Diminutives in Australian English

Australian slang words

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Diminutives in Australian English" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Diminutive forms of words are commonly used in everyday Australian English. While many dialects of English make use of diminutives and hypocorisms, Australian English uses them more extensively than any other. Diminutives may be seen as slang, but many are used widely across the whole of society. Some forms have also spread outside Australia to other English-speaking countries. There are over 5,000 identified diminutives in use in Australian English.

Usage

In other English dialects, diminutives usually imply smallness or have a childish connotation such as in 'birdie', 'doggy', or 'kitty'. While diminutives can be used in this way in Australian English, they are also used widely in a non-childish manner, with over 4,300 being recorded. For example, bikie (a motorcycle, or motorbike club member), does not imply a bicycle in a small or childish sense as it may in other English dialects.

In Australian English, diminutives are usually formed by taking the first part of a word, and adding an ending such as a, o, ie, or y. Sometimes, no ending is added. While the form of a diminutive is arbitrary, their use follows strict rules. Diminutives are not used creatively. For example, an ambulance paramedic is called an ambo, never ambie, or amba. Some diminutives are almost always used in preference to the original form, while others are rarely used or restricted to certain groups or locations. The use of diminutives also evolves over time, with new words coming into use and others falling out of favour. Some diminutives have become so common that the original form has fallen out of common usage. For example, Salvos has begun to replace the name Salvation Army to such an extent that some Australians do not recognise the Salvation Army name. Deli has become so universal that delicatessen is rarely used. Some words, such as ute, from utility vehicle, a car with a tray back, have become universal.

There is common usage of the diminutive forms of people's names; Hargrave → Hargie; Sharon → Shazza; Clark→ Clarky; Wilkinson → Wilko; John → Jonno; David → Davo; Hogan → Hoges; James → Jimmy → Jim → Jimbo; Benjamin → Ben → Benno; Barry → Bazza. This is usually a display of affection and acceptance rather than belittlement.

Organizations and businesses will often embrace the diminutives given to them by Australians, using them in their own advertising and even registering it as a trademark. McDonald's Australia, for example, has registered and uses the name Macca's, rather than the term McDonald's still seen on its restaurants in Australia.

Some diminutives are rarely used, but widely recognised. For example, chalkie means teacher, but most Australians simply call a teacher a teacher.

Diminutives are often used for place names, and are only recognised by people in the local area, for example, cot for Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Parra for Parramatta in Sydney and Broady for Broadmeadows in Melbourne. Even entire cities and States, such as Shepp for the major regional Victorian city of Shepparton or Gong for the New South Wales coastal city/region of Wollongong or Tassie for the state of Tasmania.

Pub and hotel names in particular are often shortened. For example, pubs called the Esplanade Hotel, such as the Esplanade Hotel in St. Kilda, will often be called The Espy.

Purpose and history

The purpose of diminutives in Australian English is not well understood despite being a prominent part of Australian culture. Some research suggests that the use of diminutives serves to make interactions more informal, friendly and relaxed. Linguist Anna Wierzbicka argues that Australians' use of diminutives reflects Australian cultural values of mateship, friendliness, informality, and solidarity, while downplaying formality and avoiding bragging associated with tall poppy syndrome.

Records of the use of diminutives in Australian English date back to the 1800s. Older Australians tend to prefer diminutives with endings such as '-o' in smoko (a work rest break); however, younger Australians have begun to use endings such as -s as seen in totes (totally).

List of diminutives

This list contains noteworthy and commonly understood diminutives from Australian English.

Those marked ‡ are also common in other English dialects.

A

Abo or (more commonly) Abbo, an indigenous Australian. From Aboriginal. Considered offensive.
Acca Dacca, rock band AC/DC
Aggro, aggressive, aggravated or angry
Albo, Anthony Albanese, 31st prime minister of Australia
Alco or (less commonly) ‡Alkie, an alcoholic
Ambo, an ambulance paramedic
Apo or ape-o, from apeshit, meaning very angry or excited
Arvo or (less commonly) Arvie, afternoon
‡Avo, avocado
‡Aussie, Australian

B

Barbie, a barbecue, the cooking apparatus itself or the event of cooking food on a barbecue
Barnesy, Australian singer Jimmy Barnes
Barra, a barramundi, or the Ford Barra engine built by Ford Australia
‡Beauty, beaut, or bewdy, beautiful. Used in a much wider sense than the beauty, e.g. fantastic or excellent.
‡Bickie, biccy or bikkie, a biscuit
Bidgie, the Murrumbidgee River
Bikie, a member of a motorcycle club, with a connotation of involvement in criminal activity. This is equivalent to biker in other forms of English. A motorcycle club is called a bikie club. Outlaw motorcycle clubs may also be called bikie gangs.
Blowie, a blowfly. A large buzzing fly common in Australia.
Blowy, fellatio, short for blow job.
Bluey, a blue heeler
‡Blotto, drunk
‡Bolshie, from Bolshevik, meaning of a person or attitude, deliberately combative or uncooperative.
‡Bookie, a bookmaker
Boardies, boardshorts, worn by surfers
Bottle-oh, (historical) a mobile bottle collector (for return and re-use)
Bottle-o, a bottle shop or alcohol store
Bowlo, a lawn bowls clubhouse
‡Brekkie or Brekky, breakfast
Brissy (alternate spellings Brizzy, Brissie or Brizzie), Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
‡Brickie, a bricklayer
Broadie or Broady, Broadmeadows in Victoria, Broadbeach in Queensland
Brushie, a brushtail possum
‡Bub, baby, as in "mum and bub"
‡Budgie, a budgerigar, a parakeet. Male swimming briefs are called budgie smugglers.
Bundy, the city of Bundaberg, Queensland, or the Bundaberg Rum beverage
Bunners, the Bunnings chain of hardware stores, or the city of Bunbury, Western Australia
Bushie, a bushranger, one who is competent to live away from civilization (from bushman)
Busso, the town of Busselton, Western Australia

C

Cabo, Caboolture, Queensland
Cab Sav, Cabernet Sauvignon wine
‡Cardie, a cardigan
Carby or carbie, a carburetor
Cauli (pron. "collie"), cauliflower
Ceno or Cenno, the Centrelink office. Also used to refer to a fortnightly payment (pension or otherwise) from the Centrelink office.
Chalkie, a teacher. From chalk used on blackboards. Once also applied to employees of the Australian Stock Exchange who wrote stock prices on chalk boards prior to computerisation.
‡Champers, champagne
Chardy, chardonnay wine
Chewy, chewing gum
‡Chippie, a carpenter. From wood chips
Chockers, full to overflowing, derived from "chock-a-block"
Chockie, chocolate
Chocko (from chocolate soldier), a member of the Australian Army Reserve
Chrissie or Chrissy, Christmas
‡Ciggie, a cigarette
Cockie, a cockatoo. Commonly a sulphur-crested cockatoo. By extension, a farmer, e.g. "cow cockie" for dairy farmer. Also slang for cockroach
Coldie, a cold can or stubby of beer, as in "crack a coldie"
Connie, a bus or train conductor, a condom
Coota, Cootamundra, also barracouta
‡Compo, compensation for being injured at work. Generally not used for other forms of compensation.
Corro, corrugated iron
‡Cossies or Cozzies, a bathing costume
Cow Bombie, Cowaramup Bombora
Cranie, a crane driver
Croc, a crocodile
Crownie, variously refers to Crown Lager or a Crown Prosecutor, the latter popularised by the televisions series Crownies.
‡Cuppa, a cup of tea or coffee

D

Dandy, Dandenong
Datto, a Datsun automobile
‡Deli, a delicatessen
Defo, definitely
Dero or derro, a derelict, a poor (often homeless) person, or location or building; also used as an adjective
Devo, devastated, very upset over some event
Deso, a designated driver
Dexxy, dextroamphetamine
Dizzie, a car distributor, or an electrical distribution board
Doco, a documentary
Dodge, dodgy or suspicious
Doughie, the doughnut driving manoeuvre
‡Druggie, illicit drug user
Dunny, an outhouse, derived from dunnekin
Durry, Duzz or Duzza, a cigarette, from the Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco brand

E

‡Eckies, ecstasy. From the street name for MDMA.
Ekka, exhibition. Used to describe the Brisbane Royal Show
Erko, the Sydney suburb of Erskineville
Espy, establishments named "Esplanade", such as the Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne or the Esplanade Hotel (Fremantle)
Esky, a portable insulated container. From the Eskimo brand, which was later shortened to esky.
Exy, expensive

F

Falsies, a heavily-padded brassiere, or dentures (false teeth)
Farnsy, Australian singer John Farnham
Festy, festering, denoting something disgusting
Firie, a firefighter
Fisho, a fisherman or woman
Flannie or flanno, a flannelette shirt
Flatties, flat-soled (women's) shoes
Flatty, a flat tyre, a slotted or "flat-head" screwdriver, or a Flathead (fish)
‡Footy, football, which may refer to the sport of football, the ball itself, or a specific game. Generally, footy refers to Australian Rules Football in Southern and Western States or Rugby league in Queensland and New South Wales. Association football is either called football or soccer, but never footy. Rugby Union is called rugby, never footy. The Nine Network runs two longstanding variety television shows called The Footy Show; one for Aussie Rules, and the other for Rugby League.
Franga, the suburb of Frankston, Victoria, or slang for a condom
Freo, the city of Fremantle in Western Australia
Freshie, a freshwater crocodile, or the Freshwater Beach in Sydney
Forkie, a forklift operator
Fourby, a four-wheel drive vehicle, derived from 4x4 ("four by four")

G

G Town, nickname for Geelong, Victoria
The G, the MCG, or Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Gabba, The Brisbane Cricket Ground, located in the suburb of Woolloongabba.
Garbo, a garbage collector
Gero, Geraldton, a town in Western Australia
Geo, a Geologist
Gladdy, the gladioli family of plants. The term was popularised by Barry Humphries in character as Dame Edna Everage
Glenny, Glen Waverley, a suburb of Victoria
The Gong, Wollongong, New South Wales
Greenie, an environmentalist, from the green movement; usually pejoratively
Greensie, Greensborough, a suburb of Melbourne
Gossie, Gosford
Gunners, the band Guns N' Roses

H

Handy, a handjob
Heckers, hectic
‡Homo, homosexual (offensive)
Hospo, hospitality
Housos, (pron. –z–) residents of public housing
Hundo, a one hundred dollar note
Hypo, hyperactive

I

Indo, Indonesia
Indro, Indooroopilly, a suburb in Brisbane
Iso, isolation, gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Isopropyl alcohol

J

Jocks, men's briefs (underwear), esp. in phrase "socks and jocks"; from the brand name "Jockey"
‡Journo, a journalist
Jindy, short for Jindabyne

K

Kanga, a kangaroo
Kero, kerosene
Kindy, Kinda or Kinder, kindergarten
Kinger or kingie, a Holden Kingswood automobile, or the kingfish

L

Landy, a Toyota Land Cruiser or Land Rover automobile
Lebo, or Leb, for Middle Eastern immigrant, specifically from Lebanon, sometimes pejorative.
Lecky, electrical, as in "lecky tape" (Electrical tape)
‡Leftie, a person with left wing views; a left-handed person
Lesbo or lezzo, a lesbian (offensive)
Liftie, a ski lift operator
‡Limey, a person from the UK, prominently English (Not offensive but unfriendly)
‡Lippy, a lipstick
‡Lappy, a laptop computer
Locko, covid lockdown or isolation
Lonny, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Lotto, the lottery

M

Maccas, McDonald's fast food restaurants This is also reflected in McDonald's corporate branding.
Maggie, Australian magpie
Melbs, Melbourne
Metho or meths, methylated spirits; also Methodist
Middy or middie, a mid-sized beer (half-pint).
Mo, a moustache Contributed to the portmanteau "Movember".
‡Mong, an insult for someone implying that they are a mongoloid
‡Mozzie, mosquito
Murbah, Murwillumbah
Mushie, mushroom
Muso, a musician
Muzzies or muzzos, a term for Muslims, sometimes pejorative.

N

Nasho, a conscript in the army. Derived from national service. Used especially around the Vietnam war. In the Army it was used in a derogatory sense. The term has fallen out of use as conscription in Australia ended in the 1970s. Common use is now Nationality
Newie or Newy, Newcastle
Nibblies, small portions of food nibbled on at parties

O

Op shop, opportunity shop

P

Parra, Parramatta
Parma, Parmi or Parmy, chicken parmigiana, a pub food staple
Paro or ‡Para, Paranoid. Also, extremely drunk (from paralytic).
Pav, pavlova
Penno, Pennant Hills
Physio, physiotherapy or physiotherapist
Pinky, a young, hairless brushtail possum that still resides in its marsupial mother's pouch, newborn rats and mice
Pokey, pokies, (mostly as plural), a poker machine
Pollie, a politician
Pommie (adjective or noun), English or English person (may be derogatory) also Pom (noun)
‡Postie, a postman or postwoman
Povvo or Pov, a poor or cheap person. From poverty
Preggo or ‡preggers, pregnant
‡Prezzies, gifts, presents; use widespread outside Australia
Probs, probably, also used for problem in the phrase "no probs"
‡Prozzies, prostitutes
Pushie, pushbike, a bicycle

Q

Queanie or Queany, the city of Queanbeyan

R

Ranga, from orangutan, slang for people with red hair
"R"ie, also rissole, RSL clubhouse
Reffo, a pejorative term for a refugee
Rego, a vehicle registration
Reno, a house renovation
Reso, a reservation
Ressie or Ressa, the suburb of Reservoir, Victoria
Rellie or relo, a relative
Reo, reinforcing steel, rebar
Rocko, the city of Rockingham, Western Australia
Rocky, the city of Rockhampton
‡Rollie (pron. ROHL-ee), a roll-your-own cigarette
Roo, a kangaroo
Roofie, a roofer; also the date rape drug‡
‡Rottie, a Rottweiler dog
Rotto, Rottnest Island

S

Saltie, a saltwater crocodile
Salvos, Salvation Army. The term is used officially by the Salvation Army in Australia.
Sanga or Sanger, a sandwich. Originally sango, but evolved to its current form by the 1960s.
Sanny, hand sanitiser
Sav, saveloy, especially battered sav, a showtime treat
Savvy B, Sauvignon Blanc wine
Scratchie, a lottery ticket
ScoMo, Scott Morrison, 30th prime minister of Australia
Scrooge or screwge, a screwdriver
Selfie, a self-shot photograph. This term originated in Australia and has been adopted worldwide via the internet. It became The Oxford Dictionary's 2013 word of the year.
‡Semi, a semi-trailer truck, also a semi-final
‡Seppo, a pejorative term for an American. Seppo is a diminutive of septic tank which is in turn rhyming slang for yank, which is a diminutive of yankee.
Servo, a petrol station, service station
Sheppo, the Victorian regional city of Shepparton.
Shoey, the act of drinking from shoes, typically alcoholic beverages
‡Shottie, a shotgun; also the act of riding in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, sometimes announced as "I call shotgun/shottie", to indicate that a person has claimed this seat. Can also refer to the carb hole in a bong.
‡Sickie, a sick day, often with a connotation of there being insufficient medical reason for missing work
Sicko, a psychology disturbed person, or someone who may be fanatically into horror movies
Smoko, a smoking break while at work. Since smoking has been banned in many workplaces, a smoko has come to mean any rest break at work.
Snag, Sausage
‡Sparkie or Sparky, an electrician. From sparking, electric arcing
Spenny, expensive
Stezza, a stereo playback system such as with home audio or vehicle audio
Straya, short for Australia
Stubby or Stubbie, a small, wide bottle of beer
Subbie, a subcontractor
Subi or Subie, a Subaru car, or the suburb of Subiaco, Western Australia
‡Sunnies, sunglasses
Surfie, a surfer
Susso, from sustenance payments, a form of welfare during the Great Depression in the form of food coupons. The word has fallen out of use.
‡Suss, suspicious.
Swaggie, a swagman

T

Tanty, a tantrum
Tassie, Tazzy or Taz, Tasmania or Tasmanian
Techo, technician, technical (adjective)
‡Tellie or telly, a television
‡Tinnie, historically referred to a beverage can (usually a beer can) but today generally refers to an aluminium flat-bottomed boat. From tin can
Tonguey, to French kiss
Toonie, Toongabbie, a historic suburb in Western Sydney
Towie, tow truck or a tow truck driver
Townie, a townsperson; in contrast to bushie, a bushman
‡Trackies, track pants or a tracksuit. Track pants are also known as "trackie dacks", with "dacks" being a colloquial term for trousers.
Tradie, a tradesperson
Traino, a train station
Trannie or tranny, a car's transmission, or an electrical transformer, or an offensive word for a transgender person; also outdated slang for a transistor radio
Treadlie or treadly, a bicycle
Troppo, from "tropics" as in "gone troppo", unhinged mentally (orig. army slang)
Truckie, a truck driver
‡Turps, alcohol, from turpentine, a toxic solvent historically used to adulterate gin. Usually used to say a person is "on the turps" (drinking heavily).
‡Typo, a typographic error

U

U-ey ,U'ie (you-eee), as in "Chuck a u-ey" — to perform a U-turn (when driving a vehicle)
Umpie or Ump, an umpire at a sporting game
‡Undies, underwear. This word is used widely outside Australian English.
‡Uni, university
Ute, an abbreviation of "utility"; a passenger vehicle with a cargo tray in the rear. Festivals that involve gatherings of utes are popular in rural areas and are called ute musters.

V

‡Veggie or vegie, vegetables, generally not a vegetarian
Veggo, a vegetarian, never a vegetable
Vinnies, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The term is used officially by the society in Australia. Commonly runs "op shops" (opportunity shops)

W

Westie, resident of a western suburb (several capital cities)
Wharfie, a docks worker
Wheelie, several car and bike manoeuvres — wheelstand or wheelspin; meaning found from context
Winnie or Winnies, the Winfield brand of cigarettes, esp. "Winnie Blue", a low-tar variety
‡Wino, an alcoholic who subsists on cheap, probably fortified, wine
Wobbly, a tantrum
Wombie or womby, a wombat, also slang for feces
‡Woolies, Woolworths supermarkets
Woollies, especially Winter woollies, woollen garments
Wristy or wristie, a handjob

References

^ Luu, Chi. "Small Poppy Syndrome: Why are Australians so Obsessed With Nicknaming Things?". JStor. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^ Sussex, Roland. 2004. Abstand, Ausbau, Creativity and Ludicity in Australian English. Australian Journal of Linguistics 24(1). 3-19.
^ Nunn, Gary (May 27, 2015). "Australian slang is not dying, it's making its way up in the world". The Sydney Morning Herald.
^ "Why we shorten barbie, footy and arvo". australiangeographic.com.au. 2 August 2010.
"A word in your ear: Diminutives". abc.net.au.
^ Gamble, Beau. "Aussie slang: why we shorten words". Australian Geographic.
"Transcript". latrobe.edu.au.
"Aussies diminutives". ABC Sydney. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
Frank, Alex (28 December 2016). "What people call McDonald's in 10 countries around the world". Business Insider.
O'Connell, Jan (29 September 2010). "Australian food history timeline - McDonald's becomes Macca's". Australian Food Timeline.
Paine, Hanna (19 October 2021). "Drive-thru tell-all: Kiwi Macca's worker reveals what they can hear". NZ Herald.
Zhang, Zhe; Patrick, Vanessa M. (1 April 2018). "Call Me Rollie! The Role of Brand Nicknames in Shaping Consumer-Brand Relationships". Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. 3 (2): 149. doi:10.1086/697074. ISSN 2378-1815. S2CID 149015566.
"The Espy Story". hotelesplanade.com.au.
"A famous Sydney restaurant has been forced to change its menu, with a breakfast item named after a derogatory term used to refer to Aboriginal children". Retrieved 2020-01-04.
"'Abo' is not just an abbreviation of 'Aboriginal'". 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
^ The Australian National Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 1988.
^ "Australian Word Map - Riverina". Macquarie Dictionary.
^ "Australian National Dictionary Centre". ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics.
Nikki Black. "How to give a good blow job". New Idea.
"BOOKIE | Definition of BOOKIE by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of BOOKIE". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021.
"Brickie definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com.
"DOCO | Definition of DOCO by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of DOCO". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021.
^ School, Head of. "Australian National Dictionary Centre". ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
"GARBO | Definition of GARBO by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of GARBO". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
"Definition of greenie | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com.
"Iso named 2020's word of the year by Australian National Dictionary Centre". the Guardian. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
"JOURNO | Definition of JOURNO by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of JOURNO". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021.
"Lecky's Electrical & Data".
"Lotteries Commission Act 1990" (PDF). legislation.wa.gov.au/.
"McDonald's to become 'Macca's' in Australia". 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013.
Garone, Adam (November 2011). "Healthier men, one moustache at a time" (Video with transcript). TED.com. TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved 2 November 2014. So in Australia, 'mo' is slang for mustache, so we renamed the month of November 'Movember'.
"THE TALE OF THE MURBAH SWAMP BEER". Stone and Wood. 27 February 2017.
"Crittle set to tackle Murbah" by Jamie Gallagher and Geoff Campbell, Tweed Daily News (15 December 2009)
Happy Feraren. "No 'nibblies': three rules for surviving Australia's party-snack culture". The Guardian.
"ROO | Definition of ROO by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of ROO". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021.
"Saltie definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com.
Australia, The Salvation Army. "The Salvation Army Australia | Hope where it's needed most". www.salvationarmy.org.au.
"Australian Word Map". Macquarie Dictionary.
"What are scratchies and how do scratchies work?". ozlotteries.com/.
"A brief history of the selfie". abc.net.au. 12 August 2014.
"Selfie: Australian slang term named international word of the year". The Guardian. 19 November 2013.
The Australian Tobacco Timeline Archived 2009-10-24 at the Wayback Machine, University of Sydney
Glossary of common industrial relations terms Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (Queensland)
"Definition of surfie | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com.
"Definition of truckie | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com.
Smith, Tom (19 July 2018). "15 Australian Slang Words to Help You Speak Like a Local". Culture Trip.
"Definition of undies | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com.

Category:

Australian English

Misplaced Pages