An American expat living in Australia detailed her confusion after realizing she may have been wrong about a common slang all these years.
Tara, who moved from Texas to the New South Wales Central Coast in 2020 to live with her Australian husband, said she had always thought women used the term “doll” as a sweet term of endearment.
It wasn’t until the 34-year-old Googled “terms of endearment in Australia” that she discovered The women actually referred to each other as “honey,” not “doll.”
‘I was making a post about how much I loved Australian women who used the word “doll.” “So I Googled random terms of endearment… The main term was ‘honey’ and I thought… Wait a minute,” she said.
“The accents are confusing sometimes.”
The scientist, who works in a medical laboratory, shared a funny video on social media after making the discovery.
“I just found out something about Australia and I feel so stupid,” she said.
“I’ve been living in Australia for the last four years and the whole time I’ve been living here, I thought all the women called each other ‘dolls.’
American expat Tara has detailed her confusion after realizing she may have been wrong about a common Australian slang all these years.
‘I found out it’s “honey” but it sounds like “doll.” They’ve been calling each other “honey” as short for “darling.”
“It’s so cute, I swear I loved it when women called me that, but the whole time I thought they called me ‘doll’.”
Despite her confusion, thousands of people weighed in, with many Australians saying they often switch between using the terms “doll” and “honey” so she doesn’t make a mistake.
‘Here it’s Australian and it’s probably a mix of both depending on the age of the person saying it. I use both, but most of the time I use “honey.” My grandmother wears “doll,” one said.
“If it’s a small human, I’ll call her ‘doll’, but big humans are called ‘darling’ mostly in the sense of ‘oh, you’re a darling.’ Aussies love to shorten everything,” another shared.
‘Some say “doll”, others say “honey”. “Especially in the northern states you’ll hear ‘darl’ as ‘dahl’ – those vowels flatten out,” one added.
While one woman explained that “honey” was now an outdated term in Australia.
—Here in Australia, no one says “honey,” except for the occasional old lady. “It might actually be ‘doll’, much more common,” said one.
The 34-year-old has lived in Australia for more than four years after moving from Texas.
Tara responded to Australians’ responses about the switch between the two terms, joking: “OMG I feel like I couldn’t hear the difference.”
He added: “It’s very difficult for my American ears to distinguish, but next time I will listen more carefully.”
“I learn something new every day.”
Many American expats living in Australia agreed with Tara.
“It took me two years to realize it, so you’re not alone,” one said.
‘MY GOD! “I’m a Texan who’s been living in Australia for two years and I thought the same thing,” added another.
Meanwhile, some Australians said they avoid using the term ‘honey’ as it could come off on the wrong foot depending on the context and tone in which it is said.
“A lot of Australian women hate being called ‘dear’ because it can be condescending… Like when I go to McDonald’s and they mess up my order and the manager says, ‘Dear, that’s the right order.'” The way my eye twitches ‘ said one, laughing.
Another shared: ‘I don’t like it when strange men say that to me. It’s a term of endearment from a woman, but it definitely feels condescending when it comes from a man.
Using her own experience in America, Tara responded, “We feel that way when we’re called ‘honey’ in America.”