
How “no worries” infected American English - curtis
http://qz.com/192475/how-no-worries-became-a-thing-surfers-crocodile-dundee-and-the-lion-king/
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interfixus
In my backpacking days in the eighties, I was at one point offered a
bartending job at a local cinema premiere.

It sort of didn't really fit my plans for that particular evening, so I turned
it down. What I did instead, I don' remember.

A report did reach me later. It had been a great event. The star of the movie
didn't care that much for red carpet, and had been hanging out in the bar,
downing a few beers, and having a chat with the guys behind the counter.

Superb move. I had turned down the world premiere of Crocodile Dundee, Sydney
1986.

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weeksie
Like the flat white, "No worries" really started to take off around the time
the work visa requirements for Aussies lightened up. Quid pro quo for Johnnie
Howard's support of the Iraq war and all.

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phphphph
So basically: Thanks, Saddam?

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nailer
For Americans: there's a special E1 visa for Australians that's part of a Free
Trade Agreement Australia received for invading Iraq.

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shalmanese
E3

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nailer
You're right:
[http://canberra.usembassy.gov/e3visa/qualifying.html](http://canberra.usembassy.gov/e3visa/qualifying.html)

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VeejayRampay
I don't really understand the use of the word "infected" here. It somehow
paints the whole phenomenon with a pejorative brush. It's nice that languages
and dialects evolve and influence each other like that. It's an especially
important subject for me as a native speaker that has a very hard time taking
steps away from its past (French).

~~~
oxplot
It indicates distaste of the phrase, in eyes of the author I assume. I
personally don't like "no worries" either, mostly because I'm a very literal
person and words that unnecessarily imply things bother me (ie someone who's
thanking you is rarely worried about the matter).

~~~
VeejayRampay
I took to "no worries" fast when I was in Canada because the intensity of the
thanks you get for minor actions in North America was overwhelming for me at
first (before I realized it was a nice façade that helps smoothing the social
rapport). I remember my first few days working at a tech shop in the suburbs
of Vancouver, I made a pot of fresh coffee and told one of my colleagues so
that he could get a cup had he wanted to. The way he thanked me, you could
have sworn I had cured cancer or something. It made me feel like it was WAY
too much for just being a decent person (I want coffee, I make a pot for
everyone) that "no worries" was very handy, a way of saying "You don't need to
put too much heart in your thanks, it's nothing really, I feel it's bordering
on praise and I don't think it deserves it".

~~~
oxplot
I see. My response in that kind of situation would be one of: "sure thing",
"don't mention it", "sure", "my pleasure".

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JamilD
I live in Canada, and have started to use this almost exclusively as a
substitute for "you're welcome". No idea where or when I picked it up, or why
I've started using it.

Would have never guessed it was a relatively new addition to North American
English.

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jathu
I grew up around Toronto and we started saying this in high school back around
2009/2010\. I always assumed it was patois influenced, like ever other slang
in Toronto, but I guess it's Australian.

"yeah, no worries bro", or simply in texts as "nw".

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allengeorge
I grew up in the GTA and I remember using this in the early 2000s. It wasn't
common though (I was one of a handful of people in my social circle who used
it).

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davidgerard
Just wait for the Americans to start saying "no wuckas", and see how long it
takes them to work out how it came about.

(don't post spoilers, Australians!)

~~~
13hours
No wucking furries cunts!

~~~
vacri
I think the seppos already have that last one.

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m-i-l
In the UK there has also been the relatively recent arrival of the "upward
inflection", i.e. making statements sound like questions, which may also have
arrived from Australia:

 _" in the UK many people take it as a given that the speech pattern arrived
from Australia, going so far as to dub it the Australian Question Intonation.
Some laymen go even further and trace the shift in British speech patterns to
the arrival of soap opera Neighbours on British television in 1986."_[0]

[0]
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28708526](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28708526)

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kasey_junk
I worked for an Aussie company for a few years a long time ago. I've used "no
worries" ever since then. That one gets remarked on way less often than "good
on ya" which I also still use.

My favorite phrase I picked up was "bouncing around like a blue assed fly"...

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hellofunk
I've noticed the phrase is used quite a lot here in the Netherlands, which
isn't even on that list.

I don't recall hearing it much in Singapore when I lived there, despite that
it's at the top of the list.

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furyg3
I'm an American who picked 'no worries' up here in Holland. How that happened,
I do not know...

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meric
Oh wow, I've said "no worries" for as long as I remember, I thought that was
an English language thing rather than specific to my country. I was even
starting to avoid saying it because the "no" sounded negative. Well, forget
about that! I'll proudly say:

 _No worries, mate_

from now on.

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cfontes
It matches perfectly with the country vibe to tell you the truth... Very
relaxed place in the general sense. Lived there for 2 years (Perth) and I just
use it now a lot too.

~~~
chris_wot
Yeah, that's more a state vibe. I can assure you, Sydney is nowhere near as
laid back.

~~~
nikdaheratik
And Melbourne is somewhere in between. Probably has to do with number of big
financial companies based in a city or something.

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jghn
I had a kiwi boss in the early aughts and picked it up from him. People here
in the states would generally had no idea what I was saying or would ask if I
spent time in Oz.

Cut forward a few years and everyone seems to be saying it.

It was definitely a sharp incline of usage

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stretchwithme
Does it really mean "you're welcome"? I used it to let people know they
needn't be concerned about some perceived imposition.

I'm not worried, so you shouldn't be either. It's a great expression.

~~~
jmilloy
Yes, it really does, and it was surprising at first because I used (and
interpreted) it in the same sense you do.

Another one is "you're alright" to also means "you're welcome" (at least where
I was in Queensland). Yeah, I _am_ alright, and I'm also thanking you! Takes
some getting used to.

~~~
rmccue
That one also gets shortened further to "you're right", and can be combined
with "nah, yeah" to get an sentence like "nah, you're right".

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protomyth
I thought it was mostly the result of advertising done by Australian tourism
and the Outback Steakhouse. Crocodile Dundee mostly brought the phrase "that's
not a knife, this is a knife".

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kanwisher
Yeah growing up in america there was no equivalent phrase so when I heard it
10 years ago or so I started using it a lot. Its strange I wonder if there
were some equivalents used before?

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forthefuture
I think I use "all good" (more commonly "it's all good / s'all good") in the
same context. I recognize "no worries" from Hakuna Matata but I don't
frequently use it in conversation.

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rmccue
Never even realised this was an Australian thing. I kind of assumed it was a
universal English thing, with the more Australian variant being "no wuckas".

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gradstudent
No wuckas? Now you're just making stuff up.

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phillc73
No they're not. It's short for 'No wucken furries', but it's used in a more
humorous way and not in polite company.

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TeMPOraL
Hah, I'm from Europe and I've been using it for some time. Like other
commenters, I thought it's a (somewhat slang) thing in English language.

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anExcitedBeast
I spent a few months in Australia last year. In Queensland, I heard a lot of
Aussies say "no drama's" in the same context.

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poppyloostork
I doubt they said "no drama's". Maybe they said "no dramas"?

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itsjustjoe
I think saying "no problem" is kinda rude, but it's so ingrained in me / the
people around me, that I've found it easier to replace with "no worries"
instead of "You're welcome".

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ArnoldP
Why do you think no problem is rude?

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nikdaheratik
yeah, "no problem" in this context is more like "no biggy" than "it's fine (go
away now)".

