Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see separate entry.

(Aus.) very drunk.

1933		Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld) 3 June 12/6: Rollin’ home to the camp full to the back teeth I lays where I falls in the ashes.
1947		G.S. Case Wits Are Out 146: Full to the back teeth, they were secretly relieved that they wouldn't have to drink any more.
1959		‘Alexander Cordell’ Rape of Fair Country [ebook] iI [...] found Dafydd Phillips[...] standing outside a beerhouse, full to the back teeth by the look of him, and grinning like a dead sheep.
1965		W. Smith Dark of the Sun [ebook] ‘How’s it for another beer, boss?’ ‘Enough.' Bruce held up his hand. 'I'm full to the back teeth’.
1978		J.I. Rodale Synonym Finder 106: Pickled, lathered, high, high as a kite, fried to one's tonsils, full to the back teeth.

very drunk, or having drunk a large quantity.

1959

D. Niland Big Smoke 14: ‘What about a drink?’ ‘No, thanks. I’m full to the bow-tie now.’ Mick laughed. ‘Only have to bend over, eh, and one’d tip out.’.

1. very drunk.

1825		Jamieson Ety. Dict. Scottish Lang. Supp. I 159/2: Bung-fu, adj. Quite intoxicated, a low word [...] full to the bung; in allusion to a barrel .
1839		New Mthly Mag. June 220: I am aware he is usually as full of beer of his own brewing, as I was then of the article of my own writing; id est, ‘full to the bung’.
1841		Jamieson Scottish Dict. I 178/2: Bung-fu, adj. Full to the bung; quite intoxicated.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Sept. 40/4: When Billo, full up to the brim, / An’ smellin’ all sweet from the spree, / A’ callin’ ’is ’Liza a limb / Lets loose on the kiddies an’ me.
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 435/1: from ca. 1850.
c.1940–5		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 338: Drunk; jarred; [...] mouldy; maggoty; full to the brim.
2014		(con. WW1) S. Hillier (ed.) Long Way to Tipperary [ebook] They had escaped the eye of the provost sergeant, or had been able to have that soldier-like appearance when returning to barracks ‘full to the bung’!

2. (Aus.) e.g. of a vehicle, completely full.

1881

Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Apr. 9/3: A Pitt-street ’bus, which was filled to the bung with dripping lumps of chilled humanity.

3. emotionally overwhelmed.

1910

Sporting Times 19 Feb. 3/1: With losses and worries he’s full to the bung.

(orig. US) very drunk.

1915		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Aug. 48/1: When Ninety Conway, who’s on the watch, / Still full to the sills with poisonous / ‘Scotch,’ starts using a trick he had!
1947		N. Algren Neon Wilderness (1986) 150: After that I kept him full to the gills.
1962		F. Norman Guntz 180: [We] staggered along the road full to the gills with port.
1978		(con. WW2) C. Smith One if by Land and Two if by Sea 204: One night somebody ‘full to the gills’ was walking up and down the company street hollering for his buddy.

see under knocker n.¹

very drunk.

1827

J. Wight More Mornings in Bow St. 178: ‘Were they drunk?’ [...] ‘Full to the neck, every one of ’em!’.

(UK Und.) a judge.

1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: To Queer. To puzzle or confound. I have queered the old full bottom; i.e. I have puzzled the judge.
1802		Sporting Mag. 19 199/1: Stand the Bow-street racket; bother the full-bottoms; and then dance first-couple ina new black suit.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: queer full bottom To puzzle or confound. I have queered the old full bottom; i.e. I have puzzled the judge.
1832		J. Miller Complete Jest Book 262: He had gloriously queered old full-bottom.
c.1850		Peeping Tom (London) 38 149/1: [In] Young Hellfinches own words, he queer’s old full-bottom and got off.

(Aus./US) everything required; absolute completeness and/or authenticity.

2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] [US speaker] ‘Spent four days in the water, lost buddies to sharks, the whole goddamn box an’ dice’.
2018		G. Gilmore Class Act [ebook] ‘It [i.e a promotion] came through! Signed, sealed and delivered. Not acting, not temporary – the full box and dice’.

(Aus.) a knowledgeable person; thus not the full bucket (of chicken), stupid, eccentric.

1990		T. Winton Human Torpedo 15: He was the full bucket on sex (naturally).
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] This character is not the full bucket of chicken. You can tell the steering gear is not functioning and the computer is not plugged in.

(US teen) dressed up in one’s finery, ‘dressed to kill’.

2002

‘Valley Girls’ on Paranoiafanzine 🌐 We’re the popular girls at school who are always into the mondo full buf and who everyone thinks are totally bitchen.

(N.Z. prison) a life sentence.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 75/2: full course, the n. a life sentence, life imprisonment.

see whole enchilada under whole... n.

see French n. (4)

see separate entry.

1. a very busy time.

1865		‘Rory O’More Had A Hell Of A Bore’ in Rambler’s Flash Songster 13: No doubt some one has been there before, / Perhaps half a dozen, perhaps half a score; / But no matter for that, she likes a full house, / So I’ll take it quite easy, creep in like a mouse.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 91: full house public rest room with every urinal, toilet seat, sink and mirror occupied by a homosexual man.

2. penetrative sexual intercourse.

2012

(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 67: Been fuckin well nailin it aw weekend. Fill hoose, the loat.

3. (N.Z. prison) a life sentence.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 75/2: full house n. so he’s doing ten years.

4. see full hand n. (3)

see separate entries.

see monty n.

1. see moon n. (5)

2. see under moon n.

(W.I.) bad-mannered, unrestrained.

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.

1. (Aus./N.Z.) sensible, intelligent, aware, trustworthy, ‘all there’; esp. in negative phr. not (quite) the full quid etc, not very intelligent, slightly eccentric, odd.

1946		Coast to Coast (1945) 106: ‘There’s some say Lizzie’s not the full quid either,’ he said .
1958		Parlty debates (NZ) 315 94: Mr SPEAKER— You said the Prime Minister was ‘not the full quid.’ Mr JACK — I said the Prime Minister was ‘not the full 100 quid’.
1959		Baker Drum 111: Full quid, in full possession of one’s faculties. A person who is said to be ten bob in the quid or any smaller sum down to tuppence in the quid, is held to be stupid.
1962		(con. WWII) J.O. Killens And Then We Heard The Thunder (1964) 427: She’s aces, mytes, and she’s full quid all the way.
1968		(con. 1940s) G. Dutton Andy 93: Yer mad. I don’t think yer got the full quid.
1971		B. Crump ‘Bastards I Have Met’ in Best of Barry Crump (1974) 275: The Queer Bastard [...] as we know him today is one who is not quite the full quid, but more peculiar than mad.
1974		J. McNeil How Does Your Garden Grow Act III: Ahh! You’re not the full deener.
1988		Viz Oct./Nov. 13: Oh, ’eez norra full quid like.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 77/1: not the full quid not sound in the head.
1993		Smith & Noble Neddy (1998) 307: Mate, you should hear the shit that Tom is going on about. He’s not a full quid.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 190: There is also the archaic, but still oft-heard, term the full quid, a reference to mental capability.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 166: quick quid [...] if you are not the full quid you are deemed to be mentally defective.
2017		J.W. Falbey Dogs of War [ebook] That little bloke there [...] doesn’t seem to know Christmas from Bourke Street. But [...] he’s always got a full quid’.

2. (N.Z. prison) a $100 note.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 75/2: full quid n. a $100 note.

in boxing, a hard blow.

1858

A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 189: Ned waltzed out o the way, administering a ‘full stop’ on Jack’s ‘head-lamps’.

see whole team (and a/the dog under the wagon) under team n.

see under belt v.

see under scream n.

see full of adj.

see separate entries.

see separate entries.

see under mourning n.

(Aus.) worthwhile, as good as advertised.

1963–74

B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 69: P’raps old Eric’s idea was the full two bob after all.

see separate entries.