Australian Words and Phrases Americans Just Don’t Understand

Sneaky or underhanded. Perhaps originally from “shonk,” an anti-Semitic Cockney slur, though this meaning has been thoroughly lost.

A sick day from work or school, especially one taken without a valid medical reason.

A sausage, probably from a Scots dialect term (also “snag) meaning a morsel or light meal. Other Australian words for sausage include “snarler” and “snork.”

A short, thick beer bottle, typically holding 375 ml. (Someone who’s a little on the dim side might be described as being “a stubby short of a sixpack.”)

Someone who’s stupefied or out of it. A mullet (fish) that’s just been landed is typically goggle-eyed and open-mouthed.