If you have ever been called a bogan, you probably were unsure whether to take it as flak or flattery.

The word remains one of those rare terms that has the capacity to feel like a hard slap in the face one moment and a hefty pat on the back the next.

The word bogan is as Australian as a sausage sizzle on election day.

It first gained traction in the 1980s as a description of those seen as uncultured, unfashionable or rough around the edges.

A bogan was said to inhabit the outer suburbs, sport a mullet haircut, wear a flannelette shirt and blast heavy metal music from a beat-up old Holden Commodore.

Their drink of choice was likely a VB, board shorts doubled as all-purpose attire, thongs were the go-to footwear and tattoos were never out of place.

To call someone a bogan was not just

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