G’day, jackeroos and jillaroos! Learn what "that drover rode a ripper of a brumby" means with our primer on Australian cowboy phrases.
From "wetting your whistle" to "buckaroo," American cowboy slang permeates most of society today. Australian cowboys, known as drovers, have a terminology all their own that makes the Land Down Under both familiar yet different to Americans. Here's a quick list of Australian cowboy slang to get your ready for Netflix's Territory, starring Longmire star and three-time C&I cover star Robert Taylor, premiering Thursday, Oct. 24.
Australian Sayings
Australia is a unique place. From the animals like kangaroos and saltwater crocodiles to the geography like rainforests and the Outback (a rural swath of desert with little water or vegetation), "Straya" stands apart from the rest of the world in the way it goes about its business. And no different are the cowboys and cowgirls — known as "drovers" — who work hard all day bringing cattle and other animals into the stations, or ranches. Below we're categorized and curated a list of essential Australian cowboy slang and phrases so you don't find yourself lost in the Land Down Under.
Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008). Photo: 20th Century Fox
Aussie Slang Terms for People
Bloke – A guy, man.
Bogan – A person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated. "He is a bit of a bogan."
Bore Runner – A person who drives around the station usually two or three times a week checking the water for the cattle.
Drover – An experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep, cattle, and horses on a horse over long distances.
Grazier – A farmer who is in the business of raising cattle or sheep for the market.
Jackaroos and Jillaroos – Usually young station workers.
Mate – Friend, companion, colleague; "How are you, mate?"
Offsider – Assistant, who is usually younger or less experienced.
Ringer – A male or female stock worker on an Australian cattle station.
Roo – Slang for "jackeroo" or "jilleroo." A term often used for a person who is inexperienced or meaning that the person is not very skilled.
Robert Taylor in Territory (2024). Photo: Netflix.
Aussie Lingo for Jobs
Blocking cattle up – To gather on horseback when the cattle are first approached and held in one spot for a time until they have quietened down enough to move forward.
Draft/Drafting – To separate cattle into different categories for branding, trucking or treating. Can be done on horseback or in a yard.
Holding the cut/cutting – When cattle are drafted on horseback it is often referred to as cutting and the cattle that have been separated from the mob are called the cut
Horse plant (or just "plant") – The group of work horses kept ready for work at any time.
Knock off – Finish work for the day – ‘I’m going to knock off now’.
Muster – To round up sheep or cattle. Noun – "this year’s muster," or verb – "we’ll muster cattle."
Tailing – To contain a "mob" of cattle or horses while they graze.
Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Australia (2008). Photo: 20th Century Fox
Australian Slang Expressions for Animals
Bullock – A castrated male cow.
Brumby – A wild horse.
Clean skin – An unbranded and unearmarked heifer, cow or bull.
Fresh horse – A horse that hasn’t been used for a while.
Green horse – A broken-in horse but without much training or experience.
Heifer – A female animal that has never had a calf.
Mob – A group of cattle, horses or sheep running or mustered together. Can also be a description of a family or station grouping or group of people.
Micky bull – A young bull, usually up to about 18 months of age, which should have been branded and castrated but has been missed in previous musters.
Killer – One of the stock to be slaughtered for eating on the property.
Weaners – Young steers or heifers, usually six to eight months old, recently weaned from their mothers.
A scene from Territory (2024). Photo: Netflix.
Australian Phrases and Sayings
Bloody – Very. Used to extenuate a point.
Carrying on like a Pork Chop – Making a great fuss about something for little or no reason.
Crook – Being ill or angry; "Don’t go crook on me for getting crook."
Cruisie – Taking it easy, "A cruisie job" – an easy job or affirmative "Cruisie," as in that will be fine.
Daggy – Uncool, not fashionable.
Dodgy (or Bodgy) – poor quality. "It’s a bit dodgy" – it might fall apart.
Flat out, Flat chat – Really busy – "Flat out like a lizard drinking."
Good On Ya – Good work.
Hard yakka – Hard work.
Hobble – To join the front legs of a horse with two straps and a swivel chain (usually at night) to stop them going too far from camp.
Ripper – "That’s a ripper" = That’s fantastic mate!
Stuffed – Tired.
Too easy – Similar to "No drama" or "No worries" = I’ll do it, it will cause no problems.
Tipperary Station doubles as Marianne Station in Territory (2024). Photo: Netflix.
Aussie Slang for Places
Bush – The countryside away from civilization. ‘Out in the bush’ – "he’s gone bush."
Paddock – Fenced area.
Yard – A structure used to hold and process cattle and sometimes horses, Yarded = "The cattle have been yarded" – put in the yard.
Station — A cattle ranch.
Straya – Australia.
Robert Taylor in Territory (2024). Photo: Netflix.
Australian Slang for Things
Chopper – Helicopter; usually used for mustering cattle.
Float – A horse trailer.
Roo Bar – A stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also cow bar).
Slab – A carton of beers.
Stubby, stubby holder – A bottle of beer, beer bottle holder; used so your hands don’t get cold when holding your beer, or to stop your hands making your beer warm!
Swag – Single bed you can roll up, a bit like a sleeping bag.
Tucker – Food. ‘Bush Tucker’ tends to be food found in the Outback.
Ute – Utility vehicle, pickup truck.
To Recap
Now that you'll know what to do when a drover asks you to back up the float or grab a slab after a day of hard yakka, grab your hat, a horse and set off for the Land Down Under. And if you need some inspiration, check out our list of the top Australian western films.
Click here to read more about the best in Western films from the Australian outback. Header photo: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Australia (2008). Photo: 20th Century Fox