A Glossary of Australian Cannabis Terminology

THE GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN CANNABIS TERMINOLOGY!

We here at FAB have strived to provide the Aussie cannabis community with a compendium of the cannabis-related terms often used in Australia, both classic and contemporary.

Historically, Aussies have been renowned for their peculiar slant on the English language. We take a fair-dinkum pride in the quirkiness of our own slang.

Little known fact: Strain is the official term for Aussie pidgin English (Australian –> Strayan –> Strain). It may be just a coincidence… but it’s a fun one, worth noting!

…so, with that out of the way – and without further ado – it’s time to “get it in ya!”

Have your own slang you’ve been using, that you’d like to share with us? slang in the comments! And check out our other article on cannabis terminology here!

Action Words About Cannabis

Fiending

Used in a similar context to fangin’ and/or stingin’ – when you use this word in the context of cannabis, it signifies to others that you are desperate to get high – that it’s all you have on your mind.

Sesh

Short for “session”. Generally used in the context of sharing in a cannabis smoking experience with friends or acquaintances. Similar to smoking one out.

“Hey, you smoke bud? Wanna come over to mine and sesh?”
“Fuck oath, let’s get outta here!”

‘Greened’ / Greening Out

When someone throws up their guts after consuming cannabis – this often occurs when someone is new to the drug and underestimates their dose, and/or chooses to mix it with other substances.

Mission / Mish

We’ve all been there. When we’re lacking greenery and our dealer is on the other side of town – a “mission” is very much in order.

Get On

Refers to the process of acquiring weed to smoke. (Synonym: G Up)

“If I could just get on, I’d be able to think straight!”

Fangin’ / Stingin’

Desperately wanting to get stoned – so much so that one may be compared to a wild animal. Lavishing its hungry fangs, keen for its next feed, on the prowl.

“I was fangin’ for a joint, but then old mate hooked us up.”

Pull Through

Something all sick cunts do when ripping a cone.

Reload

A term used by some dealers to describe stocking up on more weed.

“Hey, bro – you on right now?”
“Will be soon – just reloading”

Words Referring To Cannabis Itself

Hooch

Quite easily the most popular term for weed amongst the elderly generation of Australians.

Choof

Refers to both the plant and the act of smoking it; another old-school Aussie slang word.

“Got any hooch bro?”
“Nah man, I’ve only enough for a small choof meself”

Bud

A word for weed originating from America – however, it has become particularly popular amongst the younger generation of Aussie stoners. See: Friendly Aussie Buds.

Head

Refers to the potent flower of the cannabis plant. Popular with growers and consumers alike.

Dope

Yet another way of referring to weed – also used for other illicit drugs, but it has found its way into common cannabis parlance, particularly in Australian cities.

Green / Greenery / Veggies

Refers to the good stuff – cannabis, weed, bud, call it what you want 😉

Jing Banga

An unusual Aussie colloquial term for a small amount of pot – usually a gram.

Herb

Does not have any direct origin in Australia, but is often used by Aussies to refer to weed.

Kiff / Guff

Leaf or tip. In German “kiff” is the most commonly used word for cannabis.

Strains

A relatively new term to denote high quality bud – often with an official strain name. Seems to be a new trend to charge up to $140 AUD a quarter for strains, at least in some cases.

Nug/s

Short for nugget – describes a single bud. Cannabis often resemble nuggets, be they chicken or gold.

Bush

weed grown outdoors (usually without pesticides / chemicals). Standard grow practice in Australia up until the 1990s. Still many “old-school growers” grow their hooch in the bush.

Dusties

The collected resin / kief as found in grinders and chop tins, usually smoked.

Res / Rez

The black, burnt gunk that usually collects in bongs and pipes. Can be scraped out, dried and smoked (when absolutely desperate). Referred to by some as: ghetto hash.

Grass

A common term referring to cannabis. Used in Australia at least as far back as the 90’s, in the Nimbin Mardi-Grass.

Mull

“Australian slang for cannabis. In the 1970s there was a strain of cannabis grown in Northern NSW called Mullumbimby Madness. Thus, Mull became a colloquialism.” (Roger.Ramjet, n.d.)

“I’m gonna mull up, cuz…”
“SICK!”

Chop

Term for grinded or chopped mull.

Brisbane Red

Nickname for PGR in Brisbane, due to its dense and ugly red hairs. Generally other states will just use their city’s name followed by “red” to denote shit, PGR. e.g. “Melbourne Red”.

Canberra Gold

Essentially Brisbane Red, but not as crap. Someone at a bush doof tried to sell this writer some weed, upon asking him “Is it Brisbane Red?” he replied: “Nah mate, it’s Canberra Gold . . . like Brisbane Red, but slightly less shit”.

PGR (aka reds, dirt or scag)

PGR stands for Plant Growth Regulators. This is a heavily chemically treated grow. Used predominantly by bikies, to increase weight – PGR “weed” DOES NOT smell, look OR taste like ACTUAL WEED. Check out our article on PGR to ensure you know the difference!

Words For Preparations of Cannabis

Straight Green

No tobacco. Pretty self-explanatory.

Baccy

Shorthand for “tobacco”.

Spin

The tobacco and/or other dry herbs used in a chop.

“Homie, do you have any spin?”
“Yeah dude – just a few cones worth, but.”

Mix

Similar to “spin”, the mix refers to your preferred herbal mixture, generally shared within a social context – “in the mix”, so to speak.

Muzz

Basically analogous to chop, as a result of the Australian dance move with similar associations.

Words For Bongs And Their Components

Cone

Short for “cone piece”, the cone is the Australian answer to the bowl . . . except conical in shape, and usually smaller than a bowl. Generally “ripped”, “punched” or “sunk”, the cone is a staple in Australian cannabis terminology – it is often used to reference a session of bong smoking, and even the plant in its prepared form.

“Let’s go sink some cones, bro”
“Yeah fuck yeah, let’s rip those c***s up!”

Billy

Standard Aussie lingo for a bong.

Orchy

A bong made from an Orchy Juice Bottle. It’s a thing in some places in Australia – apparently.

Shotty

The small hole often found on the front, back or sides of the bong which is provided as a means of increasing/decreasing the airflow/pressure inside of the chamber. Popular with Australians – the burned plastic shotty on a Gato is a (potentially toxic) rite of passage.

Gato

Also known as ‘Gatey’ – was at one time the superior homemade billy. Since 2016, Gatorade have changed the structure of their bottles – effectively making them less useful for bong creation.

Beug / Bueg

Also a bong – “smoking beugs” is another way to say “sinking cones”. Not sure on the origin of this one… maybe it’s that a bong somehow resembles a bugle?

Bilson

Once again – a bong.

Words That Refer to Joints

Spliff

A common term across the world for a smaller sized joint. Generally speaking, “spliff” has connotations with spinning/mixing with tobacco, at least here in Australia.

Doobs / Doobies / Doowops / Doobskins

The good old jazz cigarette – the wacky tobaccy, the marijuana, cannabis sativa, wrapped up in paper and combusted (as is the tradition).

Roach

The end of a joint – usually a small wrapped up piece of cardboard.

Stingin’ Roger

The last puff of a joint as it burns to the very end of the roach. Dangerous and fun.

Words About People

Old Mate

Not always specifically used in a dope context – old mate can refer to any third party person.

“Whose choof is that on the table bruh?”
“Ahh that’s old mate’s, I’m sure you can roll a spliff”

Bloody Legend

That one fella with the good shit who grows his own and never charges you over $100.

Shit Cunt

Somehow who charges more than $110 AUD for a Q of “strains”, or sells PGR – full stop.

Fucken’ Pussy

Used in some circles to describe one who fails to “pull through” their cone.

Straight Edge

A person who’s not about that life of drugs and alcohol (or at least, that’s what they’re outwardly proclaiming).

Measurements

This brings us to the end of our glossary; we hope this has been both an informative and zesty experience for you. Have we missed anything? Got something wrong? Please let us know in the comments what your favourite “Australian ganja slang” is!