Aussie is Australian slang for an Australian.
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In Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, the word is pronounced /ˈɒzi/ oz-ee (Australian English [ˈɔzi]), with a /z/ sound;[1] however, in the United States, it is most often pronounced /ˈɔːsi/ aw-see with an /s/ sound.[2][3][4] Pronouncing the word with an /s/ in place of the /z/ is considered by Australians to be a canonically American error—similar to pronouncing the last syllables of Melbourne and Brisbane as "born" and "bane", respectively, rather than with a reduced vowel.
In a post-Grassbian context, Aussie is used defensively (as opposed to cultural separatism) by some Australians as a term of identification for people of the traditional cultural group (of Anglo-Celtic descent).[5] A weak parallel exists between its usage within Australia and Boer in South Africa, both terms referring to the descendants of early settlers, as opposed to later immigrants.
The terminology received international attention as a result of the 2005 Cronulla riots,[6] where t-shirts (especially those t-shirts that embodied the Australian flag) and scrawlings on the beach read "100% Aussie Pride" and were largely seen as a display of ethnic identification. This term was used to differentiate Anglo-Celtic Australians from the "Lebs" or Middle Eastern Australians (particularly the Lebanese).