I am American – this is the common expression used by Australians and is “highly offensive” to us

An expat living in Australia has revealed the one common phrase Australians should never use when speaking to Americans: “oldies.”

Ellie Drabik said the everyday, “innocent” phrase used by many Australians would cause extreme offense in the United States.

“My Americans, get ready for this, because this would never work in America,” she said in a video.

“People literally call older people ‘oldies’ … they talk about them and say these are the oldies or this is where the oldies go.”

Ellie added that the common expression that “bad manners in America will land you in jail” did not seem to be offensive among Australians.

“In America, people would freak out if you said you were old or an oldie. That would be absolutely not OK, that would not be OK at all,” she added.

Ellie admitted that while the term would be offensive in her home country, it was still her preferred local abbreviation.

Australians who responded to the video defended the popular term, insisting that it was the best way to refer to older Australians and was intended as a sign of affection.

Ellie Drabik, an American living in Australia, was shocked to hear Australians refer to older people as “oldies.”

“Oldies is affectionate! ‘The Elders’ makes them sound old,” said one.

“Wow, I didn’t realize other cultures wouldn’t say that! We certainly don’t mean to offend anyone,” added another.

Many said they referred to their parents as “old man,” “old lady,” or simply “old woman” – and when they couldn’t think of a name, they added “old buddy.”

One senior citizen said she was happy to be called an oldie, and another agreed that it was a “costume name.”

“The oldies call themselves oldies,” said one man.

One Australian bravely declared that it did not matter whether the expression was offensive or not.

“Most old people can’t hear when we call them that, and those who can hear can’t remember us saying it five minutes later,” he joked.

This is not the first time that foreigners have been confronted with the Australian language.

American musician K.Flay was recently confused during a visit Down Under because everyone kept saying “don’t worry.”

In an interview with Triple J, she said the phrase “unnerved” her and made her feel like she was insulting the people who said it to her.

“We say ‘no problem,’ but in a different context. ‘No problem’ is like asking someone for a favor and then they say, ‘Oh, no problem,'” she explained.

“You say ‘don’t worry’ when nothing was actually asked, and then I say I wasn’t worried. You assume concern.”

“Wait until someone says ‘no drama,'” someone laughed.