Australian Slang For Redneck (11 Examples!)


Australian Slang For Redneck

Australia is a country with an almost unimaginably large “countryside.”

Endless deserts and tropical regions populate every part of the country, and though these fringes are largely uninhabited, there is naturally a very large rural population.

In the U.S., these are called rednecks—but how are they referred to in Australia?

There are a number of different slang terms for a redneck in Australia, depending on where you are.

Today, we’re going to look at a variety of those slang terms, so let’s get started.

Australian Slang For Redneck

Bogan

Though some would say that the term bogan is not very common with the younger generations today, and is perhaps going out of fashion, without doubt it is the most widely understood slang term for redneck in Australia.

A bogan is simply a “country bumpkin”, you might say. Someone who lives in the country and doesn’t bother much with the affairs of city life.

It originated, we think, in the 1980s, in reference to the inhabitants of the Bogan River area.

 

Housie

Next we have housie, which is certainly a good deal less common than bogan.

However, it is used by a large part of the population.

A house, again, is just someone who fits the stereotypical redneck description.

Someone who works outside with their hands, and lives in a more rural area.

It’s not entirely clear where this term originates, though it’s thought that it comes from the slang meaning of housie which is the game “bingo”.

It’s possibly a reference to the stereotype of rednecks enjoying gambling.

 

Housos

Following on from housie, another variation of that slang term is houso.

A red neck is a houso, again most likely for the same reason. It refers to the game, and to the way that rednecks like playing games for money.

 

Bludger

Next we have bludger, which is very often used in a pejorative and derogatory way to refer to rednecks.

The wider meaning of the term is a lazy person, someone who is workshy and doesn’t enjoy putting effort into things.

For many, this is the stereotypical, though of course profoundly incorrect, perception of rednecks.

It originates from British slang in the middle of the 19th Century, referring to a pimp who wouldn’t do any work but simply take all the earnings from his prostitutes.

 

Queenslander

Queenslander is another slang term that some use to refer to rednecks.

Of course, Queensland is one of the major states in Australia, in the northeast of the country.

Being the third most populous of the five Australian states, there are only around five million people living there.

Queenslander is a kind of jokey way to refer to rednecks, the idea being that this is what people from Queensland are all like.

We don’t know when this term started being used, though it seems to have been in the 20th Century.  

 

Wanker

Next we have the term “wanker”, a common insult in both British and Australian slang referring to a certain private act.

In Australia, this term can also refer more specifically to a redneck, someone who fits the stereotypical description of a redneck.

This one is definitely all but an outright insult—so I’d urge you not to try using this one yourself!

 

Wally

Another one you might hear, which you want to avoid using yourself, is “wally”.

A wally is, more broadly, simply an idiot or a stupid person.

It’s used as a derogatory way to refer to rednecks in Australia, again coming from the simple stereotype that rednecks are ignorant and stupid.

This is quite a recent term, though its origin is not completely clear.

Some believe it originated in festivals in the 1960s. By the end of the 20th Century, in any case, it had spread to Australia and taken on the redneck meaning.

 

Yobbo

Next we have yobbo, which is another one borrowed from the British.

In Britain, a yobbo is usually a young person who is very loud and aggressive.

This became one of those politically charged terms referring to the difficulty with violent and rowdy young people.

In Australia, it came to mean a redneck.

The word was originally just back slang for boy. It caught on in Australia to mean this broader meaning, too, early in the 20th Century, and eventually developed a more specific meaning.

 

Feral

As you can see, most of the terms on this list are not really a very friendly way to refer to anyone. “Feral” is another example of this.

Some Australians use the term “feral” as a slang word for redneck referring to the way that they live in an “uncivilised” way out in the countryside.

We don’t know when this term started being used, as the word itself is obviously very old.

 

Bevan

In Australia generally, you’ll often hear individuals referred to as a “bevan”.

This just means that they are stupid and unsophisticated.

Again, this became a way of referring to rednecks as a derogatory term.

This one has had a couple of different slang meanings over time, so it’s hard to say when this precise meaning arose.

However, it does seem to be relatively recent.

 

Westy

Finally, we have a rather regionally specific term, “westy” or “westies”.

This one is mostly used in Sydney, and means redneck because the “redneck” population tends to live in the western side of the city.

This is perhaps the simplest one on this list, in that sense!

So, there are quite a few different ways to refer to rednecks in Australia.

Of course, these are terms you need to always be careful with in general, since you never know how someone might feel being referred to in this way.

Many, of course, feel very proud of their redneck status, and don’t mind it at all.

In any case, Australians may use any one of these terms to refer to rednecks.

 

More in Australian Slang

Australian Slang Quiz

  • Polly

    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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