Where “Full as a State School” Comes From
“Full as a state school” is an Australian way of saying very drunk. Green’s Dictionary of Slang lists it with “full as a Catholic school”, and does not explain the school image.
The earliest dated use in Green’s is 24 December 1938, in the Melbourne Argus, where a doctor says a man was “as full as a State school” going by his pulse. Barry Humphries used “full as a Catholic school” in his Barry McKenzie comic strip in 1974–5, and a New Zealand dictionary listed it in 1988. Green’s also has a 2016 Australian example, “full as a state school hat rack”. Gerald Seal (Lingo, 1999) says the Catholic school version is rarely heard in these post-sectarian times.
Source:
“By 9pm the whole bucks party was full as a state school.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
It is used like the other “full as a…” similes, such as “full as a boot” and “full as a bull”, for someone who has had far too much to drink.
Say It Like an Aussie
Say it: FUL az a STAYT SKOOL.
In conversation:
- By nine o’clock the whole buck’s party was full as a state school.
- He was full as a state school after the wedding.
- Someone’s full as a state school, I reckon.
Good to know: It’s a joking way to say very drunk, and there are many “full as a…” sayings. Don’t use it about a person who’s struggling, only in a light way.
See also: Maggot, Shickered, Two-pot screamer
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