Phrases & SayingsEveryday life
do a perish
To suffer badly from thirst or from a lack of sustenance; to feel as though one might perish.
In a sentence
We had no water left and were starting to do a perish.
Where it came from
Directly defined as old Australian slang by Macquarie.
- Initial era
- 1900–1999
- Where used
- Australia-wide