2 days ago
Confused American expat's awkward misinterpretation of common Aussie phrase leaves hundreds in hysterics: 'I had no idea this was a local thing'
'First in, best dressed' is a commonly used expression in Australia - but it recently left one American expat totally stumped.
US traveller Maura Sheahan recently shared a TikTok video recounting one of the hilarious culture shocks she'd experienced since moving to Australia where she grossly misunderstood the colloquial saying.
The expression is used often by Australians and simply means, in a dining context, that walk-in guests will be accepted into a venue based on the order they arrive.
In a two minute video, the young woman recalled how she was organising a celebratory birthday drinks and dinner and wanted to make a reservation for a patio table at a certain restaurant.
'So I call up the restaurant trying to make this reservation,' she recounted.
Maura said the restaurant staffer informed her that they unfortunately don't take bookings.
Instead, she was told: 'We don't actually do reservations - we just do first in, best dressed.'
She promptly hung up the phone and pondered over what she'd just been told.
'I'm like, what do you mean first in, best dressed?' Maura said.
'Like, am I going to show up in there and [the restaurant staff will] be like, "Oh, that is an ugly outfit. You're in the back by the kitchen. Send this girl to sit by the trash cans where no one else can see her." That's what I'm thinking.'
Maura consequently decided that even though it was a 'weird rule', she remained determined to secure a patio table.
Accordingly, she and her friends would 'dress really cute' in anticipation of the moment when restaurant staff would be 'judging our outfits' and determining where they would be seated.
A few days later, Maura said she started a new job and decided to break the ice by telling her co-workers about her upcoming restaurant plans.
Maura recalled telling her colleagues about the restaurant, saying: 'It looks cute, but pretty weird, because where you get to sit is actually based on what you're wearing.'
'[My boss] was like, "What I've never heard of this in my life. That's insane".'
Maura then proceeded to explain to her new employer: 'I called to make a reservation. They don't even do reservations. They just do "first in, and best dressed".'
'The entire office goes silent. Everybody's like, "Maura, no. That just means first come, first served",' a horrified Maura recalled.
'I thought that they were going to make me do an "outfit of the day",' she sheepishly laughed at the conclusion of the video.
The TikTok video quickly drew over 280,000 views and hundreds of comments – many laughing at the hilarious misinterpretation of the common expression.
But many Aussies replied saying they were stunned to hear that 'first in, best dressed' was a uniquely Australian turn of phrase.
'I never knew that saying was only heard in Australia,' read the most liked comment, which had received over 2200 likes.
Another Australian added that they 'genuinely thought this was a common saying'.
One Aussie even conceded that Maura's response made sense if you'd never heard the saying before. '[W]hen you think about the expression you made a very logical conclusion,' they wrote.
Officially, according to an online dictionary, the Australian saying means 'people will be dealt with in the order they arrive'.
Another noted that it was a derivative of the old English saying 'First up, best dressed', which was coined in reference to children from large families who would share clothes - meaning the first child awake would have first pick from the wardrobe.
Others likened it to another common saying in 'the early bird catches the worm'.
The comments section of the video confirmed that the definition of the saying is: 'If you're first, you get the best choice'.
Many commenters noted that Maura's colleagues would have probably had a good chuckle at her story.
'"Office went silent"...I'm sure a few sly grins happened,' read one reply.
'Can't believe nobody thought to run with it and tell her she needs to be in fancy dress or something,' added another.
Others chimed in with their own mishaps involving the same expression.
'Had [a] similar experience, I spent days looking for the best outfit,' read one reply.
An Australian teacher wrote that they had made the 'mistake' of telling their international students "first in, best dressed" before taking them out on an excursion.
'To their credit, everyone looked great on the excursion,' the teacher added.
Some people even jokingly responded that that it would be 'a fun restaurant theme'.
'Wait, actually that would be kinda cool though,' read one reply.
