Home » Dictionary » packing for Perth

packing for Perth

packing for Perth
 n.— «The onslaught of unsettling news has proved too much for some with the means to flee. No reliable numbers are kept on emigration, but “packing for Perth”—a phrase used to describe white flight, not necessarily to the Australian city—is believed to be on the increase.» —“Post-Apartheid South Africa Enters Anxious Era” in Diepsloot, South Africa New York Times Oct. 6, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

“On the Season” to Mean During the Season

Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...

Ate and Left No Crumbs

The slang phrase someone ate and left no crumbs means the person did something really well. In a previous call, a listener who works in theater noted the use of ate to mean “did something well,” as in they really ate that haircut! This...

Recent posts