| Aussie Words |
Definitions |
Comments |
| ma stater |
Resident of New South Wales |
|
| mad |
Crazy (seldom means anger) |
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| Mallee |
Remote bushland of Victoria, low scrub |
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| manchester |
Household linen |
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| mate |
This usually means a friend but it can be used to talk about or to anyone - even |
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| mate's rate, mate's discount |
Cheaper than usual for a "friend" |
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| matey with |
Familiar or friendly with |
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| matilda |
The belongings of a swagman, wrapped in a blanket or bedroll |
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| meat safe |
Ventilated fly-proof cage for storing meat carcasses without refrigeration |
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| merino |
Breed of sheep with fine strands of fleece |
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| metho |
Methylated spirits |
Denatured alcohol/rubbing alcohol |
| Mexican |
A person from south of the (Queensland) border |
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| mickey mouse |
Excellent, very good |
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| middy |
285 ml beer glass (New South Wales) |
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| milk bar |
Corner general store |
Not NSW usage - corner shop had to have milk licence, but a 'milk bar' was principally a (milk & soft) drink shop … almost = US "drug store" |
| milko |
Milkman |
|
| mob |
Family or herd (?) of kangaroos / herd of sheep or cattle |
(transference ?) |
| mob |
Group of person or things (not necessarily unruly) |
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| moke |
Horse (not a good one!) |
Original meaning was donkey |
| mole (native) |
Platypus … to a Pom who isn't any sort of naturalist |
|
| moleskin(s) |
Trousers of moleskin (untwilled cotton fustian fabric) |
Typical sailors' wear on British sailing ships |
| moll |
Girl(friend), disreputable girl, tart, Dona |
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| mongrel |
Despicable person |
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| mopoke |
Australian bird ninox novaeseelaniae - in the owl family, but more like a sturdy |
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| mozzie |
Mosquito |
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| muddy |
Mud crab (a great delicacy) |
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| mug |
Friendly insult ("have a go, yer mug"), gullible person |
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| mug |
One's face |
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| mull |
Grass (the kind you smoke) |
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| mull up |
Roll a joint and smoke it |
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| murphy |
Potato |
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| naff |
Ridiculous, useless |
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| nana |
Banana |
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| nark |
Spoilsport |
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| narked |
Annoyed |
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| naughty, have a |
Have sex |
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| neddies |
Horses |
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| Never Never |
The Outback, centre of Australia |
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| new chum |
New arrival or immigrant |
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| nick |
To steal |
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| nick out |
Go somewhere for short period of time |
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| nipper |
Young surf lifesaver |
Also any youngster (generally male) |
| nit |
Fool or idiot |
Also nitwit |
| no hoper |
Hopeless case |
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| no shortage of oscar |
To be flush with money |
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| no worries! |
Everything will be fine! |
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| no-hoper |
Somebody who'll never do well |
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| nobbler |
Glass or drink of liquor |
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| noise off |
Speak loudly |
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| north island |
Mainland Australia, according to someone in Tasmania |
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| northern summer |
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere |
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| not the full quid |
Not bright intellectually |
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| nuddy, in the |
Naked |
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| nulla-nulla |
Wooden club used by Aborigines |
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| num-nums |
Tasty food |
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| ocker |
Uncultivated or boorish Australian |
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| off-sider |
Assistant or partner |
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| oil |
Information |
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| old man |
Large (animal) as in 'old man kangaroo … by tranference (and pidgin use?) = large |
Old Man Plain', in "Across the Western Plains", means 'the big, wide plain'. |
| oldies |
Parents - "I'll have to ask my oldies" |
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| on a good lurk |
To have a good job |
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| open slather |
Without restrictions |
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| OS |
Overseas |
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| outback |
The bush, or uncivilised uninhabited region |
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| overlander |
A drover, herding cattle or sheep hundreds of miles over land |
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| owyergoin |
How are you going? Often used with "g'day" and "Mate" |
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| oy! |
An ocker's call; hey! |
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| oyo |
On your own (flat or apartment) |
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| Oz |
Australia, as in Oz-tralia |
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| packed out |
Filled to capacity |
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| packet |
Large some of money, an envelope |
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| paddock |
Field or meadow |
In Australia, that COULD be 1000 square miles! |
| pademelon, paddymelon |
Small (potorid) wallaby … Aboriginal word (Dharuk - 'badimaliyan') |
Confused with inedible African cucurbit, growing feral in Australia - 'Paddymelon' |
| pally |
On friendly terms with |
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| paper yabber |
Letter |
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| parcel |
Package |
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| pash |
Passion, infatuation |
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| pastoralist |
Large-scale grazier |
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| patent pill machine |
Revolver |
Image goes back to loading a cap-and-ball revolver |
| pav |
Pavlova - a rich, creamy Australian dessert |
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| pavement pizza |
Vomit |
|
| pavlova |
Traditional Australian meringue and cream dessert, named after Russian ballerina |
|
| pearler |
Excellent |
(Purler?) |
| peel |
Shear (a sheep) |
"Peel the wooly overcoats of those monkeys!) |
| peeler |
policeman |
(Anglo-Irish, from Sir Rober Peel) |
| pen |
Shearing position or job (= 'stand') |
|
| perve (noun & verb) |
Looking lustfully at the opposite sex |
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| pester |
Annoy or bother someone |
(Standard English?) |
| petrol |
Gasoline |
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| piccaninny |
Native child |
(International colonial) W. Indian creole from Spanish 'pequeno' |
| piece of piss |
Easy task |
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| piffle |
Nonsense |
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| pig's arse! |
I don't agree with you |
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| piker |
Someone who doesn't want to fit in with others socially, leaves parties early |
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| pinch |
To arrest |
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| pineapple, rough end of |
Stick, sharp end of; misfortune |
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| pink (verb) |
Shear closely (so close that the pink skin shows through the wool) |
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| pinkie |
Wine - local - young (bit short of the Beaujolais mystique) |
Term occurrs in song 'Ard tac', inter alia |
| pint pot |
Tin-plated cooking/storage/container - specially made, not improvised like a billy |
Sometimes fits snugly inside the quart pot - horsemen's model is oval to pack better in saddlebag |
| piss |
Alcohol, usually beer |
|
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