Opposition Leader Bill Shorten concedes he has had to spend time explaining his infamous ''zingers''. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"Here we are in the last week of Tony Abbott's year of achievement or as I like to think of it: the year of the Shorten zinger," the Labor leader told journalists.

"And it's true that ever since Shane McAuley [a play on Mr Shorten's previous mangling of Micallef's name] started that segment, people have been paying more attention to my metaphors. Which is pleasing, because all of us put a lot of work into them, whether it's writing them, delivering them … or explaining them afterwards.

"But as I have consistently said, if you think we're not going to rule out never not being some kind of blank stamp or a rubber cheque for this government's broken lies and their smelly bag of fish budget … then you need to move into a house with mirrors and have a look at yourself – because a crocodile wouldn't swallow that."

Understanding a Shorten zinger is no mean feat, but Fairfax Media has listed 10 of the best for you to try: