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Aussie English

Expression - A Leopard Can't Change Its Spots

24 May 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What common behaviors do people claim they've changed?

0.031 - 25.749 Pete Smissen

You ever meet someone who says, nah mate, I've changed. And for some reason, you believe them. Maybe your mate swears he's finally organised now. Your ex says they've matured. That bloke at work reckons he's way more chilled these days. And then two days later, he's absolutely losing it because somebody borrowed his stapler. And slowly, the old habits creep back in.

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26.45 - 51.311 Pete Smissen

The lateness, the drama, the same weird behaviour they've always had. And you just sit there thinking, yeah, righto. Honestly, I reckon everybody knows at least one person like this. And today, I'm going to teach you the perfect Aussie expression for that exact situation. G'day you mob, welcome to Aussie English.

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51.912 - 80.848 Pete Smissen

I'm your host Pete and my objective here is to teach you guys the English spoken down under. So whether you want to sound like a fair dinkum Aussie or you just want to understand what the flippin' hell we're on about when we're having a yarn, you've come to the right place. So sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy Aussie English. Let's go. Music Alright, before we get into it, I've got a joke for you.

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81.148 - 107.674 Pete Smissen

So, today's joke. Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? Are you buckled in? Don't fall out of your chair laughing, okay? It's going to be a pisser. Here we go. Why did the leopard stop playing hide and seek? Why did the leopard stop playing hide and seek? Because everyone could spot him. You get it? Because everyone could spot him, right? A leopard has spots.

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107.854 - 124.501 Pete Smissen

And to spot someone, to see someone, to find someone, to notice someone, to spot someone. Ah, there you go. Another one to add to the bag of jokes that I've given you over the years. Why did the leopard stop playing hide and seek? Because everyone could spot him.

130.03 - 130.09

Oh.

131.842 - 146.102 Pete Smissen

G'day, guys. Welcome back to the Aussie English Podcast. I'm your host, Pete, and this is the number one place for anyone and everyone wanting to learn Australian English. I hope you have had an amazing week. I'm starting to come down with something. I can tell.

Chapter 2: What does the expression 'a leopard can't change its spots' mean?

146.322 - 169.915 Pete Smissen

I've got that scratchy throat. My daughter's been coughing like a maniac. You know, she's been- She brought something home from school and I am almost certain it is upon me. It is something that I'm about to come down with as well. But fingers crossed, it's not too bad. All right. Fingers crossed. So, today's expression. Today's expression is a leopard can't change its spots.

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170.131 - 189.355 Pete Smissen

Remember, before we get into it, there will be a free downloadable PDF that you can grab. So, you can download this PDF for free. The link will be in the description. So, you just click that. Or you can go over to the Aussie English website. It'll help you review the vocab, the pronunciation and example sentences from today's episode.

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189.335 - 208.554 Pete Smissen

And if you want extra listening practice, check out the premium podcast membership where you'll get over 1400 episodes, their transcripts, you'll have bonus episodes, and you'll also get the premium podcast player and that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside knowing that you're supporting Aussie English. So, go check that out.

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208.994 - 235.763 Pete Smissen

It's over at aussieenglish.com.au forward slash podcast, or you can click the link in the description. Okay, so first things first, a leopard is one of those big cats covered in spots. It's fast, stealthy, absolutely not something you'd want to bump into while camping. And the spots are the dark markings on its fur. literally, the idea is pretty simple.

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236.123 - 261.238 Pete Smissen

A leopard can't remove or change its spots. They're permanent. And figuratively, humans can be a bit like that too, right? People usually end up slipping back into the same old habits they used to have. Same behaviours, same problems, same personality traits. And that's when people use this expression. Usually, when someone keeps making the same mistakes they've always made.

261.778 - 274.435 Pete Smissen

When somebody says they've changed, but clearly they haven't. Or when you're a bit sceptical that they'll ever really change deep down. I bet someone popped into your head immediately when I said that too, didn't they?

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Hmm.

277.642 - 309.391 Pete Smissen

All right, let's go through some examples of how to use the expression, a leopard can't change its spots. Example one, workplace behavior. Imagine this, Dave swears he's finally going to start arriving on time for work. Monday morning rolls around, 9.15, coffee in hand, same excuse as always. Oh, traffic was insane, mate. What would you say here? Yep, a leopard can't change its spots.

309.992 - 336.38 Pete Smissen

See, people never change. Dave said he was going to do something different. Dave's just Dave. He's not going to change. A leopard can't change its spots. Example number two, relationships. Your friend gets back together with their ex and you're like, wait, isn't that the person who cheated on you twice before? And your friend goes, no, no, no, they've changed. They've totally changed. Right.

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