Random Saying

Get a wriggle on

2006-04-24T23:39:00.000+01:00

A predominantly UK phrase meaning Telling someone to hurry up, as in 'Come on! You're slowing us down. Get a wriggle on!' there also exists a US variation of 'Get a wiggle on'

Origins:

A saying that has been around since at least the 1920's (the era when the US phrase is associated with), this has been given several possible reasons for coming about:

to 'wriggle' is to squirm or to make progress forward by deviating from the straight course by going left and right in succession. for example if somebody was caving and crawling through a confined space "getting a wriggle on" would get them through quicker.

Also the human bottom "wiggles" when walking quickly - somebody could quite properly say "get a wiggle on" meaning to go from normal walking pace to something faster.

Wiggle/Wriggle both have their origins in the Low German wiggelen meaning to totter, or go. In which case to get a wiggle on does litterally mean to go somewhere.

References:

Bonza

2006-04-18T20:46:00.000+01:00

Not to be confused with the apple, this is (yet another) Aussie saying meaning: something (or someone) which excites admiration by being outstandingly good of its kind.

Origins:

Becoming common in Australian slang around the early 1900s (written evidence first appearing in 1904 in the Bulletin), this phrase has a couple of contreversial possible origins, which should hopefully be cleared up soon (well not completely cleared up).

Similar to Fair dinkum bonza also has a false legend of coming from Chinese immigrants, again with supposed origins of being cantonese, meaning "good gold". Unfortunately this theory has proved unfounded as research shows that no Cantonese words associated with gold or good can evolve to be pronounced as 'bonza'.

Instead the origins of bonza seems to come half way round the world, in Spain. Specifically during the 1850's Australia's goldrush occurred and miners from California brought over the phrase bonanza which has it's true origins in the Spanish word bonanzo meaning "fair weather; prosperity", originally comming from the Latin word bonus meaning "good". (and yes that does seem to be origins of that extra pay at the end of the year)

Just to throw some spanners into the works some possible alternative origins come about from some believing that bonza is actually a concatination of born star or coming instead from a game of marbles, in Lincolnshire (1877) the larger marble was called a bouncer (for obvious reasons), and in both New Zealand and Australia the word bouncer was slowly corrupted to become bonser or bonzer..

References:

Word to the Wize
A Bonzer Conundrum (a complete thesis on the origins of Bonza)

Note: Given the reoccuring theme of introduced Chinese phrases to Australian slang, I am very curious to hear of any actual cross cultural phrases. (so far the origins of possible phrases have proved unfounded)

That's no how you make porridge

2006-04-17T17:52:00.000+01:00

Another Australian saying for you today, this one used to express surprise at how a certain activity is done. The full version being "Aye, it's delicious, but that's no' how y' make porridge!" frequently said in a Scottish accent (or at least an attempted one), it can also be used to express disgust that something is not working.

Origins:

Similar (but not as wide spread) to the saying Not happy Jan!, this phrase came about because of an advertising campaign for Uncle Tobys Instant porridge. This was in the late 1980s/early 1990s, when Instant porridge was regarded as being sludge like, to help combat this an ad was dreamt up where a young scottish lad upon being handed a bowl of instant porridge claimed:
Aye, it's delicious

But it's NO' how y' make porridge!
This phrase as well as helping the profits of Uncle Tobys was such an instant catch phrase that it was spoofed (several times) by the new Australian comedy show 'Full Frontal' (1993)

References:

Aye, it's delicious, but that's no' how y' make porridge! (Personal writing for learning in a science education PHD)
Smoe.org (saying in common use)
The Frankster Archives Library
Uncle Tobys
Goodman Fielder Food Services - Uncle Tobys Instant Porridge
Shock Records - Series 1 of Full Frontal

Snug as a bug

2006-04-13T00:28:00.000+01:00

Frequently expanded to be: Snug as a bug in a rug, this phrase has been used for some time to mean comfortable, safe right to the point of being content, for many it conjours up images of being small children and being tucked into bed by their mothers.

Origins:

Snug (c.1595) is of Scandinavian origin, akin to both the Swedish snygg and Danish snøg (meaning: neat, trim). Sense of "in a state of ease or comfort" first recorded 1630.

Snug as a bug in a rug follows the rules of rhyming simile slang, whereby the intended meaning snug has been concentrated by adding a simile 'as a ...' that rhymes. (Cockney Ryming slang is a derivative of this technique)

Now as to the specifics of this saying, it is believed to of been coined by Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), during his later years. Specifically, in 1769 where it appeared in his play 'The Stratford Jubilee'. He later went onto use the same phrase in a letter to a female friend who's squirrel (which he called Skuggs) had died, suggesting the following epitath (1772):
Here Skugg

Lies snug

As a bug

In a rug.

References:

Free Online Dictionary
A Word A Day (discussion on the origins and usage of snug)
The Phrase Finder
The Mavens' Word of the Day
LearningRussian.com (Proverbs and Sayings with their Russian counterparts)
Online Etymology Dictionary - Snug
Snug as a Bug in a Braided Rug
Wikipedia - Simile
Bartleby.com - Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Dead Horse

2006-04-11T22:27:00.000+01:00

Another pecular Australian expression, for 'tomato sauce'

Origins:

There's very little information about the origins of this saying however most reports agree that Australian rhyming slang had its origins in Cockney rhyming slang (from 'mother' England), and contrary to common understanding, rhyming slang was not introduced to Australia until the late 19th century ('common knowledge' has rhyming slang being brought over by the original convicts), as evidence suggests that Cockney rhyming slang itself did not appear in London until the early-mid 1800s.

That said, most pundits believe that the particular phrase of dead horse is such a classic rhyming slang (with literary examples from 20th century) that it was one of the early adoptions of rhyming slang. Which makes it in some ways one of the more interesting ones, as it has not noticably evolved over the last 100+ years.

References:

Geezer

2006-04-07T20:42:00.000+01:00

guest post by Cath.

I wanted to know what this word meant so thought I’d look it up myself! Not sure if it is used elsewhere but it is a common phrase in the UK, especially the South East/London area. In fact when I say common I mean that everyone knows what it means, not that many people use it on a day to day basis!

Anyway for those of you who may not know, the general meaning of the word is man – but more in the sense of a bit of a lad, wide boy, cool bloke, dude almost. It can also refer to someone who is a bit of a wheeler dealer, usually a loud character rather than the mate who sits quietly in the corner. In fact for those of you who know him, a certain Loud character would fit the description perfectly, in the nicest possible sense of course :-) Not quite sure how else to put it but can hopefully you get the gist.

This is where this gets a bit more interesting, the origin. The word comes from the obsolete word "guiser" which literally means someone wearing a mask or in a masquerade. Not really surprising that this word isn’t used any more! How this came to geezer is not clear, my money’s on bad spelling. Anyway, I digress, but it is quite relevant that the apparent original meaning of geezer is of someone who wears a disguise. Although it is used in a positive way by some, it can also be a derogatory term – so it may well have come into being as applying to somebody who pretends to be cool rather than actually is. Therefore they are a geezer.

Another angle: the English Dialect Dictionary defines geezer as "a queer character, a strangely-acting person," and for anyone who has encountered a typical geezer in the pub on a Saturday night this sounds about right. The dictionary also refers back to "guiser” - so in all equals a slightly odd wannabe. Might have to tell that to the next gobby person I hear saying “alright geezer” to his equally gobby mate! And if you don’t know what gobby means/where it comes from just shout and I’ll try to find out…

References:

magic darts

2006-04-05T23:18:00.000+01:00

Most commonly used to say something hit the spot, actually as a reference to the item, ie: if you wanted to say "My plan solved all the issues perfectly", you could rephrase it as: 'Solved everything with my magic darts'

Origins:

Magic Darts actually has its origins in the traditional geek community, the geeks that play Dungeons and Dragons (first published 1974), where mages had the ability to produce magic darts that would always hit their targets (assuming you rolled the dice well enough). As happens some geeks started to use the phrase outside of their groups and slowly it has been taken up by others

Generally the spells used within D&D have originated from myths and legends around the world, with Magic Darts debatedly coming from the ancient Finns (called Laplanders), who were believed at one time to be great magicians, they were said to launch lead darts, about a finger - length, against their enemies, believed to send (with the darts) grevious pains and maladies.

Note: Chances are that if you hear some use the phrase 'magic darts' they are (or at least were) a D&D playing geek, as it is still not in wide use.

References:

Mike Richards (use of magic darts in sports)
Borderland (example of magic darts in use)
Dreamscribe - The Mark of a Mage
Wikipedia - D&D
D&D - Official site
Laplanders - magic darts
The Uralic Peoples
Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets

fubar

2006-04-04T23:21:00.000+01:00

This is commonly used as an acronym for: F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition (Varied by the words "Fouled", "Any Repair", "Any Redemption", "All Reality", "All Repair", or "All Reason".)

Related terms:

SNAFU - Situation Normal All F***ed Up
Foobar - IT generic term (var foobar int)

Origins:

This is believed to of originated from the german word Furchtbar (meaning frightful or terrible), which was then adopted by the military (unable to track down exactly which division/nation) during WWII.

At this time its meaning began to be modified by the average grunts and to become the acronym that is now its norm.

Fubar is one of the few acronyms that began its existence as a real word (even if in a different language). Most acronyms used in common parlance have become so because of the flowing nature of the acronym.

Note: The military are known to be the first to incorporate acronyms in their everyday language

References:

Roll your own

2006-04-03T13:21:00.000+01:00

IT saying meaning "build it yourself", abbreviated (as an acronymn) to RYO.

Also a term in poker (which I won't be going into at this point)

Origins:

Roll your own originally comes from the notion of rolling your own cigarettes (first introduced to Europeans in 1518 [Columbus threw away the initial gifts of 'dried leaves']). It wasn't until the advent of the Open Source community that this phrase began to be applied within IT (post the development of Linux), to signify the act of downloading the Linux operating system and building its component parts for your computer.

Over time this phrase has evolved to mean building your own application/component, as opposed to using a pre-existing one (either because of your own specific needs, or simply because 'you can')

History:

1815 - Tobacco leaves introduced to european society

1832 - Egyptian artillery men develop the modern cigarette by rolling their tobacco in paper (their pipes had all been broken)

1983 - Richard Stallman founded the GNU Project (an important predecessor for the Open Source movement)

1991 - Linus Torvald started development on the Linux kernel.

1998 - First known written usage of "Roll your own" in IT.

References:

ProRec.com : Roll your own
netLingo.com
Answers.com (details on the poker version of 'roll your own')
A Brief History of Free/Open Source Software Movement
Rollyo (Roll your own search engine)
History of Cigarettes and Smoking
Wikipedia - Linux

Takes the biscuit

2006-03-31T21:18:00.000+01:00

An ironic twist of 'To surpass everything else that has happened; to be worse than anything' ie: His last comment really took the biscuit

Variations:

Take the cake (predominantly a Nth American saying)
Took the biscuit

Origins:

The word Biscuit has its origins in the 14th century, being derived from the Latin 'bis' [twice] & 'coquere' [cook] (because biscuits were orig. cooked in a twofold process: first baked and then dried out in a slow oven)

That aside, take the biscuit is believed to derive from the phrase 'take the cake', there are 2 popular versions of the origins, one from 19th century Southern US states, the other from the ancient greeks.

American origins

During the 1840s, black couples (both slaves and free) had a social event where they would walk around a cake, and the prize to the couple with the most 'style' would be the cake itself. This is believed in some circles to be the origin of take the cake, cakewalk and piece of cake

Ancient greece

Cakes during the 5th century were a confection of toasted cereal sweetened and bound together with honey given to soldiers as a prize for being the most vigilant on watch (no doubt it was an excellent source of energy for these fighting men), during this era Aristotle in the "The Knights" said:
"if you surpass him in impudence, then we take the cake"

So we end up with at some stage (5th or 19th century [to allow us some options]) take the cake was synonymous with winning a prize, with the development of Biscuits (14th century), if you wanted to be ironic about someone's performance you would claim they took the biscuit (being a smaller and less apetising version of the cake). Later (around the early 20th century), the meanings of both take the biscuit and take the cake began to merge, where we are at today, where they mean the same thing.

References:

Allwords.com: Definition of Biscuit
Origins of English sayings: Cake
Catholic community forum discussion
The Phrase Finder
Brits take the biscuit (entertaining article about eccentric brits who really take the biscuit)
answerbag: piece of cake

Scary Grapes

2006-03-30T22:07:00.000+01:00

Ed: I'm sorry to say this one has mostly stumped me :-( But I can report some info on this saying.

For starters it's an Irish saying, meaning (as far as I can tell) something is scary but fun. The addition of grapes is most likely a localized addition, as there are reports of variations involving other food types:

Scary Biscuits
Scary Bananas
Scary Eggs

For scary biscuits I found the meaning being: exactly the same as scary, just with added biscuity goodness (which I kinda like)

Origins:

A lot of the references to scary grapes refer to an oldish debate about GM (genetically modified) foods, in particular using the examples of the controlled breeding of grape vine lines (by an American in the 19th century) to eventually produce seedless grapes. The basic argument being that if you're fine with eating seedless grapes you should be fine with eating GM foods as they are both genetically modified, one (the seedless grapes) is via the traditional method of cross breeding, the other is done in a lab.

As interesting as that debate is, unfortunately it has nothing to do with the use of scary in ireland today. Instead using scary with a food item seems to be a way of saying something is scary but in a humourous and fun way. Reported use of scary biscuits as early as 1920s from a crime radio show in Ireland (haven't been able to track exact references)

Request: If anyone has any info to help clarify origins/meanings of scary grapes (is it actually a synonm of scary biscuits?) please send me an email or just put in a comment against this post!

References:

Grouse

2006-03-29T22:06:00.000+01:00

Another Australian saying (adj.) meaning: 'great, terrific, good', historically a common saying in Victoria (though not used as much in modern Melbourne).

This is also a term (noun.) for complaining/grumbling (more commonly used in Britain that Australia)

Origins:

To grumble/complain:

This actually has its origins in the welsh word grwgnach which means to murmer (usual in the context of a complaint), this got picked up in the later 1800's (first recorded by Kipling in 1887) by the British Army where the English compatriots of the Welsh infantry having difficulty with the pronounciation modified it to 'grouse'. Interestingly there is some lexical support that the english word 'grumble' originated in a more direct form from the welsh grwgnach.

Excellent/ripper/great!

Unlike the complaint version of grouse, this one had little to do with the Welsh, instead it has its origins amongst Australian prisoners, where a thing known to be grouse meant 'something that is real, from outside the prison'. There are two paths to the origins of this, both start with the Australian rhyming slang grouse = scouse

One branch has a basis in an old prison story that there was a particularly effective prison smuggler who reportedly employed the help of a couple of Liverpudlians (known as Scousers) to assist in smuggling goods into the prison, hence something coming from outside of the prison (in traditional prison speak of using a single word when wanting to describe an action) was just scouse which was further obfuscated to become grouse

The other branch is a more culinary avenue where a cheap but tasty stew of meat and vegetables (called Lobscouse) was occasionally served to Australian prisoners, this dish was favoured amongst the inmates and as such popular items began to be known by a rhyming version of the slang of their favourite dish Lobscouse -> Scouse -> Grouse.

Variations of Grouse:

In keeping with the tradition of Australian rhyming slang you can now say something is 'Mickey Mouse' (known to be in use from 1975 onwards)

References:

Australian slang dictionary
Grouse! (a blog for talking about grouse sites around the web)
The Australian National Dictionary
SMH - No fries with that, mate (current slang usage)
yourdictionary.com - Word of the day: Grouse
Cockney Rhyming Slang
English Culture: What's in a name

Ed: fixed up some grammatical errors (I occasionally mix up it's and its)

Top Banana

2006-03-28T22:07:00.000+01:00

Used to say someone or something is the best, number 1.

Origins:

There are a couple of conflicting reports as to exactly how the phrase came to be, however general consensus agrees that it was during the Burlesque era (1940s - 1950s) from a popular comedy act (though I've been unable to find specifics on which comedy act).

One of the theories is that the best comedian (the one with the punch line) would be presented with a banana (perhaps as a visual cue for the audience).

The second theory follows "The lead comic in a burlesque show was referred to as the "top banana," and his sidekicks were known as the second, third, etc. – supposedly because they would resort to slipping on banana peels in order to get a laugh."

Interestingly this is believed to of lead to comedians being known (in early show business slang) as bananas.

My preferred theory
A lesser known theory (but one which sounds more legitimate) is: during the 1930's the phrase 'banana' was used as slang for "nuts" (as in crazy). Comedians in the burlesque era specialising in slapstick comedy, allowing for the evolution of:
Crazy comedians -> They're nuts! -> They're banana's -> he's the Top Banana.

Today the saying has dropped the crazy & comedian meanings, and is being used to just mean top/best.

References:

Ed: New theory found (which I prefer)

Minging/Minger

2006-03-27T22:05:00.000+01:00

A UK derogatory term, that can be applied to anything that is regarded as being dirty, drunk, disgusting or ugly.

Minger - An unattractive person (usually female)
Minging - drunk, painful, disgusting (can be used to describe place, event or person [including yourself])

Origins:

Ming (early 1800s) was used in Scotland as describing both human excrement and the ingredients compounded with or substituting tar in sheep-smearing.

In the 1970's ming (in Scotland) was used as slang for "a bad smell" in particular associated with drunkenness.

This eventually evolved into anything that was dirty, and was incorporated within the British Army (believed to be through both Scottish troops and training bases in Scotland), with :

Your boots are minging,

your plumes in shite,

Your balls are swinging from left to right...."
It wasn't until the late 1990's (some report usage in 1999) that the term ming and it's variations were introduced to mainstream society.

References:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

2006-03-24T23:53:00.000Z

A simple saying encouraging healthy eating. Frequently shortened to "An apple a day" to mean 'healthy eating and living keeps one well'.

Origins:

Known as a popular saying in the 19th century, with a Welsh version of the proverb being recorded in 1866 (with common usage most likely predating)
Ate and apfel afore gwain to bed

Makes the doctor beg his bread.

The Romans are generally regarded as the first Europeans to actively cultivate and produce what is now know of as the apple (the first specimens from Asia were apparently quite bitter and not appetizing), with Hippocrates (father of modern medicine) favouring the apple (along with dates & barley mush) as important parts to a healthy life.

Interestingly early Europeans called all new fruits and vegetables (brought back from the early explorers) apples, giving rise to the poem:

The rose is a rose,

And was always a rose.

But the theory now goes

That the apple's a rose.
This has also led some historians to believe that the references to golden apples in Greek mythology are actually oranges or lemons.

And yes, an apple does actually give nutritional and health benefits being high in:

Malic and Tartaric acids (that inhibit fermentation in the intestines)

High fiber (I don't need to saying anything here do I?)

Pectin (encourages growth of beneficial bacteria and aids in reducing cholesterol and blood sugar)

Flavonoids (good for the immune system)

High in water content (which always helps in todays caffeinated society)

Natural vitamins & minerals (potassium, folic acid & vitamin C)

To take full advantage of all the goodness eat them unpeeled, as the nutrients are concentrated just under the skin.

References:

Cool Beans

2006-03-23T23:07:00.000Z

A variation of the traditional cool, awesome, excellent, agreeable, as in "I'm ok with that result", "It sounds good to me".

Origins:

Known to of first become common in the US during the early 1980s (mostly among teens), made up of two terms: the pre-existing cool (which became common slang earlier in the 20th century, though was based off a term from one of Chaucer's poems), and the late 20th century American teenage habit of combining slang/common words together.

Hence bean (slang for head/hair) or beans (gumption, toughness, balls), was in use to say someone was cool, in a tough/good looking kind of way. And is the nature of slang it evolved and came to be associated with the actions of said individuals. Some report that it was a way of differentiating between describing someone as cool vs the action (or proposed action) as in: being 'cool with it'.

References:

Mindless Crap July 2003 - Stump Me Questions (and Answers)
cool. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Wikipedia - Cool
In the 80s - Glossary of Eighties Terms
Cool Rules (long article discussing the origins and change faces/meanings of 'cool')

Ed: fixing a couple of grammatical/spelling mistakes

pommie

2006-03-22T22:54:00.000Z

Australian slang to refer to those who originate from England (ie: Pommyland) frequently shortened to just "pom", also used (in a derogatory way) as "bloody, whinging poms!"

Origins:

Many believe that Pom is an acronym for one of the following:

Prisoner of the Motherland

Prisoner of Her Majesty

However linguists believe that the use of acronyms in common parlance did not come about until the mid 20th century, as such this theory is generally believed to be false.

Other theories support the use of Australian rhyming slang and passion for shortening of words, namely they referred to British immigrants-> Immigrants -> Pomegranate (rhyming slang) -> Pommies, this is also supported by Pomegranate burning very easily when exposed to the warm Australian sun (which British tourists are still known to do when travelling abroad)

An alternative to this theory is that early British immigrants were referred to as Jimmy-grant Thus: Jimmy Grant > immy-granate > Pomegranate > pommy. With Jimmy-grant being a closer rhyming slang to emigrant (especially taking into account early pronounciation).

References:

World Wide Words - POM
Urban Legends
Poms (a mixture of quotes/usage)
Wikipedia - Alternative terms for British
Guardian - Why are British people called Poms
Freelist - Pomegranate

It’s not over till the fat lady sings

2006-03-21T17:55:00.000Z

Meaning the event (frequently an arduous/boring task) is not over till it's over, also used in reference to competitions (in particular sporting), where the results can change. ie: Liverpool 2005 Championship cup (losing 3-0 at the end of the first half and went on to win.) A perfect example of "It's not over till the fat lady sings"

Origins:

It seems to of come about as a reference to the traditional Wagner operas in which they finished with a large female opera singer doing a solo (in particular Der Ring des Nibelungen [1848-76] which culminates in a larger lady singing a solo). Some reports indicate that most operas open with the solo, and in fact end with the plump diva dying, perhaps it should be "It's not over till the fat lady dies" (though a bit more of a morbid saying)

Multiple sources report it as originating in the United States in the 1970's by a sports commentator (my own feeling is that it was just applying an existing saying to a sporting situation and thus allowing the meaning to evolve).

One (uncredited) source refers to it originating in 1902 during the destruction (by volcano erruption) of St. Pierre, where a cruise ship that was damaged had a rather large lady who sang all through the mayhem helping calm the passengers (though this sounds too reminicent of the band from the Titanic playing on during the sinking)

References:

The Phrase Finder
Word for Word
Opera Archives
Wordsmith.org (a discussion of the origins)
World Wide Words
Fun People Archive
Wikipedia - Richard Wagner

Fair Dinkum

2006-03-20T15:44:00.000Z

Another Aussie saying, this one meaning something is true, honest, genuine, reliable.

Origins:

Some report that it originated from the English Midlands meaning a fair day's work (and subsequently fair play (1896 in Lincolnshire), though because of the known dates of usage, this may of originated from the Australian usage of the phrase.

Other reports indicate it originated in the goldfields from one of the more widely spoken Chinese dialects (Cantonese) 'ding kam', 'din gum' roughly translating to "true gold.

An interesting (but less known) source could be the latin phrase "Vere Dictum", meaning Truly said. Sources supporting this refer to it being used in legal events, and thus early Australian convicts may of heard that phrase and mis-pronounced it.

References:

No wuckers

2006-03-17T10:19:00.000Z

No wuckers
No wucking forries
no wuckin' furries

A slightly vulgar way of saying no worries, ie:

"Thanks for helping out with that job."

"No wuckers, mate."

Origins:

Yet another Australian saying, this one is a combination of transposing slang (known as a spoonerism) and the Australian love of contractions. Order of changes:

No fuckin' worries becomes (using spoonerism)

No wucking forries becomes (using Aussie contractions)

No wuckas

While the origins are of a very crude nature, this saying can be used in a fairly relaxed and informal manner (ranging from work situations through to family bbq's), however it is frowned upon at more formal events (debatable as to whether that is because of the slang nature of the words versus the crude origins).

References:

Spoonerism - Wikipedia
The Slang Dictionary
Dr David Schnarch (example of someone being exposed to Australian slang)

Ed: to fix small spelling and formatting errors

Not happy, Jan!

2006-03-16T10:45:00.000Z

Not happy, Jan! is used as an expression of disgust within Australia.

Origins:

The television commercial from which the phrase originated was created by advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Sensis (the directories arm of Telstra), to promote the upcoming deadline for advertising in Australia's Yellow Pages. In the commercial, a businesswoman (played by actress Deborah Kennedy) has just discovered that one of her staff has neglected to book an ad in the upcoming year's Yellow Pages. Realising they will have to wait another year, she yells "Not happy, Jan!" out the window towards the fleeing figure of the eponymous Jan.

The catch phrase gained popularity when variations of it was picked up by various political parties and Comedians ie: Not happy, John! (referring to the current prime minister of Australia)

References:

Not happy, Jan! - Wikipedia entry
Editiorial: Not Happy, Jan (example of usage)
Telstra ADSL customers "not happy... Jan!"
Yellow Pages
Clemenger BBDO

Smeg

2006-03-15T11:42:00.000Z

Example: On a mining ship, 3 million years into deep space, can someone explain to me where the smeg I got this traffic cone?

Origins:

'Smeg' is a word that has only come into common usage as a swear-word since 1988 after it was popularised by the BBC science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. Short for smegma, which is defined with delicacy as 'a sebaceous secretion, especially that under the prepuce', it is derived from the Greek for soap, and it is also known, less delicately, as 'knobcheese'.

References: