GROUSE
Convict Shirts — Australian Slang Series
REGIONAL
AUSTRALIAN SLANG
Grouse is Melbourne. Pot is Victoria. Middy is NSW. Cane toad is Queensland. How Australian slang varies state by state — and why the differences matter.
One Country, Eight Dialects
Australian English is not uniform. The continent’s size, its federal structure, and the distinct histories of its colonies produced regional variations in vocabulary that persist despite a century of mass media, interstate migration, and a shared national identity. Some differences are minor. Some are significant enough to cause genuine confusion when Australians from different states interact.
The most documented regional variation is in beer glass sizes — a subject that generates disproportionate passion relative to its practical importance, but which serves as a useful index of how serious regional linguistic difference actually is in Australia. If states can’t agree on what to call a 285ml glass of beer, the variation in broader vocabulary is not surprising.
Beer Glass Names By State — The Classic Example
Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania
New South Wales, Western Australia
NSW, Qld, WA — but smaller in SA
Australian Capital Territory
State By State — The Distinctive Vocabulary
Grouse
Excellent; fantastic. Distinctively Victorian. Outside Victoria, this word is rarely used in this sense and may cause confusion. That’s grouse is a high compliment in Melbourne.
Pot
A 285ml beer glass. Standard in Victoria, confusing elsewhere.
Parma
A chicken parmigiana. Victoria takes the parma extremely seriously. There are dedicated review websites, rankings, and civic debates about whether it should include ham.
Going to the footy
Going to see Australian Rules football (AFL). In Victoria this requires no further specification. AFL is the default. Any other code must be named explicitly.
Middy
A 285ml beer glass. The NSW and WA equivalent of the Victorian pot.
Cossie
Swimwear (from costume). The NSW term for what Victoria calls bathers and Queensland calls togs.
Westie
A person from the western suburbs; a NSW variant of bogan. Specifically western Sydney.
Going to the footy
Going to see rugby league (NRL). In NSW, footy defaults to league. Rugby union and AFL must be specified.
Togs
Swimwear. The Queensland term. Bathers elsewhere, cossie in NSW.
Cane toad
A Queenslander, as used by other Australians. From the cane toad, an introduced pest species released in Queensland in 1935 to control sugarcane beetles, which instead spread uncontrollably across northern Australia. The metaphor is not flattering. Queenslanders are aware of this.
Bevan / Bev
The Queensland variant of bogan. A person considered unsophisticated. More geographically specific than bogan.
Pot
A 285ml beer glass, as in Victoria. Queensland and Victoria agree on this, which is considered remarkable.
Butcher
A 170ml beer glass, unique to South Australia. The smallest standard glass size in the country.
Schooner
285ml in South Australia — the same volume as a pot or middy everywhere else, but called a schooner here. A standard 425ml schooner from NSW ordered in Adelaide will arrive smaller than expected.
Crow eater
A South Australian, as used by other Australians. From a historical reference to the eating habits of early settlers. South Australians are less bothered by this than Queenslanders are by cane toad.
Westie
A person from the western suburbs of Perth. Same term as NSW but referring to a different city.
Bobbie
A 170ml beer glass, unique to Western Australia.
Sand groper
A Western Australian, as used by other Australians. From the sand groper, a burrowing insect native to the WA sandplain. The term is used with varying degrees of affection.
Slab
A carton of 24 beers. Universal across Australia but worth noting that WA has historically had different takeaway liquor hours to other states.
Chigger
The Tasmanian variant of bogan. Specific to the island state.
Apple Islander
A Tasmanian, as used by other Australians. From Tasmania’s historic apple industry. Considered benign.
Mainlander
A person from mainland Australia, as used by Tasmanians. The distance and geographic separation between Tasmania and the mainland produces a distinct island identity, of which mainlander is one expression.
On Tees
Regional vocabulary on tees works because it signals specific membership — a tee that says GROUSE reads as Victorian. A tee that says CANE TOAD is either worn by a Queenslander with self-awareness or by someone from somewhere else being provocative.
Regional Slang — On Tees
Grouse. Pot. Cane toad. Crow eater. Organic cotton. First Friday every month.
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Related Pages
Australian Slang — The Complete A–Z Guide
Full glossary, all categories, history and mechanics.
Read →
Australian Pub Slang
The shout, the pot, the parma — all the pub vocabulary you need.
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Australian People & Character Types
Bogan, larrikin, mate — the character vocabulary of Australian culture.
Read →