
Barbie can be used in different contexts – it can mean the barbecue as an object, or you could be invited to someone’s house for a barbie (a meal consisting of barbecued food).īarrack: if you barrack for someone, it means that you’ll cheer them on or support them.

This is a good one to know, because smashed avo (mashed avocado on toast) is very popular in Australian cafes.īarbie: this is short for barbecue.

If you can’t tell, Australians like to shorten their words!Īvo: this is what we call an avocado. It can refer to the ambulance driver or the service itself.Īnkle biter: in Australia, small children are often called ankle biters.Īrvo: short for afternoon. Someone might get aggro if you take the last Tim Tam (see below) in the packet.Īmbo: this is an abbreviation of ambulance. Next time someone invites you to a barbie or tells you they’re going to chuck a sickie, you’ll know exactly what they mean!Īggro: short for aggressive. To solve this problem, we’ve created a guide to help you understand some of the most used slang words and abbreviations in Australia. Australians speak fast, ‘chew’ words and skip pronunciation of letters – combine this with their penchant for slang and abbreviations, and you have a language that’s quite difficult to comprehend!


One of the first things you’ll notice about Australia will no doubt be the very unique speaking habits of its people.
