I’ve been getting ‘a bit towie’ this week. I look up Australian slang and phrases and find words and phrases that we just don’t use much. Well, not by me ‘a born and bred’ Sydney-sider. They’re almost like something constructed for the TV. Maybe the tourism industry is trying to cash in on it as well. Others just make you cringe as they are so ‘blokey’.
Sure, we might have a bit of a laugh about Aussie slang but if you’re not a local then the last thing you want to do is to ‘stick out like a sore thumb’. Play it safe.
A ‘cardi’ is both a cardigan, and a glass of Chardonnay. The latter version is referencing a comment from an actor in a TV show called Kath & Kim. This was a slap stick Australian TV show that was popular in the early 2000’s. Say Chardonnay if that’s what you want to drink. You can say ‘cab sav’ with friends if you want a red. Cabernet Sauvignon gets shortened which is a very Australian thing to do. There are ‘bucket loads’ of them.
We definitely shorten words but it depends on what words you shorten and where you live. Here’s a few that’re stock standard and ‘won’t raise any eyebrows’ that you can use when your ‘out and about’ around Sydney.
- This arvo – This afternoon (remember it will sound like ‘thi sarvo’)
- Sunnies – sunglasses (wait a moment, I’ll just grab my sunnies)
- Ta or thanks – better to say ‘thanks’ in the city.
- Servo – petrol station
- Lippy – lipstick
- Loo – use the word toilet if you can. If it’s too hard to say then the back up word is ‘loo’. Not as sophisticated but easy to understand.
Phrase or Idiom meaning
- A bit towie – a bit annoyed
- Born and bred – person local to an area
- Blokey – male, a blokey bloke would be someone that swears alot or has a few beers with his mates
- Stick out like a sore thumb – obvious to everyone
- Cab Sav – Cabernet Sauvignon (popular red wine type)
- Bucket loads – alot
- Won’t raise any eyebrows – be seen as normal
- Out and about – normal activity outside of your home
