Words & TermsEveryday life
cactus
Broken, ruined, useless, exhausted or no longer functioning.
In a sentence
The old fridge is cactus—we’ll need a new one.
Where it came from
The slang sense is strongly recognised in Australian English and has been associated with mid-20th-century Australian service/use.
- First recorded
- 2021
- Initial era
- 2000–today
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established