Australian Slang For Drunk (20 Examples!)

Drinking is a more or less universal human activity.

There are few cultures on earth that entirely eschew it, and for better or worse it’s become one of the most popular pastimes of many people.

This is just as true in Australian as it is anywhere else, and naturally out of this tends to arise a myriad of peculiar and interesting slang terms to describe being drunk.

Today, we’re going to look at a wide selection of these terms, what they mean, where they come from, and how they are used.

Let’s get started.

Hazed

First up we have “hazed”, a very common slang expression in Australia for when you are just a little drunk after a few drinks.

People might use it slightly differently, but in general, to be hazed is similar to being “tipsy”.

You are not falling around or slurring your words, you’re just getting a little bit buzzed perhaps at the beginning of the night.

“I’m feeling a bit hazed after those strong pints,” for example.

The term ultimately derives from the French word haser from as far back as the 15^th Century, which meant to annoy or irritate someone.

It has come down over the centuries to mean the sense of being “hazed” like “foggy”.

Pissed

Next we have “pissed”, by far one of the most common slang terms for drunk used in Australia.

This one is used everywhere in the country by just about everyone, and can describe several different stages of drunkenness; it can be similar to “hazed” in only lightly drunk, or it can be the end of the night drunkenness when you can no longer stand up.

“I’m so ready to get pissed tonight,” for example.

This slang term derives, it’s assumed, from the fact that you tend to “piss” a lot when you are drunk.

The more you drink the more you must piss, and thus you are “pissed”.

This has been in use for about the last century or so, originally coming from Britain.

Shickered

This is a common term in both Australia and neighboring New Zealand and simply means drunk.

It’s usually used for past the stage of haziness or tipsiness and describes being fully drunk.

At the same time, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are paralytic.

It’s used in most parts of Australia though some consider it to be a bit more dated now.

“I was totally shickered last night,” for example.

It derives from the Yiddish word shiker which simply means drunk, which in turn derived from the Hebrew.

We don’t know when or why this one started being used in Australia specifically, though plainly it emerged from the Jewish community there.

Adrian Quist

This one is a somewhat rare example of Australian rhyming slang.

There are many rhyming slang dialects in the world, but Australia really is not usually thought of as one.

This one, naturally, rhymes with “pissed”, so this one can be used for varying levels of drunkenness.

It is falling out of use somewhat today but it is far from entirely defunct.

Adrian Quist was a real person, a famous Australian tennis player of the 20^th Century who died in 1991.

Given he has now been dead for more than three decades, you can see why his name doesn’t hold the same inherent significance to Australians.

Maggoted

Next we have the charming “maggoted”, another common slang phrase in Australia meaning very drunk.

This term can have a few different meanings, but it is out of its alternative meaning that the meaning for “drunk” seems to have arisen.

It can mean “rotten” in the sense of filled with maggots, but usually people use it to mean drunk in Australia.

“He’s absolutely maggoted, someone call him a cab,” for example.

While it’s not entirely clear when this one started being used, it’s generally agreed that it relates to the feeling of “rottenness” that you can often have after a long night of drinking.

It seems to have become common in the 20^th Century though it may predate this.

Mashed

Not the most commonly used in Australia but very widely used in the English speaking world generally, and thus by extension in Australia, next we have “mashed”.

This is one of many terms used to describe being drunk to the point that you can’t really function.

It doesn’t have to be the kind of obnoxious over the top drunkenness, it can just be drowsy drunkenness that causes you to fall asleep.

“He’s mashed, someone take him to bed,” for example.

It derives from the word itself meaning to break something up into a pulp.

Again, the term is thought simply to refer to the fact that drinking can make you feel as though you have been “mashed”.

Blitzed

Another commonly used term in Australia for drunkenness is “blitzed”.

This, as you may well guess, refers to extreme drunkenness and not to anything less.

If you are blitzed, you are very, very drunk and cannot possibly handle anymore.

This one is used throughout Australia although more commonly by younger generations on long nights out.

“If I have another shot I’m going to be blitzed,” for example.

The term was originally German, and “blitz” meant a sudden and overwhelming attack from the word blitzkrieg as used in the Second World War.

To be “blitzed” meant to be drunk because, again, it can often feel as though you’ve been attacked after drinking.

Stonkered

Stonkered is another word that has a few different meanings depending on where you hear it, but in Australia it refers to someone who is very drunk.

It’s not the most commonly used generally but is very common among certain demographics, and more reserved to the older generations today.

Nonetheless, it’s a great and effective term for drunk.

“We were all pretty stonkered by the time we got to the party,” for example.

A “stonker” in English is an informal term for something very impressive or at least of great intensity.

Thus, a “stonkered” person is someone who is impressively drunk.

Full

This may sound somewhat strange to non-Australians, but to say you are “full” can mean you are very drunk in Australian English.

It of course also has other more common meanings, but someone who is full is drunk.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they are very drunk, although this is usually the way the term is used.

“If that guy’s full then I’m not going near him,” for example.

It’s very hard to trace the origin of a slang term like this when the word itself has so many other common applications.

It’s recorded as far back as 1925 having this meaning, so it was probably in use for at least a few decades prior to this.

Full as a goog

Similarly, another way to say someone is very drunk in Australian English is to say they are “full as a goog”.

This is something you only say when someone is very drunk, though it doesn’t have to be on the floor passed out.

Someone who’s been drinking all night but is still able to stand can be “full as a goog”.

This one is a little bit old fashioned now but definitely still in use.

“I’m full as a goog, I’d better go home,” for example.

A “goog” in Australian slang refers to an egg, so given that eggs are completely full, this is mostly likely the origin of the term.

It was in use by the latter half of the 20^th Century though it may predate this—it goes back at least as far as 1974.

Para

Another common expression reserved only for the drunkest state of being in Australian slang is “para”.

This is a term that refers to someone who is past the point of being able to stand up.

They have drunk so much that they’re no longer really in control of their faculties.

Of course, it’s not as if people don’t use the term exaggeratedly, but this is its more literal meaning.

“You were para again last night,” for example.

The term is an abbreviation of the word “paralytic”, which means about as drunk as a person can be.

It’s been in use since the 20^th Century at least, though probably not much older than this.

Parro

Another common variation of “para” is parro.

This has essentially the same meaning, derives from the same word, and is used in the same sense.

If you are “parro”, you are beyond the pale, too drunk to get yourself home and you’ll need to rely on a hand from friends.

Blind

A very common expression in English anywhere to describe someone who’s very drunk is to say they are “blind” or “blind drunk”.

This is also very widely used in Australia, where it has the same sense.

Someone who is “blind” is extremely drunk, though again the sense could vary subtly.

It will always mean very drunk, but could be used to describe someone who’s able to stand up on their own.

“She’s going to be blind before we even get out,” for example.

Munted

“Munted” is a common and quintessentially Australian expression that can have a few different meanings.

In general, it means somehow “messed up”, and so you could say anything from a car to a sandwich was “munted” if it got messed up somehow.

By extension, then, this term refers to someone who has gotten so drunk that they are “munted” and no longer functioning properly.

“I’m munted, I can’t drive, I’ll call a cab,” for example.

This term is first recorded in the 1990s in Australia in this sense.

Its origin is not precisely clear, though it could relate to the Germanic word munter meaning very lively or merry—as one tends to get while they are drunk!

Hammered

Another very common one in Britain and Australia, next we have “hammered”.

This one is used throughout Australia by all generations to mean very drunk, and is again one of the most widely used and understood phrases.

Once again, its sense can vary slightly, though it definitely has the sense of “very drunk” broadly speaking. “

We were all hammered at the game last night,” for example.

It’s thought to relate to the headache that one gets the morning after drinking, as though your head has been “hammered” many times.

The term arose in the early 20^th Century and may predate that by some time, it’s difficult to say.

It spread to Australia from Britain where it originated.

Trashed

Another very common term in the English speaking world for someone who is very drunk is “trashed”.

This one is also used in Australia for being very drunk although not as commonly as some of the other terms on this list.

Nevertheless, any Australian that hears you use this term will know what you mean.

“I can’t believe how trashed you were,” for example.

This one was originally American and first appears in the written record in the 1920s.

It simply again derived from the sense that being drunk causes you to be ruined or “trashed”.

It spread to Australia fairly late, and has only recently become all that common there.

Off one’s tits

“Off your tits” or “off my tits” is another very common slang expression meaning drunk in Australia.

Again, this one is used in Britain, too, though it’s certainly taken an equal hold in Australia.

It is typically reserved for people who are very drunk, though again it can be used as a kind of joke even if you aren’t all that drunk.

“You were off your tits at the party,” for example.

It’s not clear when this one started being used, though it’s generally agreed it was originally a British term.

It simply has the sense that your “out of your wits” when you are this drunk.

Stinko

Stinko is quite a unique and quintessentially Australian slang term for being very drunk.

It’s something of an archaism today that is certainly not universal among young people, but at the same time it’s far from entirely out of use.

It can have the sense of being very drunk or just a little, depending on the context.

“I feel like getting stinko today,” for example.

Its usage dates as far back, at least, as 1963 and no doubt earlier than this.

The etymology is not clear although the simple explanation that it relates to the smell that being drunk can produce is generally agreed to be the correct one.

Bevvied

“Bevvie” is a very common slang expression for an alcoholic drink in Australia, so naturally to be “bevvied” means to be drunk.

This could encompass all levels of drunkenness, from the tiniest hint of tipsiness to the most outrageously drunk and “bevvied” person.

“Everyone there is so bevvied, I can’t deal with it,” for example.

It derives from the word “beverage”, and is simply a shortening of said word.

It’s been in use since at least the latter half of the 20^th Century and no doubt at least a bit earlier than this.

Sloshed

Finally, we have “sloshed,” a very common slang expression in Australia for someone who is very drunk.

This specifically has the sense also of drowsy drunkenness, though it can be used a bit more generally that this.

Most Australians will use or at least understand this term.

“I’m so sloshed, I can’t drink anymore,” for example.

To “slosh” means to shift or splash chaotically, and is very commonly used to describe very wet things.

In many places in the English speaking world this term has meant drunk at least as far back as the 20^th Century.

Whatever stage of drunkenness you may be at, then, there’s an appropriate slang term to describe it.

Whether you’re just a little hazed after a few or you’re absolutely parro after a long night in the clubs, there are tons of words for being drunk in Australian slang.

Indeed, in most English dialects, it seems there are always lots of words to describe this state of being.

More in Australian Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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