Aussies stunned to learn what Macca’s is called in the UK

It turns out that the British slang is making its way onto our shores – and the internet is not happy about it.

When it comes to Australian slang, nothing’s more iconic than calling McDonald’s “Macca’s”.

However, people are just realising that our friends in the UK have a very different name for the beloved burger chain.

While you might cringe upon hearing it and hope it never reaches our shores, it turns out it might already be infiltrating its way into our language.

It all began when someone asked the r/Australia Reddit forum this week whether we have subtly changed the way we refer to the fast-food giant Down Under.

“So I have this friend – Australian born, who recently started calling Macca’s ‘Maccies’ and it’s driving me insane. I thought Macca’s was the universally agreed-upon name we have down here,” they wrote.

“Now every time I hear ‘Maccies’ I throw up a little in my mouth. They’re a teacher, so is this something the kids are calling McDonald’s these days?”

“Genuinely curious – am I out of the loop here or is this just an isolated case of someone who f**king lost it?”

Aussies have been left stunned to know what the Brits call Maccas. Picture: iStock

The community outrage was immediate, with some taking the attack on our language extremely personally.

“Ex-friend hopefully,” said one. “This is unacceptable behaviour.”

“F**k that guy,” another foul-mouthed comment read.

“Tell them I hate them,” said another user.

Then others revealed the source of the confusion, explaining that it’s actually British slang.

“I’ve only heard Poms call it that,” revealed one.

“Maccies is the British abbreviation,” someone else confirmed. “We also call it Maccie D’s, so I guess it gets shortened to Maccies.”

I, being a journalist with integrity, had to get to the bottom of this so I spoke to one of the few Brits on our team who confirmed to me over Google Chat: “Yes, we call it Maccies.”

Apparently, the Poms call it ‘Maccies’, which is short for ‘Maccie D’s’. Picture: iStock

Commenters weren’t happy about this revelation.

“This is un-Australian,” declared one.

“Send them to jail,” argued a second, while another called the move “abhorrent”.

“If this is a new trend, it’s definitely not going to be used by me,” admitted a third.

The hatred was visceral.

Perhaps it’s the ‘ie’ at the end. It feels … unnecessary … and out of context?

Macca’s, on the other hand, feels like a natural extension of how we abbreviate everything else in our country.

It rolls off the tongue, like servo or bottle-o. It feels casual, cool, effortless, just how a Macca’s run should be.

In contrast, Maccies feels … childish? Embarrassing almost. Oh, you’re going to Maccies? What are you, 12? Grow up.

But hey, this isn’t just my opinion. The Reddit jury has spoken.

Originally published as Aussies stunned to learn what Macca’s is called in the UK