milko
Australian and New Zealand informal term for the milkman or milkwoman — that early-morning legend who rattled bottles on your doorstep before the sun was even fully up.
Definitions
Australian and New Zealand informal term for the milkman or milkwoman — that early-morning legend who rattled bottles on your doorstep before the sun was even fully up. The classic Aussie habit of slapping an -o suffix on nouns gives ordinary jobs a friendlier, more larrikin ring. Though home milk delivery is largely a thing of the past, milko survives in nostalgic conversation and the occasional retro TV ad.
Mum always left a note in the empties so the milko knew we needed an extra bottle of full-cream.
Comments
(Australia, NZ, informal) A milkman or milkwoman.
Milko means: A milkman or milkwoman.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
milko means: A milkman or milkwoman.. Register: informal, Australian English. Often not understood outside its region; gloss the word on first use when writing for an international audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
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Semantically related
- milkie73%
(countable, British, slang) A milkman.
- milkie72%
Milkie carries a few distinct meanings depending on context. In British slang, it's a familiar, affectionate nickname for the milkman — the early-morning doorstep deliveryman of British suburban legend. Among children, it refers to an opaque white marble prized in playground games for its creamy appearance. The term also crops up as a casual, informal word for a woman's breast. Across all uses, the word keeps a soft, playful quality that matches its milky connotations.
- milkman68%
A man who delivers milk to households and sometimes businesses early in the morning.
- milkie65%
(slang) A woman's breast.