The term ‘ankle-biter’ brings to mindevil,toothykidslatchingontoyour ankles. It’s a very evocative
piece of slang for a young child.Tobehonest,littlekidscanbeannoying, so it really encapsulates
a lot without saying very much.Imaginesomecreaturebitingyour ankles all day! It would be
horrible. That’s what I imaginehavingkidsislike.Inmydrawing, I’ve shown three little kids all
latching onto a giant foot, like evilparasitesthatareneversatisfied until they get what they want.
(Can you tell I don’t have kids?)Ilikedplayingwithscalehere.Icould’ve drawn some children
tucking into an ankle on a plate,butIthoughtthatwastoodark.Iprefer that this has a loose and
chaotic style – it suits the vibe of what‘ankle-biters’isallabout.As for other Aussie slang I like, the
term ‘stunned mullet’ comes to mind.It’ssaidalotinmyfamilyand perfectly describes the look of
someone in dumb shock or surprise.Myowncreationwouldbe‘as mad as a tradie in peak hour’.
It doesn’t really need much explaining–itcouldbeusedinsteadof the classic ‘as mad as a cut
snake’. Have you seen the typeofroadragetradiesoftendole out? It’s on another level.
TESSA CHONG
ankle-biter
pretty pictures