S
- sacred site
- a place of spiritual significance
They may be hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, plains and other natural features of the landscape, ranging in size from a single stone or plant to an entire mountain range. In coastal and sea areas they may include features which lie both above and below water.
Some are obvious, such as ochre deposits, rock art galleries, or spectacular natural features. In other instances they may be unremarkable to an outside observer.
They are recognised and protected as an integral part of the national cultural heritage, under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and the Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act.
aboriginal australia - sandgroper
- a person from western australia
Either born in WA, or regards it as his or her home. - salute ∼ the great australian salute
- to brush flies away
Also known as a barcoo salute or bush salute, it is the waving of one's hand in front of the face at regular intervals in order to prevent bush flies from landing on it, or entering one's nose or mouth. - saltbush
- a plant that grows in saline areas
A familiar sight over large areas of the dry desert country of Australia, it is a sprawling grey-blue shrub growing up to 3m high. It is a long living plant, growing strongly after periods of summer rain, producing long tassels of flowering seed heads.
Aboriginal Australians collect the seeds to grind and roast to make damper. - saltie
- saltwater crocodile
The swamps, rivers and estuaries across the north are home to one of the biggest, fiercest — and perhaps most misunderstood — predators in the world.
Crocodylus porosus are the world’s largest living reptile, growing up to 6m long and weighing up to a tonne.
Protected since 1970, the population is around 100,000 in the NT alone and probably more than 150,000 Australia-wide.
aussie diminutive
- Salvos
- the salvation army
The Army's purposes are:
It is also the nickname of their op-shops. Let's go down to the salvos.
The advancement of the Christian religion …
of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.
founded by william booth in 1865
- sanga ∼ sanger, sambo
- a sandwich
aussie diminutive
- sav
- saveloy
A highly seasoned sausage, boiled and consumed at fairs, fêtes, agricultural shows and sporting events. Often covered in dead horse and served on a slice of bread or in a bread roll.
Also known as a cheerio.aussie diminutive
S
- scallywag
- rascal, mischievious person
- schnozz
- nose
- school of the air
- a system of schooling for children in rural and remote areas
Pioneered in Australia in 1951 to supplement correspondence education. Teachers use high-frequency, two-way radio to broadcast lessons and communicate with students. Email, the internet, video, and fax are also used today.
It remains the most important means of education for children who have no access to school. - schooner
- 1a 285 ml glass of beer in queensland
- 2a medium glass of beer in south australia
This word is understood around the country.
For more information see
beer, middy, and seven. - scozzer
- a flannie-clad, mullet-sporting yobbo
Australia-wide known as a bogan
Qld: bevan NSW: westie Tas: chigger vic slang
- scratchy
- instant lottery ticket
Played by scratching the ticket to reveal a prize (if won). - screamer ∼ two pot screamer
- a person who has a low tolerance of alcohol
- screamer
- a spectacular overhead mark
Regarded by many fans of aussie rules as the epitome of skill. aussie rules
- scungies
- a brief men's swimming costume
See speedos for a full set of synonyms. - scungy
- unpleasant
S
- secret business
- ceremony and ritual that is open only to a particular group
The word business in this term is from Aboriginal English, and means ‘traditional Aboriginal lore and ritual’, and is recorded from 1907. Secret business is first recorded much later in 1986, and from it have developed terms with a more specific reference. Secret men's business for ceremony and ritual that is open only to men, and Secret women's business for ceremony and ritual that is open only to women. From the late 1990s the terms transferred into standard aussie english where they are used jokingly in non-Aboriginal contexts.Kingswood driving is secret men's business – just like pushing a shopping trolley straight is secret women's business.
- aboriginal australian english
- septic tank ∼ seppo
- an american person
rhyming slang: septic tank for yank
- servo
- petrol station
- seven
- a seven fluid ounce glass of beer
Throughout the country when you order a beer you will get a seven fluid ounce glass.
See beer, schooner, middy and glass for more information. - shag
- sexual intercourse
- shaggin' wagon
- a panel van
Usually set up with padded velvet, soft lights and stereo, for purposes of seduction.
See panel van for more information. - shag on a rock
- someone isolated, lonely, exposed
Everyone pissed off and left me like a shag on a rock! - shithouse
- of poor quality, unenjoyable
The movie was shithouse. - shit house
- lavatory
- sheep shagger
- a new zealander
aussie slang first recorded in 1894
- sheep's back on the …
- a reference to the wool industry
The source of Australia's colonial prosperity, started by the squatters. - sheila
- a girl or girlfriend, a woman
Derived either from Sile, an Irish girl's name, or Sile, Gaelic for an effeminate man or homosexual. The first written use of the term appeared in a 1928 edition of the Monitor, which reported on a Saint Patrick Day street brawl in Sydney.
It is basically a bloke's word; women on the whole do not use it. Some men seem to think it is a neutral word, rather than a derogatory one, and formerly this may have been the truth, but nowadays women in general don't much like being called sheilas. Don't call me a sheila!…many a piteus Sheila stood wiping the gory locks of her Paddy.
first recorded in 1828
- shonky
- dubious, underhanded
- shoot through ∼ like a Bondi tram
- make a hasty departure
Two trams typically left the Sydney CBD for Bondi together, the first an express tram which would shoot through from Darlinghurst to Bondi Junction. -
aussie slang since 1945
- shout
- turn to buy
Usually a round of drinks. - shower
- an admonishment that one has more intelligence than another assumes
I'm not stupid, I didn't come down in the last shower! - show pony
- someone who tries hard, by his dress or behaviour, to impress those around him
S
- sickie
- a period of sick leave, often one day
Usually with the implication that there is insufficient medical reason for the absence from work. Surf's up! I'm chuckin a sickie - skite
- boast, brag
- skull
- to consume a drink – usually alcohol
Drunk in a single draught without taking a breath. - slab
- a carton of beer
Usually containing two dozen of either stubbies or cans. - sleepout
- a veranda, porch, or outbuilding
Used for sleeping accommodation. - slouch hat
- australian military headdress
Since its inception more than a century ago, the slouch hat has become one of the most distinctive and defining items of Australian clothing. It is made with rabbit-fur or wool felt and has one side of the brim pinned to the side. It has been suggested the pinning made it easier to sling a rifle over the soldier. While that may have been the case, other countries never felt the need to pin one side of their hats to the side in order to sling a rifle over the shoulder. In other words, although the need to sling a rifle over a shoulder was not unique to Australia, no other countries decided to have their soldiers wearing the hat in such a way. Perhaps the Australian soldiers pinned the hat because they put pragmatism over style. Alternatively, military commanders might have encouraged the hat to be pinned because it distinguished Australian soldiers from other soldiers in British allied forces. This distinguishment helped build a unique social identity of the Australian soldiers, which was good for morale. - slushy
- a cook's assistant or kitchen hand
- sluggos
- a brief men's swimming costume
See speedos for a full set of synonyms. - smoko
- a break from work for a smoke, coffee, tea, etc.
An institution symbolic of working culture, and even of workers' rights. The Industrial Relations Commission has arbitrated cases of industrial action over workers' entitlement to a smoko, so nowadays even non-smokers can take a smoko break. - snag
- a sausage
aussie slang since 1941
- sook
- one who is soft, inoffensive
S
- spanner water
- very cold water
Because, of course, it tightens the nuts, especially for icebergs.
aussie slang since the 1930s
- speccy
- a spectacular overhead mark
Regarded by many fans of aussie rules as the epitome of skill.
aussie rules
- speedos
- a brief men's swimming costume
There are a host of terms for tight-fitting (and revealing) men's swimwear:
sluggos, cock jocks, CJs, DTs, dick togs, dick daks, racers, scungies See budgie smugglers for more.a trademark used generically
- spewin'
- very angry
- spew
- to vomit
- spruiker
- someone employed to verbally encourage potential customers
- sprung
- caught doing something wrong
- spit the dummy
- have a tantrum
- sport ∼ a good sport
- fair minded person
- spunk
- a person of either sex who is regarded as sexually attractive
- squatter
- someone who settled on crown land
One of a group of rural landowners, either free settlers or ex‑convicts, who first took up Crown land in order to graze livestock without government permission. They gained its usage by being the first (and often the only) settlers in the area with a lease or licence and became rich and influential, especially on the sheep's back.
The term soon developed a class association, suggesting an elevated socio-economic status and entrepreneurial attitude.
By 1840 squatters were recognized as being amongst the wealthiest men in the colony of New South Wales, many of them from upper and middle‑class English and Scottish families. Eventually the term came to refer to a person of high social prestige who grazes livestock on a large scale (whether the station was held by leasehold or freehold title). The term is still used to describe large landowners, especially in rural areas with a history of pastoral occupation.
Hence the term, squattocracy, a play on aristocracy. See bunyip aristocracy for a related term.
colonial era term
- squirrel grip
- to grab and crush someone's testicles
To go the squirrel is the practice of gripping another player's testicles in a scrum, maul or tackle in either Rugby League or Rugby Union and is in common use throughout NSW, Qld and the ACT.
rugby slang
- squizz
- a look
Take a squizz at this.
S
- stack
- accident, crash, fall
- stacks
- lots of something
Come over, I've got stacks of beer. - stack on a blue
- become extremely angry
- stickybeak
- a nosy person
- stirrer
- one who causes trouble
- stoked
- very pleased
I'll bet you're stoked with your new car.
originally surfie slang
- stolen generation
- aboriginal children who were taken from their families
From 1883–1969 thousands of Aboriginal children were placed in institutions or fostered with white families.
aboriginal australia - stonkered
- perplexed, defeated, cornered
- stoush
- a fight or brawl
Hence, an argument or altercation.
Used by soldiers to refer to war or a battle.
WWI was commonly known as The Big Stoush.
aussie slang since the 1890s
- strewth!
- god's truth!
Strewth! That bloke's got no strides on!a mild oath in strine
- strides
- trousers
- strine
- aussie slang and pronunciation
Do you have a Gloria Soame? What is an egg Nishner?
What are sex?
And can you tell me where checque etcher londger ray? -
- Professor Lauder knows the answers!
- stubby
- a short, squat beer bottle
With a capacity between 330⁓375ml. - See also Darwin stubby
- stubbies
- a pair of short pants
- stuffed
- 1 very tired
- 2 broken
- stump
- a seat
Bus driver welcoming a passenger:
Grab a stump! - stroppy
- in a bad mood, being difficult
- subbie
- sub-contractor
- suicide season
- a feeling of oppression during the approach of the wet season
Afflicts residents of the top end during the build-up to the wet season and marked by an increase in heat and humidity, causing tension and irritability.
Also called mango madness or simply troppo. - sunnies
- sunglasses
- surfies
- people who go surfing
- suss
- suspicious
That bloke looks pretty suss. - suss it out
- check something
Something's wrong, I'll go and suss it out. - swag
- 1 the possessions of one travelling, usually on foot in the bush
- 2 the blanket-wrapped roll carried by a swagman
- swagman ∼ swaggie
- an itinerant worker or a drifter
