Why do Australians call a "cookout" a BBQ or barbie for short?

Question

I am from Australia myself..it was actualy a question posed to me from a friend..who is American!

Answer 1

its not just australians that call a cookout of bbq.... i'm from new england and i call it a bbq..... they call it barbie only cuz its shorter and easier to say than barbeque.....

Answer 2

Why the h**l- not?  I think Australian guys are so HOT!!!!   They can call them whatever they want, it's all good.  Best wishes

Answer 3

I am from Texas and we call them cook-outs sometimes.

I am not sure what the big deal is.

Aussies put the meat on a pan instead of the great. This really works great for some meats. I learned a lot in Perth that made my grilling more fun here!

Answer 4

Barbie = short for Barbecue minus the 'cue' part

Answer 5

And you say your a Aussie... Shame on you

Answer 6

Because a BBQ is the abbreviation of Barbeque - the name of the cooking machine.

Answer 7

Barbecue is another word for cookout and those are slang terms for barbecue.

Answer 8

I am an Australian from Perth and I love my Barbies.  I suppose you could call it a cookout because it's cooked outside but I like the name barbie.  We have lots of them summer and winter.  The meaning of Barbecue is to roast, broil, or grill (meat or seafood) over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce.  Yummmmmmm. Throw a prawn on the Barbie for me.    Poppet.

Answer 9

cause we do

it is cooked on a BBQ so it is called a BBQ

Answer 10

Why not?

I live in California and would never really think of calling it a "cookout".  I dare say most of my friends would not either. I'm more likely to invite them over for a barbecue although I'd likely write it as BBQ.

Linguists have known for a long time that people in different regions develop different words, slang, and ways of talking about and referring to things.

For instance, I have lived in both Northern and Southern California and I can tell when someone is from Southern California when they say "Take The 101".  Southern Californians preface highway numbers with "The".  Maybe it is because driving on freeways around Los Angeles can be so daunting that "The 101" conveys just a little more sound of menace than saying "101".

It all happens because of small regional divergences, creations, social factors, immitation, vogue, necessity, fashion, and a need for consistency in the language we speak.

So, why do you call a barbecue a cookout?