Transcript of AE 1406 - Expression: Take The Mickey

You ever have that one mate who just can't help themselves? You get a new haircut. Suddenly you're a rock star. You try a new accent and they repeat it back at you. Louder and worse. You spill your coffee, and somehow that becomes the highlight of their entire day.

They're not being nasty. They're not trying to upset you. They're just trying to have a laugh. But at your expense. And weirdly enough, if they didn't do it, you'd probably wonder if something was wrong.

That kind of cheeky teasing is so common in Australia that we've got a classic expression for it: to take the Mickey. So who's Mickey, and where are they taking him? Today you're going to find out!

G'day, you mob! Welcome to Aussie English! I'm your host, Pete. And my objective here is to teach you guys the English spoken Down Under. So whether you want to sound like a fair dinkum Aussie, or you just want to understand what the flipping hell we're on about when we're having a yarn. You've come to the right place. So sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy Aussie English. Let's go!

G'day you mob, how's it going? Welcome back to this episode of Aussie English, the number one place for anyone and everyone wanting to learn Australian English. I am your host, Pete. And today we're going to be covering the Australian English expression "to take the Mickey", "to take the Mickey out of someone", "to take the Mickey". So anyway, I hope you guys are having a good day.

I have just dropped my kids off at school. I'm recording this on a Monday and it was interesting. We showed up and it was kind of like the few clouds in the sky, you know, a little overcast, but then all of a sudden I've just put my kids bags in their rooms. We've come out and I'm like, Hey, kids, you can go play for a little bit. You know, we've got ten minutes before the bell goes, before the music starts playing, that says you need to go to class.

And it just started pissing down rain! Like belting down, absolutely pouring, raining cats and dogs. It just the skies opened up and the water fell out. So that was interesting. It was like, yeah, there was no lead up. There was no like, okay, it's raining a little bit and now it's getting a little more intense and now it's getting really intense. It was just from 0 to 100. Just it was fine. Nice and warm, a bit humid, you know a little overcast and then just pissing down. So that was um that was interesting.

My kids were a little bit miffed. They were a little bit annoyed that they had to go to class without being able to play and run around as much as usual. But yeah. So that's been my morning. Anyway, don't forget, guys, before we get into today's episode, there will be a free downloadable PDF that you can get.

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So smack the bird, get it laughing, get that kookaburra singing and yeah, prepare to piss yourselves! Prepare to laugh.

Okay, so the joke of the day, I couldn't really work out how to tie this into Mickey, so I've come up with another one. Alright. You're gonna love this one. You're gonna love it.

What do you call a crocodile in a vest?

Hmm? What do you call a croc? A crocodile, in a vest? You know, wearing a vest. Hmm.

An investi-gator!

Did you get it? What do you call a crocodile in a vest? An investigator!

So an investigator is someone who obviously, you know, investigates things. I guess they're usually trying to solve crimes or problems. Puzzles. They're investigating those things. And we're using this because the, I guess technically it's not an alligator, but the pun is on the word "alligator" and "crocodile" because these are similar animals.

And having "in vest" and then a "gator", like "alligator in a vest", right. An "alligator in a vest" and "in-vest-i-gator". So there you go. That's the joke. Why am I laughing so much? It's not that funny, Pete. Geez.

What do you call a crocodile in a vest? An investigator.

[That was good, wasn't it? It was good for a bit of a giggle, anyway.].

Okay, so the words in the expression "to take the Mickey", "take the Mickey".

So "take", this is a verb, to grab, to pick up or in this case, to perform an action. So here, it's part of the idiom meaning to do or to engage in something. So, "He took the chance to speak" is a good example of using "take" to mean to perform an action, to engage in something. "He took the chance to speak."

"The". I'm sure you'll know what that is. It's a definite article. It refers to something specific, in this case, "the mickey", right? "The mickey". Not just any mickey. "The mickey". For example, "The coffee's on the table." The one that I ordered. That's the coffee that I ordered. "The coffee". Not just any coffee, okay. "The".

And lastly, "mickey" here. Now, this is an interesting one here. It's effectively slang, like a noun for playful teasing or mocking someone, right. "To take the mickey". "To take the mickey"- you don't really use it in any other sense besides this expression, and that is because it is rhyming slang.

So it originates from Cockney rhyming slang. "Mickey Bliss" rhymes with "piss", you know, quite often back in the day in Great Britain, as well as in Australia, a lot of rhyming slang was used where you would find- you would often use a phrase or a single word that would rhyme with the target word that you were saying.

You know, like when we say "dead horse" instead of "tomato sauce". So "sauce" and "horse". "Horse" rhymes with "sauce". And so "dead horse" has become this like funny slang synonym for "tomato sauce".

"Mickey Bliss" here rhymes with "piss". And in this case, the original phrase was to "take the piss", meaning to mock or ridicule someone, to tease someone.

And over time they created this rhyming slang of "to take the mickey", where "mickey" was standing in for "Mickey bliss". And "bliss", I guess, was standing in for "piss". Okay, so it's kind of a long story.

It's kind of this weird game of Chinese whispers, we would call it, where, you know, someone said something in someone's ear, then they say something else that's similar, then it's something else. You know, the words all change. It's a bit. It doesn't seem like it makes a lot of sense.

But anyway, so the idea is, if you say someone's "taking the mickey", they're "taking the piss", they're teasing you, they're mocking you, they're making fun of someone. They're acting in a silly way or not taking something seriously.

And occasionally in Australia, it can be used to mean to trick or deceive someone you know. If you're shocked by someone trying to trick you, you might say to them, "Are you taking the piss, mate?" "Are you taking the piss?" "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Actually, "take the mickey", right? I just use "piss" to "take the Mickey". "You're taking the mickey?"

So it's a little informal in English. It's common in Australia. I think it might also be used in New Zealand and Britain as well. You guys from those places will have to let me know. And other related terms are, as we've covered, "to take the piss".

This is a little stronger and ruder. Probably part of the reason we use "mickey" is so that we're not saying the word "piss", which is, you know, a swear word.

"Pull someone's leg". This is a more innocent, you know, version of teasing someone, joking around, or to stir someone up, you know, stir someone. "I'm just stirring you up, mate." "I'm just stirring you up." I'm just teasing you.

All right, so, as usual, let's go through some examples of how I would use the expression "to take the mickey" in everyday Australian life. Okay.

So example number one: friendly mate banter, friendly mate joking around, chatting to one another. Imagine a group of mates. They're catching up after work. One of them turns up wearing a brand new outfit. You know, a loud shirt, bright shoes, clearly feeling confident.

But before they even sit down, one of them mates looks him up and down and says, "Righto. When's the fashion show start?" Everyone laughs. The person in the outfit laughs too. They shake their head and say, "Yeah, all right, all right, stop taking the mickey." No one's offended, no one's annoyed. It's just mates having a laugh. You know, the kind of teasing that actually shows you're part of the group that's taking the mickey at its best.

Example number two, right. A situation where you're not taking things too seriously. Picture an office meeting where the boss is trying to explain something important. Maybe deadlines, budgets, you know, serious stuff.

But one person keeps whispering jokes, pulling faces, pretending to fall asleep every time the conversation gets boring. And after a while, the boss might stop and say, "Come on, stop taking the mickey. Pay attention. You know, we've got to get through this." "I know it's boring, but just stop taking the mickey, all right?" "Stop taking the mickey."

The mood's still light, but the message is clear here. Taking the Mickey. It doesn't really mean friendly teasing. It means more not taking something seriously when you should be, you know. "All right, cut it out. You know, stop taking the mickey."

Example number three. Accent copying. So imagine a group of friends chatting casually when one person starts telling a story as they speak, someone else starts copying their accent. You know, maybe they got a different English accent, or they've got a foreign accent and they're it's, you know, it's there when they're speaking English. And this person is exaggerating every sound. They're overdoing it on purpose.

The group might burst out laughing, making the storyteller feel, you know, a little sad or upset or frustrated. So the person telling the story might pause. Maybe they grin. Maybe they say something like, "Oi, are you taking the mickey out of me?" "Are you taking the Mickey? What's going on?"

It's said with a smile, not anger. And everyone knows it's a joke. Uh, this is classic Aussie banter, you know, playful mockery that brings people closer As long as everyone's laughing, though, you know there's a fine line between taking the mickey and being nasty and bullying someone.

So hopefully now, guys, you understand the expression "to take the mickey". It's used to describe mates banter and good natured teasing, but also sometimes moments of frustration when someone's being a bit too cheeky or they're not taking something serious enough. Okay.

But it all depends on tone, timing, and the relationship between you and the other person. Aussies love a laugh, but they also know when to pull up stumps and keep it friendly.

[Would you like a car-donay, Kylie? Kim, it's not hard. No. The correct pronunciation is chardonnay. Mum, it's French! The H is silent! Back me up here, Kylie!].

So now that you understand the expression, guys, let's work on your Australian pronunciation skills. So today we're going to conjugate through the sentence "Don't worry, I'm just taking the mickey." And then we'll go through the different pronouns, right. "Don't worry, you're just taking the mickey." "He's just taking the mickey." So we're going to practice that.

So listen and repeat after me.

Don't worry! I'm just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! You're just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! He's just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! She's just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! We're just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! They're just taking the mickey.

Don't worry! It's just taking the mickey.

Good job, good job. Now, I wanted to talk a little bit about stress in this sentence today. So you may notice taking the word "taking", the ING part, /ɪŋ/ actually gets reduced given a schwa vowel sound /ə/.

But also instead of the NG kind of /ɪŋ/ sound, you'll hear an N /n/ sound. So instead of /dəʊnt ˈwʌri, aɪm ʤʌst ˈteɪkɪŋ ðə ˈmɪki/, we can kind of speed this up and say it more naturally in Australian English by converting the ING /ɪŋ/ sound into a schwa and then an N /ən/ sound. Okay. Have a listen, have a listen. Here you go.

/dəʊnt ˈwʌri. aɪm ʤʌst ˈteɪkən ðə ˈmɪki/

/ˈteɪkən/ /ˈteɪkən/

/ˈteɪkən ðə ˈmɪki/

/ˈteɪkən ðə ˈmɪki/

I'm just /ˈteɪkən ðə ˈmɪki/.

You're just /ˈteɪkən ðə ˈmɪki/.

Now, you might be thinking, how do you know the difference between "taking" as /teɪkən/ or the past participle "taken", as in, like "He has taken something".

Technically, they sound the same, like objectively. If you just said the word "taken", I wouldn't really know if you'd said "taken" with an -en or taken with an -ing, but you've reduced that second syllable.

The way that I know is based on the grammar in the sentence. So if I hear you saying, "I am just taking the mickey", right? "I'm just taking the Mickey", because you've used the auxiliary verb "am" in there, I know it has to be an -ing word, right? A present participle. "I'm just taking the mickey".

Whereas if I'd heard "I've just taken the mickey", "I have just taken the mickey", I would know. Ah, okay. Now it's in the past. You know, it's a past participle or for a perfect tense. So that's how we know.

Quite often the grammar will tell you. If something sounds the same as something else, usually the language has worked out a way so that the inference can be made by the person listening. They can work out what it is that you're saying.

All right. And don't forget, guys, if you want to work on your Australian pronunciation, check out my Australian pronunciation course at AussieEnglishcom.au/apc100.

When you sign up, you'll learn how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet to learn how to improve your pronunciation on your own. You will also then go through in section two all of the different sounds in Australian English vowels and consonants. There's about 60 of them.

And then in section three you will go through some really advanced lessons on connected speech, Spoken English, how the sounds change, you know, the the secret sauce to sounding Australian.

So again, if you want to check that out, go to AussieEnglish.com.au/apc100. The link will be in the description.

Okay, so now it's time for today's Aussie fact. And I thought seeing as we had the expression "take the mickey", I was like, who in Australian history or Australian culture has the name Mick, Mickey or Michael that I could talk about?

You know, the first person that came to my mind was famous Aussie surfer Mick Fanning, and he has had an interesting career and life, to say the least. So if you want to understand Australian humour and why Australians love "taking the mickey", look no further than legendary surfer Mick Fanning.

Born in Penrith, New South Wales and raised on Queensland's Gold Coast, Fanning grew up in classic Aussie surf culture. From a young age he was obsessed with the ocean, spending countless hours chasing waves and competing in junior contests.

His powerful, smooth surfing style eventually carried him on to the professional world tour, where he became one of Australia's greatest athletes. Fanning won three World Surf League world titles in 2007, 2009 and 2013, earning the nickname White Lightning for his speed and explosive turns.

But what really made Australians love him wasn't just his success, it was his attitude.

In Australia, even our biggest sports stars aren't safe from a bit of teasing. No matter how famous you are, your mates will still take the mickey out of you and you're expected to laugh along.

And Mick Fanning showed exactly why. In 2015, during the J-bay Open in South Africa, Fanning was attacked by a great white shark while sitting on his board waiting for a wave.

Live on international television to millions watched as he fought the shark off and escaped unharmed. It was terrifying. But afterwards, instead of acting like a hero or playing up the drama, Fanning handed it with calm humour and humility.

Aussies immediately started joking about it. Because that's what we do! When something unbelievable happens, we process it with humour. Even Mick himself laughed about the situation in interviews, showing he could "take the mickey" and have the Mickey taken out of him, without ego.

That ability to stay grounded is deeply Australian, no matter how successful someone becomes. Australians tend to cut tall poppies down to size with humour. Teasing keeps people humble. It reminds everyone that we're all just humans having a crack.

So Mick Fanning isn't just a surfing champion, he's a perfect example of Aussie culture tough, resilient, humble and always ready for a laugh even when life gets seriously heavy.

Because in Australia, if people are taking the mickey out of you, it usually means you belong.

So anyway, guys, I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I hope that you check out the free PDF download. Remember you can grab that link will be in the description or on the podcast website page.

You can also join the premium podcast if you want to support what I do here and level up your English at the same time, just go to AussieEnglish.com.au/podcast. And besides that, thanks for tuning in, mate. Thanks for hanging out.

And um, yeah, if we ever catch up in person, hopefully, hopefully you guys take the tickey out of me a little bit. Anyway, thanks for joining me. See you next time.

All right. That's it for today. If you found this one helpful, leaving a quick review really does help other learners find the podcast. And if you know someone who's learning Aussie English, feel free to share this episode with them too, mate. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you in the next one.