"Pulling A Sickie"

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Is this term part of the British vernacular?

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:43 (nineteen years ago)

Yes.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:45 (nineteen years ago)

OH YES

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:46 (nineteen years ago)

Isn't this code for "has a roaring hangover"?

Then again, why waste your sick days on hangovers?

― Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:47 (nineteen years ago)

word.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:48 (nineteen years ago)

problem with sickies is, you kind of have to stay home.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:48 (nineteen years ago)

lol sick days

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:48 (nineteen years ago)

Years ago we used to go to Scarborough on sickies. You don't have to stay home, just get out of town.

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

they might phone!

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

The worst thing is actually being sick, it feels like such a waste.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

NEVER HAPPENED

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:51 (nineteen years ago)

I hate wasting my sick days on being ill. Usually I'll go to work and soldier on. But I get "mental health days" which are much better.

― Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:52 (nineteen years ago)

If they phone you use the "I was sick in bed how dare you harrass me" argument.

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:54 (nineteen years ago)

Red Ken's declared war on them, apparently.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:54 (nineteen years ago)

I thought that was pigeons?

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

that'll be a popular policy... among the bossmen.

xpost

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

Fuck Red Ken. Politicians take more time off than teachers.

I wonder if he went to work the morning after Jewgate.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:56 (nineteen years ago)

Red Ken is a sad misnomer nowadays.

― I Supersize Disaster (noodle vague), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:57 (nineteen years ago)

I thought you threw a sickie rather than pulled one?

― === temporary username === (Mark C), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:31 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, you throw a sickie and pull a fly one.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:43 (nineteen years ago)

I thought you threw a fit and pulled a sickie.

Or do you pitch a fit and throw a sickie?

God, it's so confusing.

― Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:43 (nineteen years ago)

I'm more familiar with 'take a sickie' than 'pull a sickie'.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:50 (nineteen years ago)

Results 1 - 10 of about 9,970 for "pull a sickie".
Results 1 - 10 of about 872 for "throw a sickie".

BUT

Results 1 - 10 of about 745 for "pulling a sickie"
Results 1 - 10 of about 8,040 for "throwing a sickie".

so, i guess you pull a sickie, but the act is one of throwing. perhaps it is better just to go into work, to avoid any confusion

― -- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:50 (nineteen years ago)

they might phone!
work phoned me at glastonbury one year and i answered without looking.
conversation went something like

me, hello
boss, hi carl its graeme
me, erm
boss, you sound like you are outside?
me, i'm on my way back from the doctors, will be back in on tuesday
boss, ok see you then.

― not-goodwin (not-goodwin), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:08 (nineteen years ago)

Results 1 - 10 of about 9,790 for "take a sickie"

damn, so close

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:09 (nineteen years ago)

"chucking a sickie" as we say in the antipodes.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:02 (nineteen years ago)

My brother and his colleagues can "take a Monday" four times a year. They don't count as sick days.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:04 (nineteen years ago)

i thght this was about smoking weed. :-(

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:05 (nineteen years ago)

Five golden rules of pulling a sickie:

1. Make a big deal of struggling in when you do have a cold, so when you pull a sickie they think you must be really ill.
2. Never fake it on a Friday or Monday
3. Do some build-up the day before: "I feel really shivery" etc.
4. Two days off are more convincing than one
5. Wear black clothes and no make-up when you go back (gives you that 'still a bit peaky' look)

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:08 (nineteen years ago)

4. Two days off are more convincing than one

this kinda rules out Thursday and Tuesday then - just leaving the Wednesday.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:12 (nineteen years ago)

6. lead into your sickday, looking vacant, appearing unwell. this should ideally comprise 2 days, a lead in day, and a worsening day, your sick day should be day 3 of this. the day after you can be fine, right as rain, perky even. after all, the rest really did the trick

― -- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:16 (nineteen years ago)

5. Wear black clothes and no make-up when you go back (gives you that 'still a bit peaky' look)

She's overdoing it a bit:

http://www.2goglobal.com/2GoChronicals/2%20Go%20Photos/Asia/Japan/Dscn0447.jpg

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:16 (nineteen years ago)

7. phone in before 9am and hope your boss isn't in yet so it goes to voicemail. don't e-mail them as that indicates you're still well enough to sit at a computer.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:17 (nineteen years ago)

nb. some companies will not take kindly to voicemails - you have to speak to somebody and that is the rulez.

8. Don't say a word before phoning in and make sure you're lying down when you do it - your voice will sound croakier.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:34 (nineteen years ago)

9. Bosses know all this shit, they've done it themselves.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:37 (nineteen years ago)

I pull sickies via text message! My loathing of phones is well known in this company - I think they'd know if they got a phone call from me, well, it wouldn't be me, but the police notifying them of my death!

― Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:37 (nineteen years ago)

10. get self a good reputation at work, so that no one suspicious if ill. ring boss, speak more or less normally on phone, dont go into detail.

― -- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

don't e-mail them as that indicates you're still well enough to sit at a computer

Or had the presence of mind to bring the laptop to bed the previous night (which you may have done for a sound reason, I suppose).

I don't really pull sickies but my current job just seems to make me ill more often.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 7 September 2006 11:44 (nineteen years ago)

11. uou fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Thursday, 7 September 2006 12:13 (nineteen years ago)

My fake hernia also explained why I came back from Glastonbury smelling with a massive tan. I had been told to get some rest and some sunshine. And it wasn't a hernia after all, it was an incocompression (same symptoms, but its when your colon backs up like a bendy straw).

I wish it was in my nature to throw sickies more. I love making up the reasons.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 7 September 2006 12:17 (nineteen years ago)

How about you make up some reasons for us, in an altruistic kind of way?

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 12:36 (nineteen years ago)

Ooh, that might work.They may be a bit - er - out there, so you'll have to trust your ability to sell a story, but happy to oblige.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 7 September 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

This may be wrong, but I recall reading once that if you have called in sick and this has been accepted then your company is not actaully allowed to call you back to check up on what you are doing. In the UK anyway, has anyone else heard this.

The phrase for pulling a sickie in Thailand is "to be politically ill" which seems about right.

― Paul Kelly (kelly), Friday, 8 September 2006 08:18 (nineteen years ago)

After all I said upthread, I am being politically ill today.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 8 September 2006 12:22 (nineteen years ago)

i usually always execute madchen's methods above. all my other co-workers don't even try. they all have "migraines" on monday and friday. also i always call my boss's voicemail and leave a nice croaky message!

― i've dreamt of rubies! (Mandee), Friday, 8 September 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

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