Australian Slang For Clothes (23 Examples!)

The language you use and the clothes you wear are two of the most immediately obvious and recognizable things about your identity.

Those two things can very often meet somewhere in the middle, then, and thus arises tons of different slang terms for different items of clothing.

This is very much the case in Australia, where there is typically a slang word, however obscure, for just about every single item of clothing you might wear.

Today, we’re going to break down some of these terms.

Let’s get started.

Cardie

First up we have “cardie”, a very common if not universal slang term in Australia for a cardigan.

This one is used everywhere in Australia by all generations of people.

While cardigans may be somewhat out of fashion among the younger generations, they certainly are still worn and so this slang term is very much kept alive.

It is simply a shortening of the word “cardigan”.

Example in a sentence: “I’m going to grab my cardie, I’m a bit cold.”

Dacks

Next we have “dacks,” another universal Australian slang term for trousers.

This can be used for any kind of trousers, though sometimes you may have certain qualifiers added to change the word slightly, such as “trackie dacks” or “underdacks” for specific kinds of trousers.

Australian Slang For Clothes — Trackie Dacks

This is an old one that’s still used by everyone and has not fallen out of use.

It’s not entirely clear where it comes from, though most agree it is probably derived from the London clothier Daks, which was first opened in 1984.

Though it was a British brand, it was popular and successful in Australia, too.

Example in a sentence: “I’ll just put my dacks on and I’ll be right out!”

Trackies

Another, more specific word for trousers is “trackies”. This is a common one in Britain, too, and refers to track pants or what in the U.S. might be called sweat pants.

It could mean a few different things, but in general, it refers to the kinds of pants you might workout in.

Naturally, the term is simply an alteration or shortening of the term “track pants”.

It’s not clear when it was first used, though it likely was not long after the popularization of tracksuits in the 1960s following their invention in the 1930s.

Example in a sentence: “I need a new pair of trackies to get back to the gym.”

Strides

“Strides” is yet another name for trousers used in Australian slang.

This can again refer to any kinds of trousers, though it usually means something you might wear out such as jeans or slacks, as opposed to trackies.

Unlike dacks, it also doesn’t really have a lot of modifiers, so it can’t really be used to refer to underwear, for example.

It’s very commonly used throughout all of Australia.

The term is simply derived from the fact that your trousers are what you take your “strides” in when you walk.

Example in a sentence: “I’ll put some strides on and i’ll be right with you!”

Jumper

A common and simple one you may be familiar with if you live in an English speaking country is “jumper”.

This is used widely although not so much in the United States.

It refers to what you would otherwise call a sweater or sweatshirt, a thick and warm garment for your upper body that goes over your head and doesn’t have a zip or buttons.

Again, this one is virtually universal in Australia.

This term was first attested in 1853, in Britain, but is ultimately of uncertain origin.

It may be from the French jupe, meaning skirt, but we aren’t sure.

It spread to Australia in the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries.

Example in a sentence: “You should put a jumper on, it’s freezing!”

Flannie/flanno

“Flannie” or sometimes “flanno” is, as you might have guessed, a slang term for a flannel shirt.

Flannel is a soft woven fabric, and the shirts usually feature check patterns.

These have in the past been associated with blue-collar professions but they are now and have been for some time popular and fashionable.

This slang term is fairly widespread in Australia.

Again, this one is simply an alteration and abbreviation of the word “flannel”.

One thing Australians certainly love to do is take a word and shorten it down, then add –Y or –O sounds to the end.

This is the origin of this term, though when precisely this started being used is very hard to say.

Example in a sentence: “I’m thinking of just wearing a flannie tonight.”

Bluey

“Bluey” refers to a felt or heavy wool jacket, most often worn by or at least associated with miners and construction workers.

These jackets, despite the name, are not necessarily always blue. Or, at the very least, they are not always entirely blue.

They may have bold, high-vis yellow on them with the reflective strips for working in dangerous environments like mines or construction sites.

The name is derived from the shared blue section that all these jackets have.

Though, again, the jackets are not entirely blue and the blue is very dark as to be almost black in most light.

Example in a sentence: “Get your bluey on before you go on-site!”

Wife beater

This one is fairly universal across the English speaking world.

It refers to a white vest or undershirt, the kind of thing you are generally expected to wear under another shirt or t-shirt.

Many, though, wear them simply to relax around the house.

It can refer to a singlet, particularly a blue singlet, but it seems that this alternative meaning is now winning out in Australia.

The term derives from a stereotype about the kinds of people who wear such vests in public—they are perceived to be “wife beaters”.

Example in a sentence: “Look at him, sitting there in a wife beater!”

Singlet

Another slang term that it’s important to distinguish between when we mention “wife beaters” is the term “singlet”.

This one is really not at all used in other parts of the English speaking world except to denote a very specific kind of garment you would wear for certain athletic activities like wrestling or gymnastics.

In Australia, though, it refers to an undershirt without sleeves—a vest.

The term was first used in the mid-18^th Century when it referred to an unlined woolen garment.

This was simply in imitation of the older word “doublet”.

It probably took hold in Australia through British sailors around this time.

Example in a sentence: “Have you seen my singlet?”

Windcheater

“Windcheater” is another slang term for sweatshirt in Australian English.

You might think it would describe a jacket similar to the American term “windbreaker”, but in fact is simply another term for jumper or sweatshirt.

It’s more or less universally understood though perhaps not used everywhere in Australia.

Naturally, it gets its name simply from the fact that you “cheat” wind while wearing one.

When it came to be used is not really clear, though it does not seem to be all that old, probably coming from the late 20^th Century.

Example in a sentence: “I got this great new windcheater while we were out.”

Sunnies

You can probably guess that this term “sunnies” refers to sunglasses.

This is a very common, indeed universal, slang term in Australia that is used to refer to sunglasses.

It can obviously be used for any kind of sunglasses and for many Australians may be the only word they ever use to refer to this item of clothing.

Again, this one is simply derived from shortening “sunglasses” down to “sunnies”.

It’s probably quite old but again it’s hard to say when it was first used with any precision.

Example in a sentence: “Put your sunnies on, it’s really bright out!”

Guernsey

A rather specific slang term next, “Guernsey” in Australian slang refer to a sports team sweatshirt.

This is also a broader term that can relate to sports more generally, such as getting a place on a sports team.

Usually, though, when Australians use this term, they are referring to a jersey with a team’s name on it, whether that’s football, rugby or anything else.

This is a very old term that originally referred to a knitted woolen sweater that sailors would wear.

It spread to Australia, again through sailors, with this meaning, and eventually evolved to mean more specifically a sports jumper.

Example in a sentence: “I’ll get my Guernsey for the game.”

Blunnies

Moving on to footwear, one slang term for work boots in Australian English is “blunnies”.

It specifically refers to workboots made by Blundstone, which are also known as Blundies.

These are work boots of a variety of kinds, and so the term itself is often simply applied to any work boots.

It’s used more or less universally in Australia or at least as widely understood.

Again, this term simply derives from shortening the word “Blundstone” into a two syllable word with an –Y sound at the end.

It’s as simple as that!

Example in a sentence: “I need a new pair of blunnies, these are falling to bits.”

Gumboots

This is one of the most widely known slang terms for clothing outside of Australia.

“Gumboots” refer to what in Britain would be called Wellington boots, or most often “rubber boots” or “rain boots” in the U.S.

These are boots that you wear when you are wading in water or walking in deep, wet mud.

They are always called gumboots in Australia.

The term derives from “gum rubber”, a term for natural rubber from which these boots were and are still made.

Example in a sentence: “You’ll need gumboots if you want to go walking on the meadow.”

Sand shoes

Next we have “sand shoes,” a term used in Australia that refers to light, canvas shoes like plimsoles.

This one is very common in certain parts of Australia and the vast majority will understand what you mean by this.

However, it also isn’t used by everyone, and might more often be something used in coastal regions.

These are the kinds of shoes that are typically worn at the beach, so this is the most simple and likely origin of the term.

Example in a sentence: “These new sand shoes give great support!”

Thongs

Another very internationally well-known Australian slang term for clothing is “thongs”.

This refers to what would otherwise be known as flip-flops or sandals.

These are very light sandals typically without any straps which are simply kept on by a single plug between the big toe and the next toe.

The term comes simply from the fact that the piece of rubber that keeps the thong on between your toe looks a bit like a thong—as in the undergarment.

Example in a sentence: “These cheap thongs won’t last a week!”

Uggies

What is a brand name elsewhere but simply a generic slang term for sheepskin or faux sheepskin slippers in Australia, next we have “uggies”.

You may be familiar with Ugg boots, a branded type of slipper in many other English speaking countries and beyond.

Again, though, in Australia this is simply a generic term and can even just refer to any slippers.

“Let me get my uggies on and I’ll go check the mailbox,” for example.

The term certainly predates the time when the Deckers corporation trademarked “ugg” in the rest of the world.

They even withdrew from attempting to trademark it in Australia because the term was so widely used!

Runners

This is a simple slang term that is commonly used for running shoes.

This is the equivalent of “sneakers” in American English or “trainers” in British English.

“Sneakers” is somewhat taking hold in Australia, although this is more often used for basketball shoes than running or track shoes in general.

“Have you seen his runners? They’re sick,” for example.

Naturally, the word simply derives from the fact that you go running in “runners”.

Moccies

Another fairly self-explanatory one, next we have “moccies,” a slang term for moccasin style shoes.

While not everyone may be familiar with precisely what a moccasin shoe is, for those who are in Australia, this slang term is more or less universal.

It’s used by young and old in all parts of the country.

“Think I’ll wear my moccies tonight, look sharp,” for example.

Again, this term is fairly organically derived from shortening the word “moccasin” and adding that Australian favorite –Y sound at the end.

Banga

Moving on to some more intimate items of clothing, next we have “banga”, one of the most common slang terms for a g-string.

Obviously this isn’t one you’ll hear thrown around constantly, but in the right circumstances the word “banga” is still very common and popular.

“I think I’ll wear a banga tonight,” for example.

The term is also sometimes “g-banga”, though the origin is unclear.

Some relate it to the term “gang banger,” but this connection is tenuous at best.

Dunders

Next we have “dunders”, a more generic term for underwear.

However, this one most often is used by men to refer to old, worn out and tattered underwear such as boxer shorts.

It’s fairly universally understood but this is not really the kind of term most women would use to refer to their underwear, worn out or not.

That said, women do of course use it to an extent.

“These old dunders need throwing out,” for example.

It’s simply a corruption of the word “under” turned into a noun.

It’s not clear when it was first used but it does seem to be a fairly old one.

Jocks

Another slang term used for men’s underwear in Australia is “jocks”.

This one typically refers to men’s briefs, which refers to the shorter style of underwear in the classic Y shape.

This style of underwear is not as popular as it once was but certainly still holds on.

“I’m going to get some new pairs of jocks,” for example.

The term most likely derives from the word jockstrap, although there was also an underwear company in Australia called Jockey.

Either is possible, the term is a few decades old at least.

Undies

Finally, we have “undies”.

This is a universal slang term for underwear in Australia, and though once again it is most commonly used by or at least associated with men, it is also used by women.

It can refer to any kind of underwear, whether boxers, briefs, or anything in between.

“These undies are so comfortable,” for example.

Again, this one is simply derived from an alteration of the word “underwear”.

It’s by no means exclusive to Australia as you’ll often hear this one in the U.K. and even New Zealand, too, so it could have originated in any of these places.

So, as you can see, no matter what item of clothing you are looking to describe, you’ve got a word in Australian slang specifically for it.

Whether it’s something as simple as your sweater or sweatpants, or as specific as the kind of underwear or shoes you’re wearing, there’s a word for it.

Naturally, some of these words get used a lot more than others, but you’d have to go a long way to find someone in Australia who outright didn’t understand them.

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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