Earlier this week, Australians woke up to news they never though they’d ever hear – DJs had finally pulled the plug and were no more. It looks like it’s going to be much emptier at the local Westfield (shopping centre) from now on.
Now, you’re probably wondering what do shopping centres have to do with DJs? Shouldn’t that be nightclubs or dance parties?
No, I’m not talking about disc jockeys. DJs is Australian colloquial shorthand for David Jones, a department store chain and iconic Australian brand that has now gone into receivership, leaving 38 stores and over 6000 employees in the lurch. Traditionally known for its plush food halls (Aussies, remember that glorious aroma?!), air of exclusivity (though much gone in its later years) and its emblematic houndstooth branding, David Jones had been in business for 188 years, which considering Australia in its current form has been in existence for almost 240 years, means it’s been around since the dinosaurs. As the ads used to say, there was no other store like David Jones.
But this is not about the demise of a department store. Instead, we’ll be clearing up some of those misheard acronyms and initialisms that have different, alternative and yet common meanings in Australia.
So we’ve seen how DJs also stands for David Jones in Australia, here are some others. Let’s see if you can guess what these initalisms and acronyms represent foremost to Australians.
ABC
For much of the world, these represent the first three letters of the alphabet. And for people in North America, you’ll be thinking of the TV network. Australians here also have a media group in mind – the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Modelled on the UK’s BBC, the ABC is Australia’s government-funded public broadcaster, and just like the BBC, it used to be affectionally referred to as “Aunty”. You won’t have many young Aussies knowing this, but it’s still occasionally acknowledged, like in this piece on the 90th anniversary of the ABC’s founding.
BoM (pronounced like “bomb”)
When Aussies start complaining about the weather (yes, there are bad weather days in Australia), especially when that torrential downfall came unexpectedly, you’ll hear them say “the bomb got it wrong”. Here, however, they’re not talking about ammunition but the BoM i.e. the Bureau of Metreology. The BoM didn’t particularly like Aussies calling it “the bomb” so a few years ago it tried a rebrand. To find out how well that turned out, check out my piece here…
When the BoM drops!
“The bomb got it wrong” 💣
DIDO (pronounced die-doe)
You might encounter some rough-looking Aussie blokes wearing hi-vis talking about Dido. If they are, it’s highly unlikely they’re talking about the ancient Phoenician Queen of Carthage or the UK singer who wants to thank you. DIDO in Australia stands for “drive-in, drive out”, referring to a work arrangement, particularly in mining, where employees commute to remote or regional worksites by car rather than flying (which is FIFO, pronounced fie-foe).
TAB (pronounced T-A-B)
You’ll see plenty of TAB signs in Australia, but this has nothing to do with the tab key on your keyboard or the discontinued diet cola (was available in Australia). TAB is a betting agency – actually Australia’s largest and definitely most well-known. Standing for Totalisator Agency Board, it was first set up in Victoria in 1961 allowing for legal betting off racecourses. The brand is so associated with betting in Australia that if someone’s saying they’re “off to the TAB”, that can mean they’re going to any betting shop.
BAS (one word)
When Aussies are going on that they need to get their BAS ready, they’re not talking about fish here. A BAS is a ‘business activity statement’ – a tax reporting form issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO – say each letter), which businesses use to report and pay their tax obligations. Be sure not to mix this up with the Bass Strait, the body of water that separates Tasmania from the rest of Australia.
AM (two letters)
Sometimes you might see some very distinguished Australians with an AM after their name. That doesn’t mean that they’re only morning people. AM is the title for Members of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding service and achievements.
NAB (one word too)
Watching the business report on the nightly news, the newsreader might talk to some from the NAB. This is the way Aussies call what is otherwise the National Australia Bank, one of the ‘big four’ banks in Australia. It might seem a bit disconcerting that a bank is called for what also means “to grab, snatch, or acquire an object, seat or opportunity before someone else can”, something many Aussies accuse the NAB of doing with their assets, but it doesn’t seem to faze it. The word is used in their advertising and even in adjacent products, such as nabtrade.
MAFS (annoyingly, as a word)
Listen in to many conversations Aussies have and you’ll hear many of them talking about “maths”. They must be a pretty brain lot then. Sorry to say but unless you’re in a maths class, in most cases Aussies are actually talking about the high-rating reality TV show Married at First Sight, otherwise popularly referred to by its acronym MAFS – to the point that even its official website refers to it only as such. So much that this acronym has come into play that many Aussie children now say “math” instead of “maths” to make it clear they’re talking about the school subject, much to the dismay of many older Australians at this perceived Americanism. And how did the Australian version of this trash TV show become so popular worldwide is beyond me. So much for the sanctity of marriage!
Yes, you’re seeing correctly! How can this be a mistaken initialism? Email, to be honest, had been in Australian homes for decades before the advent of email. Before this turns into a Dr Seuss rhyme, here is how Electricity Meter & Allied Industries Ltd (EMAIL) later became a prominent brand name in Australia way before the internet…
Email has been in Australia since the 1950s – fact!
Email has been a firm feature in Australian households since the 1950s – fact!
XXXX (pronounced “four ex”)
Aww shucks! Lots of kisses. Fine if that’s what appears in a greeting card or end of a gushing text message to that special someone, but in Queensland you’ll see this on cans, bottles and advertising. This is the name, would you believe, of Queensland’s most identifiable beer brand. The old joke used to go that the reason it’s called that is because Queenslanders have trouble spelling “beer”.
How many did you know of? Do you know of any others?
👉 Follow me for this and other untold tips and quirks about Australian English and its everyday use. And if you need your content, text and/or copy made dinky di for the Australian market, feel free to contact me by email (not the fridge) at info@nicknasev.com
Photo right: Michael Benz on Unsplash
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