Short answer: the Australian idioms you will actually hear today are mostly short and casual: "no worries," "this arvo," "a fair go," "Buckley's chance," "chuck a sickie," "flat out like a lizard drinking," "spit the dummy" and "bring a plate." Many phrases on tourist lists are not in that group. "Throw another shrimp on the barbie" came from an advertisement aimed at Americans, "drop bears" are a joke played on visitors, and "full up to dolly's wax" is described by the Australian National Dictionary's editors as rather old-fashioned. This page sorts them, with meanings and first-recorded dates from a named reference.
Where the dates on this page come from
Every date below comes from one source unless another is named: the Australian National Dictionary team at the Australian National University (ANU), which publishes short "meanings and origins" entries online drawn from the Australian National Dictionary. Where an entry says a term is old-fashioned or still in use, we quote it. Where the entry says nothing about current use, the status label in our table is our own judgment and we say so.
That matters, because most lists of Australian idioms online mix three quite different things: words Australians say every day, words their grandparents said, and phrases invented to sell Australia to foreigners.
The quick table
| Australian idiom | Meaning | First recorded (ANU) | Status | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no worries | No trouble; all is fine | 1960s | Everyday | Casual |
| arvo, this arvo | Afternoon | 1920s | Everyday ("still going strong today," ANU) | Casual |
| a fair go | A reasonable chance, a fair deal | 1891 | Everyday | Casual to neutral |
| Buckley's chance | No chance at all | 1887 | Everyday | Casual |
| chuck a sickie | Take a sick day without being sick | 1953 (sickie) | Everyday | Casual |
| flat out like a lizard drinking | Extremely busy | 1930s | Still heard | Casual, humorous |
| spit the dummy | Lose your temper, give up | 1980s | Everyday | Casual |
| bring a plate | Bring food to share | 1920s | Everyday | Neutral |
| straight to the poolroom | This is a treasured item | 1998 | Still heard | Casual, humorous |
| she's apples | Everything is fine | 1920s | Still heard ("can still be heard today," ANU) | Casual |
| fair dinkum | Genuine, true | 1890s (dinkum) | Still heard | Casual |
| furphy | A false rumor | 1915 | Still heard | Casual to neutral |
| full up to dolly's wax | Full after eating | Not given | Dated ("rather old-fashioned," ANU) | Casual |
| shrimp on the barbie | Barbecue welcome line | 1984 (TV ad) | Tourist-list only | Not used by Australians |
"Everyday" and "still heard" are our labels unless a quotation from the ANU is shown.
Everyday Australian idioms
No worries
The best known and the most used. The ANU's entry defines it as "no bother, no trouble; an assurance that all is fine," calls it the colloquial version of "not to worry" that is "very common in Australia," and dates it to the 1960s. Variants include "no worries, mate" and the slangier "no wuckers." It works as "you're welcome," "that's fine" and "don't mention it."
Arvo
Afternoon: "see you Saturday arvo." The ANU's "A" entries, which we read on September 27, 2026, record it from the 1920s and say it is "still going strong today," sometimes squashed to "sarvo" for "this arvo." It shows a habit worth knowing: Australian English shortens a word and adds "-o" (arvo, journo for journalist) or "-ie" (sickie, firie for firefighter).
A fair go
A reasonable chance or a fair deal: "give the new guy a fair go." The ANU's "F" entries, read on September 27, 2026, date it to 1891 and tie it to the idea of Australia as "the land of the fair go." It can also be an exclamation of disbelief: "fair go, mate!" This is one of the few idioms Australians use in politics and public life as well as at the pub.
Buckley's chance
No chance whatsoever: "you've got Buckley's of getting a table tonight." The ANU records it from 1887 and gives two explanations without choosing between them. One links it to William Buckley, a convict who escaped in 1803 and lived for 32 years with Aboriginal people in southern Victoria. The other links it to the Melbourne firm Buckley and Nunn, established in 1851, with a pun on "Nunn" and "none": two chances, Buckley's and none. Two plausible stories and no winner is a common outcome; raining cats and dogs is another phrase nobody has settled.
Chuck a sickie
To take a sick day when you are not really sick. The ANU records "sickie" from 1953 and defines it as "a day's sick leave, especially as taken without sufficient medical reason." Casual, and often said with a grin; not something to write to your manager.
Spit the dummy
To lose your temper or give up in a sulk. A dummy is what Americans call a pacifier, and the ANU explains the image as "like a baby spitting out its dummy in a tantrum." It records the phrase from the 1980s.
Bring a plate
Not a request for crockery. The ANU defines it as an invitation to bring a plate of food to share at a social gathering or fundraiser, recorded from the 1920s. Read literally, it sounds like a request for an empty plate, which is exactly why it confuses newcomers.
Still heard, often with a smile
Flat out like a lizard drinking
Extremely busy. The ANU calls it wordplay on "flat out," meaning both lying stretched out, as a lizard does when it drinks, and going as fast as possible. It records the phrase from the 1930s. It is used, but usually knowingly and for comic effect.
Straight to the poolroom
Said about a gift or object you treasure, often ironically. The ANU traces it to the 1997 film The Castle, whose main character sends prized possessions "straight to the poolroom," and records it from 1998. Few idioms have such a clear birth date.
She's apples
Everything is fine. The ANU says it began as rhyming slang, "apple and spice" or "apple and rice" for "nice," recorded from the 1920s, and that it "can still be heard today," although the rhyme has been forgotten. Its close relative "she'll be right" does the same job, with the same Australian habit of calling a situation "she." We found no ANU entry for "she'll be right," so we give it no date.
Fair dinkum
Genuine, honest, true: "is that fair dinkum?" The ANU says "dinkum" is a shortening of "fair dinkum," which came from British dialect: "fair dinkum" meaning fair dealing is recorded in Lincolnshire in 1881, and the adjective appears in Australia from the 1890s. So a phrase many people think of as the most Australian of all started in England.
Furphy
A rumor or an absurd story. The ANU links it to J. Furphy and Sons, who made water carts used in army camps during the First World War, where soldiers swapped gossip. It is recorded from 1915.
Tourist-list phrases Australians do not really use
Throw another shrimp on the barbie
This line comes from a series of Australian Tourism Commission television advertisements starring Paul Hogan. Wikipedia's article on the phrase says the campaign ran from 1984 to 1990, that the actual line was "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you," and that "shrimp" was chosen because the ads were aimed at Americans; Australians say "prawn." It also notes that the phrase is rarely used in Australia and is often seen as American. It is a genuine piece of Australian history, but not a genuine Australian idiom.
Drop bears
A drop bear is an imaginary koala-like animal with sharp jaws that supposedly drops from trees onto passers-by. The ANU describes it as a jocular invention associated with fooling gullible tourists. It records the term from the 1980s and mentions a possible Second World War origin without confirming it. If an Australian warns you about drop bears, you are the joke.
Full up to dolly's wax
Full after a meal. The image is an old doll with a wax head on a cloth body, filled up to the wax. The ANU entry calls the phrase "rather old-fashioned." Lovely, but you are more likely to find it in a list than in a conversation.
Using Australian idioms if you are not Australian
- Safe everywhere: "no worries" and "a fair go" are understood across the English-speaking world and sound friendly rather than forced.
- Fine with Australians, confusing elsewhere: "arvo," "Buckley's chance" and "bring a plate" need a gloss for readers outside Australia.
- Avoid unless you are joking: "shrimp on the barbie" and similar stock lines tend to sound like a caricature to Australian ears. That is our judgment, not a measured survey.
- For ESL learners: the "-o" and "-ie" shortenings (arvo, sickie, journo) are more useful to learn than any single idiom, because they unlock dozens of everyday words.
Every date on this page comes from a dictionary entry rather than a good story. For how that process works in general, see how a phrase origin is traced.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Australian idiom?
"No worries" is the best candidate. The ANU calls it very common in Australia and records it from the 1960s. We know of no usage survey that ranks Australian idioms, so this is a judgment, not a statistic.
What does "Buckley's chance" mean?
No chance at all. The ANU records it from 1887 and gives two possible origins, the escaped convict William Buckley and the Melbourne firm Buckley and Nunn, without settling on either.
Do Australians really say "shrimp on the barbie"?
Rarely. The line came from a tourism advertisement for American viewers, and Australians call shrimp "prawns."
Is "fair dinkum" Australian?
It is now thought of as Australian, but the ANU traces "fair dinkum" to British dialect, recorded in Lincolnshire in 1881. The adjective "dinkum" appears in Australia from the 1890s.
What does "arvo" mean?
Afternoon, as in "this arvo." The ANU records it from the 1920s and says it is still going strong.
