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Technicolor yawn

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Technicolor yawn – A'?

Vomiting.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Technicolor yawn – A'?

This is one of the many colourful Australian phrases for vomiting. It was coined by, or at least popularised by, Barry Humphries and appeared in his 1965 review A Nice Night’s Entertainment:

When I swallowed the last prawn,
I had a technicolor yawn and I chundered in the old Pacific Sea.

See also Point Percy at the Porcelain.

The history of “Technicolor yawn” in printed materials

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Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Technicolor yawn

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