Troye Sivan explains wild Australian term on US late night talk show

Homegrown singer Troye Sivan has dropped a hilarious Aussie saying on a US talk show, which left the host and audience in hysterics.

America has learnt about the Australian definition of a good time, and suffice to say, they probably still believe we all live off the land alongside kangaroos.

Singer Troye Sivan, who was raised in Perth, gave US viewers a briefing on some quintessential Aussie slang when he sat down for a chat on the Late Show with Seth Meyers this week, when the subject of raves came up.

The 28-year-old Grammy nominee proceeded to explain they’re affectionately called “bush doofs” down under, leaving Meyers and the audience in hysterics.

“So a ‘doof’ is a party, like (fist pumps) ‘doof, doof, doof’,” Sivan said. “And then a bush doof is a doof in the bush.”

Meyers quipped, “Yeah. Self-explanatory.”

The late night host then revealed he had actually already learned the term “doof” after seeing the Aussie-made 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, in which there’s a character called the “doof warrior”.

“I called him the ‘dufe’ warrior, and everybody in Australia was like … ‘Dude, have you never heard of a doof boof?’ And I was like, ‘No.’”

Correcting himself, Meyers added, “Doof bush. Bush doof?”

Sivan, who came out to his family pre-fame at 15, also revealed the LGBTQ+ iteration of the saying.

“I don’t know if this is a slur in America … It’s fine (I’m gay). A poof doof is a gay party,” he said.

Troye Sivan and UK singer Charli XCX on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

A clip of the exchange has since gone viral on TikTok, with international fans particularly tickled by the term “poof doof”, which is also the name of a popular club night here in Australia.

“Lmao POOF DOOF,” one remarked.

“Not poof doof going international,” another said.

A fan from South Africa - where Sivan was born before moving to Australia aged two - chimed in, asking, “Ok South Africa why haven’t we come up with the bush doef (doef means ‘thump’ in Afrikaans)”.

“Bring bush doofs to the world,” another implored.

Aussies also flooded the comment section, with one musing, “Love that he’s sharing our culture with the world.”

“Poof doof getting a mention on American TV,” another user said.

Sivan shared Aussie culture with the world. Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

It comes after American actress Sydney Sweeney and Jimmy Fallon both mocked the annual “schoolies” celebration during a talk show in December.

Sweeney, 26, spent months of 2023 in Australia filming two movies, including the popular rom-com Anyone But You.

While promoting the movie on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the US talk show host asked Sweeney if she learned “any Australian slang” during her stay.

“While I’ve been there, they had this thing called the schoolies, and it’s when the high schoolers graduate, and they go and have their big huge spring break party,” Sweeney said.

“They shut down all the streets and the schoolies go out, and then the ‘toolies’ go out too, and those are anybody that is older than 21. And they put wristbands on them to know that there are tools trying to pick up younger kids.”

Fallon found the revelation hilarious, saying, “The toolies and the schoolies?! That’s so fun, I love that!”

“Foolies” were not to be left out, with Sweeney continuing. “And then anybody that is still in high school that goes out also gets a different colour wristband and they’re called the ‘foolies’. When they aren’t old enough to be messing around, so they’re fools.”

Originally published as Troye Sivan explains wild Australian term on US late night talk show