The country of Australia has a lot to celebrate. It’s one of the most culturally significant islands on the planet, producing exports such as Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman and Shane Warne. We’ve spent hours following the lives of those on Ramsey Street and hours more laughing at the likes of Dame Edna and, more recently, Adam Hills.

Australia Day is now just around the corner, and with plenty of Australians over in Britain enjoying our bingo games, we thought we’d tip our cork hats and celebrate what a great nation it really is, and help you get to know the lingo. Taking place on January 26, on the anniversary of the first fleet of British ships landing at Port Jackson in New South Wales, the celebration pays homage to the diverse society of the nation and landscape, with thousands of families lighting the barbies and toasting their forefathers.

The country is well known for its slang terms, just like bingo in fact, with various sayings having become synonymous in British culture and many others leading to a scratch of the head. Below you’ll find some of our favourite Aussie slang terms and exactly what they mean…

The Barbie

You’ll probably be pretty familiar with the term ‘barbie’. It’s used as slang for barbeque and throwing a shrimp on there is one of the most stereotypical Australian traits. With the glorious summers, nothing beats a barbie of an evening, and there’s no better time to open a cold one (beer) and tuck into a snag, especially if it’s Australia Day.

Snag is a popular saying for sausage, while there are plenty more terms to describe food that haven’t quite made their way to the other side of the world. Chook is a term used to describe chicken, while sanga, jaffle and sambo are all used as words for sandwich. No barbeque is complete without a slab (24 cans of beer), while it can all be finished off with a lamington, a small square of sponge cake coated in chocolate and coconut flakes.

Expressions

Naturally, many of the most popular Aussie slang references are expressions, from ‘galah’ (idiot) to a simple hello, which is of course ‘G’day’. For those wanting to leave a barbie early, they’d be ‘doing a Harry Holt’, which is rhyming slang for bolt, i.e. leaving a party with no announcement. This is referencing Harry Holt, who was once Australian Prime Minister. While in office he disappeared while swimming in Portsea And was never found. It was presumed he’d carked it (died) shortly after.

There are many terms used to describe someone’s incompetence, from ‘drongo’, to the likes of ‘go troppo’, which means losing the plot, and ‘mad as a cut snake’, which is a term for crazy. Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum. To describe something as fantastic, you’d describe it as a ‘ripper’, while ‘ripsnorter’ and ‘fully sick’ would be something you’d describe as cool.

Time to Celebrate Australia Day!

We wish all our Australian players the very best of days in what has been a daggy (not cool) 12 months. But if there’s one thing to take joy in, it’s a country that has provided so much, from iconic buildings such as the Sydney Opera House, to the breath-taking outback and Great Barrier Reef, and of course the many exports that have provided joy to millions worldwide.