Feb 12, 2004 22:49
20 yrs ago
English term
Oz (for Australia)
English to German
Other
Geography
What does it mean? Or does it mean anything at all ... is it an abbreviation? I always thought Oz was a kind of slang for the first syllable Aus... I look forward to your answers. Marietta
Proposed translations
(German)
| 5 +5 | Explanation |
Beate Lutzebaeck
|
| 3 +1 | It truly is the land of Oz |
Dierk Widmann
|
Proposed translations
+5
14 mins
Beate Lutzebaeck
New Zealand
New Zealand
Native in English
&
German
New Zealand
Double qualification in law (Germany/NZ)
Native in: German 
, English
Works in: English to German, German to English, French to German, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
Explanation
It's just a phonetic abbreviation (like most English speakers, the "Ozzies" like it short and sweet). It doesn't mean anything at all (other than short for Australia). I shouldn't think is has anything to do with the Hollywood movie Wizard of Oz, as the country's name had been lovingly abbreviated to "Oz" long before the movie was made.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much."
+1
2 mins
It truly is the land of Oz
It is a colloquial term indeed. But there is also that famous Hollywood film in which the magical country of Oz features, I believe it is called "The Wizard of Oz" (1939?). I would guess that Australians like that comparison of their country to one of magic.
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Note added at 3 mins (2004-02-12 22:53:24 GMT)
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For the film, try this one, or just do a Google search.
http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html
;)
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Note added at 3 mins (2004-02-12 22:53:24 GMT)
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For the film, try this one, or just do a Google search.
http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html
;)
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