Redhead Down Under

Language differences between Australia and the US

“This is not on” - Used in place of this is not happening. Something I hope I naturally start adopting. And by naturally I mean I will force it into my vocabulary until is sounds normal coming out of my mouth. 

Plunger - Instead of calling it a french press, Aussies call it a plunger. Since I don’t drink coffee this doesn’t bother me. But I could see this being an issue if I was a coffee drinker. 

Saying “us” instead of “I” - Now to be clear, I don’t know if this is an Australian thing or an English thing, because honestly I have a very hard time telling the difference between their accents, but it is something I have observed nonetheless. Instead of saying, “If you want to be with me” people say “If you want to be with us.” Or saying “We peed ourselves” instead of “I peed myself.” Actually now that I think about it, I think this is actually due to the fact that there was a Geordie Shore marathon on when I had insomnia last week. Geordie Shore is the European version of Jersey Shore. And it is MUCH more obscene. 

Coal face - In Australia, people say coal face instead of on the front line. For example, “Those guys are on the front line” becomes “Those guys are coal face.” Being American, anything that indicates a color and is immediately followed by the word face is traditionally seen as a bad thing. So I feel that my reaction when my coworker said this to me was completely culturally motivated.