Fans are questioning whether anyone actually used the Aussie insult or it was just on the show.
From hairstyles and fashion trends to music and weekend activities, a lot has changed about Australian culture since Home and Away first premiered in 1988. While the popular soap still features storylines involving cults, car crashes and controversial trysts as it has over the past few decades, a throwback video from early seasons highlights a once-common Aussie phrase that’s since become extinct.
Popular Instagram page @homeandaway.earlyyears recently shared a clip showing several characters telling someone to “rack off”. No one was immune from the insult, with Isla Fisher, Kate Ritchie and even Ray Meagher yelling “rack off” during tense conversations.
There’s even a scene showing a sign by the road that reads: “You are leaving Summer Bay. RACK OFF.”
What does ‘rack off’ mean?
According to Cambridge Dictionary, ‘rack off’ is a rude way of telling someone to go away or leave, similar to ‘beat it’, ’take a hike’ and the much less-TV friendly ‘f**k off’.
Urban Dictionary also says the phrase comes from the word ‘rack’, which was an Australian slang term for a motorbike. Therefore, to ‘rack off’ would be to ‘get on your bike and go away’.
Did Aussies ever actually say ‘rack off’?
Fans have since taken to the comments to reminisce about the iconic catchphrase on the show and question whether it was something Aussies actually said in real life.
“Is ‘rack off’ a real Australian phrase, or just a Home and Away, viewer-friendly way of saying ‘f off’?” one person asked, while another added, “Is rack off actually something Australians say or was it a way for the teens to ‘swear’ without actually swearing in this show?”.
“I thought all Australians said this and I moved there and no one ever did,” a third replied, followed by someone else who said, “I grew up with H&A, lived in Aus a few decades later and was hugely disappointed that I wasn’t once told to ‘rack off’”.
“No one even says ‘rack off’ in Australia,” a different user remarked, with another writing, “I’ve been in Australia for 5 years now and no one has told me to rack off”.
“Do Aussies still use ‘rack off’? I haven’t heard it in H&A for a while (unless I’m just too used to it),” one follower commented. “I can’t imagine Mackenzie telling Mali to rack off back to the board shop.”
‘Bring it back’
While some people admitted they still used the catchphrase, others demanded that it be brought back – not just on Home and Away but in everyday conversations.
“I feel we need to bring rack off back into daily vernacular,” a fan shared, followed by another who wrote, “Totally forgot about rack off! I’m going to start using it now, especially at work”.
“RACK OFF PIGEON HEAD (*adds to insult vocabulary with immediacy*),” someone else wrote, while a different user said, “Bring rack off back!”.
With Home and Away currently on hiatus until 2025, fingers are crossed they decide to bring the saying back when the new season returns.