Australia!? That’s crazy talk, man. How could you chill in the deadliest place on earth?
Vay-cay drives me cray-cray.
The problem I have with vay-cay (or vaca) is that it isn’t just a shortening, but a way to try to sound cool by shortening. None of the other abbreviations in this thread have that trait.
Is this new? I’ve never heard it before.
If it is new, I can see the annoyance. Words like “veggie” and “sec” have been around as long as I can remember, so to me they’re just as normal as “vegetable” or “second”. It I started hearing people saying “vay-cay”, though, it would sound like baby talk, and a forced attempt at sounding cutesy. And I’d probably want to hit them with a brick.
In my experience “hols” is still a reasonably common usage in Australia.
BTW, what the heck does the “fi” part of wi-fi stand for?
It’s not in common usage at all, it may very rarely be used by older people but most people over here just say holidays, “going away”, leave or vacation. In four different states, I’ve heard it used in approximately once or twice in 20 or so years, and when I did hear it spoken last it was an old English expat who used it.
Maybe you need to get the sand out of your va-jay-jay.
Vay-cay, ugh. Say the whole word, it’s just not that much longer and it’s not cutesy. Cutesy is grating. The one that gets me lately is Quicken Loans. They’re offering some flexible mortgage plan and calling it a “Yourgage.” I’d slap the radio when that commercial is on but it would just hurt my hand.
Do actual grown adults in the UK really say “Prezzies” and “Crimbo” for presents and Christmas? Because every time the actors on The Vicar of Dibley and Ideal do, I want to beat them to death.
I don’t mind particular abbreviations nearly as much as a type of grown woman who abbreviates *everything *in a way that seems aimed at being cute. You know this is going on when they also extend short words by adding “-ie” or something on the end, like a little lace fringe.
It’s the verbal equivalent of putting your toilet paper under a crocheted doll, and it sets my teeth on edge.
I have to admit I say “pressies” for presents, sorry! “Crimbo” seems Australian to me though?
(Scotland, spent time living in England also)
Pretty sure I’ve heard pressies in both Australia and NZ, but more likely to hear Chrissy than Crimbo which I think is an English usage. Never heard hols used in Australia, but I’d know what they meant - vay cay is unheard of here. You’d normally take leave, go to <destination> or have a break.
Nitpicking a joke, how low can I sink? (Oh, much lower!)
All-Hallows-Evening would be the evening of All-Hallows-Day. All-Hallows-Eve is the evening of the day before All-Hallows-Day, in other words Halloween. (Just as in the distinction between Christmas Eve and Christmas Evening).
See eve, n.1, 2 in OED.
It’s a play on words related to Hi-Fi, so it kind of stands for fidelity. Good description at wiki:
I watch this Aussie show called Rush. It’s a cop show, basically. They’re always saying things like “ambo” for ambulance, or maybe “reg” or “rego” or something for registration. Maybe it’s mostly cop talk, but it’s amusing hearing big tough cops talking like Patsy and Edina on Ab Fab. 
Vay cay and a few other similar abbrevs seemed a fairly short-lived trend, and I’m a little depressed learning vay cay is still around, as that one in particular grates.
An Esky is a brand name for a cooler. I have heard, hols, prezzies, ambos etc quite frequently. Never heard of Crimbo though.
I am hard pressed to come up with any shortened word colloquialism that really seems to ruin my day or… really… even give it a second thought.
Perhaps my ass cheeks aren’t clenched tightly enough…
No, I’m pretty sure that’s not it.