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Slang Around the World
Studying abroad means learning more than just formal English! You’ll also hear local slang in daily life. Knowing these words and phrases will help you fit in faster, make friends easily, and avoid confusion.
Here’s a handy guide to common slang in popular study destinations:
Australians love shortening words and keeping conversations laid-back.
Arvo
Afternoon
“Let’s meet this arvo for coffee.”
Macca’s
McDonald’s
“I’m grabbing lunch at Macca’s.”
Mozzie
Mosquito
“Bring mozzie repellent tonight.”
Bogan
Unsophisticated person
“He’s a bit of a bogan, but nice.”
Brekkie
Breakfast
“We had brekkie by the beach.”
Barbie
Barbecue
“Come over for a barbie tonight.”
Dunny
Toilet
“Where’s the dunny?”
Tradie
Tradesperson (electrician, etc.)
“My brother’s a tradie.”
Footy
Australian rules football
“We’re watching the footy tonight.”
Cuppa
Cup of tea
“Let’s have a cuppa and chat.”
Chockers
Very full or crowded
“The train was chockers this morning.”
Servo
Petrol station / Service station
“I’ll stop at the servo for fuel.”
Esky
Cooler/ice box
“Put the drinks in the esky.”
Sunnies
Cooler/ice box
“Don’t forget your sunnies, it’s hot today.”
Thongs
Flip-flops
“I wear thongs to the beach.”
Fair dinkum
Genuine / True
“Is that story fair dinkum?”
Stubby
Bottle of beer
“Grab a stubby from the fridge.”
Ripper
Fantastic
“That was a ripper game!”
Larrikin
Mischievous but fun person
“He’s a larrikin, always joking around.”
Yean nah
No (softened)
“Do you want to go?”“Yeah nah.”
UK slang varies by region, but these are common across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Mate
Friend
“You alright, mate?”
Bloke
Man / Guy
“He’s a good bloke.”
Cheers
Thanks / Goodbye
“Here’s your change.”“Cheers!”
Knackered
Exhausted
“I’m knackered after that exam.”
Chuffed
Proud / Happy
“She was chuffed with her results.”
Fancy
To like / Want
“Do you fancy a tea?”
Gobsmacked
Shocked
“I was gobsmacked by the news.”
Gutted
Very disappointed
“He was gutted about failing the test.”
Dodgy
Suspicious / Unreliable
“This alley looks a bit dodgy.”
Wicked
Excellent
“That concert was wicked!”
Rubbish
Trash / Nonsense
“That’s absolute rubbish.”
Fit
Attractive
“She thinks that guy over there is fit.”
Brolly
Umbrella
“Don’t forget your brolly, it’s raining.”
Skint
Broke / No money
“I can’t go out, I’m skint.”
Sorted
Taken care of
“Don’t worry, it’s all sorted.”
Ta
Thanks
“Ta for the drink!”
Ace
Excellent
“That pizza was ace.”
Bugger all
Nothing / Very little
“We did bugger all in class.”
Naff
Uncool / Tasteless
“That outfit’s a bit naff.”
Cheeky
Slightly naughty or playful
“Let’s have a cheeky drink tonight.”
Waffle
Talk a lot without saying much
“He waffles on about nothing.”
Telly
Television
“Let’s watch telly.”
Friendly and often influenced by French and Indigenous languages.
Toonie / Loonie
$2 coin / $1 coin
“I paid with a toonie.”
Double-double
Coffee with two cream and two sugar
“I ordered a double-double from Timmies.”
Keener
Over-eager student
“She’s such a keener in class.”
Pop
Soft drink
“Want a pop with your meal?”
Rink rat
Someone who spends a lot of time at the ice rink
“He’s a real rink rat.”
Snowbird
Someone who travels south for winter
“My grandparents are snowbirds.”
Two-four
Case of 24 beers
“He brought a two-four for the party.”
Hoser
Unfashionable / unsophisticated person (jokingly)
“Don’t be a hoser!”
Gong show
Chaotic situation
“That party was a gong show.”
Klick
Kilometer
“The town is 10 klicks away.”
Pogey
Unemployment benefits
“He’s on pogey right now.”
Out for a rip
Going for a drive / fun outing
“We’re out for a rip in the truck.”
Canuck
Canadian
“He’s a proud Canuck.”
Looned
Tired or out of energy
“I’m looned after that exam.”
Mountie
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
“The Mounties handle that.”
Give’r
Go for it / Work hard
“Just give’r, buddy!”
Kerfuffle
Minor commotion or fuss
“What’s the kerfuffle about?”
Chirping
Teasing or joking around
“They were chirping each other all day.”
New Zealanders (Kiwis) use slang that’s cheerful and unique.
Sweet as
Awesome / No problem
“That’s sweet as, bro.”
Cuz
Friend
“Thanks for coming by, cuz.”
Chur
Thanks / Cool
“Chur for the help.”
Togs
Swimsuit
“Bring your togs to the beach.”
Jandals
Flip-flops
“I need new jandals.”
Wop-wops
Middle of nowhere
“Their house is out in the wop-wops.”
Choice
Excellent
“That movie was choice!”
Kai
Food
“Let’s grab some kai.”
Bach
Holiday home
“We stayed at a bach near the sea.”
Hard case
Funny person
“Uncle Jim’s a real hard case.”
Carked it
Died / Stopped working
“My old phone finally carked it.”
Skux
Stylish / Attractive
“He’s looking skux tonight.”
Under the pump
Under pressure
“I’m under the pump with assignments.”
Tramping
Hiking
“We’re going tramping this weekend.”
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