# Yet another Aussie-ism. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217 "2005-04-14T00:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/1 "2005-04-14T00:30:59Z")
I get weekly emails at work from WorkSafe Victoria (I think it;s called) in Australia. Last weeks Absolute Shocker of the Week was a photo of a poorly assembled multiple set of electrical outlets on a construction site, which they called a “Dogs Breakfast”. What the heck is _that_. I know what it means (a mess), but where did the phrase come from. Apparently they say it in England too. Figures. 😉 Anyway, I posted the picture on the board at work, and it was an immediate success. I fear the term is going to stick for a while. It’s already greated a dogs breakfast around our facility. But this is a serious question. What is meant by _dogs breakfast_. Most idioms have at least some basis in reality. What do you folk feed the dogs down there? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/2 "2005-04-14T00:44:06Z")
The term I have always heard in the U.K. is “dog’s dinner” rather than “dog’s breakfast”, the difference is most likely just to give it an alliterative property to make it roll off the tongue easier. As for the origin, have you ever seen dog food? Not a pretty sight nor a pleasant smell. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/3 "2005-04-14T00:45:01Z")
I think it means “an unpleasant and potentially-hazardous muddle”. I believe the ezpression originally referred to a pool of vomit, but I may be wrong on that. Although, given the indiscriminate appetites of some dogs I’ve known, vomit couls in fact serve as a dog’s breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/4 "2005-04-14T00:45:58Z")
I don’t know _yet_ but I’ve posted a question on the sister board **G’Dope** which is mostly postings from our friends downunder. You can go there or I’ll let you know when I hear something [http://p090.ezboard.com/bgdope](http://p090.ezboard.com/bgdope) ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/5 "2005-04-14T00:48:26Z")
Pressed submit too early :smack: Here’s an [example](http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/videonation/archive/s/images/russ_spencely_dogsdinner_300.jpg) of a dog’s dinner, I think you will agree it is a comlete mess visually and in an olfactory sense. (Visually is to Visual as ??? is to Olfactory, what is ???) ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/6 "2005-04-14T00:48:46Z")
Per [The Phrase Finder](http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/114550.html): > [@](#): > > **Meaning** > > A mess or muddle. > > **Origin** > > Derived from the unpleasant habit of dogs, rising early before the local townsfolk, or eating the mess of food dropped or vomited onto the pavement the previous night. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/7 "2005-04-14T01:22:48Z")
The phrase \*dog’s breakfast \* is used to describe anything that’s messy or jumbled up. A colleague used it this morning here in the office to describe a document that had been written in sections, each section by a different person, and then edited by a completely different person. It didn’t read well and was stylistically inconsistent. Her immediate reaction - “well this is a bit of a dog’s breakfast!” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/8 "2005-04-14T01:37:35Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > Per [The Phrase Finder](http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/114550.html): Now, I realize that _some_ Aussies may tend to be a little rough, but please don’t tell me that the local hounds can count on “secondary sustennance” for breakfast. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/9 "2005-04-14T02:40:23Z")
This relpy was posted by **Dr Techie** on the **ezboard wordorigins** [http://p098.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=12040.topic](http://p098.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=12040.topic) Thanks to **Dr Techie** ## Dr Techie Registered User Posts: 7448 (4/14/05 1:15 am) Reply Re: Meaning of Dog’s Breakfast A mess, especially in the extended figurative sense of “making a mess of things”. Presumably from the practice of feeding dogs the mixed-together scraps of the previous evening’s dinner. Some examples of use from the OED2: 1937 PARTRIDGE Dict. Slang 231/2 \*Dog’s breakfast, a mess: low Glasgow (1934). 1959 Times 29 Apr. 10/4 He can’t make head or tail of it… It’s a complete dog’s breakfast. 1963 Times 22 Feb. 12/3 The warders…are very angry and have rejected the latest War Office offer as totally unacceptable. They feel the offer is a bit of a dog’s breakfast. Edited by: Dr Techie at: 4/14/05 1:17 am ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-aussie-ism/299217/10 "2005-04-14T15:13:25Z")
There is a lively discussion going on at G’Dope about this and other similar phrases. Funny Stuff. You should take a look. [http://p090.ezboard.com/fgdopefrm1.showMessage?topicID=791.topic](http://p090.ezboard.com/fgdopefrm1.showMessage?topicID=791.topic)