Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
A phrase adopted by Australian comedian Adam Hills, usually used as an expression of affirmation or encouragement. It was coined during a 1999 stand-up performance in Melbourne, Australia. Hills had invited an audience member on stage to yell out his own name; instead, the man shouted "go you big red fire engine!" The phrase quickly became an audience chant, and Hills subsequently used it as an affirmative mantra, eventually basing a stand-up show around it in 2001. "Go you big red fire engine!" came to be regarded as a general expression of encouragement, and with Hills' urging it began to weasel its way into pop culture: it ended up appearing in a Detroit newspaper and on a Swedish website, as well as being yelled out in the Australian Federal Parliament by then-Senator Natasha Stott Despoja.
Text fits
Save
Cancel