Where “Shickered” Comes From
“Shickered” is Australian and New Zealand slang for drunk. It grew out of “shicker”, an Australian word for alcohol or a drink, which came from the Yiddish word shikker, meaning drunk. From “shicker” came the phrase “on the shicker” (out drinking) and the adjective “shickered”.
The earliest dated use in Green’s Dictionary of Slang is 1898, in the Sydney Bulletin. It then turns up in Australian newspapers and writing through the early 1900s, including Henry Lawson in 1912, and in New Zealand from 1916. In 1942, when American servicemen arrived in Australia, a US Pocket Guide to Australia listed “shikkered” as meaning drunk. A few dictionaries claim earlier use, but the earliest dated example Green’s gives is 1898.
Source:
“Dad was completely shickered by the end of the wedding.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
You can be shickered, or only “half-shickered” if you’re just tipsy. To “get on the shicker” means setting out to get drunk.
Say It Like an Aussie
Say it: SHIK-erd.
In conversation:
- Dad was shickered by the end of the night.
- They were half-shickered by lunch.
- Nan said Pop got shickered at the wedding.
Good to know: It’s an old word for drunk, so it’s a good one for trivia. It’s borrowed from Yiddish.
See also: Munted
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