In regular English, a galah is a type of bird native to Australia. It’s a medium-sized cockatoo with a grey back and pink head and underparts. The galah, which is common in most areas of Australia, usually appears in a large flock and has a raucous call.

However, in informal Australian English (i.e. Aussie slang) a galah is ‘a fool or an idiot’ (Australian National University). The A.N.U. explains that this ‘figurative sense is recorded from the 1930s, and derives from the perceived stupidity of the bird’.

The term ‘flaming galah’ was made famous by the character Alf Stewart in the Australian soap ‘Home and Away’. He would use this expression whenever he was annoyed with someone, which seemed to be quite often.

Although ‘flaming galah’ is a derogatory expression, there are many other expressions that are a lot more offensive. Make sure you pronounce it correctly, though. The stress is placed on the second syllable: /ɡəˈlɑː/

On a final note, the galah is actually a highly intelligent bird. So, if someone were to call me a galah, I don’t think I’d be too upset.

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Glossary

native – used to refer to plants and animals that grow naturally in a place, and have not been brought there by somewhere else

cockatoo – an Australian bird with a decorative growth of feathers on its head and a powerful beak

underparts – the underneath part of the body of a bird or animal

flock – a group of sheep, goats, or birds

raucous – loud and unpleasant

figurative – (of words and phrases) used not with their basic meaning but with a more imaginative meaning, in order to create a special effect

flaming [sometimes written as flamin’] – used to add force, especially anger, to something that is said

derogatory – showing strong disapproval and not showing respect

offensive – likely to make people angry or upset

pronounce – to say a word or a letter in a particular way

syllable – a single unit of speech, either a whole word or one of the parts into which a word can be separated, usually containing a vowel

intelligent – able to learn and understand things easily

upset – worried, unhappy, or angry