‘Pommy-bashing’: meaning and origin

4th Nov 2023.Reading time 19 minutes.

Australia & New Zealand, early 1970s—‘Pommy’: a British immigrant to Australia or New Zealand; a British (especially an English) person—‘-bashing’: the activity of abusing or attacking the people mentioned just because they belong to a particular group or community

‘whingeing Pommy’: meaning and origin

2nd Nov 2023.Reading time 24 minutes.

Australia, 1962—an immigrant from Britain who complains about Australia—‘Pommy’: apparently a shortening of ‘pomegranate’, used to designate an immigrant from Britain

‘dole bludger’: meaning and origin

24th Oct 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

Australia & New Zealand—a person who exploits the system of unemployment benefits by avoiding gainful employment—first used in 1974 by the Australian Minister for Labor and Immigration Clyde Cameron in reference to young people who migrated to the Gold Coast

an Australian use of ‘bottom of the harbour’

18th Oct 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

1980—a tax evasion scheme in which a company and its records vanish completely (figuratively to the bottom of the harbour, originally Sydney Harbour) with an unpaid tax bill

‘little Aussie battler’: meaning and origin

15th Oct 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

a person who struggles for a livelihood, and who displays great determination in so doing—Australia, 1974—originally applied to the Australian television host, radio presenter and singer Ernie Sigley

‘to come down on someone like a ton of bricks’: meanings and early occurrences

11th Oct 2023.Reading time 11 minutes.

to attack or punish someone with great vigour; to reprimand someone severely—USA, 1862; New Zealand, 1863

‘hip-pocket nerve’: meaning and origin

7th Oct 2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

Australia, 1946—an imaginary nerve that reacts whenever demands are made on one’s money, especially in the context of government proposals to increase taxes—first used, if not coined, by Ben Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia (1945-49)

‘to kick the tyres’: meaning and origin

29th Sep 2023.Reading time 13 minutes.

USA, early 1960s—to test, check or research the condition or quality of a product, service, etc., before purchase or use—alludes to the practice consisting for a prospective buyer in kicking the tyres of a motorcar when inspecting it

‘shrinkflation’: meaning and origin

9th Sep 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

the practice of reducing a product’s amount or volume per unit while continuing to offer it at the same price—blend of ‘shrink’ and ‘inflation’—2014—apparently coined by Pippa Malmgren

‘loony left’: meaning and origin

3rd Sep 2023.Reading time 12 minutes.

a very radical, extreme or fanatical left-wing faction within a political party or the political spectrum—USA, 1945, as ‘loony leftists’

word histories

Tag: economics