Australian Slang - Local Lingo
Unique Phrases - Memorable Quotes - P
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
PACKING IT - scared
PACK IT IN - give up
PACK OF GALAHS - group of no hopers
PADDED THE HOOF - to go by foot (prison term 1891) probably originated in England much earlier
PADDLE-POP - icecream on a stick
PADDY MELON - small marsupial similar to wallaby. From the Aboriginal word badimaliyan
PADDYMELON-STICK - a stick used by aborigines for knocking paddymelons on the head (Morris 1898)
PADDY WHACK - spank
PANIC MERCHANT - person who panics easily
PANNIKIN - undersized quart pot
PANNIKIN-BOSS or Pannikin-overseer - a man on a station whose position is above that of the ordinary station hand but who is only a boss in a small way (Morris 1898)
PARALYTIC - drunk
PARRAMATTA - a tweed fabric like merino but made of worsted and cotton made mostly at Parramatta (Morris 1898)
PART UP - to pay
PASH – a long kiss
PASH RASH - red irritated skin because of a lengthy kiss
PASS MUSTER - be approved of
PASS OVER THE GREAT DIVIDE - die
PASS THE BUCK - pass the blame to someone else
PASSED THROUGH THE MILL - prisoner slang for someone who has previously been through the ordeal of jail (Pentridge gaol 1887)
PASTORALIST - once known as squatters (Morris 1898)
PATERSON'S CURSE - noxious weed introduced in 1840s
PATLANDER - early immigrant or convict from Ireland (Sydney Gazette 1832)
PAT MALONE - on your own
PAVLOVA - meringue dessert
PAY DIRT - when a sufficient quantity of gold is found in the ground that gold mining may be profitable
PAY OUT - to make fun of
PAY THROUGH THE NOSE - pay too much
PEACOCKING - to peacock a piece of country means to pick out the eyes of the land by selecting the choice water frontages so that adjoining territory is practically useless to any one else (Morris 1898)
PEACOCKED IT - get the best bits
PEADODGER - bowler hat
PEARLER - or Purler. Impressive
PEB - a tough; a larrikin; an appreviation of pebble
PEDAL TO THE METAL - fast driving with accelarator pedal down on the floor
PEG - two shillings (criminal slang 1950s)
PEGGED OUT - died
PEG OUT - to mark out a gold claim under the Mining Act by placing pegs at the corners of the land. Used also metaphorically (Morris 1898)
PEN - threepenny piece (1895)
PENTONVILLER - former inmates of the Pentonville Penitentiary who were sent to Australia as exiles
PERKINS PASTE - Glue first made by Maurice Bertram Jeffery c. 1934. Specifically for children many of whom loved the taste!
PERV - looking surreptitiously at the opposite sex
PETER - prison term for a cell (1893)
PETROL HEAD - someone who loves cars; drives fast
PHANTOMS OF THE JUNGLE - Viet Cong called SAS soldiers during the Vietnam War Ma Rung-'phantoms of the jungle'
PICCADILLY BUSHMAN - An Australian business man who lives in London
PICK A BOX - one of the first game shows on Aussie TV. Bob and Dolly Dyer
PICK THE EYES OUT OF IT - get the best bits
PICKLED - drunk
PICNIC RACE MEETINGS - a part of Australia's bush tradition and social life, often included a week's festivities with racing, pigeon shooting, kangaroo shoots and children's sports
PIECE OF CAKE - easy
PIECE OF PISS - easy
PIE EATER - a person of little consequence with a narrow view of the world
PIG IRON BOB - Refers to Robert Menzies because of a 1938 political industrial dispute at Port Kembla protesting the export of pig iron from Australia to Japan
PIG - F-111 aircraft
PIGS - derogatory term for police
PIG'S ARSE - expression of contempt; standard response to any form of lie; sometimes abbrieviated to pig's
PIG'S EAR - beer
PIG STICKER - bayonet (WW1)
PIKER - someone who leave a party early
PIKERS - wild cattle (1887)
PINCH - arrest
PINK-EYE - Aboriginal term for walkabout
PINKIE - young marsupial - joey
PINKING - shearing the sheep so close that their skin shows
PIPPED AT THE POST - beaten at the last minute
PISS OFF – go away, get lost
PISS UP – a party, a get together and in Australia – most social occasions
PISS WEAK - no strength; lacking in admirable qualities
PISSED – Intoxicated, Drunk
PISSED AS A NEWT - drunk. Probably English origin
PISSED OFF – Annoyed
PITCH AND TOSS - boss (rhyming slang, shearing shed term)
PITTSBURG OF AUSTRALIA - Newcastle was known as the Pittsburgh of Australia because Pittsburgh Pennsylvania played a significant role in the history of the United States steel industry
PITT STREET FARMER - Someone who lives in the city but has rural property, possibly as a means of tax avoidance
PLANT - A place selected by bushrangers as a good place to hide stolen goods
PLANTER - a cattle thief, so called from hiding the stolen cattle (Morris 1898)
PLATES OF MEAT - feet 1900s - 1940s
PLAYED A LONE HAND - to go alone to a place (1887) (card playing term)
PLAY FUNNY BUGGERS - act in a silly or sly way
PLAY SILLY BUGGERS - as above; mucking about; acting in a silly way
PLAYING POSSUM - pretending to be asleep; keeping quiet
PLAYING FOR SHEEP STATIONS - used ironically to describe something as a big deal
PLAYING WITH FIRE - tempting fate
PLAY LUNCH - morning tea time at school (NSW)
PLEASE EXPLAIN - Said by Pauline Hanson, founder of the anti-immigration One Nation Party, on being asked in October 1996 on the television show 60 Minutes if she was xenophobic.
PLONK - cheap wine from vin blanc - (WW1 origin)
PLONK DOWN - sit down heavily
PLUGGERS - cheap rubber thongs
PLUG HAT - bowler hat
PODDY - calf, lamb or foal not long taken from its mother
PODDY DODGER - thief who steals unbranded cattle
POINTERS - two of the bullocks placed next to the pole in a team usually made of 12 bullocks (Morris 1898)
POKE - a purse (criminal slang 1925)
POKE BORAK - to insult (WW2)
POKE MULLOCK - to deride, to tease
POKIES - Poker machines
POLEY - with the horns off c. 1895
POLLY or POLLIE - Politician
POLLY WAFFLE - Cylindrical shaped chocolate bar created by Melbourne based business Hoadley's Chocolate in 1947
POLONY - luncheon meat; called Devon in NSW; Fritz in S.A.
POMMY - person born in England. Derogatory. Acronym, origin debatable
POMMY SHOWER - not using a shower with water, just using deodorant
PONG - bad smell
POOR AS A BANDICOOT - very poor
POOR BASTARD - expression of sympathy for another's misfortune
POOR FELLOW MY COUNTRY - A novel by Xavier Herbert re wasted opportunities of Australia to build a just and independent country
POOR MAN'S DIGGINGS - land from which gold was mined without substantial capital investment
POPULATE OR PERISH - Catch phrase of Labor Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell as he sought to boost population by immigration after WW2
P.O.Q - piss off quick
PORK BARRELLING - term used in politics when promises are made for more funding to marginal seats than safe seats
PORKY PIES - lies
PORT - suitcase
PORT ARTHUR MASSACRE - On Sunday 28 April 1996, gunman Martin Bryant used a military style weapon to kill 20 people in the Broad Arrow Cafe at Port Arthur,Tasmania. He then killed a further 15 people within Port Arthur and the nearby region and injured 21 others
POSER - a show off
POSSIE - (pozzie) position (soldier slang WW1); also in children's game hide and seek
POSSUM, (STIR THE) - cause controversy
POSSUM GUTS - a term of contempt
POST AND RAILS TEA - tea made of stalks and coarse particles of leaf which float thickly (1887)
POST AND RAILS MATCHES - wooden matches as distinguished from wax vestas c. 1895
POSTIE - postman
POT AND PAN - man
POTTY - a bit crazy; eccentric
POUND NOTE MAN - also big note man - wealthy person (criminal slang 1950s)
PRAD - a horse
PRANG - car accident
PREZZIE - gift
PRINCE ALBERTS -socks (1905)
PROMOSSING - talking rubbish, playing the fool
PROP - of a horse; to stop suddenly (Morris 1898)
PROPER CROWD - particular friends, a circle, a clique
PUB TEST - term used to describe the general opinion of everyday Australians about current events and politics
PUGGERY - a strip of muslin wound round a hat or helmet, the ends hanging down the back to protect head and neck for the effects of the sun
PUGGLE - baby echidna
PULL A SWIFTIE - do something dishonest
PULL SOMEONE'S LEG - play a trick; a joke
PULL THE WOOL OVER SOMEONE'S EYES - deceive someone
PULL YOUR FINGER OUT - hurry up
PULL YOUR HEAD IN - be quiet; leave off even if you are correct
PUNCH A DART - smoke a cigarette
PUNCHING THE BUNDY - Bundy clocks were mechanical. Employees used cards that were punched by the machine to record their working hours
PUNCH ON/ PUNCH UP - a fight
PUNTER - the natural prey of bookmakers; betting men. (Digger Smith, C.J. Dennis)
PURE MERINO - derogatory term for the privileged settlers in early 1800s who benefited from land grants; pre-dated squatters
PURPLE IMP - pimp
PUSH (THE) - a group of larrikins in Sydney's working class Rocks area; also see Sydney Push
PUSHFUL PATRIOTISM - using patriotism to sell goods or services (WW1 era)
PUT A SOCK IN IT - be quiet
PUT HIM DOWN - Paul Keating referring to Andrew Peacock.The Leader of the Opposition is more to be pitied than despised, the poor old thing. The Liberal Party of Australia ought to put him down like a faithful old dog
PUT THE ACID ON - try to get a loan or favour from someone (1946)
PUT THE BITE ON - to borrow from
PUT THE BOOT IN - attack someone when they are already down
PUT THE HARD WORD ON - make sexual proposition
PUT THE MOCKERS ON - jinx someone; cause them to have bad luck
↑