I’m American – this is the common phrase Australians use that is ‘highly offensive’ to us
An expat living in Australia has revealed which phrase Australians should never use when talking to an American: ‘oldies’.
Ellie Drabik said the everyday, “innocent” phrase used by many Australians would cause great offence in the US.
“Americans, prepare for this, because this could never happen in America,” she said in a video.
‘People literally call old people “oldies.” They talk about them and say that those are the oldies or that’s where the oldies go.’
Ellie added that the popular term, which “in America would get you jail time for bad manners”, did not appear to be offensive among Australians.
“In America, if you say you’re old or old, people go through the roof. That would be totally unacceptable, that would be totally unacceptable,” she added.
Ellie admitted that despite how offensive the phrase would be in her home country, it was still her favourite local abbreviation.
Australians commenting on the video defended the popular term, stressing that it was the best way to refer to older Australians and that it was meant as a sign of affection.
Ellie Drabik, an American living in Australia, was shocked to hear Australians refer to older people as “oldies”
“Oldies is an affectionate term! ‘The elderly’ makes them sound old,” said one.
“Wow, I didn’t know other cultures wouldn’t say that! We definitely don’t mean it in an offensive way,” another added.
Many said they called their parents “old man,” “old lady,” or simply “oldies” — and “old buddy” if they couldn’t remember a name.
One senior citizen said she liked being called an “oldie,” while another agreed it was a “pet name.”
“The old people call themselves old people too,” said a man.
An Australian man boldly stated that it didn’t matter whether the sentence was offensive or not.
“Most older people can’t hear us when we call them that, and those who can hear it can’t remember us saying it five minutes later,” he joked.
This is not the first time that foreigners have come into contact with the Australian language.
American musician K. Flay recently found himself confused when he visited Down Under because everyone kept saying ‘don’t worry’.
In an interview with Triple J, she said the phrase “confused” her and made her feel like she was insulting the people who said it to her.
“We say ‘don’t worry,’ but it’s in a different context. ‘Don’t worry’ is like asking someone to do a favor and they say ‘oh don’t worry,'” she explained.
“You don’t use worry when basically nothing was asked and I don’t think I was worried about it. You’re assuming the worry.”
“Just wait until someone says, ‘No drama,’” someone laughed.
