There are several folk etymologies for "pommy" or "pom". The best-documented of these is that "pommy" originated as a contraction of "pomegranate". According to this explanation, "pomegranate" was Australian rhyming slang for "immigrant" (like "Jimmy Grant").
pom. A British person, especially one from England. (Originally applied to an immigrant from the British Isles.) The word pom has its origin in wordplay. An early, derisory term for an immigrant in Australia was the rhyming slang jimmygrant (sometimes written as Jimmy Grant), recorded in 1844.
The dunny was originally any outside toilet. In cities and towns the pan-type dunny was emptied by the dunny man, who came round regularly with his dunny cart. Dunny can now be used for any toilet. The word comes from British dialect dunnekin meaning an 'earth closet, (outside) privy' from dung + ken 'house'.
Though it is not as common as it once was, “sheila” is the Australian slang for girl or woman. It originally came from the Irish name Síle, which was exclusively used with women.
sheila. A girl or woman. This word first appeared in Australian English in 1832 with the spelling shelah. It was initially used in Australia to refer to a woman of Irish origin, but from the late 19th century onwards it became a general term for a woman or girl.
Nork , a female breast, usually in plural. (Ex Norco Co-operative Ltd., a butter manufacturer in N.S.W.). The form norg is reported from Melbourne. She's only a body, all she's got is big norks .
Insult. The word "drongo" is used in Australian English as a mild form of insult meaning "idiot" or "stupid fellow". This usage derives from an Australian racehorse of the same name (apparently after the spangled drongo, D. bracteatus) in the 1920s that never won despite many places.
Another type of slang we have, which is less common, now mostly being used by older generations, is rhyming slang. So, if you are asked to pass the "dead horse" you should know that you are being asked to pass the tomato sauce.
“Nanna” and “Granddad” are the most popular nicknames for grandma and grandpa across Australia. Of the eight states and territories, four said they prefer spending time with their grandparents over their parents. Aussies overwhelmingly prefer their grandmothers to their grandfathers.
Ta: Another way of saying “Thank you.” For example, “Ta for that Steve, I'll pay you back next week.” Also, “Ta” can mean goodbye. For example, “Ta-ta, see you later.”
Woop Woop. Woop Woop is used to refer to a place in the middle of nowhere. People use it to signify that a location is far away, unfamiliar to them, and difficult to get to.
The word 'doona' is said to have stemmed from the Danish word 'dyne' which means down feathers. So we took on this term in the 1980s like an Australian slang term for quilts, and it has stuck around ever since! Most Australians now use the term doona meaning a quilt: there is no difference between a quilt and a doona.
