An American woman living in Australia has sparked debate online after declaring that one of the country’s most common words makes her skin crawl.

Grace Harris, who moved from Nashville to Australia, said she still struggles with many everyday Aussie-isms – but it was the word ‘toilet’ that really got to her.

Australians often say they are ‘going to the toilet’ instead of to the bathroom, restroom or powder room.

‘Toilet just sounds so gross. Have some manners,’ she said in a TikTok video, adding that she preferred to say she was going to the ‘restroom’ or ‘bathroom’.

Her comments hit a nerve with many Australians, who were quick to defend their use of the word.

‘Toilet isn’t Aussie slang, that’s just what it is,’ one replied.

‘It’s not a bathroom either because there’s no bath or shower in most public toilets,’ another argued.

While Harris said she had expected to pick up some Australian lingo after moving, she admitted certain words would never stick.

‘I thought living here I would start saying “bin”, but I can’t – it’s a trash can,’ she said.

She also took aim at shopping trolleys.

‘Y’all’s trolleys do not work here. Every single trolley I’ve ever used has not worked. It’s a shopping cart – and I’ll just keep saying shopping cart,’ she said.

Other phrases she refused to swap included ‘car park’ (she insists it’s a ‘parking spot’), ‘capsicum’ (which she calls a ‘bell pepper’), and ‘trainers’ (she prefers ‘tennis shoes’ or ‘running shoes’).

And while Australians frequently refer to flip-flops as ‘thongs’, Harris said she would never adopt that word.

‘I’ve grown up thinking thongs mean your underwear. If I went back to the States using that one, people would think I’m crazy,’ she explained.

The cultural divide has led to some awkward encounters.

For Americans like Grace, the challenge isn’t just swapping out a few words – it’s the constant feeling of being slightly out of step.

Harris recalled one instance at work when she said ‘what’ instead of ‘pardon’ – a response many Australians consider rude.

‘My boss yelled at me because he was standing so far away from me and I couldn’t hear. I said “what?” and he said, “Do not disrespect me!”,’ she said.

Coffee orders can trip people up too, with flat whites, long blacks and piccolos replacing the drip filter and iced coffees Americans are used to.

And while Australians happily walk barefoot into shops or service stations, many Americans find the practice confronting.

Add in unfamiliar slang – from ‘servo’ for petrol station to ‘arvo’ for afternoon – and expats can feel like they’re constantly playing catch-up.

Harris also admitted she had no idea what ‘fortnight’ meant until Taylor Swift’s recent song by the same name.

‘People here say fortnight all the time – it means two weeks. I didn’t even know what it meant until that Taylor Swift song came out,’ she said.

While some viewers agreed with her struggles, many defended Australia’s quirks.

‘Since when was “pardon?” just an Australian thing?’ one asked.

‘No one says trainers in Australia, they’re runners,’ another snapped.