The 11 new ‘Aussie words' that you will now find in the official Oxford English Dictionary
Australians rejoice!
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has included 11 new words that are quintessentially Australian in its latest update.
Unsurprisingly, the new words have a lot to do with booze and footy.
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Oxford types have caught up with Aussie teenagers, with the inclusion of the word 'goon'.
Most Aussies will certainly understand taking a swig out of a goon bag, which is officially listed as 'a plastic, foil-lined pouch in which inexpensive wine is sold'.
Oxford elites might need a little longer to catch up on the game 'goon of fortune', played by countless cohorts of Aussies during their adolescence.
Next is 'cask', which describes the box around the goon bag.
While 'slab' refers to a case of beer, which is now officially known as 'retail pack of beer, typically containing 24 cans or bottles'.
Moving on, the word 'spew' now has new reverence. Most Aussies know someone 'spewin' over something, most recently the insane cost-of-living in this country.
Officially, spew refers to when 'someone is bitterly disappointed or very annoyed about something. An Australian who says they are 'absolutely spewing' means they are devastated or angry.'
The Australian love of sport is also a big one for Oxford types in 2025.
The word 'carn' has officially gained its place in the dictionary.
Officially, the word 'carn' means the 'colloquial pronunciation of 'come on!'.
Our beloved AFL got 'best and fairest' in the dictionary in 2025.
The term 'best and fairest' is, officially, 'an Australian rules football or rugby league player who wins any of various awards given for a combination of exceptional performance and good sportsmanship'.
The sport has also given us the 'don't argue' this year, with it widely used in other contact sports.
Officially, it is 'a colloquial term for a push or blow to the face ... delivered to fend off a potential tackler, using the arm held out straight from the body'.
Aboriginal English also got two new additions in the Oxford dictionary.
'Balanda' which is a word dating back to the 1800s, used to refer to a white person or white people.
Most believe the word Makasarese is a derivative of the Dutch word 'Hollander' or possibly the Malay word 'belanda', meaning Dutch or European.
The Makassarese language is spoken in the South Sulawesi province in Indonesia.
Officially: 'Balanda is a loan word from the Yolngu language of northeast Arnhem Land, which itself was borrowed from the Makasarese language of South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, or from a similar form in a related language.'
While 'custodian' now has an Indigenous layer to its meaning.
Officially: 'a term used for an Australian Aboriginal person who is recognised as having certain ancestral rights to, and traditional obligations, responsibilities and authority for a particular area of land and community.'
Other entries include 'gunzel', which is Australian slang for: 'a person who loves trams or trains.'
Lastly, 'regional', which shouldn't be a massive surprise to anyone, means 'away from major cities'.
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