Brown out


1. A partial failure of the electricity supply. 2. The exposing of one’s buttocks in public.

1. After the lightning struck there was a puff of smoke and everything went dim. Looks like a brown out.

Australia.

Common in Australia, but used elsewhere too.

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.