A number of Australian terms are particularly confusing because not only are they unique compared to either British English or American English, but they are common words to all forms of English with only a slightly different meaning. For instance:
| Australian | English | American |
|---|---|---|
| Gridiron | American Football | Football |
| Rugby | Football | Soccer |
| Football | Australian Rules Football | Australian Rules Football |
Football is referred to as "footy" and "Aussie rules" as well.
People are mad about the footy here. For awhile it was primarily played in Victoria, but due to the long term national obsession with it, other cities started putting forward teams. A footy game is where you classically eat a Four and Twenty Pie and drink a Coke (sigh!). I live a number of blocks away from the MCG, the arena where most of the major games are played. On some days I can hear the cheering of the crowds lo these many blocks distant and through our brick walls.
The Footy Show is one of the highest rating shows on Australian TV. The channel that airs this show doesn't have the rights to actually play footage from the games. Nevertheless, the larrikins (rowdies) of this show have no problem with talking endlessly about all events surrounding the footy, thus causing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to be delayed and mucking up my video taping.