Though this doesn’t always mean boyfriend, when said in the singular as “my fella”, it more than likely does mean boyfriend. The one you are perhaps most likely to actually hear from the lips of an Australian is fella, or my fella. So, it’s simply the case that “possum”, even just purely in terms of the sound of the word, is inherently gentler than “wombat”. “Wombat” on the other hand is a harsh, two syllables working against each other, both with heavy consonant sounds. The S sounds are gentle and associated more with these kinds of feelings. “Possum”, as a word, sounds soft and intimate. The real puzzle of this slang term is why this one should come to be a purely affectionate term for boyfriend, whereas “wombat” was more of an endearing insult.Īs best we can tell, it’s probably just as much about the words and sounds themselves as about the animals.

They, too, are native to Australia, and though similar creatures are found elsewhere in the world, they still took on their own unique Australian character. So, as you might expect, the story behind “possum” as slang for boyfriend is really very similar.

In other words, calling your boyfriend a wombat just came very naturally to Australians! Obviously, wombats are a native creature, and found in pretty large numbers across Australia.įurther, marsupials like this were hitherto undreamt of before Australia was discovered, so the country naturally became heavily defined by this wildlife.įinally, “wombat” has been in use to mean an idiot or blockheaded person for a very long time.Īgain, we don’t know for sure when this started, but it was likely a precursor to the use of wombat as playful term to mean an obnoxious partner. While we would struggle to trace the origin of the use of the term wombat as a slang term for boyfriend with any precision, there are a few things we can naturally surmise. Let’s find out where these terms come from. Possums are not only found in Australia, but it seems that Australians are the only ones who have taken the term to mean this. It’s how they might address their boyfriend, rather than how they would talk about them with friends. “Can you pass me that, possum?” for example. This one is more of a straight term of endearment, not meaning that you’re acting like a nocturnal rodent or anything like that. Other than that, one other animal which you may name your boyfriend after is the possum. “The wombat has been being really annoying lately,” for example.Īgain, this one isn’t exactly the most commonly used, but it’s quintessentially Australian and far from outright rare. Particularly, this is one you would use if your boyfriend is being somewhat obnoxious or difficult. Well, that is another way you might colloquially refer to your boyfriend. You’ve probably heard of the Australian wombat. “I’m going out with my fella tonight,” for instance. You’re probably familiar with the term “fella” meaning man.īut in Australian slang, it can also be a slang term specifically for someone’s boyfriend. Probably the most common example of this is “fella,” or “my fella”. That said, there are more than a few specific Australian slang terms which you’re unlikely to hear outside of Australia, or in maybe only one other place. In all likelihood, any Australian that you meet who has a boyfriend will use a term like this. Some are certainly far more common than others, but expect to hear things like “babe,” “baby,” “sweetie,” “honey” and so on. It’s worth pointing out, straight away, that Australians share most of the same slang terms for boyfriend that you would hear in the rest of the English speaking world. There are many choices for what an Australian could call their boyfriend. What do Australians call their boyfriends?

What do Australians call their boyfriends?.

Australian lingo