How to Talk "Aussie": Dictionary of Australian Slang, Strine and Colloquialisms (A, B, C)

John was born and raised in Australia. Subsequently, he is interested in all things Australian: language, sport and culture.

Talking Aussie

Australia is a country of diverse flora, fauna and landscapes. It also has it's own diverse take on the English language. In fact apart from our distinct accent Australia has become quite famous for it's slang, colloquialisms and strine.

G'day, mate..didya'avagoodweegend? which means "Good-day, my friend...did you have a good weekend?" is a common greeting in Australia.

Oh....the refinements of Australian English or "Strine" as it is known. Australians also tend to speak with a rising intonation which makes their sentences sound like questions. So, please don't think you are always being questioned !

The term "Strine" was coined in 1964 and is used to describe a broad Australian accent as well as the slang terms used. It derives from saying the word "Australian" through both closed teeth and the nose - a local accent that some claim arose from the need to keep the mouth ("trap") shut while speaking, against blow flies ("blowies").

The naturalist and TV presenter Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was once referred to as the person who "talked Strine like no other contemporary personality"

The dictionary of Australian slang is very extensive so I have only included those terms beginning with the letters A, B and C in this hub. As well a this I have tried to focus on distinctly Australian terms, not those borrowed and imported from Britain (please forgive me if I happen to still include one or two....maybe any British readers may let me know). The decision to publish this article is the result of a number of readers commenting and showing interest in my use of Australian terms/slang in my other articles.

If this article proves popular it will just be the beginning of a series that in total will become "The Dictionary of Australian Slang, Strine, and Colloquialisms."

Warning! Some words and terms may offend some readers. I have tried to keep this list as tasteful as possible without detracting from our rich and unique language by censoring too heavily. Some words that may be considered vulgar or rude in other languages are used as terms of exclamation and surprise, or even endearment In Australia.

A a

B b

C c

What is Slang?

Slang can be seen as a demonstration of how experience shapes language and also how language shapes identity.

Australia's every day language is rich with slang that reflects experiences from the country's history. From borrowings of Aboriginal language words, through convict sources, the gold rushes and bush ranging to the First World War, words have emerged to describe essential aspects of the Australian character and identity.

Australian slang utilises humour, wit, rhymes, the bizarre of the bush and the beach, the familiar and the personal to realise terms that could describe experiences that were often new or transforming. For example, 'having a bash' at something is similar to 'giving it a burl', and both phrases reflect a history of Australian improvisation and hard work.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2015 John Hansen

Comments

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on December 14, 2018:

Hi Bob, yes it did refer to male and female. The terms are no longer used.

Bodgies were late 1950’s – early 1960’s boys in leather jackets that hung out at milk-bars trying to look like James Dean with their hair plastered with a kilo and a half of Brylcream. If they had an FJ Holden or a Mk.1 Ford Zephyr, (or even better, a rattly old Triumph motorbike), they were definitely a chick-magnet, and the envy of every teen in the district.

Widgies were the girls who hung out with them.

Example: Bodgies & Widgies are youth gone wild

Bob French mistral17@hotmail.co.uk on December 14, 2018:

Back in the 1960s or earlier there was a lot of Dixieland Jazz in Australia. One piece was called "When a Bodgy meets a Widgy" which I believe was Male and female. Is this no longer current ?

Useless I know.........

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 22, 2015:

Hi Firstday, good to see you. I usually publish a hub or two every week. The only way I can notify you is if you are following me and have "notifications" enabled :) I am on Tsu as well but don't go there often. My name is Jodah there too. So glad you enjoyed this hub though and thank you for sharing.

Rebecca Be from Lincoln, Nebraska on June 22, 2015:

Hello Jodah...I just thought about you and went over to your account and found this wonderful hub. Be sure and mention me when you publish something so I can share it in Tsu. I love this...sharing now. I gave you thumb up and everything else...

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 15, 2015:

Thanks for visiting this hub Bob. I'm sure all the tough persona, dangerous creatures, etc is exaggerated to an extent. I'm sure you'd handle a visit down under just fine. Thanks for the vote up.

Robert E Smith from Rochester, New York on June 15, 2015:

Hi Jodah, I've always wanted to visit Australia but I know I'm not tough enough to stay long. I want to see the bush and meet some native local people. I know I would be too soft to see much in the way I would want to. I find the culture and the honesty that comes through the culture fascinating. Voted up and interesting. Bob.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 14, 2015:

Thanks for reading Blackspaniel, and I'm glad this may prove useful to you.

Blackspaniel1 on June 14, 2015:

This may help me when I email people in Australia, which happens often enough.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 12, 2015:

Thanks for reading and commenting Kylyssa. Glad you found it a fascinating read. Thanks for your answer to my question regarding it as well.

Kylyssa Shay from Overlooking a meadow near Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA on June 12, 2015:

Thank you for creating this fascinating look into Australian speech and culture.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 12, 2015:

Hi Deb, I'm happy to share this little insight into Australia and our culture. Thanks or reading.

Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on June 12, 2015:

I love this, John. It's like pushing aside a curtain, and seeing Australia for what it is. This should be very well received, and I thank you.

Lawrence Hebb from Hamilton, New Zealand on June 10, 2015:

Jodah

We"ve got a few of yours and some of our own. We call the Auckland harbour bridge "The Nippon Clippon" as the outside of it literally does! And there's a reference to where the clippons were made!

I think it must be an Antipodean thing!

Lawrence

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 10, 2015:

Hey lawrence, how'sitgoinbro? Thanks for reading and glad you got a laugh. I guess you Kiwis share a few of these terms as well. Yeah, the old "coathanger".

Lawrence Hebb from Hamilton, New Zealand on June 10, 2015:

Jodah

As the Kiwis say "Bloody awesome bro"

Loved it. Had a good chuckle!

I was interested to hear the Sydney habour bridge called "The coathanger"

Lawrence

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 09, 2015:

Thanks Lollyj, glad you enjoyed it.

Laurel Johnson from Washington KS on June 09, 2015:

What a fun hub!! Loved it!!

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 08, 2015:

Thanks Aladdins Cave, I appreciate your kind comment and going to the trouble o tweeting this hub. Have a good one.

Aladdins Cave from Melbourne, Australia on June 08, 2015:

Great work. I've also Tweeted this page, so I'm sure you will get some more

visitors

Cheers from Melbourne

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 08, 2015:

Hi Chris, I hope this series will be a help when you do visit our country. Thanks for the voted up Mate.

Krzysztof Willman from Parlin, New Jersey on June 08, 2015:

Really great hub. I want to go to Australia one day and this is a very useful guide to "Aussie" speak. Voted up.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 08, 2015:

Thanks for reading stricktlydating, glad you enjoyed.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 08, 2015:

Yes Ann, I am having trouble keeping up with my reading too.

StrictlyQuotes from Australia on June 08, 2015:

Great work!

Ann Carr from SW England on June 08, 2015:

Yes, looking forward to reading the others, John. I'm way behind with my hub-reading at the moment!

Ann

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 08, 2015:

Thank you obat

obat paru paru on June 07, 2015:

nice article, thanks for your information

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 07, 2015:

G'day to you Ann, hope you've adaguddweegend. A lot of our slang has originated from British words and we do have quite a few similar sayings. I indented to try to weed most of the common ones out but decided to include "boot, bonnet and chemist etc" mainly for our U.S. readers. I should have realised that "come a cropper" and "clod hoppers" would have British origin too, just by the sound of them. Thanks for reading. This series should really appeal to an Ozziephile" like yourself.

Ann Carr from SW England on June 07, 2015:

G'day mate! I love the Ozzie accent and all the words you use. My partner spent several years there and in New Zealand so I know quite a few already!

I'm also an Ozziephile, if such a word exists.

There are a few here which are regular British phrases: bonnet and boot, bloke, bloody, chemist, clod hoppers, come a cropper (got into trouble or fell) and crikey. My partner often says, 'G'day, ya great goanna, howaya!' Whether that's just him (probably of old) or whether it exists is another matter!

This is great fun. Slang is a subsidiary of any language and is in itself interesting. In fact, probably more interesting because it's inventive and tells us much more about the people and customs of the country. We have many local words for each county of England too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, John. Thanks for educating us and teaching us some 'Ozzie'.

Ann

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 07, 2015:

Thank you or reading these Essie, glad these slang terms may be o some help to you in future writing.

Essie from Southern California on June 07, 2015:

Wow, awesome work on your hub. It was so intetesting! I can refer to this if I use an Austrian character in my stories. I also read your 2nd part! Great videos and photos..

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 07, 2015:

Thanks Colin, you'll have no trouble fitting in. You already have the lingo down pat. Avagoodweegend.

Colin Garrow from Inverbervie, Scotland on June 07, 2015:

Cheers cobber, there's noting worse than turning up somewhere and not being able to speak to the lingo. If I ever get to Australia, I won't feel like a bushie blow-in, mate. Bonza Hub.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 03, 2015:

Thank for the visit and great comment Bill. Glad I could introduce you to a couple of new terms. "A washashore" is a very appropriate one for your part of the world. Hey, I guess we'd call blue haired people "red" too. I am trying my best to keep the light burning/lit. Hope to catch up with you when you ever get to visit. I may be grown up by then too.

Bill Russo from Cape Cod on June 03, 2015:

Hello John. Thanks for this primer in Aussie. When (if) I grow up, I intend to visit your wonderful land, though at 71 I still have quite a while to go before I am fully developed.

I LOVED reading these words that are new and exciting to me. Two of them especially resonated.

1. Blow in - a newcomer. I will translate that into the language of Cape Cod. We call such a person, 'a washashore'.

2. Bluey - a red headed person. We don't have a similar term on Cape Cod; but we do call people with blue hair, "Red". (Just kidding)

Thanks for being a brilliant lighthouse on the stormy seas of Hubpages.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 03, 2015:

Thanks for that prettynutjob30. We sometimes say mater, tater and nana when we are talking offering those foods to little kids but probably without the drawn out err at the end...more like mata, tata and nana. I have heard the Southern US accent on tv shows and agree it may be a little difficult to understand at times, but it does have an appeal to it.

Mary from From the land of Chocolate Chips,and all other things sweet. on June 03, 2015:

A couple of our lovely words are Tarrr, for tire, you have to hold the R for a quick minute, lol. Also take off the first two letters, and add an er, to the end of words like, tomato, potato, and banana, so they end up being, mater, tater, and naner. The Southern language can be quite difficult to understand sometimes, lol.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Haha drbj, just another 20 or so hubs to go..(I'll try to do it in less) and with a little practice along the way you will be a fluent Aussie speaker. Glad you found this a fun read.

drbj and sherry from south Florida on June 02, 2015:

Crikey, what fun this is, Jodah, to learn these strine phrases. Soon, thanks to you, I'll be able to say I have learned to speak Australian.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Good to see you Dana, I agree learning about other cultures is interesting and I felt I had to do my bit to share a little more about my country here on Hub Pages. Glad you found this helpful.

Dana Tate from LOS ANGELES on June 02, 2015:

I'm always interested to learn about new cultures. Thank you for sharing this with us.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Glad you found this interesting MsDora. Yes, one of the strange aspects of the Aussie version of English is our tendency to use an opposite word to describe something such as "bluey" for redhead. We also may call a tall person "shorty" or someone with black hair "snow"..., straight hair "curly"..weird I know.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hello Prettynutjob30, thank you for reading this hub, your kind comment, vote up, share and follow. Much appreciated. Yes, please test these out on your Aussie friends....I'm sure they'll be familiar with most. I'd love to hear some of the slang words from the land of chocolate chips and all other things sweet :)

Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on June 02, 2015:

Jodah, I'm interested in language and all forms of it. Thanks for sharing some Aussie with us. "Bluey" for red-head is a winner.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hi again MizB. Thank you for pointing those authors out. I have heard of both but never read any of their books, which is strange because I am a fan of fantasy. I have to rectify that.

Mary from From the land of Chocolate Chips,and all other things sweet. on June 02, 2015:

Love this hub, voted up shared and more. I will have to keep some of these words in mind, when talking to my Aussie friends. Although I have to admit being from TN, we have quite a few slang words ourselves, or at least words that sound like slang, when we say them.

Doris James MizBejabbers from Beautiful South on June 02, 2015:

John, I have to point out two of my all-time favorite authors are Australian, Jennifer Fallon and the late Sara Douglass who died in 2011 of ovarian cancer at age 54. I think they are two of the greatest fantasy writers on earth! In this particular genre, I don't think it matters where you are from. You must have a vivid imagination and their books reflect that along with great writing ability. However, I must say that I have a particular fondness for Australian writers and stories about Australia.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

hi Mary, thanks for reading this hub.We don have quite a few common slang words with the Irish and English. I tried to avoid including those I knew were the same but there will obviously be some that I wasn't aware of. Thanks for the info on "crack."Each of our countries have adapted the English language to suit their own circumstances. USA for instance dropped the use of the letter "u" from a lot of words such as "colour", "neighbour", "harbour" etc. Thanks for the vote up.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Glad you enjoyed this Dolores. Your experience is probably the reason many more Australian authors don't make it bigger internationally. Unless they are willing to write specifically for the American or European market and change their use of language it is difficult to be successful. Bryce Courtney and Matthew Reilly are two who managed to. Thanks for the vote up and share.

Mary Craig from New York on June 02, 2015:

Who doesn't like listening to Russel Crowe? Oh, your hub. It was fun to read and I did see a word or two my Irish friends used like "boot". Just FYI they say "crack" for a good time.

It is so interesting to see how the English language is bent to suit the country. Of course it makes sense, why would you adopt Brooklynese?

Hope you continue the alphabet.

Voted up, useful, funny, and interesting.

Dolores Monet from East Coast, United States on June 02, 2015:

I enjoyed reading your hub on the rich and colorful slang of Australia. One time, I picked up an Australian novel at my local library. The plot sounded interesting, and I had heard of the author, who I can not now recall. I stumbled through several pages but was totally lost. The write used so much Australian slang, I did not know what he was talking about! (voted up and shared)

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hi Faith, you bonza sheila. Yeah I did avagoodweegend. Hope yours was a bottler too.i hope you get to visit our country one day too. My voice...hmm...I'm no Russel Crowe :) We will have to see about that. Thanks for the vote up, share, tweet, G+

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Thanks for the kind comment Jackie. I don't think too many of us can hit those high notes of Barry Gibb or shake them around so much. The Bee Gees actually went to the same school as me when they first moved to Australia. Glad you like our language.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hi Anne, thanks for reading. I never realised how much I use either until I started writing this. I will have to include "Blue and bluey" for redhead.Today "ranger" or "ginger" seems to be the most common term. I will try to incorporate more rhyming slang into this series.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hi MizB. Aw thank you..try not to swoon too much. Yes quite a few of our words and place names are influenced by Aboriginal Australian words. I agree with you that the reason we use slang is to actually make speech less stilted and flow more easily. I don't know if our different dialects of the same language will become even more different, or actually more similar in time. The sharing of our TV programs, movies etc may encourage the latter.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Haha Twilight....more acceptable strine over there, really? As a Bananabender (I should have included that in the "b's") Stone the crowsI, I beg to differ :)

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Hello Carb Diva, thanks for the great comment. Sometimes it is hard to believe we are speaking the same language. Hmm...Vegemite and miso paste I guess are slightly similar in that you can use both to flavour soups etc. though I can't imagine using miso as a spread on bread. It is hard to explain the taste, you really need to try it. It does seem to be an acquired taste that most Aussies have grown up with from childhood. There certainly are a lot of words and sayings still to come.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 02, 2015:

Thank you Larry, glad a few of these were new to you. Glad you found this a fun read.

Faith Reaper from southern USA on June 01, 2015:

G'day, mate John,

did 'avagoodweegend, thank you! LOL, I know I did not get that right.

Oh, what an interesting and delightful hub. I have always been fascinated with your beautiful country and secretly wished to move there and love the accents or language.

I can't wait for the rest of the alphabet. This is a perfect hub for you to share with the world.

I had a few days off last week and spent a lot of time with the grands and there was a lot of joy but a few chuck a wobblies ... LOL but all good.

We say have a cold one here too and I have said no worries too, and now that I think of it, I may have gotten it from watching those movies. So, it will be back to the Big Smoke for me tomorrow : )

I hope to visit Australia one day in my life. The people seem to be so laid back and fun. You should do a video with your voice : ) ...that would be cool. I didn't realize these terms were slang, so I learned something.

Up +++ tweeting, pinning, G+ and sharing Oh, love the art too.

Blessings always

Jackie Lynnley from the beautiful south on June 01, 2015:

So interesting John! Thank you.

Your language is my very favorite in the world! I go watch old Bee Gee tapes where they talk just for the fun of hearing the language and I could never ever tire of it. Maybe why theirs has always been my favorite music too but I don't think I have ever heard any of the rest of you quite shake your notes around so much! lol

Much fun, thanks again!

Anne Harrison from Australia on June 01, 2015:

Hi Jodah,

I thought many of our colloquialisms were a thing of a past and used manly as affectations, but reading through your list I didn't realise how much slang I use every day! Also, how much our slang evolves with time - for example, I would refer to a red-head as Blue or Bluey, whereas my kids use the term Rangger/Wranger (who knows how it's spelt!)

Hope you do a hub on our rhyming slang

Anne

Alan R Lancaster from Forest Gate, London E7, U K (ex-pat Yorkshire) on June 01, 2015:

Jodah, bonzer stuff. Crack a tube of the amber nectar, sport, treat yerself!

Russell Crowe's a Kiwi isn't he, like Sam Neill (except Sam Neill was born in Ulster)?

Everybody's favourite Aussie is Paul Hogan, of 'Crocodile Dundee' fame. I don't know if you'se down under know it, he advertised Foster's Lager up here using one-liners in a sort of Strine (I always thought it was a 'Strain' of English).

We've had different doses of Strine here, what with Bryan Brown in 'A Town Like Alice' and Mel Gibson with 'Gallipoli' aside from Paul Hogan vamping it up with Linda Koslovsky and the Central American Mob in the Outback in 'CD-II' amongst others.

Course, you know Strine was a form of English spoken in London and the Southeast at the time of the first transportations? It's not like Rhyming Slang, it preceded that. And then there were the others from other parts of the UK including Ireland, like the Kelly clan. Drop it in the pot, stir it a bit and you've got Strine.

Posh folk didn't talk like it, though, and there were enough of them that went with the transports to keep watch on them.

Twilight Lawns from Norbury-sur-Mer, Surrey, England. U.K. on June 01, 2015:

Bonza Cobber.

Being a Sandgroper, so obviously a better class of Aussie, I speak a more acceptable type of Strine.

I was taught proper and also done my research when I read ‘Let stalk strine by Afferbeck Lauder’.

Doris James MizBejabbers from Beautiful South on June 01, 2015:

Yes, John, all you Aussie males have to do is open your mouths and you have us American women swooning. What fun! I think the few slang terms we have in common probably come from our mother country, but yours seems to be as influenced by the Aboriginal Australians as ours do from our African-American culture. Purists say that people use slang because their vocabulary is limited, I say "BS"! People use slang when they get tired of stilted proper vocabulary.

Do you think it may be possible that in the future, your tongue, our tongue and the British English will be as completely foreign to each other as French or Chinese? Voted you up++

Linda Lum from Washington State, USA on June 01, 2015:

Jodah - This was so much fun! Years ago I accompanied my daughters on a tour of England. Our guide (a local) kept an American/English dictionary in his back pocket. Although all of the people in the group were speaking 'English', it was hard to believe at times that we were conversing in the same mother tongue.

There is a store not far from where I live that sells Vegemite. (Curtis Stone has mentioned it). I'm wondering--is it anythine like miso paste? I might give it a try.

I do hope that you continue this series--A, B, and C are just the tip of the iceberg. Thank you for an enjoyable hub.

Larry Rankin from Oklahoma on June 01, 2015:

I was familiar with some of these, but I learned a lot of new ones.

Great fun!

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 01, 2015:

Haha Bill, I guess you could do worse. I agree our strine certainly has character to it. Thanks for reading, have a great week.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on June 01, 2015:

If I died and came back another nationality, I would want it to be Australian. You guys just talk cool. :)

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on June 01, 2015:

Hi Jimmy, good to hear from you as I haven't seen you arounf Hub Pages recently. So glad you enjoyed this and are familiar with ome of the slang I mention. Pity you don't get to use it in Germany. Gad you iked 'the Band Played Walzing Matilda" too. Winter ha only just begun here...the fire is on today for the first time. Take care.

Ghaelach on June 01, 2015:

Morning John.

A great read mate.

Coming from the north west of England where they have their very own slang/dialect I can understand much of your slang, as well as using it. After living here in Germany for the last 25 years I don't hear it or even get the chance to speak it, as the folks here would think I'd gone crazy.

Loved the Waltzing Matilda version and can say I even watch Outback Truckers on the German Tele. Unfortuately it's dubbed over so you don't get the full impact of the Ossy slang.

Hope all is well down under and the winter isn't hitting you to hard yet.

Ghaelach......................aka Jimmy

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hi Chris, I hoped that fellow hubbers like yourself would find this of interet. Thanks for the comment and for sharing on your Facebook page.

Chris Mills from Traverse City, MI on May 31, 2015:

Awesome hub, Jodah. Educating us on the wealth of the Australian language was a brilliant idea. I'll take this right over to my facebook page for freelance writers. https://www.facebook.com/cam8510?ref=hl

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Eric, those are true words regarding language. Hopefully I succeed in covering the whole alphabet with this series. It will take awhile but is an interesting project. Thanks for reading.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Eric, those are true words regarding language. Hopefully I succeed in covering the whole alphabet with this series. It will take awhile but is an interesting project. Thanks for reading.

Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on May 31, 2015:

While the eyes may be the gateway to the soul of men. It is the language that is the gateway to the soul of a nation. Great work here my man. I loved it and hope to see the whole alphabet.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Good to see you visiting my hub Marie. Australian Aboriginal art is truly unique and it seemed very appropriate to use it as a lead photo in a hub such as this. Our "Australian" English is a mish mash of many different influences but over the years we developed our own take on words and phrases adapting them to suit our circumstances. You would find when visiting Australia (hope you do manage to have the opportunity) that depending on the location you found yourself, the more or less use of these colloquialisms. Generally they are more widely used in the outback and less affected country areas of the continent than in the cities where the people are more strongly influenced by the arts and elite cultures of Britain, Europe and America.

Marie Flint from Jacksonville, FL USA on May 31, 2015:

I love the artwork of the lead photo.

I enjoy the Aussie twang but am poorly versed on slang. In perusing the list, I found many enjoyable interpretations. It must have taken you a good deal of time to put this hub together, John, and truly appreciate your effort. Although I may never make to Australia in this lifetime, I have thought more than once about going there just to speak Aussie. Whether I actually developed a working knowledge of slang would be something to be determined.

Thank you for sharing! Voted Interesting.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hi Rebecca, thanks for reading. I am glad you loved the Aboriginal art...it is fascinating. I also hope you do get to visit us down under one day. Cheers.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Thanks for reading Me. "No worries" is probably the phrase I use the most out of all these. Nowadays it annoys me when young Australians use a lot of Americanisms because of watching so many U.S. Television shows, movies etc. I guess it's only natural you guys borrowed a couple of ours. Glad you found this interesting.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hi Noah, yes Australians and New Zealanders are very similar in culture, probably because our countries are so physically close. We use a lot of the same slang although our accents differ quite a bit. We are also great, but friendly rivals and even tend to adopt each other's celebrities as our own eg. Russel Crowe was born in New Zealand but we claim him as Australian. Thanks for reading.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hi Shauna, I think Crocodile Dundee and Paul Hogan introduced Aussie slang to the rest of the world and that must be 30 years ago by now. We did borrow a lot of sayings from the British and in the early days of our radio and TV days our newsreaders etc imitated an upper crust British Accent. Things have changed and we began to embrace our own differences. "Vegemite sandwich"..if you have never tried one, you need to. But get an Aussie to show you how to eat it or you will hate it and never want to eat another. It is one of my favourite foods..well not exactly as a sand which spread between two slices of bread, but on toast for breakfast. Vegemite is a yeast extract, it has a strong salty flavour and needs to be eaten on bread or toast with a generous spread of butter..not margarine! With Vegemite, the trick is "less is more" so you need to spread it very thinly otherwise it will taste too strong. It is one of the highest food sources of B group vitamins. Australians are introduced to it as babies and we grow up loving it as much as Americans love peanut butter. I don't know how easy it is to find in the USA, although I know at one stage Olivia Newton John opened a store over there called "Aussie Blue" I think that sold it and other iconic Aussie goods. Thanks for reading this hub. Best wishes.

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on May 31, 2015:

I just love the artwork of your lead-in photo. Alborgnine art is fascinating. I sure hope to come visit Australia someday. Thanks for another fascinating article.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hello Paula good to see you. The difference in the way different countries use the same language has always interested me too. Glad you found this hub interesting (and Russel Crowe) and from the early responses It appears that the series will continue. Thanks for reading, sharing, pinning and tweeting. Peace back.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Haha Phyllis, we Aussies guys just have to open our mouths and have the American woman swooning. Now, if I had Russel Crowe's amazing diction I'd be happy. My pleasure to share this and glad you enjoyed. Thanks for the vote up.

Mel Carriere from San Diego California on May 31, 2015:

Crikey! I first heard the term "No worries" when I visited Australia in the late 1980s and I thought it sounded very charming rolling off the tongue of the Aussies who used it to say "You're welcome." Now in the wave of Crocodile Dundeeism and Steve Irwinism we bloody Yanks have absconded with the term and I cringe when I hear it being used locally. I refuse to use the expression myself, because it seems to belong to you good folks down under. Great hub.

Noah Clayton on May 31, 2015:

This is fantastic!!! I have a friend from New Zealand that goes to Taylor University who I've heard use some of this slang. Are New Zealand and Australia similar when it comes to culture?

Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on May 31, 2015:

John, this is such a treat. I only know Aussie slang from watching Crocodile Dundee movies. Pretty lame, huh? I think we Americans can only determine Aussie from British by the inflections (at least that's true for me). Until you brought it up, I didn't realize that speaking every sentence to sound like a question is the determining factor. Kinda like America's Valley Girl lingo. Ha ha!

I know we're a long way from the end of the alphabet, but can you please tell me what a vegamite sandwich is (Men at Work, "Down Under")?

Suzie from Carson City on May 31, 2015:

Jodah...Thank you so much! I have always been fascinated with all the various languages, accents, slang and their meanings & origins. It's intriguing to me to learn and comprehend the many differences and variations of how we humans communicate with one another.

I love this hub and I certainly hope the response encourages you to continue on through the alphabet! Russell Crowe.......sigh.....he's a heart throb of mine who doesn't have to say a word!.....enjoyed the video.

Thanks again, Jodah for sharing with your readers, some very interesting information about your gorgeous Country!...UP+++shared, pinned & tweeted...Peace, Paula

Phyllis Doyle Burns from High desert of Nevada. on May 31, 2015:

How delightful, Jodah, to learn about Aussie slang and accent - I love it. I remember when I was young and at my first full-time job - there was a computer tech who was a true Aussie. Every time he came to our department us girls would flirt with him because we loved his accent and slang.

I had fun reading this hub and learning. Thank you! Voted Up, U and I, and H+

Oh! I love Russel Crowe - thanks for sharing that video.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Thank you Mike. I find it interesting to compare the differences in our use of the same language in various countries, so I thought others may be interested in "Aussie".

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Hi whonu, so glad you enjoyed this hub. Hopefully it will become a series.

mckbirdbks from Emerald Wells, Just off the crossroads,Texas on May 31, 2015:

Very interesting and colorful. Each culture has adopted many on their own unique English usage.

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Thanks Will, glad you learnt something from this. Believe me, there is a lot to come and I am quite certain I will continue this series as you suggest.

whonunuwho from United States on May 31, 2015:

Nice work my friend. Enjoyed it immensely. whonu

WillStarr from Phoenix, Arizona on May 31, 2015:

Local slang is often bewildering to other countries who share the common language. I do indeed want to see the rest of this in new installments!

Great Hub, and I learned something!

John Hansen (author) from Queensland Australia on May 31, 2015:

Thanks for being the very first to read and comment on this hub Kristen. I was hoping the readers would find this useful, so glad you did.

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on May 31, 2015:

Great hub John. This is a useful and awesome hub at the same time. Thanks for sharing. Voted up!