not happy, Jan

phrase

Used to express displeasure at someone else's incompetence.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:not happy, Jan.”

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Meanings

phrase
  1. AustraliaUsed to express displeasure at someone else's incompetence.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:not happy, Jan.

    1 more example

    One young chick is standing on its toes, flapping crazily, squawking a long ‘not-happy-Jan’ cry in penguin-speak.

    2011, Craig Cormick, In Bed with Douglas Mawson: Travels Around Antarctica, unnumbered page

Origin

Made famous by a television advertisement for Sensis's (Telstra's Directories and Advertising division) Yellow Pages product, which was aired in Australia from 2000–2003. See the Wikipedia article.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

not happy, Jan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20happy%2C%20Jan

MLA

“not happy, Jan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20happy%2C%20Jan. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not happy, Jan,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20happy%2C%20Jan.

Source: not happy, Jan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.