Australian slang starting with H

110 Aussie words and phrases beginning with H: from hairy-nosed wombat to hut-keeper.

• hairy-nosed wombatEither of two wombats with silky fur and a hairy muzzle: the southern hairy-nosed wombat and the critically…
• hairy panicA native grass of inland eastern Australia whose dried seed heads break off and blow about as tumbleweed…
• hakeaAny of a genus of Australian shrubs and small trees with hard woody fruits and often prickly leaves, related…
• halal snack packA takeaway dish of hot chips topped with doner kebab meat and garlic, chilli and barbecue sauces, served in…
• half your luckAn expression of good-natured envy at someone's good fortune.
• hammer and tackThe back. Shortened to 'hammer', especially in 'on someone's hammer': following closely behind someone, or…
• hammyA hamstring muscle, especially an injured one.
• handballA schoolyard ball game in which players hit a tennis ball with their hands into one another's squares marked…
• handleA glass of beer of about 285 ml, especially in the Northern Territory.
• hang out forTo long for something; to be desperate to have or do something.
• hang shit on vulgarTo criticise, mock or rubbish someone or something.
• hangerIn Australian football, a spectacular high mark taken by leaping onto other players' backs or shoulders.
• happy as a bastard on Father's Day vulgarIronic: thoroughly miserable or fed up.
• happy as LarryVery happy; thoroughly contented.
• happy little VegemiteA cheerful, contented person, especially a child.
• hard caseAn amusing, cheeky or irrepressible person; a character.
• hard-hitterA bowler hat or other stiff felt hat.
• hard rubbishLarge household junk such as old furniture and appliances, left on the nature strip for a periodic council…
• hard yakkaHard work, especially hard physical work.
• hard yardsHard, unglamorous work or effort, especially the groundwork needed to achieve something.
• hardheadThe white-eyed duck, a dark brown Australian diving duck.
• hare-wallabyAny of several small, fast wallabies of inland and northern Australia, several of which are now rare or…
• Harvester judgmentThe 1907 decision by Justice H. B. Higgins of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration setting…
• hashmagandyA dull, monotonous stew, especially the kind served in army camps.
• hatterA person, especially a miner or bushman, who lives and works alone.
• have a go, ya mugA traditional barrack urging someone, originally a slow-scoring batsman, to stop being cautious and try…
• have a lashTo have a try at something.
• have a lend ofTo tease or fool someone; to take advantage of their good nature or gullibility.
• have a set onTo have a grudge against someone; to have it in for them.
• have the wood onTo have an advantage or a hold over someone.
• Hawkesbury RiversThe shivers; a fit of trembling from cold, fear or nerves. Often shortened to 'the Hawkesburys'.
• Hay, Hell and BooligalThree places held up as the worst anyone could be stuck in; used jokingly of hot, dusty outback towns. Dated.
• head down, bum upWorking hard and diligently, with full concentration.
• head serangThe boss; the person in charge.
• headerA combine harvester.
• heapsA lot; very much. Also used as a noun meaning a large amount, as in 'heaps of time'.
• heaps goodVery good. Characteristic of South Australia.
• heart-starterThe first alcoholic drink of the day, especially one taken in the morning.
• HECSThe Commonwealth scheme under which university students defer their tuition fees as a loan repaid through…
• heifer paddockA jocular name for a girls' school or college.
• hello possumsA camp, theatrical greeting to a group, imitating Dame Edna Everage.
• hens' nightA party for a woman and her female friends shortly before her wedding.
• Hercules mothA huge moth of the rainforests of north Queensland and New Guinea, one of the largest moths in the world.
• Hexham greyA large grey mosquito found around the swamps of the lower Hunter River, famous for its size and bite.
• Hey ChargerA greeting called out, with a V-sign, at a Valiant Charger car.
• hideCheek; impudence; nerve.
• high countryThe mountainous alpine country of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria and southern New South Wales, used…
• Hills hoistA rotary clothes line on a central pole that can be wound up and down; the classic backyard clothes line.
• hip and shoulderIn Australian football, a legal bump using the hip and shoulder to knock an opponent off the ball. Also as a…
• hip pocket nerveSensitivity to anything that affects your finances; the instinct that responds to costs and prices.
• hit and giggleA social, non-competitive game, especially of tennis.
• hit-outIn Australian football, a tap of the ball by a ruckman at a bounce or throw-in. A practice match or run…
• hit the frog and toadTo leave; to set off on the road.
• hit-upIn rugby league, a hard straight run with the ball into the defensive line.
• Hoddle GridThe rectangular street grid of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837.
• hoe intoTo eat heartily. To set about something, or attack someone, with vigour.
• holding the ballIn Australian football, the infringement of failing to dispose of the ball properly when tackled; the call…
• holey dollarA Spanish silver dollar with its centre punched out, issued as currency in New South Wales from 1813; the…
• holy dooleyAn exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
• home and hosedSafely successful; certain to win or succeed.
• home paddockThe paddock nearest the homestead on a farm or station.
• home unitA self-contained flat or apartment in a block, usually owned rather than rented.
• homesteadThe main residence on a sheep or cattle station, usually with its surrounding outbuildings.
• honey antAny of several desert ants in which some workers store nectar in hugely swollen abdomens; they are dug up as…
• honey joysCornflakes coated in melted butter, sugar and honey and baked in small paper cases; a classic children's…
• honey myrtleAny of various Australian shrubs and trees of the genus Melaleuca, especially those with showy, nectar-rich…
• honey possumA tiny, long-snouted marsupial of south-western Western Australia that feeds on nectar and pollen.
• honeyeaterAny of a large family of mainly Australian birds with a brush-tipped tongue for feeding on nectar.
• hooded ploverA small shorebird of southern Australian ocean beaches, with a black head and white collar, whose nests on…
• hook turnA right turn made from the far left-hand lane at certain intersections, so as to keep clear of tram tracks…
• hoonA loutish, reckless person, especially a driver who speeds or does burnouts. Also as a verb, 'to hoon…
• hoopA jockey.
• hoop pineA tall coniferous rainforest tree of Queensland and northern New South Wales, related to the bunya pine and…
• hoorooGoodbye; see you later.
• hootMoney, especially payment or compensation.
• hop bushAny of several Australian shrubs of the genus Dodonaea, with papery winged fruit.
• hopping mouseAny of several Australian native rodents with long hind legs and a long tail that move by hopping, mostly…
• hornbag vulgarA sexually attractive person.
• horse floatA trailer for transporting horses.
• horse-tailerThe member of a droving team who looks after the spare horses. Dated.
• horse's dooversA jocular name for hors d'oeuvres; party nibbles.
• hospoThe hospitality industry. A person who works in hospitality, such as a bartender or waiter.
• hossieA hospital.
• hostieA flight attendant, originally an air hostess.
• hostileAngry or upset, especially in 'go hostile': to lose your temper.
• hot chipsDeep-fried potato chips (French fries), as opposed to packet chips (crisps).
• hot water serviceA household hot-water system, such as an electric, gas or solar storage tank.
• hotelA pub, whether or not it offers accommodation.
• hotpotIn racing, a heavily backed favourite at short odds.
• hottieA hot-water bottle.
• housieBingo, especially as played for small prizes at clubs and fundraisers.
• housing commissionPublic housing provided by a state government, or a house or flat of this kind. Often used attributively, as…
• houso derogatoryA person living in public (housing commission) housing; also a public housing estate or house.
• how are you travellingHow are you getting on? How are things going?
• how good is thatAn exclamation of delight or approval; also used in the pattern 'how good is (something)!'.
• how-to-vote cardA card handed out by party workers outside polling places, showing voters how the party suggests they number…
• how ya goingHow are you? A common informal greeting.
• how's the serenityA jocular remark savouring a peaceful moment, often in an unglamorous spot.
• hoyA game like bingo played with playing cards, popular at clubs, fetes and fundraisers; the winner calls out…
• HSCThe Higher School Certificate, the final secondary school qualification, taken in Year 12.
• hubbardAmong keen cyclists, a slow, unskilled or unfashionably equipped rider.
• humTo cadge or borrow, especially money or a smoke; also, a person who does so.
• humbugIn Aboriginal English, to pester or harass someone, especially for money, food or favours. Also a noun for…
• humpTo carry something heavy on one's back or shoulders, as in 'hump the bluey' (carry one's swag).
• humpyA small, roughly built shelter or hut, originally an Aboriginal bark shelter.
• hungryMean, stingy or greedy; in sport, unwilling to pass the ball.
• Hungry'sHungry Jack's, the name under which the Burger King fast-food chain trades in Australia.
• huntsmanAny of a family of large, long-legged, fast-moving spiders that hunt rather than spin webs, often found…
• Huon pineA very slow-growing, long-lived Tasmanian conifer whose fragrant, rot-resistant yellow timber is prized for…
• hut-keeperOn an early sheep station, a worker who stayed at the hut to cook and mind it while shepherds were out with…