Canadian expat baffled by Aussie greeting habit
Australians have responded by sharing their translations of the unique greeting.
A Canadian tourist's hilarious reaction to what he deems the "very different" way Aussies greet one another has shed light on a cultural quirk often overlooked by locals.
Strolling through an Australian airport, TikToker Josiah Hein couldn't help but offer his initial reaction to his first encounter with greetings Down Under.
With an amused smirk, he documented the interaction saying, "I'm in Australia, and I just walked past a guy, and I kind of smiled and waved at him, and he just went like this..."
'Sideways kinda nod'
The American proceeded to demonstrate what can only be described as a head-tilt meets half-wink combo — like an accidental eye twitch with a bit of extra flair. Re-enacting the distinctive Aussie greeting, he described the unique gesture as a "sideways kinda nod", noting that it conveyed a positive vibe, almost like saying, "G'day, how are you? Good on ya, mate," all in one quick action.
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He went on to explain that in his previous experience, most people would typically greet one another with a smile, a wave, or maybe a peace sign, or even a simple vertical head nod. But Australians have developed their own unique gesture. "Dude, it's different up in here," he quipped.
TikTok users flooded the comments section with their thoughts on this iconic Australian greeting, with one viewer stating, "every Aussie knows exactly what greeting you're talking about".
Aussies translate gesture
While there was acknowledgement among Aussie viewers that the gesture is a hallmark of our homeland, there was a hint of variation in the interpretations.
One viewer humorously broke it down as, "The wink nod, it's a 'g'day mate'." A fellow Aussie said it's our version of "what's up?", while others defined it as the physical embodiment of "how ya goin'?".
Regardless of the precise translation, Aussies unanimously agreed that "it's definitely a thing" and many noted the distinctive gesture is often accompanied by a characteristic "click of the tongue".
Another Australian viewer summed up the collective sentiment: "We don't think anything of it but seeing you do it made me laugh — we must seem so strange to foreigners."
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