Aussie-isms, words that come from a land Down Under

I may have mentioned it before, but if I haven’t already, I think of myself as fairly well-traveled. I don’t define that by how many countries’ stamps I have in my passport, but more so how well I got to know each country I visited. I got to know Australia pretty well by their unique words in their language.

After living and teaching in South Korea for a year, I spent half a year traveling through parts of Asia. Traveling to Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and volunteering in India. After India, I flew with a one-way to Melbourne, Australia and lived there for 1 1/2 years. While there, I made some of the best friendships of my life, but the Aussie-isms I want to write about here are the funky words I fell in love with in their language.

Here and there, I like to use these funny words in my everyday language:

• wanker: who wouldn’t love to call the idiot who just cut you off on the freeway a “wanker”?

• bloody: this can be used to describe intensity, “that’s bloody terrible” or, to replace the f-bomb at times, “Bloody hell!”

• bogan: one of my absolute favorites.. a bogan is used to describe simple country folk. It can sometimes go as far as what Americans describe a “redneck” but it’s not always so harsh

• brekky: Aussies love shortening words or making them end in “-y”. Even if it doesn’t decrease the amount of syllables in the original word. Brekky === breakfast; Chrissy === Christmas; toasty === toasted sandwich; Footy === football… yeah I know…

• reckon: reckon is exactly what you think. In American English, I think of it more as a southern saying. But in the land Down Under everyone uses it, “I say the Prime Minister is a #%&, what do you reckon?”

• wonky: I’ve heard a few people here in San Francisco use this, but I first heard it when I lived in Australia. When something isn’t right, like a crooked photo on the wall, it’s wonky

• uni: another cutesy shorthand for “university”. College isn’t exactly the same thing down there, so education beyond high school is “uni”. I’ve caught myself saying this to Americans when I first got back to the US and aye aye aye it confused them

• nice one: just an added noun to the usual “Nice!”

• sweet as: this confused the heck outta me at first. Something awesome would happen, and an Aussie (or Kiwi) would exclaim “Sweet as!” and my silent inner reaction was “Sweet as what?”

• too easy: I love this one. It very much displays the stereotypical laid-back nature of Australians. You’re checking out at your local fish n’ chip shop, and you dig further into your wallet to give exact change to the shop worker. The worker is pleased with the extra effort you made, and replies “Too easy!”

• bollocks: If you hadn’t guessed this one… it means testicles. You can use it in frustration: “I lost my phone! Bollocks!” or to describe your actual bollocks

• hey?: “It’s beautiful weather today, hey?” Maybe this has to do with AQI, the Australian Question Intonation. There’s a way that Australians speak that makes them sound like they’re always ending their statements with a rising tone that resembles asking a question

• heaps: I love love love this one. It’s just another way to say “a lot”, “That’s heaps better!”

And of course, now that I’ve talked so much about the land Down Under, I just know you want to hear that song: