Slang from downunder

Here at NexPay we’re focused on making life for international students fairer and simpler.

One of the things that many students have told us they find challenging to understand when they first arrive in Australia is Australian slang.

To help students navigate through Australian slang, we’ve put together a list of ten widely used slang phrases and words and we try to explain them in “normal” English.

1. “Ankle biter” means “a small child”
2. “Arvo” means “afternoon”
3. “Coathanger” (for those visiting Sydney) means “the Sydney Harbour Bridge”
4. “Esky” means “an insulated food/drinks container for picnics and barbecues designed to keep the contents cold”
5. “Fair dinkum” means “true and genuine”
6. “Fair go” means “to give someone/something a chance”
7. “G’day” means “hello”
8. “She’ll be right” means “everything will turn out fine and there is nothing to worry about”
9. “Shiela” means “woman”
10. “Sticky wicket” means “being in a tough situation”

 We hope your stay in Australia proves to be a highly memorable experience and that the above list makes it a little easier for you to understand what the locals are saying.