Aussie influence in American english

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NEWS FLASH - ALERT THE CLA

No worries, say Yanks
By MICHAEL McKENNA
22jan03

IT is as Australian as Foster’s and, like the amber export, the popular colloquialism “no worries” is now flowing freely in conversations across the US.

Australian terms “walkabout” and even “crikey” are falling off the tongues of Americans as quick as you can put a shrimp on the barbie.
Tom Dalzell, who has written two books on US slang, says Australians are providing more new material for the American lexicon than any other country in the world.

The trend, it seems, is payback for the cultural imperialism of American entertainment in recent decades.

Mr Dalzell said Americans are using the slang for effect after hearing it in Australian movies, songs and advertisements.

But in some cases, like with “no worries”, the terms are pervading the American lexicon without any knowledge of its Australian origins.

Mr Dalzell said linguistic experts across the US were mystified by the sudden popularity of “no worries”.

Theories abound as to the term’s introduction.

Some say it sprang from US commentators mimicking Australian coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while others put it down to Steve Irwin in his popular Crocodile Hunter TV series.

“The term ‘no worries’ took off in the US around mid-2001 and it is now one of the most widely used new phrases, certainly on the West Coast of the US,” Mr Dalzell said.

“Americans seem to be always looking for something new but it has to be good for it to stick.”

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I like the -o ending on Aussie words as in convo, compo, Abo, alco, ambo, arvo, appro, bizzo, etc.

ax

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Just got back from smoko, what di I miss :sunglasses:

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amos pls explain: what is smoko

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and amos, BTW:

QUOTE: " Over the years, I

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Smoko = fag break as we’d say in Blighty.

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Yep, I received (oops I almost used the Amnerican ‘got’ :wink:), in an email from the States the other day, a “no worries,” from a Sheila, too.

Fag break
oh, and that reminds me, where are my fags.

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pardon me, might i pinch a fag? :stuck_out_tongue:

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You can’t pinch a fag, Flipper, because now I know your intentions and would stop you. Please feel free to bum a fag, though, if you want.

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very good, maestro!

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The smoko/fag break reminds me of a phrase a friend would often ask: “got a digger for an old fag”. Cause the origins were “got a fag for an old digger” ie, got a cig for an ex soldier. Said friend was an older queen. Had me in stitches every time I’d hear him utter it.

Seppoes spewing out Oz slang? Why not? The present Australian government may as well just plop the southern cross on the stars and stripes and put any possible confusion to rest.

HG

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Well, bugger me senseless and call me am Australian.
I love Australian logic: what other country would call blokes with red/ginger hair “Blue” or “Bluey”?
I’m a Kiwi, but as Russel Crowe (N.Z. born) says “Thank God for Australia.” I think the Snowy Mountains will be my next port of call after Taiwan.

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Traitor. :wink:
There’ll be a linchin’ if ya say that in NZ :wink:

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Yeah, but I thought that ‘no worries’ was NewZild. How about ‘no worrels’ or ‘no wucking farries’? I think a lot of that Aussie slang probably originates in NZ and spreads quickly via the enormous population of kiwis in Melbourne and Sydney.

Anyway there was this kiwi in a bar and these three aussies decided to give him a hard time, so the first one said “I’ll wind him up” so he went over to the kiwi at the bar and said “you know Jonah Lomu?”, Kiwi says “yeah, yeah, I know him”, Aussie says “he’s a faggot”, kiwi replies “is that right?, I didn’t know that”.

Aussie goes back to his mates “not biting”. Second one says “I’ll have a go”, goes over “you know Jonah Lomu?”, Kiwi says “yeah, yeah, I know him”, Aussie says “he’s a faggot, and a child molester”, - “is that right?, I didn’t know that”.

“No joy” he reports to his mates, so the third one says “alright, you’ve got a use a bit of psychology, I’ll have a go”, goes over “you know Jonah Lomu?”, Kiwi says “yeah, yeah, I know him”, Aussie says “he’s Australian!!!”

Kiwi doesn’t look too shocked or surprised “yeah, I know, your mates were just telling me”.

brian

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Sir Don wrote [quote]Yeah, but I thought that ‘no worries’ was NewZild. [/quote] Yeah sure, and so was Pharlap. :unamused:

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Maybe the Aussie influence will stretch to names, too.

Introducing the Englishman Michael Baldwin to his Antipodean friends:

Bruce1: Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin this is Bruce. And Michael Baldwin this is Bruce.

Bruce6: Is your name not Bruce, then?

Michael Baldwin: Err… no, its Michael, actually.

Bruce6: Crikey. That’s gonna cause a bit of confusion.

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Hey, Pharlap was a NZ horse. Bred and born on a farm between Timaru and Temuka. Geez, can’t you Aussies get anything right.
I guess your beer explains it… XXXX is Beer because you can’t spell beer. The joke is that NZ has purchased most of the beer companies in Oz anyway. They drink OUR beer There :wink:

Pharlap an Aussie Horse - yeah right and monkeys might fly out my butt

[quote]New Zealand has had a proud history of competitive horse riding. Indeed, the world’s best competitive riders (Mark Todd for instance) and some of the world’s top horses come from here. Ever heard of a legend called Pharlap? No, it’s not Australian no matter what our Aussie cousins would have you believe. It was a Kiwi horse, bred and born right here in New Zealand. So, all in all, we have a proud history of horses and competitions, of competitors and the way they are trained and ride in competitions.

[/quote]http://www.upnrunning.com.au/musings/whistle.html

who2.com/pharlap.html
Ya just bought him but he was never an Aussie horse

New Zealand race horses are some of the most derirable horses in the world and fetch huge prices on the international market.

geocities.com/slbhill/humour … diots.html

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Boss, I was baiting if you did realise. Before Phar Lap had his big race in the US, the Aussie media had two headlines ready for the following days print. 1) New Zealand horse fails in America, and 2) Aussie superhorse is king of the world :smiley:

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And I responded in the appropriate way to being baited… I bit like a big fish. :wink:
Actually, it gave me the perfect excuse to get into some Aussie bashin’ :wink: