - duds
- trousers
Hang on while I get me duds on.
aussie slang since the 1920s
- duff
- 1 to steal cattle
Colonial Australian slang.
2 to make an error
It was an easy putt, but he's duffed it.
3 to be up the duff
To be pregnant. - dummy ∼ spit the dummy
- have a tantrum
- dumper
- a wave in shallow water
One which crashes down instead of breaking evenly from the top. - dunny
- a lavatory
Iconic Australiana, originally located some distance outside the house it served.
Hence To be all alone like a country dunny is to be entirely alone.aussie slang since the 1840s
- durry
- a cigarette
Short for ‘Bull’ Durham, a brand of rolling tobacco, and hence originally a roll-your-own cigarette.
Used particularly in the Australian Defence Forces.aussie diminutive since the 1940s
- dust up
- a fight or mellee
