The Whingeing Pom's
guide to moving to Sydney

 

Learning the lingo

Here are just some of the phrases you may actually come across in day to day conversation

Arvo

Afternoon (lots of words are shortened and have an 'o' added (e.g. avo – avocado the list goes on)

Bathers/togs

Swimming gear

Chook

Chicken

Crook 

Not well/unwell/ill

Dag

Funny person/nerd or geek

Docket

Bill or receipt

Dunny

Toilet (originally outside toilet but most people in Sydney now have indoor loos and it is still used in a slang manner)

Esky

Cooler box

Fair dinkum 

The truth or being genuine

Fair go

The Australian motto – everyone deserves a fair chance

Grog 

Beer or drink (alcoholic varieties)

Hotel

These are often not actual hotels, but pubs (sometimes with restaurants)

Longneck

Beers sold in 750ml bottles

No worries

No problem

Outback

Inland Australia (?!?!)

Ocker

An unsophisticated person

Pom

That's us – the English

Pokies

Fruit machines

Rack off

Sod off

Ripper

Brilliant/very good

Schooner

Served instead of pints

Snags

Sausages

Spewin'

Very angry

Strewth

Mildly annoyed/frustrated

Stubby

Short neck 375ml beer

Thongs

Flip flops!

Tinny

Can of beer

Walkabout

An indefinite walk in the outback by aborigines / lost

Yum Cha

Dim Sum