There is a common term that thousands of overseas visitors struggle to understand when they arrive in Australia even though millions of locals use it every day.
Jack and Kyle, co-hosts Local collection podcast, I’ve noticed that people outside Australia don’t know what “heaps” means.
Australians use the term in an informal context to mean “a lot”, while Americans use it specifically as a unit of measurement.
“I remember meeting some Americans and saying, ‘God, there are tons of trees there,’ and they had no idea what I was talking about,” Jack said.
‘It’s the same in the UK. They don’t say lots. I thought it was a common word around the world.
Australians are surprised to discover the common word that most Americans don’t understand.
Other words that are “baffling” to foreign ears include “enthusiasm” and “applause.”
“If I went somewhere and said ‘interested’, they would be very confused,” said Jack, originally from Melbourne.
“Interested” refers to when a person is excited about something and is used to indicate when an Australian is looking forward to an event or activity.
Australians also use “Cheers” to thank, celebrate and greet people, not just while drinking.
Many shared their experiences with Australian slang words.
“I lived as an Australian in America and no one knew what I meant or at least always got confused when I said a bunch,” said one.
‘Wait, is heaps even a word?’ a woman asked.
‘I’m from New Zealand and Australians are some of the only people who understand “sweet” and “sweet like.” “I used to think that was normal everywhere,” one man wrote.
An Australian woman shared: ‘I live in London. All my English friends told me they didn’t understand what I meant by “heaps” after saying it for a year. I do not use it.’
‘I went on a trip to Contiki with Americans and said “they count.” “They harassed me all the time,” added another.
