# Aussies and the use of "mate." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435 "2008-12-09T19:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/1 "2008-12-09T19:36:46Z")
I like to watch Aussie TV when I can, and I hear Aussies refer to each other as “mate” all the time. In the US we’ve got: bro, dude, honey, etc, but I don’t think we’ve got a catch-all like “mate,” that seems to get used with everyone. Is “mate” that ubiquitous in Australia? How about other English speaking countries, or other language countries? Is there a word used as universally as “mate” is in Australia? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/2 "2008-12-09T19:39:56Z")
Dude, I honestly thought that “dude” was the American catch-all. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/3 "2008-12-09T19:45:47Z")
‘Mate’ here in Toronto refers rather specifically to a reproductive partner, so the Australian usage was always something I have to get used to. I think that ‘guys’ might be approaching that usage in the plural (I’ve heard women using it, as in ‘You guys’…) but when just addressing someone one-on-one, no, it isn;t used the same way. I’m not sure we have an equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/4 "2008-12-09T19:51:59Z")
FTR: I was kidding about _dude_, dude. Southerners have _y’all_ and it serves us perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/5 "2008-12-09T20:12:17Z")
I was thinking in Soviet/Communist CCCP people would use “grazhdanin” (citizen) with each other, but there were masculine and feminine forms “grazhdanka” and it doesn’t seem the same. AFAIK, it’s fallen out of use. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/6 "2008-12-09T20:18:03Z")
In English (as in UK) movies it seems synonymous with “buddy”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/7 "2008-12-09T20:49:42Z")
When watching the old westerns, one might have heard the word “partner” used in place of “dude” or “mate”. The funny thing is the only time I’ve heard the word used in that manner is when I’ve been addressed by drunken Native- Americans in western Canada. (I used to go to cheap bars a lot). ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/8 "2008-12-09T20:50:51Z")
Don’t call me “buddy” if I’m not your buddy, as Dane Cook would probably say. Actually it was “pal.” Aussies seem to call each other “mate” differently. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/9 "2008-12-09T21:27:11Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Is “mate” that ubiquitous in Australia? I suspect it pops up more often in television shows because it’s supposed to be quintessentially Australian. Some people use it humorously to produce a more Australian tone and they’ll mix it up with lots of other supposed Australianisms like “crikey”. The degree of its ubiquity depends on the social group. I don’t often hear it, and rarely use it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/10 "2008-12-09T21:31:25Z")
I can still hear Patrick Rafter saying, “Sorry, mate,” when he threw the ball up and caught it in tennis(which is annoying to do). He said it pretty often in interviews, as does Lleyton Hewitt I think. That’s where I’ve heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/11 "2008-12-09T22:03:11Z")
It’s used in the UK and Oz very similarly. It’s a bit of an odd word as depending on the context it can be familiar/affectionate, casual bordering on insincere, a way of referring to a friend or even threatening. In order: On the phone “Hi mate, how’s it going?! Haven’t seen you in ages!” Retail transaction “That’ll be £3.72” “Cheers mate” In conversation “A mate of mine was there last week” When talking to someone you don’t know who’s pissing you off “You what, mate?” Quite a weird word. Generally it’s used by men to each other, although women sometimes use it too. For the record I don’t particularly like being referred to as mate, even by someone I like. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/12 "2008-12-09T22:11:56Z")
It’s used here in NZ, with the recognition that it is more something from Aussie than from here, but it’s a friendly part of a salutation among friends. > [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > For the record I don’t particularly like being referred to as mate, even by someone I like. Someone I know calls everyone “cobber”. He isn’t an Aussie, he’s a Kiwi, and he calls _everyone_ cobber, male or female. Far as I know, “cobber” is still masculine across the ditch, so that’s just about the only greeting which makes me (as a female) wonder WTH? But, t’is cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/13 "2008-12-10T00:47:41Z")
I just got back from vacation in Australia, during which I was repeatedly addressed as “mate”. The gas station attendant in Tasmania went a little overboard: “Fill 'er up, mate? Where’s your tank? No worries, mate–she’s on the right side, but my hose can reach. The toilet’s out back, mate. Hey mate, did you find her OK? Thirty dollars for the petrol, mate.” Of course he might have been putting on an act for a Yank tourist. Or maybe, it’s a Tasmanian thing. They’re kind of . . . well, rustic. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/14 "2008-12-10T00:57:33Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Of course he might have been putting on an act for a Yank tourist. Or maybe, it’s a Tasmanian thing. They’re kind of . . . well, rustic. I’ve watched Aussie shows I’m pretty sure weren’t meant for the entertainment of us Yanks, and they still use “mate” with each other all the time. It’s not like Steve Irwin using “crikey” for our entertainment (may he RIP - good man). ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/15 "2008-12-10T01:12:58Z")
It’s usage also tends to vary along the same rural/urban and lower/upper class and less/more educated lines as strine in general. It’s usage among those who sing in choirs at the Opera House in Sydney (Gidday **Cunctator** ) is low. It’s usage amongst stock hands in the pub in Woggabillaberang is high. It’s usage amongst television personalities playing up their Aussie-ness for the American market reaches levels that would make a stock hand in a pub in Woggabillaberang say “crikey!”. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/16 "2008-12-10T02:23:51Z")
Actually “it’s” usage is “its”. There’s also the dreaded maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate, which means roughly “no offense old mate, old bud, oh pal of mine, but you’re being a dickhead”. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/17 "2008-12-10T02:24:03Z")
In my travels down under, I always took “mate” to be interchangeable with “friend”. The people of Australia and New Zealand were warm, friendly, and helpful to this Yank. Being called “mate” seemed quite natural and it never sounded insincere to me. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/18 "2008-12-10T02:46:20Z")
Mate is very broad in its meaning. [This is not that far from the truth](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Australian-English_Dictionary#Other_useful_phrases). A good mate can mean someone who is closer than just a friend, but it is never used sexually. OTOH, any bloke can call any other bloke mate and it’s perfectly reasonable. It shows how laid back we are that one of our greatest erms of endearment can be applied to complete strangers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cider\_Depot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Cider\_Depot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cider_Depot)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/19 "2008-12-10T02:50:35Z")
Mate can also be used in a more threatening tone, as in “Watch it, MATE!”, or “Hey, MATE, I’m gonna pound your head in because you looked at my girlfriend’s boobs”. Personally, I never use the term, and am just a bit disappointed when people who are supposed to know my name address me as “mate”. But I did have vegemite on toast for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435/20 "2008-12-10T03:07:19Z")
My bosses over the years tend to use “mate” if they can’t remember someone’s name. However I use it often and affectionately; to my son “where’s my little mate?” in praise; “Mate! That’s an awesome effort!”, to my husband in jest "Keep going like that mate and you’ll cop a flogging (generally not getting my dinner quick enough). I suppose I view it as an informal greeting or term of affection. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-and-the-use-of-mate/476435.md?page=2)