{{Short description|English phrase used especially in Australia}} {{other uses}} {{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} alt=A tire cover on the back of an SUV displays the slogan.|thumb|An Australian car displays "No worries" '''''No worries''''' is an expression in English meaning "do not worry about that", "that's all right", "forget about it" or "sure thing". It is similar to the American English "''no problem''". It is widely used in Australian and New Zealand speech and represents a feeling of friendliness, good humour, optimism and "mateship" in Australian culture, and has been called the national motto of Australia.
The phrase has influenced a similar phrase used in the Tok Pisin language in Papua New Guinea. Its usage became more common in British English after increased usage in Australian soap operas that aired on television in the United Kingdom.
Linguistic experts are uncertain how ''no worries'' became utilized in American English; theories include use by Steve Irwin on the television program ''The Crocodile Hunter'' and usage by the United States media during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It has also gained common usage in Canadian English.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tours |first=2me |date=2016-12-19 |title=No Worries – you're welcome, eh :) |url=https://www.2metours.com/post/no-worries-you-re-welcome-eh |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=2me Tours |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Commonly used Canadian-English Slang and Phrases |url=https://www.uvic.ca/international/assets/docs/canadian-slang-phrases.pdf#page=5 |website=UVic Global community}}</ref>
==Definition== ''No worries'' is an Australian English and New Zealand English expression, meaning "do not worry about that",<ref name="partridge">{{Harvnb|Partridge|Dalzell|Victor|2006|p=1390}}</ref> or "that's all right".<ref>{{Harvnb|Stuart-Hamilton|2007|p=161}}</ref> It can also mean "sure thing"<ref name="angelo">{{Harvnb|Angelo|Butler|1998|p=22}}</ref> and "you're welcome".<ref name="tierney" /> Other colloquial Australian terms which mean the same thing include "she'll be right".<ref name="nolan">{{Harvnb|Nolan|Hinkelman|1996|p=274}}</ref> The expression has been compared to the American English equivalent "no problem".<ref>{{Harvnb|Morrison|Conaway|Borden|1994|p=9}}</ref> In their book ''Australian Language & Culture: No Worries!'', authors Vanessa Battersby, Paul Smitz and Barry Blake note: "No worries is a popular Australian response akin to 'no problems', 'that's OK' or 'sure thing'."<ref name="battersby">{{Harvnb|Battersby|Smitz|Blake|2007|p=33}}</ref>
==Cultural origins== Early documentation dates the phrase back to 1966 in Australian English.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hoffmann|Siebers|2009|page=120}}</ref> According to author of ''When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures'', Richard D. Lewis, the phrase is a form of expression of the relaxed attitude in Australian culture.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lewis|2005|p=209}}</ref> Anna Wierzbicka comments that the expression illustrates important parts of Australian culture, including: "amiability, friendliness, an expectation of shared attitudes (a proneness to easy 'mateship'), jocular toughness, good humour, and, above all, casual optimism".<ref name="semantics" /> She concludes that along with "good on you", the expressions reflect the "national character" and "prevailing ethos" of Australia.<ref>{{Harvnb|Moon|1998|p=271}}</ref>
The phrase itself appeared in American English with different connotations, for example in an episode of ''The Fugitive'' released December 14, 1965.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
==Usage== Wierzbicka writes in her book ''Cross-cultural Pragmatics'' that the expression "permeates Australian speech", "serves a wide range of illocutionary forces" and displays a "casual optimism".<ref>{{Harvnb|Wierzbicka|1991|p=56}}</ref> In her 1992 book ''Semantics, Culture, and Cognition'', Wierzbicka classifies the phrase as "among the most characteristic Australian expressions", along with "good on you".<ref name="semantics">{{Harvnb|Wierzbicka|1992|p=388}}</ref>
The term can also be used in the context of an apology.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bowe|Martin|2007|p=56}}</ref> The phrase has been used widely in British English since the late 1980s, a development partly attributed to the success of Australian soap operas such as ''Neighbours'' in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/285069/no-worries-infiltrates-british-english|title=No worries infiltrates British English|work=National Nine News|publisher=news.ninemsn.com.au|access-date=12 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003190148/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/285069/no-worries-infiltrates-british-english|archive-date=3 October 2012}}</ref>
The phrase "no wucking forries" has the same meaning in Australia; as a spoonerism of "no fucking worries",<ref name="partridge" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Goddard|2006|p=72}}</ref> and is contracted to the phrases "no wuckers" and "no wucks".<ref name="partridge" />
==Influence== ''No worries'' was referred to as "the national motto" of Australia in 1978,<ref name="semantics" /> and in their 2006 work, ''Diving the World'', Beth and Shaun Tierney call "no worries, mate" the national motto of the country.<ref name="tierney">{{Harvnb|Tierney|Tierney|2006|p=32}}</ref> Writing in ''The New York Times Book Review'', Annette Kobak calls the expression a "ritual incantation" which has "particular charm".<ref>{{Harvnb|New York Times staff|2001|p=1499}}</ref> The phrase "no waris" in the Papua New Guinea language Tok Pisin is derived from the Australian English term.<ref>{{Harvnb|Romaine|1991|p=148}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Biber|Finegan|1994|p=63}}</ref>
According to ''The Sunday Mail'' a 2004 newspaper report notes that ''no worries'' has begun to be used in American English.<ref>{{cite news | last =Whiting | first =Frances | title =It's, like, out of control | work =The Sunday Mail | page =018 | date =25 July 2004}}</ref> Writing in a 2004 article for ''The Advertiser'', Samela Harris comments: "The Americans have no idea of the etymology of 'no worries'. So, while they may cheerily adopt our 'no worries' mantra, 'no worries' will never catch on as an attitude."<ref>{{cite news | last =Harris | first =Samela | title =No worries, mate, she'll be right, and have a nice day | work =The Advertiser | page =020 | date =20 May 2004 }}</ref> According to Tom Dalzell, author of two books on slang usage in the United States, linguistics experts are not certain how the expression became popular in that country. One possibility not mentioned in the source is the prominent position of this phrase in the lyrics of song "Hakuna Matata" in the popular 1994 Disney film ''The Lion King''.<ref name="mckenna">{{cite news | last =McKenna | first =Michael | title =Crikey, strine takes over | work =The Courier-Mail | page =3 | publisher =Queensland Newspapers | date =22 January 2003}}</ref> Usage of the term by Steve Irwin on ''The Crocodile Hunter'', as well as attempts by members of the American press to imitate the expression during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, have been put forth as theories explaining the pervasiveness of the expression in the United States.<ref name="mckenna" /> Linguistics professor Kate Burridge writes in her 2004 book ''Weeds in the Garden of Words'' that expressions including "no worries", "absolutely", and "bottom line" have become less prevalent in favor of newer sayings.<ref>{{cite news | last =McGarry | first =Helen | title =Language – Books Extra | work =The Sun-Herald | page =72 | date =12 September 2004 }}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Australia|Society|Language|Linguistics|Media}} *Australian comedy *Australian English phonology *Australian English vocabulary *Hakuna matata *''Macquarie Dictionary'' *No problemo
== Notes== {{Reflist|30em}}
==References== {{refbegin|2}} * {{citation |first1 = Denise |last1 = Angelo |first2 = Sue |last2 = Butler |title = Australian Phrasebook: Language Survival Kit |publisher = Lonely Planet |year = 1998 |page = [https://archive.org/details/australianphrase00ange/page/22 22] |isbn = 0-86442-576-7 |url = https://archive.org/details/australianphrase00ange/page/22 }} * {{citation |first1 = Vanessa |last1 = Battersby |first2 = Paul |last2 = Smitz |first3 = Barry |last3 = Blake |title = Australian Language & Culture: No Worries! |publisher = Lonely Planet |year = 2007 |page = [https://archive.org/details/australianlangua0000unse/page/33 33] |isbn = 978-1-74059-099-0 |url = https://archive.org/details/australianlangua0000unse/page/33 }} * {{Citation |last1 = Biber |first1 = Douglas |last2 = Finegan |first2 = Edward |title = Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Register |publisher = Oxford University Press US |year = 1994 |page = 63 |isbn = 0-19-508364-4}} * {{citation |last1 = Bowe |first1 = Heather Joan |last2 = Martin |first2 = Kylie |title = Communication Across Cultures: Mutual Understanding in a Global World |publisher = Cambridge University Press |year = 2007 |page = 56 |isbn = 978-0-521-69557-2 }} * {{citation |first = Max |last = Cryer |author-link = Max Cryer |title = The Godzone Dictionary: Of Favourite New Zealand Words and Phrases |year = 2006 |publisher = Exisle Publishing Limited |location = Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand |isbn = 0908988745}} * {{citation |last = Goddard |first = Cliff |author-link = Cliff Goddard |title = Ethnopragmatics: Understanding Discourse in Cultural Context |publisher = Mouton de Gruyter |year = 2006 |isbn = 3-11-018874-0}} * {{citation |last1 = Hoffmann |first1 = Thomas |title = World Englishes – Problems, Properties and Prospects |first2=Lucia |last2=Siebers |pages = 119–121 |publisher = John Benjamins Publishing Company |location = Amsterdam, Netherlands |year = 2009 |isbn = 978-9027249005}} * {{Citation |last = Lewis |first = Richard D. |author-link = Richard D. Lewis |title = When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures |publisher = Nicholas Brealey Publishing |year = 2005 |page = [https://archive.org/details/whenculturescoll00lewi_0/page/209 209] |isbn = 1-904838-02-2 |url = https://archive.org/details/whenculturescoll00lewi_0/page/209 }} * {{Citation |last = New York Times staff |title = The New York Times Book Reviews 2000 |publisher = Taylor & Francis |year = 2001 |page = 1499 |isbn = 1-57958-058-0}} * {{citation |last = Moon |first = Rosamund |title = Fixed Expressions and Idioms in English: A Corpus-Based Approach |publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1998 |page = 271 |isbn = 978-0-19-823614-6}} * {{citation |first1 = Terri |last1 = Morrison |first2 = Wayne A. |last2 = Conaway |first3 = George A. |last3 = Borden |title = Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries |publisher = Adams Media |year = 1994 |page = [https://archive.org/details/kissboworshakeha00morr/page/9 9] |isbn = 1-55850-444-3 |url = https://archive.org/details/kissboworshakeha00morr/page/9 }} * {{citation |first1 = James L. |last1 = Nolan |first2 = Edward |last2 = Hinkelman |title = Australia Business: The Portable Encyclopedia for Doing Business with Australia |publisher = World Trade Press |year = 1996 |page = 274 |isbn = 1-885073-03-8}} * {{citation |last1 = Partridge |first1 = Eric |author-link = Eric Partridge |last2 = Dalzell |first2 = Tom |author2-link = Tom Dalzell |last3 = Victor |first3 = Terry |title = The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English |publisher = Taylor & Francis |year = 2006 |page = 1390 |isbn = 0-415-25938-X}} * {{Citation |last = Romaine |first = Suzanne |author-link = Suzanne Romaine |title = Language, Education, and Development: Urban and Rural Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea |publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1991 |page = 148 |isbn = 0-19-823966-1}} * {{Citation |last = Stuart-Hamilton |first = Ian |title = An Asperger Dictionary of Everyday Expressions |publisher = Jessica Kingsley Publishers |year = 2007 |page = 161 |isbn = 978-1-84310-518-3}} * {{Citation |last1 = Tierney |first1 = Beth |last2 = Tierney |first2 = Shaun |title = Diving the World: A Guide to the World's Coral Seas |publisher = Footprint Travel Guides |year = 2006 |page = [https://archive.org/details/divingworldguide0000tier/page/32 32] |isbn = 1-904777-59-7 |url = https://archive.org/details/divingworldguide0000tier/page/32 }} * {{Citation |last = Wierzbicka |first = Anna |author-link = Anna Wierzbicka |title = Cross-cultural Pragmatics: The Semantics of Human Interaction |publisher = Walter de Gruyter |year = 1991 |page = 56 |isbn = 3-11-012538-2 }} * {{citation |last = Wierzbicka |first = Anna |author-link = Anna Wierzbicka |title = Semantics, Culture, and Cognition: Universal Human Concepts in Culture-specific Configurations |publisher = Oxford University Press US |year = 1992 |page = 388 |isbn = 0-19-507326-6}} {{refend}}
==Further reading== *{{Citation | last1 = Leonard | first1 = Rosemary |author-link=Rosemary Leonard | last2 = University of Western Sydney Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre | title = A Fair Go: Some Issues of Social Justice in Australia | publisher = Common Ground | year = 2004|pages=152–153 | id ="Iconic Theme: No Worries, She'll be Right, Not my Problem, Mate..." | isbn =1-86335-561-8 }}
==External links== {{commons category}} {{Wiktionary}} *[http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html Australian slang dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308133051/http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html |date=8 March 2007 }}, Koala Net *[http://australiandictionary.net/no+worries No worries – definition on Australian Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221015/http://australiandictionary.net/no+worries |date=3 March 2016 }} *[http://www.australiatravelwiki.com/page/Australian+Slang Australian Slang], Australia Travel Wiki *[http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/quickrefs/10-australian-slang.xml Short dictionary of Australian slang], Monash University
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Category:Australian slang Category:English phrases Category:New Zealand slang Category:American slang