At the Macquarie Dictionary we like to spread good cheer. To celebrate our good mood, we rummaged around the Dictionary database in search of words and phrases that express that happiness. That’s why this week’s word of the week is happy little vegemite. 🙂 🙂 🙂
A happy little Vegemite is a person in a good mood, as in, Look at the happy little Vegemites working away in there. This slang sense first appeared in the 1980s and originated in the well-loved advertising jingle for the spread Vegemite, which first filled Australian airwaves back in 1954.
While happy little Vegemite mainly refers to children in a positive sense, there are tons of other happy slang words that encompass adults and children alike. To be happy as Larry means you are extremely happy. This Aussie slang dates from the 1900s but just who this Larry was and how he could have been happy enough to become a byword for joy is unknown. If you’re not quite as happy as our friend Larry you can still be a happy camper: a person who is very pleased, though this one originates in the United States and not Australia.
As we’re partial to a bit of swearing, we couldn’t leave off without reminding everyone that you can be as happy as a pig in shit.
Now that we’re all beatified, we’ll call an end to this week’s blog. We hope you have a red-letter day.
Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.
