English · Slang Attested

do a perish

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To suffer privation or hardship of any kind.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Khổ sở hoặc khó khăn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Australian English

Examples

I've had ten years of it, scratching enough out of it to dress and feed myself when the going's good and sharing a room with a girl friend or pigging it in some cheap boarding-house, and doing a perish when I've been out of a job. I've got to the point where I can't stick it any longer.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To die, especially to die of thirst; to perish.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chết, đặc biệt là chết vì khát

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “do a perish” mean?

To suffer privation or hardship of any kind.

Is “do a perish” formal or informal?

do a perish is generally slang.