Meaning
In Australian English, a sickie is an informal term for a day of sick leave or absence from work on sickness grounds, especially in phrases such as take or chuck a sickie; depending on context, the phrase can imply that the person is not genuinely ill or lacks a sufficient medical reason.
How it is used
The Australian National Dictionary Centre defines sickie as a day's sick leave, especially when taken without sufficient medical reason, and records chuck a sickie as a characteristic phrase. The implication of dishonesty is therefore common but not logically forced by every Australian occurrence. Cambridge's current UK treatment is narrower and defines throw, pull, or take a sickie specifically around saying you are ill when you are not. Maperla preserves that difference instead of making the strongest implication universal across regions and contexts.
Examples
- “He took a sickie on Friday and stayed home.”
- “She joked about chucking a sickie after the late game.”
- “The boss thought he had thrown a sickie just to get a long weekend.”
Pronunciation
/ˈsɪki/ · SIK-ee
Tone and register
Informal and often humorous or mildly critical. When a speaker suggests that someone chucked a sickie without being ill, the word can imply dishonesty or workplace irresponsibility; when context simply identifies a day of sick leave, that accusation may be weaker or absent.
Visitor guidance
Visitors should not infer from the word alone that a worker was definitely faking illness. Look for cues such as chuck, throw, pull, jokes about avoiding work, or explicit claims that the person was not sick. The vocabulary describes how speakers frame an absence; it does not establish whether leave was medically justified or compliant with workplace rules.
Cultural context
Sickie is useful both as workplace vocabulary and as evidence of Australian word formation. The Australian National Dictionary Centre records it from 1953 as a shortening of sick leave with the productive Australian -ie/-y pattern. Its later British circulation shows why historical association and present-day geography should be kept separate: a word can be strongly documented in Australian English without remaining Australian-only.
Origin
The Australian National Dictionary Centre records sickie from 1953 and identifies it as an abbreviation of sick leave formed with the familiar Australian -ie/-y pattern. The phrase chuck a sickie is documented soon afterward and often carries the implication of taking leave without sufficient medical reason.
Places represented
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Comparisons featuring this term
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Related terms
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Related guides
Sources & review
- Australian National Dictionary Centre, Australian National University — Australian words — sickie
- Australian National Dictionary Centre, Australian National University — Meanings and origins of Australian words and idioms — sickie
- Cambridge Dictionary — Sickie — UK informal
- Collins English Dictionary — Sickie definition and meaning