Australian slang starting with M

139 Aussie words and phrases beginning with M. Page 1 of 2: from Mabo to mullock.

• MaboThe 1992 High Court decision that recognised native title to land and rejected the idea that Australia had…
• macadamiaA rainforest tree native to Queensland and northern New South Wales, or its round, hard-shelled edible nut…
• MaccaA nickname for someone whose surname begins with Mac- or Mc-.
• MaccasMcDonald's, the fast-food chain, or food bought there.
• macnoonMad or crazy. First World War soldiers' slang; now obsolete.
• Macquarie perchA native freshwater fish of the cooler upland rivers of south-eastern Australia, now endangered.
• mad as a cut snakeExtremely angry. Crazy or wildly eccentric.
• mad as a gumtree full of galahsCompletely crazy or wildly eccentric.
• mad as a meat axeCompletely crazy or wildly eccentric. Extremely angry.
• Mad MarchIn Adelaide, the busy period in late summer when the Fringe, the Adelaide Festival, WOMADelaide and other…
• mad mickA pick (the digging tool). Dated rhyming slang.
• Mad MondayThe day of heavy drinking and fancy-dress carousing that football teams, especially in rugby league, hold…
• mafeeshFinished, gone, there is none left. Soldiers' slang from the First World War; now dated.
• magTo chatter or talk at length. Also used as a noun: a chat, as in 'have a mag'.
• maggotedVery drunk.
• maggotyAngry or bad-tempered.
• magicIn Melbourne, a coffee made with a double ristretto shot topped with steamed milk, served in a small glass…
• magic puddingAn imagined source of money or resources that never runs out, especially in politics.
• MagoosThe reserves or second team of a sporting club, especially in Australian rules football. Being 'sent back to…
• magpieA black-and-white Australian songbird with a warbling call, notorious for swooping on people during the…
• magpie gooseA large black-and-white waterbird of northern Australian wetlands, with a knob on its head and partly webbed…
• magsmanA confidence trickster. A great talker or yarn-spinner. Dated.
• mailInformation, news or rumour, especially an inside tip about a racehorse; often in 'What's the mail?'
• mainlanderA Tasmanian term for a person from mainland Australia.
• majorIn Australian rules football, a goal (worth six points), as opposed to a behind.
• Major Mitchell's cockatooA white cockatoo of inland Australia with a salmon-pink wash and a red-and-yellow banded crest. Also called…
• make your marble goodTo get in someone's good books; to improve your standing with someone.
• malIn surfing, a longboard.
• maleeshNever mind; it doesn't matter. First World War soldiers' slang, especially among those who served in Egypt.
• malleeAny of several low eucalypts with many thin stems growing from a large underground root. Scrub made up of…
• mallee root vulgarThe woody root of a mallee eucalypt, prized as long-burning firewood. Rhyming slang for a prostitute.
• Malley's cowSomeone who has gone off without telling anyone where they are going.
• man on the landA farmer or grazier; farmers collectively.
• manchesterHousehold linen such as sheets, towels and pillowcases.
• mango madnessIn the Top End, the irritability and erratic behaviour said to afflict people during the hot, humid build-up…
• mangrove jackA reddish, hard-fighting fish of tropical estuaries and mangrove creeks, highly prized by anglers.
• manna gumA tall eucalypt of south-eastern Australia with smooth white bark that sheds in ribbons; its leaves are a…
• map of Tassie vulgarA woman's pubic hair.
• march flyA large biting fly (a horsefly) that attacks people and animals in summer, with a painful bite.
• MargsMargaret River, the town and wine and surfing region in the south-west of Western Australia.
• markIn Australian rules football, a clean catch of a kicked ball that has travelled at least 15 metres, which…
• MarngrookA traditional Aboriginal ball game of Victoria, played with a ball of possum skin that was kicked and…
• marriA large eucalypt of south-western Western Australia with rough bark, big gumnuts and a dark red gum (sap).
• marronA large freshwater crayfish native to south-western Western Australia, prized as food.
• marsupial moleA small, blind, golden-furred marsupial that 'swims' through the sand of the central Australian deserts and…
• mateA friend or companion. A friendly form of address, used even to strangers.
• mate's ratesA cheap or discounted price given to a friend.
• mateshipThe bond of loyalty, equality and mutual support between mates, often held up as a traditional Australian…
• matildaA swag, the bundle of belongings carried by a bush traveller. To 'waltz matilda' is to travel on foot…
• maxi taxiA large taxi, usually a van, that can carry more passengers or luggage than a standard cab.
• may your chooks turn into emus and kick your dunny downA jokey curse expressing extreme annoyance with someone.
• MCGThe Melbourne Cricket Ground, the city's main stadium for football and cricket; colloquially 'the G'.
• mean as cat's piss vulgarExtremely stingy or miserly.
• meat and three vegA plain, traditional meal of meat with three vegetables; by extension, anything plain and conventional…
• meat antA large, aggressive red-and-black ant that builds wide gravel-covered nests and bites hard.
• meat trayA tray of assorted raw meat offered as the prize in a pub or club raffle; also the raffle itself.
• med certA medical certificate from a doctor, especially one needed to cover a sick day off work or a missed exam.
• MedicareAustralia's government-funded universal health insurance scheme, introduced in 1984.
• messmateAny of several eucalypts with rough, stringy bark, especially Eucalyptus obliqua of south-eastern Australia…
• metallicianA bookmaker at the races. Dated; now obsolete.
• methoMethylated spirits. A person who drinks methylated spirits.
• MexicanJocularly, a person from south of the border: to people in New South Wales, a Victorian; to Queenslanders…
• mia-miaA temporary bark or branch shelter; a humpy. Dated.
• mickeyA young unbranded bull or calf, especially a wild one. Dated.
• micksIn two-up, the tails side of the coins.
• mid-strengthOf beer, having an alcohol content between that of light and full-strength beer, typically around 3.5 per…
• middyIn New South Wales and some other states, a medium beer glass of about 285 ml, or the beer in it.
• milk barA local corner shop selling milk, bread, newspapers, lollies, drinks and often takeaway food.
• milkoA milkman, especially one making home deliveries.
• miner's rightA licence to search for and mine gold or other minerals on public land; on the Victorian goldfields it…
• minor premiershipIn Australian football leagues, the honour of finishing on top of the ladder at the end of the regular…
• mint bushAny of several Australian shrubs (Prostanthera) with strongly mint-scented leaves and showy purple, mauve or…
• miserable as a bandicootVery unhappy, wretched or forlorn.
• mistletoebirdA tiny Australian bird, the male glossy blue-black with a bright red throat and breast, that feeds on…
• Mitchell grassAny of several hardy native tussock grasses of the inland plains of northern and eastern Australia, valued…
• mix itTo fight or brawl, or to compete aggressively.
• mixed businessA small local shop selling groceries, newspapers, lollies and other everyday goods; a corner store.
• moA moustache. A moment, as in 'half a mo'.
• mobA group of animals, such as a mob of sheep or kangaroos. A group of people. In Aboriginal English, a…
• mockerClothing; one's outfit. 'Mockered up' means dressed up. Dated.
• mokeA horse, especially a poor or worn-out one. Dated.
• mollydookerA left-handed person.
• mongrelA contemptible or despicable person. As an adjective, unpleasant or difficult ('a mongrel of a job'). In…
• montyA certainty, especially a racehorse considered sure to win.
• mopokeThe southern boobook, a small Australian owl named for its call (the name is also loosely applied to the…
• more farewells than MelbaSaid of someone who keeps announcing their retirement or departure and then coming back.
• more front than MyerExtremely brazen, cheeky or self-assured.
• more hide than JessieExtremely impudent or thick-skinned.
• more than you can poke a stick atA great many; a large number or amount.
• more trouble than Speed GordonIn serious trouble; beset by problems.
• Moreton Bay bugA flat-bodied slipper lobster eaten as seafood, especially in Queensland; often just called a 'bug'. The…
• Moreton Bay figA huge evergreen fig tree of eastern Australia with a spreading crown and massive buttress roots, often…
• morwongAny of several reef fish of southern Australian coastal waters with a deep body and thick lips, good eating.
• motherlessUtterly, completely; mainly in phrases such as 'motherless broke' and 'stone motherless last'.
• motzaA large sum of money, especially a big gambling win.
• mountain ashA very tall eucalypt (Eucalyptus regnans) of the wet forests of Victoria and Tasmania, the world's tallest…
• mountain cattlemanA grazier or stockman of the high country of Victoria and southern New South Wales, who traditionally drove…
• mountain devilThe thorny devil, a slow-moving, ant-eating lizard of arid Australia covered in sharp spines. A spiky shrub…
• mountain pepperA shrub of Tasmania and the south-eastern highlands whose hot, peppery leaves and dark berries are used as a…
• mouth like the bottom of a cocky's cageA foul, dry taste in the mouth, especially the morning after a big night of drinking.
• MovemberThe month of November, when men grow moustaches to raise money and awareness for men's health causes.
• mozzA jinx or hex; mainly in 'put the mozz on', to jinx someone or something by mentioning it.
• mozzieA mosquito.
• Mrs KafoopsA name for any unnamed or imaginary woman, used like 'Mrs So-and-so'. It can also be disparaging, especially…
• muck upTo misbehave or play up, especially of children. 'Muck-up day' is the last day of Year 12, when students…
• mud armyThe crowds of volunteers who turn out with shovels and buckets to clean up homes and streets after a flood…
• mud mapA rough map, originally one drawn in the dirt, now any quick sketch showing directions.
• muddieA mud crab.
• mudlarkA racehorse that runs well on a wet or heavy track.
• mufti dayA school day when students may wear their own clothes instead of uniform, usually for a gold-coin donation.
• mugA fool or gullible person; someone easily taken in.
• mug punterAn unskilled or gullible gambler who bets foolishly.
• mulesingThe practice of cutting strips of wool-bearing skin from around a merino sheep's breech to prevent flystrike.
• mulgaA hardy wattle (Acacia aneura) that forms dense scrub across arid inland Australia. 'The mulga': remote back…
• mulga parrotA colourful parrot of the arid inland, the male mainly green with patches of yellow, red and blue, often…
• mulga wireThe bush telegraph; news or rumour passed by word of mouth in the bush. Dated.
• mulgaraA small, carnivorous marsupial of the sandy deserts of central Australia, with a crested tail.
• mullMarijuana chopped up, often mixed with tobacco, ready for smoking. 'To mull up' is to prepare it.
• mulla mullaAny of several plants (Ptilotus) of inland and western Australia with fluffy, often pink or purple flower…
• mullockWaste rock or earth from a mine; by extension, rubbish or worthless material.