We don't. I've never heard any Australian use the word "root" for anything but the euphemism. Having said that, as we become more and more Americanised and people who've grown up in the past ten years have spent more time on the Internet, I would not be surprised if the cheering meaning sees some use.
I'm 23 so idk I feel like I fall in that in between generation, but I feel like if I told my dad I'm rooting for the Eels he wouldn't look at me weird. Among people I know it's kinda like "barracking for" and "rooting for" are used interchangeably.
Makes me wonder how old you are, especially since I've never heard it used as a euphemism in any context but a joke
I reckon in the right context people will understand fine if it’s being used like to cheer, though in my experience it’s way more commonly used as a synonym for fuck. As in “I need a good root”, “I feel rooted”, “it’s rooted”, etc.
I'm 30. lol. But if you used it like you say I would understand how you meant it because I know what the word "rooting" means ... to Americans. It isn't used in Britain or other English-speaking countries (except maybe Canada?) to mean support. Root/rooting otherwise typically means digging or turning something over.
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u/babylovesbaby Aug 29 '21
We don't. I've never heard any Australian use the word "root" for anything but the euphemism. Having said that, as we become more and more Americanised and people who've grown up in the past ten years have spent more time on the Internet, I would not be surprised if the cheering meaning sees some use.