Traditional
Still common
Definition
Tomato sauce.
Example Sentence
"Pass the dead horse, mate."
Where "Dead Horse" Comes From
Classic Australian rhyming slang, where "dead horse" stands in for "tomato sauce" purely through the rhyme, following the same tradition as British Cockney rhyming slang.
Like most rhyming slang, the connection is about sound rather than meaning — there's no story linking horses to sauce beyond the rhyme itself.
How Aussies Actually Use It
Used at the table exactly like you'd say "tomato sauce" or "ketchup" — "pass the dead horse, mate" is a completely ordinary request over a barbecue or meat pie.
It's one of the more enduring pieces of Australian rhyming slang still used in everyday speech, rather than being purely nostalgic.
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