Australianisms
Down-under dialect terms
Australianisms are words, phrases, or expressions characteristic of Australian English.
These include distinctive vocabulary like "arvo" (afternoon), "brekkie" (breakfast), and "servo" (service station), as well as unique usages of common English words.
Many Australianisms feature diminutives ending in -ie or -o, reflect the country's British colonial heritage blended with Indigenous languages, and often carry an informal, irreverent tone that characterizes Australian speech patterns.
Afternoon, Down Under
- brekkieInformal term for breakfast
- servoSelf-regulating motor
- bottle-oAustralian liquor store
- stubbyShort and thick
chook · bogan · drongo · sheila · bloke · ripper · stoked · heaps
Australian ideal of loyalty
- fair goJust opportunity for all
- tall poppyConspicuous success resented
- larrikinMischievous, convention-flouting youth
- diggerOne who unearths
outback · bush · dreaming · billabong · walkabout · corroboree · didgeridoo · boomerang
Pouched Australian leaper
- koalaTree-dwelling Australian marsupial
- platypusEgg-laying Australian mammal
- wombatBurrowing Australian marsupial
- echidnaEgg-laying spined mammal
kookaburra · wallaby · bilby · quokka · dingo · emu · cassowary · possum
Coconut-crusted chocolate cake
- pavlovaMeringue base, cream, fruit
- fairy breadSprinkle-covered buttered bread
- meat pieProtein baked in pastry
- snagUnforeseen complication
Isolated river pool
Aromatic Australian timber tree
- gum treeResin-producing hardwood species
- wattleHanging throat skin
- banksiaAustralian flowering shrub genus
- bottlebrushCylindrical cleaning brush
arvo
Afternoon, Down Under
stubby · chook · bogan · drongo · sheila · bloke · ripper · stoked · heaps · reckon
mateship
Australian ideal of loyalty
- fair goJust opportunity for all
- tall poppyConspicuous success resented
- larrikinMischievous, convention-flouting youth
digger · outback · bush · dreaming · billabong · walkabout · corroboree · didgeridoo · boomerang · cooee
kangaroo
Pouched Australian leaper
- koalaTree-dwelling Australian marsupial
- platypusEgg-laying Australian mammal
- wombatBurrowing Australian marsupial
echidna · kookaburra · wallaby · bilby · quokka · dingo · emu · cassowary · possum · bandicoot
lamington
Coconut-crusted chocolate cake
- pavlovaMeringue base, cream, fruit
- fairy breadSprinkle-covered buttered bread
- meat pieProtein baked in pastry
snag · damper · flat white
billabong
Isolated river pool
paddock · creek · gully · scrub · spinifex · never-never · mallee
eucalyptus
Aromatic Australian timber tree
- gum treeResin-producing hardwood species
- wattleHanging throat skin
- banksiaAustralian flowering shrub genus
bottlebrush · melaleuca · saltbush · spinifex · macadamia · paperback
AustralianismsBritishisms
UK-specific vocabulary
Americanisms · American English · Canadianisms · Queen's English · BBC English
AustralianismsStandard English
Codified mainstream dialect
Queen's English · global English · Oxford English · academic English