The Australian-English phrase what do you think this is, bush week? is an indignant response to someone who is taking the speaker for a fool.
This phrase occurs, for example, in Boy, 8, in hold-up drama, by Mark Brolly and Lindsay Murdoch, published in The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) of Wednesday 20th December 1978:
Mrs. Marjorie Leesley was one of six customers and 14 staff who were forced to lie face down on the floor of the State Bank in Blackburn Road during the raid by a lone bandit about 2.25 pm.
[…]
Mrs. Leesley said she had obeyed the bandit’s instructions to lie on the floor when she saw her son, John, outside the bank through the window.
“I just shouted to him to stay outside when I saw what the man was about,” Mrs. Leesley said.
[…]
Mrs. Leesley said the bandit screamed at her when she spoke to her son.
“He said: ‘Do you think it’s old bush week or something’ because I was not taking any notice.”
The phrase what do you think this is, bush week? refers to the noun bush week in the sense of a festival held in a town or city, celebrating bush produce, activities, etc.
The earliest mention of a festival called bush week that I have found is from a letter by “Mr. Jno. Taylor and Mr. George Cousins, both of Grenfell, who were mainly responsible for the formation of the Primary Industries Development League”, published in The Sydney Stock & Station Journal (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Tuesday 5th February 1918:
“In regard to the displays in Sydney we have no intention of rolling either pumpkins or potatoes down Brickfield Hill, or even Moore Street, but we do propose to bring the city bred man into closer touch with the vast primary industries of the interior, and we think sufficient novelty will be introduced into the displays to keep even the blase city folk a bit interested without bringing in either a calf with seven legs, or a sheep with two heads, and the united demonstration at the end of the year, when we hope to give a real ‘Bush Week,’ will be on a scale which Australia up to the present has not seen.”
However, it was only in February 1920 that the first festival called bush week was held in Sydney, New South Wales. The following explanations are from The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Saturday 3rd January 1920:
“BUSH WEEK.”
The complete programme for “Bush Week,” which opens on February 9, is announced. It comprises an industrial street pageant through the city streets on the opening day, a four-days’ exhibition in the Sydney Town Hall, displays in the shop windows, and in Martin-place and Moore-street, and a dramatic spectacle of bush life to be held for three days on the Sydney Sports Ground.
Arrangements have been made with the Government for special exhibits by the Mines and Agricultural Departments, the Irrigation Commission, the Forestry Commission, and the Aborigines’ Board. Many country centres are sending products for exhibition in the Town Hall, and also for display in shop windows, retailers having granted the use of their frontages for this purpose.
While the intention is to make the “Week” one in which the primary industries of the country and the opportunities for settlement there will be advertised, the spectacular element will also be very strong. The council desire it to be distinctly understood that “Bush Week” is not intended only as a show, but that its chief object is to launch a newly-formed Country League, which has for its objects the attraction of people to the country, the increase of production, the stimulation of education in respect to primary industries, the fostering of the principle of cooperation, the beautification and improvement of country towns, and the promotion of manufacturing in the country.
The festival held in Sydney in February 1920 was apparently successful. The following, for example, is from R. G. Dun & Co.’s Trade Report, Sydney, published in Dun’s Gazette for New South Wales (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Monday 23rd February 1920:
Bush Week gave something of added vitality to Sydney business, although, of course, it in no sense helped to solve the many knotty problems of trade, finance and industry which have been disturbing our commercial life. As an exposition of country trade possibilities, production and manufactures, it was eminently successful, being at least a helpful adjunct to the Producers’ Carnival, which will be opened at Easter. It will now probably become an annual affair, and, in that event, it might with advantage be arranged to run into Show Week. People in a city such as ours cannot be too strongly impressed with their dependence upon the efforts of the man on the land. This year’s exhibition was well organised, and created a most favorable city impression. If it failed to materially affect city business the reason was to be found in circumstances far removed from Bush Week influences.
The phrase what do you think this is, bush week? alludes to the condescending way in which townspeople treated people from the country during bush week. For example, the column Society, published in The Bulletin (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Thursday 19th February 1920, mentioned:
The way the superior town man patronised the person from the country during Bush Week in Sydney (the whole thing was beastly patronising).
The earliest occurrences of the phrase what do you think this is, bush week? that I have found are as follows, in chronological order:
1-: From one of the unconnected paragraphs making up the column Court Sidelights, published in the Daily Telegraph (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Wednesday 1st June 1938:
Witness (at Central): I said to him, “What’s up with you, mug? What do you think this is—Bush Week?” He replied, “Don’t call me mug, or I’ll knock your block off!”
2-: From the column Yvonne’s Diary, published in The Sun (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Sunday 18th December 1938:
Believe it or not our lovely Marcelle of Bando has been snubbed…
She and Hastings Coombe had their beach sunbaking spoilt by little boys throwing sand.
“What is this?” at last demanded Marcelle sitting up.
One young brat looked her over and supplied the information.
“Bush Week,” he said.
3-: From the Forbes Advocate (Forbes, New South Wales, Australia) of Friday 10th November 1939:
Charged with stealing flowers, the property of Forbes Municipal Council, from Victoria Park, on the morning of October 29, Henry Thomas Gray, at the local Police Court on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty. […]
[…]
The constable went on to say that about 1.45 a.m. he saw the defendant’s wife in Sheriff Street and she told him something. She accompanied him to the Police Station, where he saw the defendant, and after cautioning him, said (showing him a bunch of 14 roses produced), “Your wife told me you went to the park for the purpose of stealing these roses.” Defendant said, “Do you think it is Bush Week?”
4-: From the Daily Telegraph (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Sunday 9th August 1942:
Backs winner and loses day’s wages
A place totalisator supporter of Dark Felt asked a pay clerk at Ascot yesterday if it was “bush week.”
He presented a £1 ticket, and received a dividend of 17/.
The punter, who was in uniform, did not see the place totalisator dividend of 4/3 for 5/ displayed on the dividend board, and was angry when he found that he had lost 3/ on the transaction.
“I was running late for the first race so I decided to get a taxi,” he said.
“It cost me four bob, so I thought I’d at least get square on the ride. I put £1 on the place tote on Dark Felt.
“The rush cost me 7/—more than a day’s wages.”
5-: From The Australian Woman’s Mirror (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Tuesday 10th August 1943:
The Week’s Cameo
“The Flicks”—New Guinea StyleTHIS is to tell wives and mothers of Servicemen in New Guinea that war is not all Hell; there is even humor in it. Take, for instance, the movies here.
There are several mobile picture units operating, each visiting its particular pitch about once a week. […]
[…]
Starting time is usually just after seven, with two full-length films and two shorts. When darkness comes the boys get restless. The general trend starts off with muttered remarks about “they should start soon” and swells to:
“On with the show!”
“What’s wrong with you blokes in that projector?”
“Let ’er go!”
“What d’y’ think this is? Bush Week?”
This sort of barrack is good-humored and lasts till the show starts.
6-: From So Sorry, Dear, a short story by Jessica Bee, published in The Sun (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Thursday 2nd November 1944:
“I’ll unpack, darling. Tell me about the hero.”
She brightened like a fond mama. “He plays Rugger.”
Just like Anne to stand watching a bunch of idiots galloping round a ball every Saturday.
She raved happily: “He hates girls to smoke; drink. He adores detective stories. . . .”
What was this; bush week?
7-: From Chapter IV, titled The Bush, of The Australian Language (Sydney and London: Angus and Robertson Ltd., 1945), by Sidney John Baker (1912-1976):
The first term of significance in bush vernacular was, of course, the word bush itself. Derived from the Dutch bosch it arrived in Australia at the beginning of last century via the Cape of Good Hope—not as Mencken suggests via America—and by 1820 had more or less completely ousted the English “woods” and “forest”. By 1837 it was being used to describe the country in general outside a capital and had already begun to acquire important variations. […]
[…]
Bushfire blonde, a red-haired girl or woman; full of bushfire, full of vim and spirit; Sydney or the bush, a phrase indicating the choice of a final alternative; and the time-honoured chant of derision What’s this, bush week? are a few more expressions we have wrung out of that Dutch word bosch in a little over a century.
8-: From And No Birds Sing, a short story by Rett Rouget, published in The Australasian (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) of Saturday 27th January 1945:
We flop into the dinghy and get our breath. Bill’s gone. There’s not a sight of him. We feel badly about that and reckon we’ve got to do something. We unlash the collapsible oars from the canvas compartments round the raft and make for Ted.
When we get near he doesn’t look so good to me, but Tammy has a piece of him. “What d’you think this is, bush week?” he asks. “Or a personally conducted tour with passengers picked up at all stops. Why didn’t you swim to us, you lazy blighter?”
9-: From the column J.M.‘C. says Just between you & me, published in the Tribune (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Tuesday 14th August 1945:
The touchee demands monetary reimbursement for the former dress. Or put simply “Why don’t you two-timing spielers give me what you chivvied me for over the other dress?”
The representative explains that this is an inappropriate period for such financial adjustments. Or, in simple phraseology “What do you think this is? Bush week?”
10-: From Sporting Review, by Douglas Sergeant, published in the Williamstown Chronicle (Williamstown, Victoria, Australia) of Friday 22nd February 1946:
Camberwell, one of the contenders for the four, is very favorably placed, but Williamstown may have to fight hard to overthrow Malvern. This is a quotation from the Melbourne Sun’s cricket writer. What is this? Bush week? The team has been at, or near, the top for two seasons, suffered only two defeats in that time, and now a scribe indicates that it is in trouble with only 163 to get and only one wicket down, and against a team that is not a contender for final four honors.
11-: From the account of the annual meeting of the Innisfail Turf club that took place on Monday 21st October 1946, published in the Evening Advocate (Innisfail, Queensland, Australia) of Tuesday 22nd October 1946—the following is about an event that this club had organised (Mr. Laurie punned on the fact that Atherton and Mareeba are rural towns in Queensland):
The President: The ticket collector tells me that people came up to him showing Atherton and Mareeba club membership cards and trying to get in.
Mr. Laurie: What do they think it is—bush week? (laughter).
12-: From the column Society, published in The Bulletin (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Wednesday 23rd October 1946:
“Wewak”: City slickers who make the country people the butt of a lot of jests by their expression “Do you think I come from the bush?” or “What d’you think it is—bush week?” would be surprised to hear the joke in reverse in New Guinea. When a native approaches a returning civilian with some impossible request or suggestion the reply is “Wat naim, yu tink nau tasal mi kum Sidni?” (“What, do you think I’ve just come from Sydney?”)
FOLK ETYMOLOGY
The following erroneous explanation of the phrase what do you think this is, bush week? is from Column 8, published in The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) of Wednesday 8th March 2006—this text contains, in addition, factual errors:
“The first recorded instance of the expression ‘bush week’ [Column 8, Monday] comes from 1919, following an attempt by the City [of] Sydney to host a ‘bush festival’, or ‘bush week’, bringing the bush to the city in that year,” writes the remarkable Mrs Phenella Phlagette, of Kaleen, ACT. “The festival was such a disaster, with few ‘bushies’ attending, and even fewer city folk taking any notice of it, that it eventually became a subject of irony. This led to the expression ‘What do you think it (or this) is, bush week?’ when someone made a suggestion or acted in such a way that others thought it wholly ridiculous. The term entered into ‘Aussie’ English within a few years, and was first recorded as such by Sid Baker in 1949.”
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