What does "shrimp on the barbie" mean?
 It's Australian slang for grilling shrimp on a barbecue. The phrase took on greater pop cultural significance thanks to Paul Hogan’s mid-1980s TV spots to promote Australian tourism in the U.S. While Australians commonly refer to any shrimplike shellfish as a prawn, Hogan used the more American-friendly term “shrimp” to utter his immortal catchphrase, "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you," referring to the Australian fondness for grilling seafood outdoors. The silly phrase has since become a pop cultural cliché and screenwriting fodder, appearing in a half dozen movies including the 1994 "Dumb & Dumber," where Jim Carrey blurts it out trying to score with an Australian woman. "The Shrimp on the Barbie" is also the name of a 1990 film starring Cheech Marin. |
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