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."
Where it comes from
The bird grouse, the Scottish moorland fowl, was Victorian British shorthand for anything robust and excellent because of its prized status at the dinner table. Australian English borrowed the word with its compliment intact, and grouse meaning top-notch survived in the back of beyond long after the British forgot the connection between feather and praise.
Other ways to say it
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