Australian slang starting with R

119 Aussie words and phrases beginning with R: from rabbit-o to rushed behind.

• rabbit-oAn itinerant hawker who sold rabbits door to door. Dated.
• rabbit-proof fenceAny of the long fences built across Western Australia between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits out of farming…
• rabbiterA person who trapped, shot or poisoned rabbits for a living or to control them.
• race that stops a nationThe Melbourne Cup, run on the first Tuesday of November.
• rack offGo away; get lost.
• RadelaideA jocular nickname for Adelaide, used both ironically and affectionately.
• Rafferty's rulesNo rules at all; complete disorder.
• rageTo party energetically. As a noun, a lively party.
• rainbowIn First World War slang, a reinforcement or other soldier who joined a fighting unit only after the…
• rainbow bee-eaterA slender, brightly coloured bird with long tail streamers that catches bees and other flying insects on the…
• Rainbow SerpentA great snake-like creator being found in the traditional beliefs of many Aboriginal peoples, associated…
• rakaliThe Australian native water rat, a large rodent with waterproof fur and a white-tipped tail that lives along…
• rammiesTrousers.
• ranga derogatoryA red-haired person. Jocular, sometimes mildly derogatory.
• rapPraise or a strong recommendation; 'to give someone a rap' is to speak highly of them, and 'to rap up' is to…
• raptDelighted, thrilled.
• rashieA rash vest: a close-fitting lycra swim shirt worn for sun protection and against board rash.
• rat-kangarooAny of several small, hopping marsupials related to kangaroos, such as the potoroos and bettongs.
• ratbagA rascal, troublemaker or eccentric; often used affectionately.
• Rats of TobrukThe mainly Australian garrison that held the besieged Libyan port of Tobruk in 1941. A member is a 'Rat of…
• ratshit vulgarUseless, broken or in poor condition. Feeling unwell.
• ratterOn the opal fields, a person who sneaks into another miner's claim to steal opal.
• rattle your dagsHurry up; get a move on.
• rattlerA train, especially a goods train; 'jump the rattler' means to ride one without paying. Dated.
• razor gangA government committee charged with making deep cuts to public spending.
• RBTRandom breath testing of drivers by police for alcohol.
• RDOA rostered day off: a scheduled day off earned by working slightly longer hours on other days.
• recession we had to haveAn economic downturn, or any hardship, defended as necessary; usually quoted ironically.
• reckonCertainly, I agree; used on its own as an emphatic yes. Also common in 'I reckon', meaning 'I think'.
• red cedarA large rainforest tree of eastern Australia with valuable reddish timber, heavily logged by colonial…
• Red CentreThe arid interior of Australia, especially the country around Alice Springs and Uluru, named for its red soil.
• red emperorA red-and-white striped reef fish of tropical Australian waters, highly regarded as eating.
• red heelerAn Australian cattle dog with a red-speckled coat.
• red-hotUnfair, unreasonable or excessive, as in 'that's a bit red-hot'.
• red kangarooThe largest kangaroo, found on the inland plains; the males are typically reddish and can stand taller than…
• red-necked wallabyA medium-sized wallaby of eastern Australia and Tasmania with a reddish-brown nape and shoulders; in…
• red nedCheap red wine.
• red-raggerA communist or radical left-winger. Dated.
• Red RattlerOne of Sydney's old red-painted, non-air-conditioned electric suburban trains. Dated.
• red steerA bushfire.
• red-tailed black cockatooA large black cockatoo, the male with bright red panels in the tail, found mainly across northern and inland…
• redbackA small, highly venomous black spider with a red stripe on its back, often found in sheds, letterboxes and…
• redfinThe European perch, an introduced freshwater fish now widespread in southern Australian rivers and dams.
• Reg GrundiesUnderpants; undies.
• regent bowerbirdA bowerbird of the rainforests of eastern Australia, the male a striking glossy black and golden yellow.
• regent honeyeaterA critically endangered honeyeater of south-eastern Australia with black-and-yellow scalloped plumage.
• regoVehicle registration, or the fee paid for it.
• reinstouchmentsReinforcements. First World War slang.
• rellieA relative.
• removalistA person or business that moves furniture and belongings from one home to another; a mover.
• renoA renovation, especially of a house.
• reoA reinforcement; a soldier sent to make up a unit's losses, especially in WWI.
• RepatThe Repatriation Department, which looked after returned servicemen and women, or a repatriation hospital…
• returned manA serviceman who has come back from active service overseas; a returned soldier, especially a veteran of WWI…
• ribuckGenuine, all right, excellent; also as an exclamation of agreement. Dated.
• ridgy-didgeGenuine, true, honest; the real thing.
• riflebirdAny of several birds of paradise of the rainforests of north-eastern Australia and New Guinea, the males…
• rightoAll right; okay; an expression of agreement or acknowledgement.
• ring-inA horse or player fraudulently substituted for another. Any substitute, or an outsider who doesn't belong.
• ringbarkTo kill a tree by cutting a ring through the bark around its trunk, once a common way of clearing land.
• ringerThe fastest shearer in a shed. In northern Australia, a stockman on a cattle station.
• ringieThe ringkeeper at a game of two-up, who runs the ring and supervises the spinning.
• ringtailA ringtail possum, a small possum with a white-tipped tail that it curls around branches.
• ripperExcellent, terrific. Also as a noun for something excellent, and as an exclamation, as in 'you little…
• ripsnorterSomething or someone outstanding or remarkable; a beauty. Also used as an adjective.
• rissoleA fried patty of minced meat. Jocularly, a Returned and Services League (RSL) club.
• river oakA casuarina (Casuarina cunninghamiana) with drooping, needle-like branchlets, growing along the banks of…
• river red gumA large, spreading eucalypt with smooth, mottled bark and hard red timber, lining inland rivers and creeks…
• road tollThe number of people killed in road accidents in a given area and period.
• road trainA truck pulling two or more trailers, used for long-distance haulage in the outback.
• roadhouseA service station on a country highway, often isolated, that also sells meals and supplies and sometimes…
• roadieA drink for the road, especially a can or bottle of beer taken for the journey.
• roar upTo scold or abuse someone loudly.
• RobboA nickname for someone named Robertson or Robinson, or sometimes Robert.
• robinAny of several small Australian songbirds, unrelated to the European robin, such as the scarlet robin and…
• rock and rollThe dole; unemployment benefits. Usually in 'on the rock and roll'.
• rock spider derogatoryIn prison and criminal slang, a child sex offender.
• rock upTo arrive or turn up, often casually or without notice.
• rock-wallabyAny of several agile wallabies that live among rocky outcrops, cliffs and gorges, such as the yellow-footed…
• rockmelonA cantaloupe.
• RockyRockhampton, the city in central Queensland.
• roll-upThe number of people attending a gathering; the turnout.
• rolled-goldAbsolutely genuine, reliable or guaranteed; of the highest standard. Often used in politics of a promise.
• rollieA hand-rolled cigarette.
• rooA kangaroo.
• rooster one day, feather duster the nextSuccess or popularity can vanish overnight; someone on top today may be nobody tomorrow.
• root vulgarTo have sexual intercourse. As a noun, an act of sex, or a sexual partner.
• root rat vulgarA person, especially a man, who is obsessed with having sex with as many partners as possible.
• rooted vulgarExhausted. Broken or ruined. 'Get rooted!' is a rude dismissal.
• ropeableExtremely angry.
• rortA dishonest scheme or scam, especially one that exploits a system or rules. As a verb, 'to rort' is to…
• rosellaIn First World War slang, a staff officer, whose scarlet cap band and gold braid recalled the brightly…
• rottenVery drunk; mainly in 'get rotten'.
• RottoRottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, a popular holiday spot.
• rough as gutsVery rough, crude or uncouth; of poor quality.
• rough end of the pineappleA raw deal; unfair or harsh treatment.
• rough spinBad luck or unfair treatment.
• roughieAn outsider; a racehorse or competitor at long odds. An unfair or dishonest trick; 'to put a roughie over…
• rounds of the kitchenA thorough scolding or telling-off, usually 'give someone the rounds of the kitchen'.
• rouse onTo scold or tell someone off.
• rouseaboutA general hand on a station or in a shearing shed, doing odd jobs such as picking up fleeces.
• roverIn Australian rules football, a small, quick on-ball player who follows the play around the ground…
• RSLThe Returned and Services League, the organisation for current and former members of the armed forces; also…
• rub outTo disqualify or suspend a player, jockey or horse, as in 'rubbed out for two weeks'.
• rubbishTo criticise harshly or disparage.
• rubbityA pub.
• ruckmanIn Australian rules football, a tall player who contests the ball at centre bounces and throw-ins.
• rug upTo dress warmly.
• Rum CorpsA nickname for the New South Wales Corps, the colony's military garrison from 1790 to 1810, whose officers…
• runA large area of land used for grazing stock; a pastoral holding.
• run a bankerOf a river or creek, to be flowing full to the top of its banks; in flood. Dated.
• run deadOf a racehorse, and later a sports team or a political candidate, to deliberately not try to win.
• run like a hairy goatTo run very slowly or perform very badly, especially of a racehorse.
• run the rabbitTo fetch beer or other liquor, often illegally or after hours.
• runnersSports shoes or sneakers, the usual term in Victoria.
• running postmanA creeping native plant (Kennedia prostrata) with bright red pea flowers, common in heath and woodland of…
• running writingJoined-up cursive handwriting, as taught in primary school.
• runs on the boardA proven record of achievement, as opposed to mere promises.
• rushed behindIn Australian Rules football, a behind (one point) conceded when a defender deliberately or accidentally…