couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery

English

Etymology

Presents an example of a minimally simple project that the person or group described is presumed unable to accomplish.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Phrase

couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery

  1. (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, slang, idiomatic) Is unable even to organise a project that requires no planning; is incompetent; used to describe someone as greatly incompetent.
    • 2006, G. C. Lemans, Chantier: A tribute to the world's engineers and their partners in life[1], page 60:
      “Deladrieux should have stayed an accountant,” Murphy sighed. “He's got three people working for him but they're just administrative clerks, pencil-pushers, they couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery. That's what you get when you assign engineering jobs to non-engineers. []
    • 2023 January 28, Martin Thiebaut, The Nomad Letters, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN:
      'It'll be a sad day when the British leave. You lot couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery without the Queen, God bless her'.
    • 2018 December 11, Ian Rogers, London to Magadan, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 47:
      But, a tip for everyone reading this, don't use Visa Machine, as it couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery! And I should know, as I have had three breweries and I can!

Synonyms

See also