wouldn't work in an iron lung
An Australian slang expression describing someone as extremely lazy -- so lazy that even if a machine were doing all the breathing work for them, they still would not contribute any effort.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1950 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
An Australian slang expression describing someone as extremely lazy -- so lazy that even if a machine were doing all the breathing work for them, they still would not contribute any effort. The image of an iron lung (a respirator used for polio patients) makes the exaggeration darkly comic. It is a hyperbolic insult in the Australian tradition of colourful, deadpan dismissiveness.
His boss used to say he wouldn't work in an iron lung, which the rest of the team found both harsh and accurate.
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Australian slang for the ultimate insult to someone's work ethic — they're so lazy they wouldn't even work if a machine was doing the breathing for them. It's the kind of brutal, backhanded Australian humour that hits hard precisely because of its absurdity. The expression typically gets wheeled out when describing someone who's spectacularly, almost impressively, idle. Perfect for anyone who treats 'doing nothing' as a full-time career.
Don't ask him to help move the furniture — he wouldn't work in an iron lung, that one.
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(AU, slang) Is lazy.
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