Australia is known as the "land of unique slang", which is both colourful and often confusing to anyone not from this country, according to news.com.au.
Slang words like "yeah nah" (no), "nah yeah" (yes), "smoko" (cigarette break) or "bikkie" (cookie)... are very popular but foreigners still often scratch their heads when they hear them.
The US Embassy in Australia has tried to help clarify slang by providing some translations to help Americans "speak like a local".
US Embassy in Australia's slang 'dictionary' is 'so wrong'
The US Embassy (now X) tweeted: "We were lucky to work with such lovely Australians who helped us with the slang. It's safe to say we made it through the rough patch."
But their list is far from accurate. Some of the "slang" that even Australians don't understand include chubbers (shoes), koala log (cigarettes), sky gator (plane), bogga bogga (toilet) and Freshie ( tourist ).
The Australians did not hesitate to comment, informing the embassy that only one word on the above list was correct: mate.
"The only correct word is mate, but it doesn't always mean that because it depends on the context," one person commented.
Another Australian claimed he had never heard such words in the embassy's instructions… Many were also annoyed that the embassy asked for a source when a critic pointed out how badly the translation was wrong. This person replied: "Source? I'm 73 years old, a real Australian."
"Isn't being Australian enough of a source?" another person asked. "Source? Just being Australian isn't enough of a 'source'?" another added.
Netizens frustrated when asked about exact source of allegedly incorrect slang words
Many people believe that the person behind the embassy's social media account may be "troll" because he deliberately built a list of fake slang to irritate Australians.
The origin of Australian slang is a never-ending story.
Australian slang has its origins in the earliest settlement of English speakers in Australia.
In a letter from Sydney in 1829, Edward Gibbon Wakefield noted that: "The basic language of the 'British burghers' is becoming the official language of the colony." Meaning, "bad guys" from England had settled in Australia and gradually formed a distinct English language.
Another reason Australian slang is so popular is because convicts and people from places with rich local languages such as Ireland, Scotland and London's East End settled in Australia from the 19th century.
According to linguist Tony Thorne, slang is popular in Australia because people are escaping "the upper class culture of the United Kingdom".
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