Aussies love thongs!!!
Yes that's right. Aussies of all ages and genders just love wearing thongs. You see them wearing thongs outdoors everywhere, especially now that the warm Australian spring has arrived, making the weather just right for them. Some older fellas even seem to only have thongs to wear!
So if you're not Aussie, you're probably horrified and shocked in thinking that Aussies wear skimpy underwear so brazenly.
Well, here's the quirk: what are known as "flip-flops" in much (not all) of the Anglosphere are always "thongs" in Australia.
Likewise, most Aussies are blissfully unaware that something as common as "thongs" has a rather different meaning in the rest of the world – now that makes for some raised-eyebrow moments.
You can put Bluey among the Aussies who know.
Social media raised an important question whether "thongs" was used in the international version of the Australian copy below?
No, it was changed to the neutral "sandal" instead.
🩴 But is Australia unique in calling them "thongs"?
Not at all! Parts of the USA used to refer to the footwear as "thongs", though this has reduced over time as the term has more primarily been associated with the underwear.
🩴 So inevitably the question is raised: what do Aussies call the underwear then instead of "thongs"?
In Australia they're generally called "g-strings", though more colloquially you'll hear just "gees" or, more jokingly and like in other countries, "butt floss". However, you'll see Australian retail websites label the garments as "thongs" but you'll not get many Australians actually saying that.
🩴 Across the Tasman Sea, can I then say "thongs" in New Zealand too and get the footwear and not the underwear?
Well, so many Kiwis have lived in Australia so they'll understand what you mean, but otherwise the New Zealand term is "jandals" – a contraction of "Japanese sandal", and is actually trademark of the Skellerup Company, one of the earliest manufacturers of the modern footwear design in New Zealand.
Want to make sure you get your thongs on at the right parts for your Australian audience? Then best contact me to get your Australian copy just right. Drop me a line at info@nicknasev.com and we can work together to get you a great share of the lucrative Aussie market!
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