Pull a sickie

SIK-ee

Informal Depends on context

What it really means

Informal slang for taking a day off by pretending to be ill when you are not. It is spoken about jokingly but can be treated as misconduct if an employer finds out, so use the phrase carefully.

Chinese explanation

装病翘班（pull a sickie）：非正式俚语，指其实没病却假装生病请假。人们常拿它开玩笑，但被雇主发现可能被当作违纪，所以这个说法要谨慎使用。

Example conversation

A: The weather's lovely — fancy pulling a sickie? B: Tempting, but I'd get caught. I'll book it as leave instead.

A：天气这么好——要不要装病翘班？ B：挺诱人，但我会被抓包。我还是正常请年假吧。

What you could say back

“Let's just take a proper day off instead.”

Related phrases

Calling in sick Annual leave Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Official sources

Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.

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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake