Margot Robbie Schools Us on 50 Aussie Slang Terms

Not all English is the same. Colloquialisms and regional dialects mean that there are countless variations of the language all over the world, and the most distinct character of any particular brand of English is in its slang. You and I may consider ourselves to be fairly knowledgeable of the English language, but start throwing around phrases like “fair dinkum” and we’ll be reduced to context-reliant “tossers.” Luckily, when it comes to Aussie slang, we can rely on Margot Robbie.

In a new video for Vanity Fair, as Laughing Squid reports, the Suicide Squad star and native Australian ran through 50 slang terms in less than four minutes. “Fair dinkum,” for instance, apparently means “far out.” And that was only the beginning of my realization that I would appear utterly uncultured if I ventured down under. At one point she dropped the sentence: “this arvo we’re going to go to the bottle-o and get a couple tinnys.” That translates to: “this afternoon we’re going to go to the liquor store and get a couple beers” (tinny, for the record, can also mean boat).

Here are some other favorites:

Grommet = young surfer

Daks = pants

Chunder = vomit

Hard yakka = hard work

Chuck a sickie = call in sick

Pash rash = the rash-like result of too much kissing

Robbie didn’t know all the words that Vanity Fair threw her way—“doovalacky,” for instance, may forever remain a mystery. But she knew most, and I personally feel much more worldly than I did five minutes ago. So don’t be a “bludger” (that means lazy person in Aussie, not terrifying iron Quidditch ball). Check out the video and learn a thing or two.

Image: Vanity Fair