Do you know what 'wag' means?
No, it has nothing to do with the British initialism WAG, initially referring to the entourage of wives and girlfriends (hence 'WAG') accompanying the English football team at world cups and Euro championships, but nowadays used in the singular for the wife or girlfriend of a (male) sports star and typically characterised as having a high media profile and a glamorous, tabloid-reported lifestyle.
In Australia and New Zealand, 'wag' is a verb and it means 'to be truant', i.e. skipping school when you should be there. It was a slang term all us Aussie and Kiwi kids used to use back in the day when we would 'wag school'.
The thing is that 'wag' is now no longer a slang term in Australia!
All over the world newsreaders tend to speak in a formal version of the standard language and rarely ever use any slang words unless context requires it. However, a few years back while I was watching the main 6 pm news broadcast on an Australian commercial TV station, there was a report about a missing boy who had, I quote, 'wagged' school. It sounded strange that the otherwise serious-sounding newsreader would say such a slang term.
However, it appears that over the years, the verb 'wag' in Australia has gone from slang into accepted formal speech, and is even in the Macquarie Australian English dictionary (though many widespread Aussie slang terms are). A quick internet search found the verb 'wag' appear in many news articles, government public service announcements and other texts where otherwise the use of slang would be considered out of register. This adoption of a slang term is actually reflective of a greater acceptance by Australians for more colloquial speech, something that anyone who is pitching content for the Australian market must bear in mind.
Other Aussie slang words have also become formalised, including 'spruik', 'rort' (went from slang to formal in the 1990s) and 'hoon' (enshrined even in Australian legislation in the last decade).
I wonder what other Aussie slang terms in use will also end up being 'proper' in the future?
To make sure that you know your wag from WAG and have your text and copy just right for the Australian market, why not drop me a line at info@nicknasev.com and let's talk.
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