Australian English is a funny little beast. Fused together from British dialects, Aboriginal languages, American English, and other things we could find under the kitchen sink, it's turned into something of a unique lingo. And every now and again, I say something that causes the Americans in the room to give me a blank look, and laugh at my funny Australian ways.

Today, I learnt that Americans find it odd when you ask to "hire" an inanimate object. I ...

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