What it means
Means excellent, top-notch, exactly what you were hoping for. If a plan, a song, or a new pair of thongs is grouse, it’s a winner. It’s a bit old-school and you’ll hear it more from older Aussies, but it still pops up for a quick hit of praise. Not fancy, just pure approval.
Usage examples
"Reckon this weekend’s weather’ll be grouse, mate. Pack the esky, nick down the beach Saturday arvo, then snag a feed on the way home."
"Reckon the new pub up the road is grouse, the schnitty is the size of a hubcap, the kids are welcome out the back near the playground, and the beer garden catches the sun till about six in the arvo."
"The barbie at Trev place last Saturday was grouse as, snags from the local butcher, the missus brought her famous pavlova for dessert, and the cricket was on the radio outside while the kids ran wild on the lawn."
"That new servo pie was grouse, hot as hell and actually full of meat for once."
"Cheers for the lift, mate. Grouse timing too, I was about two minutes from melting at the bus stop."
Where it comes from
In Australian English, grouse has meant excellent since the early 1900s. The praise use is recorded in Australia after earlier British slang use, especially school and youth slang, where grouse already worked as a word of approval. Australia really ran with it and turned it into a classic everyday thumbs-up.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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