alcohol

goon
Goon is cheap wine in a box—the official fuel of broke backpackers and chaotic uni students. It’s not classy, but it gets the job done, usually too well. Comes in a silver bag that doubles as a pillow after your life decisions catch up with you. Aussies have a weird love-hate relationship with goon: we roast it constantly, but somehow it ends up at every party. If someone offers you goon, you’re either about to make a new best friend or deeply regret tomorrow. Only bogans and backpackers smash goon like that.

bottle-o
The bottle-o is Australia’s spiritual centre—your friendly neighbourhood alcohol supplier, whether you’re prepping for a barbie, a birthday, or a long whinge after work. It’s not just a store; it’s a cultural pit-stop. Aussies rely on it like sunshine and sarcasm. You nip in for a slab, bump into five people you know, and maybe impulse-buy some fancy cider you pretend is for a friend. It’s a place where bogans congregate, tradies unwind, and backpackers discover goon. If someone asks you to swing by the bottle-o, you know it’s going to be a good (or chaotic) night. Heaps of bogans hanging around the bottle-o today.

pissed
British for “drunk,” not angry like in the US. If someone says they were ‘pissed last night’, assume alcohol — lots of it. “We got properly pissed after the match.”

plastered
Another glorious British level of drunk — beyond tipsy, beyond merry, into full ‘phone has been lost, dignity has evaporated’ territory. If you’re plastered, someone will film you singing badly. “We got plastered at the pub quiz and still came last.”