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westie


A person (usually a man) who dresses in black t-shirts under flannelette shirts (flannies), old jeans, and even wears ugg boots out. They often have a mullet haircut. Usually found in western Sydney suburbs, hence the name "westie": You look like such a westie in that shirt. Compare bevan, bog2, bogan, chigger, booner, boonie, feral. Also, westy.
Editor's comments: Originally a Sydney word, but now spreading. In Sydney the word is applied negatively to any people living west of one's own suburb, thus a Bondi inhabitant may call a person from Ryde a westie, but Ryde inhabitants would not consider themselves such, and instead apply the term to people from Parramatta, who in turn apply it to people from Penrith, and so on westwards up to the Blue Mountains. Actually people embodying those features of dress, hairstyle, etc., referred to in the definition, increase in number radially from Sydney, and so, for example, Campbelltown has a fair whack of westies, though this is more south than west. Obviously people from beach suburbs cannot be westies, and inner city trendies usually escape the label. Like most derogatory terms, it can be used in a jocular way by those it is meant to criticise, thus, in West Ryde in the 80s there was a pizza place with a pizza called the Westie (i.e. an Australian, with egg and bacon).

Contributor's comments: Also used around Maitland and Newcastle.


Contributor's comments: Strictly speaking, a person from the western suburbs of Sydney. Commonly used to describe those that live there of the unsavoury variety: "Penrith is full of westies in their panel vans."

Contributor's comments: A person from the western suburbs of Sydney: "He was a real westie." - i.e. bogen, ruffnut.

Contributor's comments: A person living in the western suburbs of Sydney -- characterised by flannelette shirt and ugh boots!: "You look like a westie in that shirt!"

Contributor's comments: Westie doesn't cut it in Brisbo because the Western suburbs of Brisbane are posh!

Contributor's comments: The term "Westy" has become quite prevalent here in Toronto [NSW] where it's particularly applied to the residents of Toronto West, an area of higher than average unemployment. Many young men identify with the term and wear black t-shirts under flannelette shirts, etc.

Contributor's comments: Growing up in Victoria I had never heard the word westie until last year. At a pub in Ballarat a group of drunk guys were playing up and my friend from Ballarat said 'Typical westies'. I questioned this term and she said people from the less affluent areas of Ballarat (which are in the west of the city) are called 'westies'.

Contributor's comments: A person from the Western suburbs of Sydney. It is usually used about young men who stereotypically drive a hotted-up Torana, wear heavy-metal t-shirts, jeans and basketball shoes and hang around shopping malls in the evening bring nasty to people: "You look like a westy in that flanny", "Don't move to Ashfield, it's full of Westies."

Contributor's comments: Someone who lives inland...away from the coast/not trendy/poor dresser/of lower social class: "He's just a westy."

Contributor's comments: It is also used as reference to the east-west socioeconomic devide in Sydney and hence doesn't have strict boundaries.

Contributor's comments: I can confirm that this is a very common term in the Ballarat (VIC) region.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Eastern Melbourne Suburbs and for us a westie equivalent was a "nanger".

Contributor's comments: At school in Canberra we used to call the group of kids who wore flannies and tight black jeans "westies". I had no idea until I came to Sydney that it actually referred to a geographic location!

Contributor's comments: Women could be westies too! A "westie chick" would have flicked-back hair in the 80s (long after it was fashionable), stretch jeans (acid wash) and of course, ugh boots.

Contributor's comments: Being from Ballarat myself a 'Westie' refers to somebody from Wendouree West who in the 80's and 90's would have been wearing black jeans and Guns and Roses t-shirts but now probably wear dada or eminem clothes.