Traditional
Still common
Definition
Not too bright, a bit lacking upstairs.
Example Sentence
"He tried to post a letter without a stamp - few snags short of a barbie, that one."
Where "A Few Snags Short of a Barbie" Comes From
This is one of a family of Australian "short of a full set" idioms, using the classic Aussie barbecue as the measuring stick instead of screws or tools.
"Snags" is Australian slang for sausages, making the barbecue image unmistakably local.
How Aussies Actually Use It
It's a gentler, more good-humoured way of calling someone a bit dim, usually about a specific silly moment rather than a permanent judgement.
It sits alongside near-identical idioms like "not the full quid" and "a few roos loose in the top paddock."
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