British and Australian English – Vocabulary

Here you will find words which have different meanings or are spelled differently in British and Australian English.

British English Australian English
A
a good job a good lurk
Absolutely! Reckon!
accident prang
afternoon arvo
aggressive aggro
alcohol grog
alcohol booze
American Yank
angry berko
Australian Aussie, Strine
B
banana nana
beer amber (fluid)
beer glass (285 ml) middy, pot
biscuit Bickie
bread damper
C
car paint Duco
cheap wine plonk
criminal bushranger
chicken chook
chocolate chokkie
Christmas Chrissie
D
dockworker wharfie
drunk pissed
E
engine (car or boat) donk
English person pom
Eucalyptus tree gum tree
evening meal tea
exact information good oil
excellent ace
F
far away in the outback back of beyond
farm station
fast sheep shearer ringer (in the country)
field paddock
flip-flops thongs
food tucker
G
game brave
Go away. Shove off.
H
Have you eaten yet? Did you eat yet?
Hi. G'day mate.
horses neddies
How are you? How are you going?
I
idiot dill, drongo
information oil
it she
it's fine she's apple
K
kangaroo Roo
L
lavatory Loo
lavatory (outdoor) dunny
Liquor Shop Bottle Shop
M
Middle of nowhere back of bourke
Milk bar (South Wales) deli
milkman milko
money lolly (in the country)
mosquito mozzie
N
New Zealander kiwi, enzedder
nonsense piffle
non-stop talk earbush (old)
P
postman postie
pub meal counter meal
R
remote desert country never-never
road for trucking cattle by road train beef road
S
sandwiches cut lunch
sausage snag
shark meat flake
sheep jumbuck (mainly in songs)
a sheep which has lost all its teeth gummy
sheepdog kelpie
sheepfarmer woolgrower
Shut up. Belt up.
soldier digger
stony desert gibber (used in the west)
stupid person Alf
sunglasses sunnies
swimming costume bathers
T
tasty food num-nums (parent to kid talk )
tea kettle Billie
teacher chalkie
to complain to grizzle
to give up to give it away
to have a look to gander
to hunt for gemstones to fossick
toilet comfort station
tomato sauce dead horse (old)
trainee on a cattle farm Jackaroo
trousers daks, strides
U
underpants (men) jocks
undertaker mortician
V
vegetable extract (used for sandwiches) vegemite
vegetables vegies
W
waterhole billabong
Well done! Good on ya!

Thanks to Alexander, Matt, Richard, Marie and Paula.