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[0835] Chuck a sickie

🎲 Arvo
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • Australian, New Zealand (and sometimes UK) slang for taking a day off work or school by pretending to be sick, when one is actually well.

Origin

  • Chuck is common Aus/NZ/UK slang meaning to throw or, in this context, to take or to stage.
  • Sickie is a diminutive, informal term for a sick day (a day of approved absence due to illness).
  • The phrase combines these to mean casually throwing or taking a deceptive sick day. Emerged around the mid-20th century.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Pull a sickie (very common UK equivalent)
  • Take a sick day (neutral term, used whether genuinely sick or not)
  • Fake being sick / Call in sick (describes the action)
  • Play hooky (US, typically refers to skipping school, sometimes work)
  • Skive off (UK, general term for avoiding work or duty)
  • Take a mental health day (can be genuine, or sometimes a euphemism for faking illness)
  • Duvet day (UK informal, taking a day off to rest/relax, not necessarily pretending illness)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Pull a sickie (UK/Aus/NZ)
  • Play hooky (US, esp. school)
  • Skive off (UK, implies general avoidance of duty)
  • Call in sick (Neutral action, intent unclear)
  • Take a mental health day (Can be genuine or euphemistic)
  • Bag work/school (US slang, less common)

More Direct/Blunt:

  • Fake being sick
  • Lie about being sick to get a day off

Related Actions (Not direct synonyms):

  • Take a personal day (Official approved day off for personal reasons)
  • Take a duvet day (UK informal, day off to relax)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Highly informal slang.
  • Use only with close friends or trusted colleagues in very casual settings.
  • Discussing this at work, especially with superiors, is obviously risky and unprofessional. Admits to dishonesty.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Chuck has other meanings (throw, vomit) which could theoretically cause confusion out of context.
  • Sickie is specific regional slang and won't be understood by many outside Aus/NZ/UK. The main issue is the informal and potentially unethical nature of the act it describes.

Examples

  • The weather's amazing today, I'm tempted to chuck a sickie and go to the beach.
  • I reckon half the office chucked a sickie on Monday after the long weekend.
  • Do you think the boss will notice if I chuck a sickie tomorrow?

Dialogue

Sarah: Ugh, I am so not ready for work tomorrow after that holiday.

Tom: Tell me about it. Maybe just chuck a sickie?

Sarah: Hmm, you know what? That sounds like a brilliant plan!

Tom: Just make sure you sound convincing on the phone!

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet: Sunshine and perfect waves forecast for tomorrow... might be coming down with a sudden 24-hour bug 😉 #ChuckASickie #SurfLife #SorryNotSorry
  • Private Chat: OMG that project is killing me. Seriously thinking about chucking a sickie on Friday.

Response Patterns

  • Amusement / Tacit approval: Haha, good on ya! / Don't blame you!
  • Warning: Be careful you don't get caught.
  • Shared experience: Yeah, I did that last month.
  • Mild disapproval: Oh, you shouldn't really.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

  • Asking about the person's plans for their sick day (What are you gonna do?).
  • Sharing advice on how not to get caught.
  • The person might actually proceed to take the day off.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Usually discussed as a potential plan, a confession, or speculation about someone else.

Intonation

  • Usually casual, sometimes conspiratorial, mischievous, or nonchalant.
  • Stress often on chuck and sickie.
  • Might CHUCK a SICKIE.

Generation Differences

  • Common and understood across most generations in the regions where it's used (Aus/NZ/UK). The perception of the act itself might vary.

Regional Variations

  • Primarily Australian and New Zealand English.
  • The equivalent pull a sickie is standard slang in the UK.
  • Less common in North America, where terms like play hooky (for school) or simply faking sick, calling in sick (without specifying authenticity) are used.
Fair dinkum
🎲 Arvo