Australian slang starting with C

218 Aussie words and phrases beginning with C. Page 1 of 2: from cab sav to coldie.

• cab savCabernet sauvignon wine.
• Cabbage GardenA mocking nickname for the colony, and later state, of Victoria; a Victorian was a 'cabbage gardener'.
• cabbage tree hatA broad-brimmed hat plaited from the leaves of the cabbage-tree palm, widely worn in colonial Australia.
• cabbage tree mobGangs of rowdy young larrikins in colonial Sydney, recognisable by their cabbage tree hats.
• cackTo laugh uncontrollably, usually as 'cack yourself'; literally, to soil yourself.
• cactusBroken, ruined, dead or no longer working.
• CalathumpianJocularly, a member of some unspecified or eccentric religious denomination; someone of no particular faith.
• calm your farmCalm down; relax.
• camp ovenA heavy cast-iron pot with a lid, used for baking and stewing in the coals of a campfire.
• camp pieA cheap tinned meat loaf of minced meat, eaten cold. Dated.
• campdraftA distinctively Australian horse event in which a rider cuts a beast out of a small mob and steers it around…
• canaryA convict in the early colony.
• Canberra bashingCriticism of the federal government and public service, or of the city of Canberra itself.
• Canberra bubbleThe closed world of federal politicians, their staff and the press gallery in Canberra, seen as out of touch…
• CanberranA person who lives in or comes from Canberra.
• candlebarkA eucalypt, Eucalyptus rubida, of south-eastern Australia, with smooth white bark that turns pink or red in…
• cane toadA Queenslander, especially a Queensland player or supporter in rugby league's State of Origin series.
• Cape Barren gooseA large grey goose of southern Australia, Cereopsis novaehollandiae, with a pale green-yellow patch over its…
• capsicumA sweet pepper or bell pepper.
• Captain CookA look, usually in the phrase 'have a Captain Cook'.
• captain's pickA decision made by a leader, especially a prime minister, on their own authority without consulting…
• car yardA business selling cars, especially second-hand ones, from an open lot.
• carbyA carburettor.
• cark itTo die. Of a machine, to break down.
• carn'Come on!'; a cry of encouragement for a sporting team.
• carnivalA school or club sports day, especially an inter-house athletics or swimming meet.
• carpet snakeA large, non-venomous python, Morelia spilota, with a patterned skin, common across much of Australia and…
• carry on like a pork chopTo behave in a silly, over-the-top or hysterical way; to make a big fuss.
• cartonA case of beer, usually 24 cans or stubbies.
• caserA five-shilling coin or the sum of five shillings. Dated, from before decimal currency.
• cashed upHaving plenty of money to spend.
• cashed-up boganA bogan with plenty of money to spend, typically from a well-paid trade or mining job, and spending it…
• cassowaryA very large flightless bird with a bony casque on its head and a blue and red neck, found in the…
• catbirdA green bowerbird of the genus Ailuroedus, of eastern Australian rainforests, with a wailing call like a cat.
• catching penA small pen in a shearing shed from which shearers take sheep to shear.
• cattle dogA working dog bred to herd cattle, especially the Australian cattle dog.
• cattle kingA wealthy owner of very large cattle stations. Dated.
• cedar-getterIn colonial times, a timber worker who felled and hauled red cedar from the coastal rainforests of eastern…
• CentralianA person who lives in or comes from Central Australia, especially around Alice Springs.
• centre bounceIn Australian Rules football, the umpire's bounce of the ball in the centre circle to start each quarter and…
• ChaddyChadstone Shopping Centre, the large shopping centre in Melbourne's south-east.
• chain of pondsA watercourse that, in dry weather, is reduced to a string of separate waterholes.
• chalkieA schoolteacher. Formerly, a clerk who chalked up share prices on the board at a stock exchange.
• Channel CountryThe region of south-western Queensland and nearby South Australia crossed by the braided, shallow channels…
• chardonnay socialistA well-off person who professes left-wing views while enjoying a comfortable, privileged lifestyle.
• chardyChardonnay wine.
• charge like a wounded bullTo charge exorbitant prices.
• Charlie WheelerA girl or woman; often shortened to 'Charlie'.
• chaseyThe children's game of tag.
• chateau cardboardCheap wine sold in a cask.
• check-out chickA woman who works at a supermarket checkout.
• cheerioA small cocktail frankfurt, usually served at children's parties with tomato sauce.
• cheese and kissesOne's wife.
• cherry noseA large cicada, Macrotristria angularis, with a reddish patch on the front of its head.
• chew the ragTo argue or grumble at length; also, to chat. Dated.
• chewieChewing gum.
• chewie on your bootA taunt shouted by football crowds at an opposition player lining up for a shot at goal, wishing that…
• chiackTo tease, jeer at or banter with someone. Also used as a noun for such teasing.
• chicken saltA savoury seasoned salt, typically sprinkled on hot chips.
• chip heaterA small bathroom water heater fuelled by wood chips, paper and other scraps.
• chippieA carpenter.
• choc topAn ice-cream cone dipped in a hard chocolate coating, sold especially at cinemas.
• chockersCompletely full or crowded.
• chocoIn World War II, a member of the militia (Citizen Military Forces) as opposed to the volunteer AIF, implying…
• chocolate crackleA children's party treat of puffed rice mixed with cocoa, sugar and melted copha, set in paper patty cases.
• chocolate frogAn informer.
• chocolate wheelA large numbered wheel spun at fetes and club fundraisers, originally with boxes of chocolates as prizes.
• chokoThe chayote, a pale green, pear-shaped vegetable that grows on a rampant vine, once a fixture on Australian…
• choof offTo leave or set off.
• chookA chicken, especially a domestic hen.
• chook litFiction written for or about older women. Romance fiction set in rural Australia.
• chookasA good-luck call among theatre performers before a show, used instead of 'break a leg'.
• choom derogatoryAn Englishman; a term used by Australian soldiers in World War I.
• chopA share or portion, as in 'get in for your chop'. In 'not much chop': not much good.
• chop chopLoose, illegally grown or untaxed tobacco, sold cheaply on the black market.
• choughThe white-winged chough, Corcorax melanorhamphos, a black bird of eastern Australian woodlands that lives in…
• ChrissieChristmas.
• Christmas beetleA large, shiny, golden-brown or green scarab beetle of the genus Anoplognathus, which appears in large…
• Christmas bushA small tree of New South Wales, Ceratopetalum gummiferum, whose small white flowers develop red sepals…
• chuckTo vomit. To do or perform something, especially in phrases like 'chuck a sickie', 'chuck a U-ey' and 'chuck…
• chuck a brown eye vulgarTo drop your pants and show someone your bare backside as a prank; to moon.
• chuck a leftTo turn left while driving; 'chuck a right' is to turn right.
• chuck a sickieTo take a day off work claiming to be sick, usually when you are not.
• chuck a tantyTo throw a tantrum.
• chuck a U-eyTo make a U-turn while driving.
• chuck a wobblyTo have a sudden fit of temper or hysterics.
• chuck offTo mock, sneer at or criticise someone; usually 'chuck off at'.
• chuditchThe western quoll, Dasyurus geoffroii, a spotted carnivorous marsupial of south-western Western Australia.
• chunderTo vomit. Also used as a noun for vomit.
• cider gumA Tasmanian eucalypt, Eucalyptus gunnii, whose sweet sap was used by early settlers to make a drink like…
• circle workDriving a car in tight circles to spin the wheels and leave skid marks; doughnuts.
• classerA wool classer: a person who sorts fleeces into grades of quality in the shearing shed.
• claypanA shallow depression with a hard clay floor that holds water after rain, common in inland Australia.
• ClaytonsBeing a poor or token substitute for the real thing; in name only.
• cleanskinAn unbranded animal, especially a cow or bullock. A person with no criminal record or no previous…
• clearing saleAn auction of a farm's machinery, livestock and equipment, usually when the property is sold or the owner…
• clinerA girl or young woman, especially a girlfriend. Dated.
• clipThe total amount of wool shorn from a flock, station or district in one season.
• clubbieA member of a surf life saving club.
• cluckyOf a person, especially a woman, longing to have a baby; feeling maternal. Of a hen, broody.
• clueyWell-informed, clever, knowing what's going on.
• coacherA quiet, tame beast used as a decoy to steady and lead wild cattle or horses.
• coachwoodA rainforest tree of eastern Australia, Ceratopetalum apetalum, with a fragrant, light, close-grained timber…
• CoalitionUsually 'the Coalition', the long-standing alliance between the Liberal Party and the National Party…
• coathangerThe Sydney Harbour Bridge. In rugby league, an illegal high tackle in which a stiff arm catches the opponent…
• cob loafA round loaf of bread; especially one hollowed out and filled with a creamy dip, a classic Australian party…
• cobberA mate or friend. Now dated.
• cobblerIn shearing, the last sheep left in the pen, usually one with tangled or difficult wool that nobody wants to…
• cobbler's pegsA weed, Bidens pilosa, whose barbed black seeds stick to clothing and animal fur.
• cockatielA small, crested, mostly grey Australian parrot, Nymphicus hollandicus, with a yellow face and orange cheek…
• cockatooA crested parrot of the family Cacatuidae, such as the sulphur-crested cockatoo. A lookout posted to warn of…
• cockatoo fenceA rough fence made of logs and saplings, of the kind built by small farmers. Dated.
• cockeye bobA sudden, short-lived storm or squall, especially in north-western Australia. Dated.
• cockroachA person from New South Wales, especially a NSW player or supporter in rugby league's State of Origin series.
• cockyA cockatoo. A farmer, especially a small-scale farmer.
• cocky's joyGolden syrup or treacle, a cheap substitute for jam or butter.
• CoffsCoffs Harbour, the city on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
• coitThe buttocks; the backside.
• cold-footerIn World War I, a man who did not volunteer for military service; a shirker.
• coldieA cold beer.