Australian Slang - Local Lingo
Unique Phrases - Memorable Quotes - C
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
CABBAGE GARDEN - name applied to state of Victoria by Sir John Robertson, Premier of NSW in contempt for its size (Morris)
CABBAGE HEAD - NSW term for a person from Victoria
CABBAGE TREE HAT - unique colonial hat made from cabbage tree palm leaves
CABBAGE TREE HAT MOB - Rebels. Australian-born boys (Currency Lads) who began to identify themselves as United Australians in 1830s and 1840s. Their attire included cabbage tree hats
CABBAGITES - members of the Cabbage Tree Hat Mob
CAB SAV – Cabernet Sauvignon
CACTUS – useless, broken; malfunctioning equipment (WW2)
CACKY HANDED - left handed
CAD (native cad)- name for the green Cicada (QLD)(Morris 1898)
CADY or CADDIE - bush name for the slouch hat or wide-awake hat
CAKE HOLE - mouth
CALICO YARD - a kind or corral; expression used by drovers (Lentzner 1891)
CALL IT A DAY - finish for the day
CALL IT QUITS - to stop
CAMP DRAFTING - unique Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle
CAN - toilet (dunny can)
CANARY - a convict (because of his yellow suit)
CANDLE-NUT TREE - native tree to Qld
CANNING STOCK ROUTE - the world's longest stock route. Used to drive cattle from the Kimberley to the railhead at Wiluna, WA early 1900s
CAN'T PUT IN WHAT GOD LEFT OUT - without natural talent
CAN'T TAKE A TRICK - unlucky
CANVAS WATER BAG - invented in 1846 by Sir Thomas Mitchell while exploring in South-Western Queensland. As an experiment he sewed pieces of canvas together to make a bag which he greased with mutton tallow
CAPTAIN'S CALL - decision made by a leader without consultation
CAPTAIN COOK - have a look
CAPTAIN'S PICK - same as Captain's Call
CARBIE - carburettor
CARBORA - aboriginal name for the native bear (Morris 1898)
CARDIE - cardigan
CARK IT - Die
CARPET SHARK - Wobbegong
CARRY ON LIKE A PORK CHOP - over react
CASTLE HILL REBELLION - convict uprising in 1804
CASER - derived from Yiddish. Gaol term. Can mean either five shillings, five pounds or a sentence of five years
CASCADE - in Tasmania beer is called Cascade as it is made from cascade (artesian) water
CASTENET CLUB - The Castanet Club were a group of local artists, actors, comedians and musicians who formed a vaudeville troupe in their hometown of Newcastle that lasted for nine years c. 1980s https://youtu.be/U9iETl9DUIQ?si=Ncam3F9suRKgGODI
CASTIEAU'S HOTEL - thieves patter, the Melbourn jail, so called from Mr. J. B. Castieau, the governor
CATCH YOU ROUND LIKE A RISSOLE - See you later
CATHOLIC FROG - lives in the inland parts of NSW. In times of drought in burrows, and feeds on ants. So called because of the cross on it's back (Morris 1898)
CAT'S PYJAMAS - very special
CAT O'NINE TAILS - whip used by scourgers in convict days. Had nine thongs as thick as the tip end of the little finger. Each thong had several knots with lead inside Also called Rogue's Cat
CATTLE DUFFER - cattle rustler; stealer of cattle
CATWALK - wired alleyway between compounds (Army 1945)
CAWBAWN - also cobbon; big (indigenous).
CELESTIAL - an immigrant from China during gold rush days
CENTURY - 100 pounds (criminal slang 1950s)
CHAR - tea (WW2)
CHAIN GANG - consisted of twice convicted men who toiled in irons making roads and bridges and slept in boxes at night, often with fetters on
CHALKIE - a schoolteacher; or a clerk who used to chalk up the prices at the Stock Exchange
CHALK UP TO - to debit a person. Put it to an account. From the custom of the keeper of an ale house making a note of the various drinks consumed in a drinking bout by scribbling them down with chalk upon the wall (Leland 1897)
CHANNEL COUNTRY - a Region of outback Australia in Queensland South Australia, Northern Territory and NSW. The name comes from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region
CHARDONNAY SOCIALIST derogatory for someone who enjoys affluent lifestyle but espouses left wing views. Also Champagne Socialist
CHARGE LIKE A WOUNDED BULL - charge a high price for something
CHARGE OF THE 4TH LIGHT HORSE AT BEERSHEBA - Known as the Battle of Beersheba. 31 October 1917. Remembered as the last great cavalry charge
CHARLIES - women's breasts
CHATEAU DE CARDBOARD cask of wine
CHATS THE TOM - speaks to a woman
CHATTER BOX - Lewis gun (soldier slang WW2)
CHATTY - Affected with French vermin (soldier slang WW1)
CHAUVEL, MAJOR HARRY - senior officer of the AIF who fought at Gallipoli and during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. As commander of the Desert Mounted Corps, he was responsible for one of the most decisive victories and fastest pursuits in military history
CHEAP AS CHIPS - very cheap
CHEAP DRUNK - person who becomes drunk quickly
CHECK IT OUT - look at that
CHECK OUT CHICK - supermarket cashier
CHEEKY GRIN - Double chin
CHERIOS - small sausages from delicatessen
CHEESED OFF - annoyed about something
CHESTY BOND - Bond's advertisement tradesmark c. 1938; symbol of the Australian male who always fought in his singlet
CHEWING THE FAT - having a talk
CHEW IT OVER - talk it over
CHEWY- chewing gum
CHIACK - to tease or jeer
CHICK - girl
CHICKEN OUT - too scared to join in
CHICK FLICK - a movie that women like
CHICKEN HEARTED - a coward
CHICKEN SALT - flavoured salt to sprinkle on chips etc
CHICKEN STRANGLERS - soldiers capable of living off the land
CHICKEN WING TACKLE - A move in Australian rules football and rugby league, in which a player locks an opponent's arm so that he or she cannot legally move the ball. Coined by Fox Sports NRL Producer Geoff Bullock in 2008
CHIKO ROLL - deep-fried snack food
CHILDERS BACKPACKERS HOSTEL FIRE - On 23 June 2000, the backpackers hostel was destroyed by a deliberately-lit fire. Eighty-eight people occupied the hostel at the time of the fire; fifteen died
CHIN WAG - a long talk
CHIPPIE - carpenter
CHIT-CHAT - a talk
CHIV - Port Arthur prison slang for stabbing c. 1909
CHIVEY - face (prison slang c. 1893)
CHIVVY - back talk, lip (WW2)
CHOCCY BICKY – Chocolate Biscuit
CHOCOLATE CRACKLES - children's party food made from rice bubbles
CHOCKA BLOCK – Full
CHOCK AND LOG FENCES - rough timber fences made in 1860s before the use of wire became widespread
CHOCKERS - full up
CHOCS - soldiers who were believed to be unwilling to fight (WW1)
CHOOF OFF - leave
CHOOK– Chicken
CHOOK RAFFLE - held in the local pub
CHOOK SHED – Chicken shed
CHOOM - English soldier - WW1
CHOPPERS - teeth
CHOP UP - division of spoils
CHRISSIE – Christmas
CHROME DOME - a bald man
CHROMO - prostitue
CHUCK - prison ration food c. 1893
CHUCK - throw
CHUCK A CHARLEY - throw a fit; lost your temper
CHUCK A LEFTY - turn left
CHUCK A SICKIE - to take a sick day off work when you're not actually sick
CHUCK A SIX - throw a fit; lose your temper
CHUCK A SPAZ - angry; tantrum
CHUCK A TANTY - have a tantrum
CHUCK A U-EY - do a U-turn
CHUCK OFF AT - to sneer at
CHUCK UP - vomit
CHUCK UP - to relinquish (Digger Smith; C.J. Dennis)
CHUCK A WOBBLY - throw a tantrum
CHUCKING A DUMMY - fainting on parade (soldier slang WW1)
CHUMP - a simpleton
CHUNDER - vomit
CHY-ACK - or CHI-IKE - to cheek or tease (Morris 1898)
CICADA - insect remarkable for the loud chirruping whirr of the males in summer
CIGGY– a Cigarette
CITY OF CHURCHES - Adelaide
CLAGGED OUT - worn out
CLANCY'S GONE TO QUEENSLAND DROVING, AND WE DON'T KNOWN WHERE HE ARE - line from Banjo Paterson's poem Clancy of the Overflow
CLANGER - make an ill-timed or inappropriate comment
CLAP - gonorrhoea
CLAY-PAN - slight depression of the ground where deposit of fine silt prevents the water from sinking in to the ground as it does elsewhere (Morris1898)
CLAYTONS - substitute for the real thing
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY - rubbish cleanup campaign done by volunteers co-founded by Ian Kiernan and Kim McKay
CLEAN SKIN - a new crook who has had no previous convictions (1950s)
CLEAR AS MUD - complicated, unclear
CLEARING LEASE - small piece of land that settlers were allowed to retain possession of for the labour of clearing the land
CLEAR SKINS (also CLEANSKINS) - unbranded young stock running wild
CLEAR OFF - be off with you (WW1)
CLICK GO THE SHEARS - iconic Australian bush ballad. 1890s
CLINCH - agree; clinch a deal
CLINER - young unmarried female
CLINK - gaol
CLIP - all the wool shorn in one shed or on one property
CLOBBER - suit of clothes eg prison clothes
CLOBBER - gear or pack (Army 1945)
CLOCK-BIRD - another name for the laughing jackass or kookaburra (Morris 1898)
CLOCK, (Settlers' Clock) - clock-bird (Morris 1898)
CLOCK YOUR MUG - gaol term - have photo taken for prison records (1946)
CLODHOPPERS - heavy shoe or foolish awkward person
CLOUT - hard blow
CLOWN - fool, idiot
CLUCKY – feeling maternal
C'MON AUSSIE C'MON - World Series Cricket slogan
COACH - to decoy wild cattle or horses with tame ones (Morris 1898)
COALOPOLIS - refers to the city of Newcastle
COAST - to loaf about from station to station (Morris 1898)
COASTER - loafer, a sundowner (Morris 1898)
COATHANGER - Sydney Harbour Bridge
COBAR SHOWER - dust storm
COBB & CO. - Pioneered road transport in Australia. Their horse-drawn coaches carried passengers and mail from 1853 to the 1920s.
COBBER – Very good friend.
COBBER - Chocolate coated caramel lolly
COBBLER - a sheep that is difficult to shear, often wrinkled; last sheep to be shorn
COBRAH - Bush Tucker. Obtained from timber which had been in the river. Small round looking beetle which changes to become a large whitish looking worm ; teredo navalis
COCK AND BULL STORY - a tall tale
COCKATOO - a person posted to keep lookout during illegal activities. esp. during two-up; also a nit-keeper
COCKATOO FARMER - a small farmer or selector; term of contempt used by large land holders
COCKATOO FENCE - a rough fence made of logs and saplings before the use of wire became widespread
COCKATOO WEATHER - fine by day, rain at night
COCK-EYED BOB - thunderstorm; small whirlwind; also called willy-willy or dust-devil (Western Australia)
COCKY/COCKIE - Native Australian bird
COCKIE - person who owns a small farm
COCKROACH - person from NSW
COCKY'S JOY - golden syrup spread
CODS WALLOP - unbelievable
COLDIE– Beer. ‘Come over for a few coldie’s mate.’
COLONIAL GOOSE - a boned leg of mutton stuffed with sage and onions (Morris 1898)
COLOURS - mining term; originally the gold visible after washing
COLONIAL - patronizing term used by the British to describe Australians. Used until about 1914-18
COMB DOWN - (to). to ill-treat, thrash
COME A CROPPER - to fall; or have a setback
COME ACROSS - bestow sexual favours
COME A GUTZER/GUTSER - fall heavily (WW1)
COME-DOWN - a disappointment
COME GOOD - turn out alright
COME IN ON THE GROUTER - take advantage of the misfortune of another
COME IN SPINNER - call at gambling game two-up when all bets are placed and the coins are ready to be tossed.
COME TO BLOWS - altercation resulting in a physical fight
COMFORT FUNDS - shells (soldier slang WW1)
COMFORT FUNDS - women's groups worked to provide knitted socks, tobacco, cakes, condensed milk, lollies, biscuits and other luxury items to service men overseas (WW1)
COMPO - workers compensation
CONCHERS- up country; tame or quiet cattle
CONCHIE - conscientious objector during war time
CONCRETE MACAROON - army biscuit (WW1)
CONDAMINE - cattle bell with a distinctive high note first made in the Condamine region of Qld
CONK - nose
CONVICT ATTAINT - (felony attaint) - In England condemned criminals were not allowed to give evidence in court, act for another person or sue in the civil courts. As well their goods were forfeited to the crown. Convict attaint was not removed when sentences were commuted to transportation to a penal colony. Only the expiry of the sentence or a pardon could remove the attaint
COOEE - call out; bush-cry. Published in John Hunter's Journal of native words in 1790 as the term Cowee meaning to come.
NOT WITHIN COOEE - figuratively a long way
COOEE MARCH - Recruiting march in WW1
COOK THE BOOKS - falsify accounts
COOLABAH TREE - eucalyptus tree
COOLAMAN - a word adopted from aborigines to describe their drinking vessels and then applied generally
COOLGARDIE SAFE - uses evaporation to keep food inside cool while protecting it from flies and scavengers. Invented in Coolgardie on W.A. Goldfields in the 1890's by Arthur McCormick
COON CHEESE - Iconic Australian trademark of a cheddar cheese first launched in 1935 by Fred Walker. Coon cheese was named after its American creator, Edward William Coon of Philadelphia
COOT - a person of no account, an outsider
COP - policeman
COP A SERVE - be on the receiving end of a rebuke after doing something wrong
COP IT SWEET - accept defeat with good grace
COP OUT - to back out after agreeing to take part in; or to take the easy way
COPPER - nickname for Australian penny
COPPER - police man or woman
COPPER TAIL - less privileged person; opposite of silver tail
COP SHOP - police station
COP THIS - take a look at this!
CORANDERRK - aboriginal name for the Victorian dogwood. An aboriginal station was called after this name because the wood grew plentifully there (Morris 1898)
CORKER - something that is excellent
CORNER - or sling - have a share in a haul (criminal slang 1950s)
CORNSTALK - boy or girl born in Australia, in the past of convict parents
CORNSTALK - Victorian name for a person from New South Wales.
CORROBBERY - aboriginal name for a dance, sacred, festive or warlike (Morris 1898)
COTTON-BUSH - name applied to two trees called salt-bush. Fodder for stock in times of drought
COTTON ON TO - realise; become friendly
COSSIE - swimsuit; togs; swimmers
COULD HAVE BLOWN ME DOWN WITH A FEATHER - expression of astonishment
COULDN'T PICK A WINNER IN A ONE HORSE RACE - incompetant
COULDN'T CATCH A FLY IN A COUNTRY DUNNY - incompetant
COULDN'T ORGANISE A PISS UP IN A BREWERY - incompetant
COULDN'T PULL THE SKIN OFF A CUSTARD - useless
COULDN'T LIE STRAIGHT IN BED - untrustworthy
COULDN'T RUN A CHOOK RAFFLE - useless
COUNTER LUNCH - pub lunch
COUNTRY MILE - a long way
COVE - a man; bloke
COW - it stinks (WW2)
COWARD'S CASTLE - When parliament is used to vilify, abuse others while under parliamentary privilege
COW LICK - piece of curly hair
COW OF A THING - something broken; difficult to fix
COWRA P.O.W CAMP OUTBREAK - On 5 August 1944 Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) housed in the detention camp in Cowra a mass outbreak
CRABS - pubic lice
CRABS - bomb or shelfire; to bring the crabs around - to expose yourself to enemy fire (WW2)
CRACKS - The best stockmen - the best whip crackers.
CRACKER JACK - a good thing
CRACKER NIGHT - Celebrated on the Queens Birthday long weekend. Now Banned
CRACK A BOO - is to divulge a secret
CRACK HARDY - to suppress feelings
CRACK ON TO - to hit on someone; make their acquaintance
CRACK ON TO - understand
CRACKSMAN - safe cracker
CRACK THE WHIP - used to describe someone who is being bossy or strict in a situation
CRACK UP - become exhausted;
CRACK UP - laughing
CRAPPER - toilet
CRAWCHIE - freshwater crayfish (Qld); yabby
CRAW-FISH - variant of crayfish
CRAWLER - sheep left behind on the road
CRAWLER - an obsequious bloke; one who cosies up to the boss; flatterer; first used c. 1857 - Australia, a country where the strongest reproach was to be a crawler
CREAMED - to be defeated (sport)
CRIB - a house
CRIB - worker's lunch
CRIKEY MATE - Steve Irwin's catch phrase
CROAK - die
CROCK - a load of nonsense
CRONK - sick, unwell; boxer who lets himself be beaten through unfitness (1890s)
CRONK - dishonest
CROOK– Being ill, things are crook in Tallarook
CROOK AS ROOKWOOD - extremely ill, nearly dead
CROOKED AS A DOG'S HIND LEG - criminal connections
CROOK SPIN - run of bad luck
CROPPER - fall; come a cropper
CROPPY - an Irish convict of the 1790s-1800s, so called because the Irish rebels of 1798 cropped their hair short like the French revolutionaries
CROPPY - Aboriginal English; runaway convict; bushranger,
CROSS - illegal; breaking the law; illegally come by
CROW - street woman, chromo, prostitute (criminal slang 1950)
CROW EATER - person from South Australia
CROW EATER - a lazy fellow who will live on anything rather than work (1895)
CROW TO PLUCK - to take issue with someone (Maitland 1833, but probably earlier English origin)
CRUDDY - poor quality
CRUELLED THE PITCH - upset arrangements
CRUISY - easy; relaxed
CRUSH - part of a stockyard, narrow at the end, for branding cattle
CRUSHER - bushranger term for police trooper
CRUST - earn a crust; earn a living
CRY BABY - sook; easily upset
CULLIN-LA-RINGO - a station near Springsure in Queensland, the site of the bloodiest massacre of whites by black tribesmen in 1861. Victims Horatio Wills and family
CUNNING AS A DUNNY RAT - very cunning
CUPPA - cup of tea
CUR - cowardly; mean or dishonest
CURL-A-MO - excellent, bonzer
CURLY - bald headed man
CURRENCY LADS AND LASSES - The first generation of free children born to convicts in Australia.
CURTIN'S COWBOYS - North Australia Observation Unit (NAOU), nicknamed the Nackeroos or Curtin's Cowboys, was created in mid-March 1942. They were given the task of patrolling northern Australia to look for signs of enemy activity (AWM)
CUSHY - easy
CUT GRASS - grass with long narrow blades whose thin rigid edge will readily cut flesh if incautiously handled; also sword-grass
CUT LUNCH - sandwiches
CUT LUNCH COMMANDO - a public servant; a soldier who seldom served in the front lines (used during WWII 1939-45)
CUT OUT - to separate cattle from the rest of the herd in the open
CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN; FIND SOMEONE YOU HATE AND BUY THEM A HOUSE - quote from mockumentary film Kenny 2006
C.W.A. - Country Women's Association
CYCLONE SEASON - cyclone season starts in mid-December and finishes at the end of April
CYCLONE TRACY - Tropical Cyclone Tracy, category 4, struck Darwin in the early hours of 25 December 1974. 71 deaths
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