American Slang: Man Words and Phrases You Need To Know

The Common Australian and American slang series continues with some strange and wonderful things men say and do.

Beer/A few beer. Men in the south who like to put a few away, don’t have a couple of pots, they drink a few beer. Beer in this case can mean one beer or several dozen longnecks. The longnecks here aren’t 750ml. though, they’re what Aussies call stubbies.

Toot/Cut One.You blew off, farted, popped off, or if you’re a kid, you opened your lunch box. Ladies don’t do this, they just fluff.

Gas. Not to be confused with the type of gas above, gas here is what Australians call petrol or “motion lotion” What we pay for 2 liters back home will get you a whole gallon here.

Truck. Your ute is a truck, your van is a truck, the truck you drive at work all day long is a truck. Anything else is a ride, so long as it’s not a truck. Even motorbikes can be rides.

Hide. Some men refer to women as the old hide. I’m not so sure this means one is actually old in the normal sense of the word,  and not necessarily ugly either. In Aussie, we say old tart which can be either an old hide, or a young lady whose recreational activities help pay the bills.

Whats up with the camo? This is not a word, it’s a question. When I arrived here it was hunting season so I was thinking how wonderful it was that everyone seemed to be getting into the spirit of the occasion. I soon found out that some people wear camo all year round whether they shoot things or not. Ladies wear camo things too. I quite like some of the gear made in camo print, but last week I saw a camo wedding dress which looked weird, but it made the bouquet choice much simpler, I suppose. You can purchase just about anything your mind can conjur up in camo, even utes…I mean trucks.

Commode. The commode is the dunny, not a pretty car made by General Motors, which is often also lovingly referred to as a crumple-door. If you go to the dunny here, you're going to the bathroom, using the bathroom, using or going to the restroom. If you want to take a bath, or wash your hands before lunch, you also use the bathroom. Ay?

Don’t Got/Gots No/Aint Got. While the word aint is a unisex term “aint got no” seems to be the one I have noticed men say, along with “don’t got” or “gots no”…something. I wondered whether this is a state specific thing, and quite honestly, I aint got no idea. Sorry Mum.

Wife beater. A wife beater is a singlet. Most men in Aussie wear singlets, usually dark blue, when they work outdoors in the summer. Singlets are also something that most truck drivers in Aussie wear. I have no idea where the term comes from, so I am all ears you blokes. I have also heard it called a tank top, which will get you a floggin in Aussie because only sheilas wear those.