By Gilbert H. Lawson, published in the 1920’s in Sydney, Australia.

A dictionary of Australian words and phrases, including the most commonly-used slang, technical terms, expressions, abbreviations and colloquialisms.

Although this dictionary is over 80 years old, it gives you a glimpse into the way people spoke in that era. Some words have the same meaning today, while others may have changed or are seldom used anymore.

If you’re reading Australian literature from this time period and earlier, such as works by Banjo Paterson, you may find this dictionary very helpful.

A  B  C  D  EF  G  H  IJ  K  L  M  N0  P  QR  S  T  UVWXYZ

– G –
Gab	talk.
Galah	the rose-breasted cockatoo.
Game, in the	to be one of the affluent.
Gammon	to deceive.
Ganger	boss of navvies.
Gawky	awkward person.
Gazob	a foolish person.
Geebung	aboriginal name for small native plum.
Geewhizz	expressing surprise.
Get, to do a	a hurried departure.
Gibber	a rock.
Gibber-gunyah	aboriginal home in cave.
Gill-bird	another name for wattle bird.
Gin	aboriginal woman.
Gink	a peculiar fellow.
Give it a go	to make an attempt.
Gizzard	the heart.
Glassy eye	a cold stare.
Glue-pot	a bad road.
Goanna	a large lizard, varying in size and colour. It lives both above and below the ground and in trees. Many are capable of swallowing a live ‘possum.
Goat	a fool.
Go him	to want to fight.
Goin’ stiff ‘uns	thieving from inebriates.
Gone west	dead.
Goodo	all right.
Goo-goo eyes	affectionate glance.
Gooley	a stone.
Goose	foolish person.
Goosed	fooled.
Go the whole pile	to risk everything.
Grab	to seize.
Grasshopper	a leaping, grass-feeding insect varying from less than an inch to two inches in length, with spare body and very long wings and legs.
Green	inexperienced person.
Grey nurse shark	type of Australian shark.
Griffin, the straight	the truth.
Groggy	reeling; dazed.
Grouch	a complaint.
Grouse	something good.
Grub	food.
Guff	foolish talk.
Guffed	deceived.
Gully	a shallow valley.
Gum	popular name for trees of the genus eucalyptus.
Gummy	species of shark with small teeth.
Gum tree	variety of eucalyptus.
Gun	tobacco pipe.
Gunyah	a blackfellow’s humpy, built of bark, sometimes around a tree, but not always, tapering from a peak at the top to a bell-shape at the bottom.
Guy	a person.
Guy, to do a	to retreat.
Guyver	pretence.