Latest news with #AustralianSlang
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Famous AFL term becomes one of 11 Aussie words to make it into the world's best-known dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary has announced that it is adding 11 very Australian terms to its pages including one new AFL phrase. The new additions will join an ever-growing list of Aussie phrases that have been added to the iconic ledger over time. Some of those already include 'dim sim', 'fair dinkum' and 'no wuckas'. And now the footy term 'best and fairest' is being added to the to the 2025 dictionary. The phrase is used to praise the top performing player across a season, with that person being dubbed both exceptional on the pitch while also showing outstanding sportsmanship. Players winning awards, such as the league's coveted Brownlow Medal, are dubbed the 'best and fairest' across the season. Carlton star Patrick Cripps was dubbed the AFL's 'best and fairest' for 2024 after the midfielder enjoyed another standout season, claiming his second Brownlow Medal. 'Best and fairest' now joins the footy phrase, 'speccy', which had previously been added to the dictionary and is used to define when a player takes a spectacular mark. Meanwhile, the phrase 'don't argue' has also this added this week to the dictionary. It describes how a player might deliver a hand-off to the face of a tackler outstretched arm. Among the latest additions also came the word 'carn', meaning 'come on!' and 'gunzel' - an adjective used to describe someone who loves trams or trains. The word Balanda was also added to the dictionary which dates back to the 1800s. It is understood to originate from Australian Aboriginal English and refers to a white person or white people. On its website, the Oxford English Dictionary details how they pick which Aussie words get added to the archive. 'The OED works in partnership with external experts from or in Australia to ensure that our entries for Australian English words draw from local knowledge and expertise and reflect the everyday reality and distinctive identity of the Australian English-speaking community,' the website says.
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Aussies stunned to learn what Macca's is called in the UK
When it comes to Australian slang, nothing's more iconic than calling McDonald's 'Macca's'. However, people are just realising that our friends in the UK have a very different name for the beloved burger chain. While you might cringe upon hearing it and hope it never reaches our shores, it turns out it might already be infiltrating its way into our language. It all began when someone asked the r/Australia Reddit forum this week whether we have subtly changed the way we refer to the fast-food giant Down Under. 'So I have this friend – Australian born, who recently started calling Macca's 'Maccies' and it's driving me insane. I thought Macca's was the universally agreed-upon name we have down here,' they wrote. 'Now every time I hear 'Maccies' I throw up a little in my mouth. They're a teacher, so is this something the kids are calling McDonald's these days?' 'Genuinely curious – am I out of the loop here or is this just an isolated case of someone who f**king lost it?' The community outrage was immediate, with some taking the attack on our language extremely personally. 'Ex-friend hopefully,' said one. 'This is unacceptable behaviour.' 'F**k that guy,' another foul-mouthed comment read. 'Tell them I hate them,' said another user. Then others revealed the source of the confusion, explaining that it's actually British slang. 'I've only heard Poms call it that,' revealed one. 'Maccies is the British abbreviation,' someone else confirmed. 'We also call it Maccie D's, so I guess it gets shortened to Maccies.' I, being a journalist with integrity, had to get to the bottom of this so I spoke to one of the few Brits on our team who confirmed to me over Google Chat: 'Yes, we call it Maccies.' Commenters weren't happy about this revelation. 'This is un-Australian,' declared one. 'Send them to jail,' argued a second, while another called the move 'abhorrent'. 'If this is a new trend, it's definitely not going to be used by me,' admitted a third. The hatred was visceral. Perhaps it's the 'ie' at the end. It feels … unnecessary … and out of context? Macca's, on the other hand, feels like a natural extension of how we abbreviate everything else in our country. It rolls off the tongue, like servo or bottle-o. It feels casual, cool, effortless, just how a Macca's run should be. In contrast, Maccies feels … childish? Embarrassing almost. Oh, you're going to Maccies? What are you, 12? Grow up. But hey, this isn't just my opinion. The Reddit jury has spoken.
SBS Australia
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Cooper sports a mullet as part of his goal to make Australia a more welcoming place for Koreans
Cooper Burnham, known online as Hojucooper, is one of the most popular content creators in the Korean-Australian community. Cooper Burnham teaches Australian slang in Korean, gaining popularity among Korean working holiday takers. The jiu-jitsu athlete spent a year in Daegu, South Korea, on a working holiday program in 2023. He now creates videos to help Koreans better understand and connect with Australian life. Cooper Burnham, better known as Hojucooper (Hoju, the Korean word for Australia＋ Cooper), is quickly emerging as one of the most popular content creators in the Korean-Australian community. With his signature mullet hairstyle — short in the front and sides, long in the back — he teaches Australian slang in fluent Korean on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. His videos range from unpacking everyday expressions like snag (sausage), arvo (afternoon), fair dinkum (genuine/real), and good on ya (well done), to more colourful Aussie lingo such as chockers (very crowded), woop-woop (middle of nowhere), and Harold Holt (salt — a cheeky nod to the prime minister who famously disappeared at sea). Hojucooper began creating this unique content in December 2024, and with just over 130 posts, he has already amassed more than 24,000 Instagram followers. His main audience are young Koreans on working holiday visas in Australia. Hyejin Lee, who has lived in Australia for the past three years, is one of them. She first came across Hojucooper when a friend shared one of his posts on his Instagram story. 'I saw a guy recommending snacks that are available at an Australian supermarket. It was strange — he obviously looked Australian but spoke fluent Korean. I couldn't stop watching,' she recalled. After watching more of his content, she was surprised to learn that Hojucooper had actually experienced a working holiday program in Korea himself. 'He wasn't just some random Aussie talking about his culture. He had lived in Korea, and that made what he said feel more relatable and genuine to me,' she said. Burnham is a prize-winning jiu-jitsu competitor and represented Australia multiple times at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. In 2023, he suffered a serious knee injury, and that setback unexpectedly changed the course of his life. 'After the surgery, I had to take a break from training to fully recover. Around that time, I had a Korean girlfriend and thought it would be a great chance to meet her parents and experience Korean culture,' he explained. He travelled to Daegu, his girlfriend's hometown — South Korea's fourth-largest city, home to over 2.3 million people. While there, he reconnected with a Korean jiu-jitsu athlete he had met at the previous world championship and was offered a coaching position at his studio. Even though he had studied Korean for a couple of years back in Australia, Burnham found real-life communication in Korea to be extremely challenging. Unlike Seoul, Daegu has a much smaller foreign population, so speaking Korean was not an option, but a necessity. 'I couldn't speak much Korean, and I couldn't even jump because of my injury," he said. "But the coach kindly gave me a chance. I just remembered a few body part names in Korean and taught kids using simple phrases like 'gaseum (chest) and mileo (push)' or 'sonmok (wrist) danggye (pull)'." The jiu-jitsu studio became the perfect place for him to immerse himself in Korean life, make friends, and improve his language skills. He expressed deep gratitude to the families and relatives of his ex-girlfriend, with whom he spent Korean traditional holidays and regular weekends. "Everyone helped me so much in Korea. I'm really grateful for all the support and had a truly wonderful experience," he said. After completing his one-year working holiday in Korea, Burnham returned to Australia and began working at a jiu-jitsu studio on the Central Coast in New South Wales. There, he met a number of Koreans who were in Australia on working holiday visas — and something stood out to him. 'I had a really authentic experience living in Korea. But when I came back to Australia, I realised many Koreans here only hang out with other Koreans," he said. "They work in Korean restaurants and don't really get to know Australia. Even people who've lived here for 10 or 20 years often don't know much about the country." Hyejin Lee's personal experience echoes Burnham's observation. "To be honest, it's not easy to meet Australians and make friends here. A lot of Korean backpackers work in Korean-run places like restaurants or farms, and mostly hang out with other Koreans," she said. "I even went to meet-up events to make friends, but it was not easy." For people like Lee, Burnham offers advice drawn from his own experience. "I really encourage people to join a gym, fitness class, or learn a sport like jiu-jitsu or tennis. That way, you're forced to speak English and meet Australians," he said. Burnham began making Korean-language videos to show Koreans a more authentic side of Australia. He introduced his parents' country home in Mildura — complete with horses, dogs, and cats — and even filmed himself inviting young Koreans to his mum's dinner table. To many fans, Hojucooper is instantly recognisable by his signature mullet. Burnham says he keeps the hairstyle to appear more authentically Australian. "A lot of people tell me I'd look much more handsome without the mullet," he laughed. "In the countryside, the mullet is still pretty popular. If you go to Mildura or rural Victoria, heaps of people have this hairstyle, but in Korea, the mullet is still seen as old-fashioned, kind of like it was in Australia before it came back with AFL players a couple of years ago. So, I get a lot of comments asking me to cut it." Still, Burnham insists that for him, the mullet is more than a hairstyle. "I've got a mullet, and I want to show people that even people with a mullet can learn another language and welcome people to Australia," he said. "I want to keep my Australian look while breaking stereotypes. When people see me, they think I'm a very stereotypical Australian guy, but I'm not at all. And I want to break that stereotype and show just how welcoming and good Australia is." Burnham also believes that learning another language can play a big role in making Australia a more inclusive place. "I think if more Australians learned a second language, they would be less racist because they would understand how hard it is to speak another language," he said. He finishes with a few friendly tips for Australians who want to better connect with Koreans living in Australia: 1. Don't ask them if they are from North or South — most Koreans abroad are from South Korea, so the question can feel unnecessary or even awkward. 2. Speak slowly and clearly. 3. Avoid using too much slang. 4. Don't be afraid to use an online translator. 5. Use welcoming body language and always smile. Share this with family and friends Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Korean-speaking Australians. Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
