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Title: A Dictionary of Austral English Author: Edward Morris * A Project Gutenberg Australia eBook * eBook No.: 0900231h.html Language: English Date first posted: March 2009 Date most recently updated: March 2009 This eBook was produced by: Geoffrey Cowling Project Gutenberg Australia eBooks are created from printed editions which are in the public domain in Australia, unless a copyright notice is included. We do NOT keep any eBooks in compliance with a particular paper edition. Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this file. This eBook is made available at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg Australia License which may be viewed online at http://gutenberg.net.au/licence.html
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CONTENTS
I. ORIGIN OF THE WORK
First undertaken to help O.E.D.
The Standard Dictionary
II. TITLE AND SCOPE OF THE BOOK
Not a Slang Dictionary
III. SOURCES OF NEW WORDS:--
1. Altered English
2. Words quite new to the language:--
(a) Aboriginal Australian
(b) Maori
IV. THE LAW OF HOBSON-JOBSON
Is Austral English a corruption?
V. CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS
VI. QUOTATIONS. THEIR PURPOSE
VII. BOOKS USED AS AUTHORITIES
VIII. SCIENTIFIC WORDS
IX. ASSISTANCE RECEIVED
X. ABBREVIATIONS:--
1. Of Scientific Names
2. General
* * * * *
XI. AUSTRALASIAN DICTIONARY
About a generation ago Mr. Matthew Arnold twitted our nation with the fact that "the journeyman work of literature" was much better done in France--the books of reference, the biographical dictionaries, and the translations from the classics. He did not especially mention dictionaries of the language, because he was speaking in praise of academies, and, as far as France is concerned, the great achievement in that line is Littre and not the Academy's Dictionary. But the reproach has now been rolled away--nous avons change tout cela--and in every branch to which Arnold alluded our journeyman work is quite equal to anything in France.
It is generally allowed that a vast improvement has taken place in translations, whether prose or verse. From quarter to quarter the Dictionary of National Biography continues its stately progress. But the noblest monument of English scholarship is The New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society, edited by Dr. James Murray, and published at the cost of the University of Oxford. The name New will, however, be unsuitable long before the Dictionary is out of date. Its right name is the Oxford English Dictionary ('O.E.D.'). That great dictionary is built up out of quotations specially gathered for it from English books of all kinds and all periods; and Dr. Murray several years ago invited assistance from this end of the world for words and uses of words peculiar to Australasia, or to parts of it. In answer to his call I began to collect; but instances of words must be noted as one comes across them, and of course they do not occur in alphabetical order. The work took time, and when my parcel of quotations had grown into a considerable heap, it occurred to me that the collection, if a little further trouble were expended upon it, might first enjoy an independent existence. Various friends kindly contributed more quotations: and this Book is the result.
In January 1892, having the honour to be President of the Section of "Literature and the Fine Arts" at the Hobart Meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, I alluded to Dr. Murray's request:
A body like this Section, composed of men from different parts of scattered colonies, might render valuable help in organising the work of collecting authorities for our various peculiar words and usages. Twenty or thirty men and women, each undertaking to read certain books with the new dictionary in mind, and to note in a prescribed fashion what is peculiar, could accomplish all that is needed. Something has been done in Melbourne, but the Colonies have different words and uses of words, and this work is of a kind which might well extend beyond the bounds of a single city. At first it may seem as if our words were few, as if in the hundred years of Australian life few special usages have arisen; but a man with a philological turn of mind, who notes what he hears, will soon find the list grow. Some philologers speak, not perhaps very satisfactorily, of being "at the fountains of language": we can all of us testify to the birth of some words within our own memory, but the origin of these, if not noted, will in time be lost. There are many other words which the strictest cannot condemn as slang, though even slang, being the speech of the people, is not undeserving of some scientific study; words, for instance, which have come into the language from the Aborigines, and names of animals, shrubs, and flowers. It might even be possible, with sufficient co-operation, to produce an Australian dictionary on the same lines as the New English Dictionary by way of supplement to it. Organisation might make the labour light, whilst for many it would from its very nature prove a pleasant task.
These suggestions were not carried out. Individuals sent quotations to Oxford, but no organisation was established to make the collection systematic or complete, and at the next meeting of the Association the Section had ceased to exist, or at least had doffed its literary character.
At a somewhat later date, Messrs. Funk and Wagnall of New York invited me to join an "Advisory Committee on disputed spelling and pronunciation." That firm was then preparing its Standard Dictionary, and one part of the scheme was to obtain opinions as to usage from various parts of the English-speaking world, especially from those whose function it is to teach the English Language. Subsequently, at my own suggestion, the firm appointed me to take charge of the Australian terms in their Dictionary, and I forwarded a certain number of words and phrases in use in Australia. But the accident of the letter A, for Australian, coming early in the alphabet gives my name a higher place than it deserves on the published list of those co-operating in the production of this Standard Dictionary; for with my present knowledge I see that my contribution was lamentably incomplete. Moreover, I joined the Editorial Corps too late to be of real use. Only the final proofs were sent to me, and although my corrections were reported to New York without delay, they arrived too late for any alterations to be effected before the sheets went to press. This took the heart out of my work for that Dictionary. For its modernness, for many of its lexicographical features, and for its splendid illustrations, I entertain a cordial admiration for the book, and I greatly regret the unworthiness of my share in it. It is quite evident that others had contributed Australasian words, and I must confess I hardly like to be held responsible for some of their statements. For instance--
"Aabec. An Australian medicinal bark said to promote perspiration."
I have never heard of it, and my ignorance is shared by the greatest Australian botanist, the Baron von Mueller.
"Beauregarde. The Zebra grass-parrakeet of Australia. From F. beau, regarde. See BEAU n. and REGARD."
As a matter of fact, the name is altered out of recognition, but really comes from the aboriginal budgery, good, and gar, parrot.
"Imou-pine. A large New Zealand tree. . . . called red pine by the colonists and rimu by the natives."
I can find no trace of the spelling "Imou." In a circular to New Zealand newspapers I asked whether it was a known variant. The New Zealand Herald made answer--"He may be sure that the good American dictionary has made a misprint. It was scarcely worth the Professor's while to take notice of mere examples of pakeha ignorance of Maori."
"Swagman. [Slang, Austral.] 1. A dealer in cheap trinkets, etc. 2. A swagger."
In twenty-two years of residence in Australia, I have never heard the former sense.
"Taihoa. [Anglo-Tasmanian.] No hurry; wait."
The word is Maori, and Maori is the language of New Zealand, not of Tasmania.
These examples, I know, are not fair specimens of the accuracy of the Standard Dictionary, but they serve as indications of the necessity for a special book on Australasian English.
In the present day, when words are more and more abbreviated, a "short title" may be counted necessary to the welfare of a book. For this reason "Austral English" has been selected. In its right place in the dictionary the word Austral will be found with illustrations to show that its primary meaning, "southern," is being more and more limited, so that the word may now be used as equivalent to Australasian.
"Austral" or "Australasian English" means all the new words and the new uses of old words that have been added to the English language by reason of the fact that those who speak English have taken up their abode in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Hasty inference might lead to the remark that such addition is only slang, but the remark is far from being accurate; probably not one-tenth of the new vocabulary could fairly be so classified. A great deal of slang is used in Australasia, but very much less is generated here than is usually believed. In 1895 a literary policeman in Melbourne brought out a small Australian Slang Dictionary. In spite of the name, however, the compiler confesses that "very few of the terms it contains have been invented by Australians." My estimate is that not one word in fifty in his little book has an Australian origin, or even a specially Australian use.
The phrase "Australasian English" includes something much wider than slang. Those who, speaking the tongue of Shakspeare, of Milton, and of Dr. Johnson, came to various parts of Australasia, found a Flora and a Fauna waiting to be named in English. New birds, beasts and fishes, new trees, bushes and flowers, had to receive names for general use. It is probably not too much to say that there never was an instance in history when so many new names were needed, and that there never will be such an occasion again, for never did settlers come, nor can they ever again come, upon Flora and Fauna so completely different from anything seen by them before. When the offshoots of our race first began to settle in America, they found much that was new, but they were still in the same North Temperate zone. Though there is now a considerable divergence between the American and the English vocabulary, especially in technical terms, it is not largely due to great differences in natural history. An oak in America is still a Quercus, not as in Australia a Casuarina. But with the whole tropical region intervening it was to be expected that in the South Temperate Zone many things would be different, and such expectation was amply fulfilled. In early descriptions of Australia it is a sort of commonplace to dwell on this complete variety, to harp on the trees that shed bark not leaves, and the cherries with the stones outside. Since the days when "Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field" never were so many new names called for. Unfortunately, names were not given by the best educated in the community, but often by those least qualified to invent satisfactory names: not by a linguist, a botanist, an ornithologist, an ichthyologist, but by the ordinary settler. Even in countries of old civilisation names are frequently conferred or new words invented, at times with good and at times with unsatisfactory results, by the average man, whom it is the modern fashion to call "the man in the street." Much of Australasian nomenclature is due to "the man in the bush" --more precise address not recorded. Givers of new names may be benefactors to their language or violators of its purity and simplicity, but in either case they are nearly always, like the burial-place of Moses, unknown.
Of Australasian additions to the English language there are two main sources, which correspond to the twofold division of them into new words and new uses of old words.
1. Altered English.
The commoner origin of Australasian English words is the turning and twisting of an already existing English name. The settler saw a fruit somewhat like a cherry. Though he knew well that it was not a cherry, he christened it the "native cherry." It may here be remarked that the prefix native is not a satisfactory distinguishing adjective. Native bear, native cherry, may teach the young Australian that the bear and the cherry so named are not as the bear of the Arctic Regions or the cherry of Europe. But in the British Museum the label does not help much. The settler heard a bird laugh in what he thought an extremely ridiculous manner, its opening notes suggesting a donkey's bray--he called it the "laughing jackass." His descendants have dropped the adjective, and it has come to pass that the word "jackass" denotes to an Australian something quite different from its meaning to other speakers of our English tongue. The settler must have had an imagination. Whip-bird, or Coach-whip, from the sound of the note, Lyre-bird from the appearance of the outspread tail, are admirable names.
Another class of name brought the Australian word nearer to its English use. "Robin" for instance is applied to birds of various species not known in Europe. Bird-names, fish-names, plant-names, are sometimes transferred to new species, sometimes to a new genus, sometimes to an entirely different Natural Order, bearing a resemblance to the original, either real or fancied, as for instance "Magpie." It is hardly necessary to dwell longer on this point, for almost every page of the Dictionary bears witness to it.
2. Words new to the Language.
(a) Aboriginal Australian.
Many of the new Australasian words are taken from the languages of the aborigines, often with considerable alteration due to misunderstanding. Such words are either Australian or Maori. Whilst in New Zealand careful attention has been paid by competent scholars to the musical Maori language, it can hardly be claimed that the Australian family of languages has ever been scientifically studied, though there is a heap of printed material--small grammars and lists of words--rudis indigestaque moles. There is no doubt that the vocabularies used in different parts of Australia and Tasmania varied greatly, and equally little doubt that the languages, in structure and perhaps originally in vocabulary, were more or less connected. About the year 1883, Professor Sayce, of Oxford, wrote a letter, which was published in The Argus, pointing out the obligation that lay upon the Australian colonies to make a scientific study of a vanishing speech. The duty would be stronger were it not for the distressing lack of pence that now is vexing public men. Probably a sum of L300 a year would suffice for an educated inquirer, but his full time for several years would be needed. Such an one should be trained at the University as a linguist and an observer, paying especial attention to logic and to Comparative Philology. Whilst the colonies neglect their opportunities, and Sibylla year by year withdraws her offer, perhaps "the inevitable German" will intervene, and in a well-arranged book bring order out of the chaos of vocabularies and small pamphlets on the subject, all that we have to trust to now.
The need of scientific accuracy is strong. For the purposes of this Dictionary I have been investigating the origin of words, more or less naturalised as English, that come from aboriginal Australian, in number between seventy and a hundred. I have received a great deal of kind assistance, many people taking much trouble to inform me. But there is a manifest lack of knowledge. Many supplied me with the meanings of the words as used in English, but though my appeal was scattered far and wide over Australia (chiefly through the kindness of the newspapers), few could really give the origin of the words. Two amongst the best informed went so far as to say that Australian words have no derivation. That doctrine is hard to accept. A word of three syllables does not spring complete from the brain of an aboriginal as Athene rose fully armed from the head of Zeus.
It is beyond all doubt that the vocabularies of the Aborigines differed widely in different parts. Frequently, the English have carried a word known in one district to a district where it was not known, the aboriginals regarding the word as pure English. In several books statements will be found that such and such a word is not Aboriginal, when it really has an aboriginal source but in a different part of the Continent. Mr. Threlkeld, in his Australian Grammar, which is especially concerned with the language of the Hunter River, gives a list of "barbarisms," words that he considers do not belong to the aboriginal tongue. He says with perfect truth-"Barbarisms have crept into use, introduced by sailors, stockmen, and others, in the use of which both blacks and whites labour under the mistaken idea, that each one is conversing in the other's language." And yet with him a "barbarism" has to be qualified as meaning "not belonging to the Hunter District." But Mr. Threlkeld is not the only writer who will not acknowledge as aboriginal sundry words with an undoubted Australian pedigree.
(b) Maori.
The Maori language, the Italian of the South, has received very different treatment from that meted out by fate and indifference to the aboriginal tongues of Australia. It has been studied by competent scholars, and its grammar has been comprehensively arranged and stated. A Maori Dictionary, compiled more than fifty years ago by a missionary, afterwards a bishop, has been issued in a fourth edition by his son, who is now a bishop. Yet, of Maori also, the same thing is said with respect to etymology. A Maori scholar told me that, when he began the study many years ago, he was warned by a very distinguished scholar not to seek for derivations, as the search was full of pitfalls. It was not maintained that words sprang up without an origin, but that the true origin of most of the words was now lost. In spite of this double warning, it may be maintained that some of the origins both of Maori and of Australian words have been found and are in this book recorded.
The pronunciation of Maori words differs so widely from that of Australian aboriginal names that it seems advisable to insert a note on the subject.
Australian aboriginal words have been written down on no system, and very much at hap-hazard. English people have attempted to express the native sounds phonetically according to English pronunciation. No definite rule has been observed, different persons giving totally different values to represent the consonant and vowel sounds. In a language with a spelling so unphonetic as the English, in which the vowels especially have such uncertain and variable values, the results of this want of system have necessarily been very unsatisfactory and often grotesque. Maori words, on the other hand, have been written down on a simple and consistent system, adopted by the missionaries for the purpose of the translation of the Bible. This system consists in giving the Italian sound to the vowels, every letter--vowel and consonant--having a fixed and invariable value. Maori words are often very melodious. In pronunciation the best rule is to pronounce each syllable with a nearly equal accent.
Care has been taken to remember that this is an Australasian English and not a Maori Dictionary; therefore to exclude words that have not passed into the speech of the settlers. But in New Zealand Maori is much more widely used in the matter of vocabulary than the speech of the aborigines is in Australia, or at any rate in the more settled parts of Australia; and the Maori is in a purer form. Though some words and names have been ridiculously corrupted, the language of those who dwell in the bush in New Zealand can hardly be called Pigeon English, and that is the right name for the "lingo" used in Queensland and Western Australia, which, only partly represented in this book, is indeed a falling away from the language of Bacon and Shakspeare.
In many places in the Dictionary, I find I have used the expression "the law of Hobson-Jobson." The name is an adaptation from the expression used by Col. Yule and Mr. Burnell as a name for their interesting Dictionary of Anglo-Indian words. The law is well recognised, though it has lacked the name, such as I now venture to give it. When a word comes from a foreign language, those who use it, not understanding it properly, give a twist to the word or to some part of it from the hospitable desire to make the word at home in its new quarters, no regard, however, being paid to the sense. The most familiar instance in English is crayfish from the French ecrevisse, though it is well known that a crayfish is not a fish at all. Amongst the Mohammedans in India there is a festival at which the names of "Hassan" and "Hosein" are frequently called out by devotees. Tommy Atkins, to whom the names were naught, converted them into "Hobson, Jobson." That the practice of so altering words is not limited to the English is shown by two perhaps not very familiar instances in French, where "Aunt Sally" has become ane sale, "a dirty donkey," and "bowsprit" has become beau pre, though quite unconnected with "a beautiful meadow." The name "Pigeon English" is itself a good example. It has no connection with pigeon, the bird, but is an Oriental's attempt to pronounce the word "business." It hardly, however, seems necessary to alter the spelling to "pidjin."
It may be thought by some precisians that all Australasian English is a corruption of the language. So too is Anglo-Indian, and, pace Mr. Brander Matthews, there are such things as Americanisms, which were not part of the Elizabethan heritage, though it is perfectly true that many of the American phrases most railed at are pure old English, preserved in the States, though obsolete in Modern England; for the Americans, as Lowell says, "could not take with them any better language than that of Shakspeare." When we hear railing at slang phrases, at Americanisms, some of which are admirably expressive, at various flowers of colonial speech, and at words woven into the texture of our speech by those who live far away from London and from Oxford, and who on the outskirts of the British Empire are brought into contact with new natural objects that need new names, we may think for our comfort on the undoubted fact that the noble and dignified language of the poets, authors and preachers, grouped around Lewis XIV., sprang from debased Latin. For it was not the classical Latin that is the origin of French, but the language of the soldiers and the camp-followers who talked slang and picked words up from every quarter. English has certainly a richer vocabulary, a finer variety of words to express delicate distinctions of meaning, than any language that is or that ever was spoken: and this is because it has always been hospitable in the reception of new words. It is too late a day to close the doors against new words. This Austral English Dictionary merely catalogues and records those which at certain doors have already come in.
The Dictionary thus includes the following classes of Words, Phrases and Usages; viz.--
(1) Old English names of Natural Objects--Birds, Fishes, Animals, Trees, Plants, etc.--applied (in the first instance by the early settlers) either to new Australian species of such objects, or to new objects bearing a real or fancied resemblance to them--as Robin, Magpie, Herring, Cod, Cat, Bear, Oak, Beech, Pine, Cedar, Cherry, Spinach, Hops, Pea, Rose.
(2) English names of objects applied in Australia to others quite different-as Wattle, a hurdle, applied as the name of the tree Wattle, from whose twigs the hurdle was most readily made; Jackass, an animal, used as the name for the bird Jackass; Cockatoo, a birdname, applied to a small farmer.
(3) Aboriginal Australian and Maori words which have been incorporated unchanged in the language, and which still denote the original object--as Kangaroo, Wombat, Boomerang, Whare, Pa, Kauri.
(4) Aboriginal Australian and Maori words which have been similarly adopted, and which have also had their original meaning extended and applied to other things--as Bunyip, Corrobbery, Warrigal.
(5) Anglicised corruptions of such words--as Copper-Maori, Go-ashore, Cock-a-bully, Paddy-melon, Pudding-ball, Tooky-took.
(6) Fanciful, picturesque, or humorous names given to new Australasian Natural Objects--as Forty-spot, Lyre-bird, Parson-bird, and Coach-whip (birds); Wait-a-while (a tangled thicket); Thousand-jacket, Jimmy Low, Jimmy Donnelly, and Roger Gough (trees); Axe-breaker, Cheese-wood, and Raspberry Jam (timbers); Trumpeter, Schnapper and Sergeant Baker (fishes); Umbrella-grass and Spaniard (native plants), and so on.
(7) Words and phrases of quite new coinage, or arising from quite new objects or orders of things--as Larrikin, Swagman, Billy, Free-selector, Boundary-rider, Black-tracker, Back-blocks, Clear-skin, Dummyism, Bushed.
(8) Scientific names arising exclusively from Australasian necessities, chiefly to denote or describe new Natural Orders, Genera, or Species confined or chiefly appertaining to Australia--as Monotreme, Petrogale, Clianthus, Ephthianura, Dinornis, Eucalypt, Boronia, Ornithorhynchus, Banksia.
(9) Slang (of which the element is comparatively small)-- as Deepsinker, Duck-shoving, Hoot, Slushy, Boss-cockie, On-the-Wallaby.
With certain exceptions, this Dictionary is built up, as a Dictionary should be, on quotations, and these are very copious. It may even be thought that their number is too large. It is certainly larger, and in some places the quotations themselves are much longer, than could ever be expected in a general Dictionary of the English Language. This copiousness is, however, the advantage of a special Dictionary. The intention of the quotations is to furnish evidence that a word is used as an English word; and many times the quotation itself furnishes a satisfactory explanation of the meaning. I hope, however, I shall not be held responsible for all the statements in the quotations, even where attention is not drawn to their incorrectness. Sundry Australasian uses of words are given in other dictionaries, as, for instance, in the parts already issued of the Oxford English Dictionary and in The Century, but the space that can be allotted to them in such works is of necessity too small for full explanation. Efforts have been made to select such quotations as should in themselves be interesting, picturesque, and illustrative. In a few cases they may even be humorous.
Moreover, the endeavour has been constant to obtain quotations from all parts of the Australasian Colonies--from books that describe different parts of Australasia, and from newspapers published far and wide. I am conscious that in the latter division Melbourne papers predominate, but this has been due to the accident that living in Melbourne I see more of the Melbourne papers, whilst my friends have sent me more quotations from books and fewer from newspapers.
The quotations, however, are not all explanatory. Many times a quotation is given merely to mark the use of a word at a particular epoch. Quotations are all carefully dated and arranged in their historical order, and thus the exact chronological development of a word has been indicated. The practice of the 'O.E.D.' has been followed in this respect and in the matter of quotations generally, though as a rule the titles of books quoted have been more fully expressed here than in that Dictionary. Early quotations have been sought with care, and a very respectable antiquity, about a century, has been thus found for some Australasian words. As far as possible, the spelling, the stops, the capitals, and the italics of the original have been preserved. The result is often a rich variety of spelling the same word in consecutive extracts.
The last decade has been a very active time in Australian science. A great deal of system has been brought into its study, and much rearrangement of classification has followed as the result. Both among birds and plants new species have been distinguished and named: and there has been not a little change in nomenclature. This Dictionary, it must be remembered, is chiefly concerned with vernacular names, but for proper identification, wherever possible, the scientific name is added. In some cases, where there has been a recent change in the latter, both the new and the older names are recorded.
The less-known birds, fishes, plants, and trees are in many cases not illustrated by quotations, but have moved to their places in the Dictionary from lists of repute. Many books have been written on the Natural History of Australia and New Zealand, and these have been placed under contribution. Under the head of Botany no book has been of greater service than Maiden's Useful Native Plants. Unfortunately many scientific men scorn vernacular names, but Mr. Maiden has taken the utmost pains with them, and has thereby largely increased the utility of his volume. For Tasmania there is Mr. Spicer's Handbook of Tasmanian Plants; for New Zealand, Kirk's Forest Flora and Hooker's Botany.
For Australian animals Lydekker's Marsupials and Monotremes is excellent; especially his section on the Phalanger or Australian Opossum, an animal which has been curiously neglected by all Dictionaries of repute. On New Zealand mammals it is not necessary to quote any book; for when the English came, it is said, New Zealand contained no mammal larger than a rat. Captain Cook turned two pigs loose; but it is stated on authority, that these pigs left no descendants. One was ridden to death by Maori boys, and the other was killed for sacrilege: he rooted in a tapu burial-place. Nevertheless, the settlers still call any wild-pig, especially if lean and bony, a "Captain Cook."
For the scientific nomenclature of Australian Botany the Census of Australian Plants by the Baron von Mueller (1889) is indispensable. It has been strictly followed. For fishes reliance has been placed upon Tenison Woods' Fishes and Fisheries of New South Wales (1882), on W. Macleay's Descriptive Catalogue of Australian Fishes (Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales, vols. v. and vi.), and on Dr. Guenther's Study of Fishes. For the scientific nomenclature of Animal Life, the standard of reference has been the Tabular List of all the Australian Birds by E. P. Ramsay of the Australian Museum, Sydney (1888); Catalogue of Australian Mammals by J. O. Ogilby of the Australian Museum, Sydney (1892); Catalogue of Marsupials and Monotremes, British Museum (1888); Prodromus to the Natural History of Victoria by Sir F. McCoy. Constant reference has also been made to Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales, Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Societies of Victoria and Tasmania, and to the journal of the Field Naturalist Club of Victoria.
The birds both in Australia and New Zealand have been handsomely treated by the scientific illustrators. Gould's Birds of Australia and Buller's Birds of New Zealand are indeed monumental works. Neither Gould nor Sir Walter Buller scorns vernacular names. But since the days of the former the number of named species of Australian birds has largely increased, and in January 1895, at the Brisbane Meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, a Committee was appointed to draw up a list of vernacular bird-names. By the kindness of a member of this Committee (Mr. A. J. Campbell of Melbourne) I was allowed the use of a list of such vernacular names drawn up by him and Col. Legge for submission to the Committee.
The example of The Century has been followed in the inclusion of sundry scientific names, especially those of genera or Natural Orders of purely Australasian objects. Although it is quite true that these can hardly be described as Australasian English, it is believed that the course adopted will be for the general convenience of those who consult this Dictionary.
Some of these "Neo-Latin" and "Neo-Greek" words are extraordinary in themselves and obscure in their origin, though not through antiquity. In his Student's Pastime, at p. 293, Dr. Skeat says "Nowhere can more ignorant etymologies be found than in works on Botany and 'scientific' subjects. Too often, all the science is reserved for the subject, so that there is none to spare for explaining the names."
A generous latitude has also been taken in including some words undoubtedly English, but not exclusively Australasian, such as Anabranch, and Antipodes, and some mining and other terms that are also used in the United States. Convenience of readers is the excuse. Anabranch is more frequently used of Australian rivers than of any others, but perhaps a little pride in tracking the origin of the word has had something to do with its inclusion. Some words have been inserted for purposes of explanation, e.g. Snook, in Australasia called Barracouta, which latter is itself an old name applied in Australasia to a different fish; and Cavally, which is needed to explain Trevally.
There remains the pleasant duty of acknowledging help. Many persons have given me help, whose names can hardly be listed here. A friend, an acquaintance, or sometimes even a stranger, has often sent a single quotation of value, or an explanation of a single word. The Editors of many newspapers have helped not a little by the insertion of a letter or a circular. To all these helpers, and I reckon their number at nearly 200, I tender my hearty thanks.
Various officers of the Melbourne Public Library, and my friend Mr. Edward H. Bromby, the Librarian of this University, have rendered me much assistance. I have often been fortunate enough to obtain information from the greatest living authority on a particular subject: from the Baron von Mueller, from Sir Frederick M'Coy, or from Mr. A. W. Howitt. [Alas! since I penned this sentence, the kind and helpful Baron has been taken from us, and is no longer the greatest living authority on Australian Botany.] My friend and colleague, Professor Baldwin Spencer, a most earnest worker in the field of Australian science, gave many hours of valuable time to set these pages right in the details of scientific explanations. Mr. J. G. Luehmann of Melbourne has kindly answered various questions about Botany, and Mr. A. J. North, of Sydney, in regard to certain birds. Mr. T. S. Hall, of the Biological Department of this University, and Mr. J. J. Fletcher, of Sydney, the Secretary of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales, have rendered me much help. The Rev. John Mathew, of Coburg, near Melbourne, has thrown much light on aboriginal words. The Rev. E. H. Sugden, Master of Queen's College in this University, has furnished a large number of useful quotations. His name is similarly mentioned, honoris causa, in Dr. Murray's Preface to Part I. of the 'O. E. D.' Mr. R. T. Elliott of Worcester College, Oxford, has given similar help. The Master himself,--the Master of all who engage in Dictionary work,--Dr. Murray, of Oxford, has kindly forwarded to me a few pithy and valuable comments on my proof-streets. He also made me a strong appeal never to pass on information from any source without acknowledgment. This, the only honest course, I have striven scrupulously to follow; but it is not always easy to trace the sources whence information has been derived.
When gaps in the sequence of quotations were especially apparent on the proofs, Mr. W. Ellis Bird, of Richmond, Victoria, found me many illustrative passages. For New Zealand words a goodly supply of quotations was contributed by Miss Mary Colborne-Veel of Christchurch, author of a volume of poetry called The Fairest of the Angels, by her sister, Miss Gertrude Colborne-Veel, and by Mr. W. H. S. Roberts of Oamaru, author of a little book called Southland in 1856. In the matter of explanation of the origin and meaning of New Zealand terms, Dr. Hocken of Dunedin, Mr. F. R. Chapman of the same city, and Mr. Edward Tregear of Wellington, author of the Maori Polynesian Dictionary, and Secretary of the Polynesian Society, have rendered valuable and material assistance. Dr. Holden of Bellerive, near Hobart, was perhaps my most valued correspondent. After I had failed in one or two quarters to enlist Tasmanian sympathy, he came to the rescue, and gave me much help on Tasmanian words, especially on the Flora and the birds; also on Queensland Flora and on the whole subject of Fishes. Dr. Holden also enlisted later the help of Mr. J. B. Walker, of Hobart, who contributed much to enrich my proofs. But the friend who has given me most help of all has been Mr. J. Lake of St. John's College, Cambridge. When the Dictionary was being prepared for press, he worked with me for some months, very loyally putting my materials into shape. Birds, Animals, and Botany he sub-edited for me, and much of the value of this part of the Book, which is almost an Encyclopaedia rather than a Dictionary, is due to his ready knowledge, his varied attainments, and his willingness to undertake research.
To all who have thus rendered me assistance I tender hearty thanks. It is not their fault if, as is sure to be the case, defects and mistakes are found in this Dictionarv. But should the Book be received with public favour, these shall be corrected in a later edition.
EDWARD E. MORRIS.
The University, Melbourne,
February 23, 1897
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS OF NAMES
Ait. . . . Aiton.
Andr. . . . Andrews.
B. and L. . Barere and L.
Bail. . . . Baillon.
Bechst. . . Bechstein.
Benth. . . Bentham.
Bl. . . . Bleeker.
Bodd. . . . Boddaert
Bp. )
) . Bonaparte.
Bonap. )
R. Br. . . Robert Brown
Brong. . . Brongniart.
Cab. . . . Cabanis.
Carr. . . . Carriere.
Castln. . . Castelnau.
Cav. . . . Cavanilles.
Corr. . . . Correa.
Cunn. )
) . A. Cunningham
A. Cunn. )
Cuv. . . . Cuvier.
De C. . . . De Candolle.
Dec. . . . Decaisne.
Desf. . . . Desfontaines.
Desm. . . . Desmarest.
Desv. . . . Desvaux.
De Tarrag. . De Tarragon
Diet. . . . Dietrich.
Donov. . . Donovan.
Drap. . . . Drapiez.
Dryand. . . Dryander.
Endl. . . . Endlicher.
Fab. . . . Fabricius.
Forsk. . . Forskael.
Forst. . . Forster.
F. v. M. . . Ferdinand von Mueller
G. Forst. . G. Forster.
Gaertn. . . Gaertner.
Gaim. . . . Gaimard.
Garn. . . . Garnot.
Gaud. . . Gaudichaud.
Geoff. . . Geoffroy.
Germ. . . Germar.
Gmel. . . Gmelin.
Guich. . . Guichenot.
Gunth. . . Guenther.
Harv. . . Harvey.
Hasselq. . . Hasselquin.
Haw. . . . Haworth.
Hens. . . Henslow.
Herb. . . Herbert.
Homb. . . Hombron.
Hook. . . J. Hooker.
Hook. f. . . Hooker fils.
Horsf. . . Horsfield.
Ill. . . . Illiger.
Jacq. . . . Jacquinot.
Jard. . . . Jardine.
L. and S. . Liddell and Scott.
Lab. )
) . Labillardiere.
Labill. )
Lacep. . . Lacepede.
Lath. . . . Latham.
Lehm. . . Lehmann.
Less. . . Lesson.
L'herit. . . L'Heritier.
Licht. . . Lichtenstein.
Lindl. . . Lindley.
Linn. . . . Linnaeus.
Macl. . . . Macleay.
McC. . . . McCoy.
Meissn. . . Meissner.
Menz. . . Menzies.
Milne-Ed. . Milne-Edwards.
Miq. . . . Miquel.
Parlat. . . Parlatore.
Pers. . . . Persoon.
Plan. )
) . Planchol.
Planch. )
Poir. . . Poiret.
Q. . . . Quoy.
Rafll. . . Raffles.
Rein. . . . Reinwardt.
Reiss. . . Reisseck.
Rich. )
) . Richardson.
Richards.)
Roxb. . . Roxburgh
Sal. . . . Salvadori.
Salisb. . . Salisbury.
Schau. . . Schauer.
Schl. )
) . Schlechten
Schlecht.)
Selb. . . . Selby.
Ser. . . . Seringe.
Serv. . . . Serville.
Sieb. . . . Sieber.
Sm. . . . Smith.
Sol. . . . Solander.
Sow. . . . Sowerby.
Sparrm. . . Sparrman.
Steph. . . Stephan.
Sundev. . . Sundevall.
Sw. )
) . Swainson.
Swains. )
Temm. . . Temminck.
Thunb. . . Thunberg.
Tul. . . . Tulasne.
V. and H. . Vigors and Horsfield.
Val. . . . Valenciennes.
Vent. . . . Ventenat.
Vieill. . . Vieillot.
Vig. . . . Vigors.
Wagl. . . . Wagler.
Water. . . Waterhouse.
Wedd. . . . Weddell.
Willd. . . Willdenow.
Zimm. . . . Zimmermann.
OTHER ABBREVIATIONS
q.v. quod vide, which see.
i.q. idem quod, the same as.
ibid. ibidem, in the same book.
i.e. id est, that is.
sc. scilicet, that is to say.
s.v. sub voce, under the word.
cf. confer, compare.
n. noun,
adj. adjective.
v. verb.
prep. preposition.
interj. interjection.
sic, "thus," draws attention to some peculiarity of
diction or to what is believed to be a mistake.
N.O. Natural Order.
sp. a species,
spp. various species.
A square bracket [ ] shows an addition to a quotation by way
of comment.
O.E.D. "Oxford English Dictionary," often formerly quoted
as "N.E.D." or "New English Dictionary."
A
Absentee, n. euphemistic term for a convict.
The word has disappeared with the need for it.
1837. Jas. Mudie, 'Felonry of New South Wales,' p. vii.:
"The ludicrous and affected philanthropy of the present
Governor of the Colony, in advertising runaway convicts under
the soft and gentle name of absentees, is really
unaccountable, unless we suppose it possible that his
Excellency as a native of Ireland, and as having a
well-grounded Hibernian antipathy to his absentee countrymen,
uses the term as one expressive both of the criminality of the
absentee and of his own abhorrence of the crime."
Acacia, n. and adj. a genus of shrubs or
trees, N.O. Leguminosae. The Australian species often
form thickets or scrubs, and are much used for hedges. The
species are very numerous, and are called provincially by
various names, e.g. "Wattle," "Mulga," "Giddea," and "Sally,"
an Anglicized form of the aboriginal name Sallee (q.v.).
The tree peculiar to Tasmania, Acacia riceana, Hensl.,
N.O. Leguminosae, is there called the Drooping
Acacia.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 202:
"We possess above a hundred and thirty species of the acacia."
1839. Dr. J. Shotsky, quoted in 'Sydney Morning Herald,' Aug. 5,
p. 5, col. 2:
"Yet, Australian sky and nature awaits and merits real artists
to portray it. Its gigantic gum and acacia trees, 40 ft. in
girth, some of them covered with a most smooth bark, externally
as white as chalk. .. ."
1844. L. Leichhardt, Letter in 'Cooksland,' by J. D. Lang, p. 91:
"Rosewood Acacia, the wood of which has a very agreeable violet
scent like the Myal Acacia (A. pendula) in Liverpool
Plains."
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 149:
"The Acacias are innumerable, all yielding a famous bark for
tanning, and a clean and excellent gum."
1869. Mrs. Meredith, 'A Tasmanian Memory,' p. 8:
"Acacias fringed with gold."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 24:
"The name Acacia, derived from the Greek, and indicative of a
thorny plant, was already bestowed by the ancient naturalist
and physician Dioscorides on a Gum-Arabic yielding
North-African Acacia not dissimilar to some Australian species.
This generic name is so familiarly known, that the appellation
'Wattle' might well be dispensed with. Indeed the name Acacia
is in full use in works on travels and in many popular writings
for the numerous Australian species . . . Few of any genera of
plants contain more species than Acacia, and in Australia it is
the richest of all; about 300 species, as occurring in our
continent, have been clearly defined."
Acrobates, n. the scientific name of the
Australian genus of Pigmy Flying-Phalangers, or, as they
are locally called, Opossum-Mice. See Opossum-Mouse,
Flying-Mouse, Flying-Phalanger, and Phalanger. The
genus was founded by Desmarest in 1817.
(Grk. 'akrobataes, walking on tiptoe.)
AEpyprymnus, n. the scientific name of the genus
of the Rufous Kangaroo-Rat. It is the tallest and
largest of the Kangaroo-Rats (q.v.). (Grk. 'aipus,
high, and prumnon, the hinder part.)
Ailuroedus, n. scientific name for the genus of
Australian birds called Cat-birds (q.v.). From
Grk. 'ailouros, a cat, and 'eidos, species.
Ake, n. originally Akeake, Maori name for either
of two small trees, (1) Dodonaea viscosa, Linn., in New
Zealand; (2) Olearia traversii, F. v. M., in the Chatham
Islands. Ake is originally a Maori adv. meaning
"onwards, in time." Archdeacon Williams, in his 'Dictionary of
New Zealand Language,' says Ake, Ake, Ake,
means " for ever and ever." (Edition 182.)
1820. 'Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church
Missionary Society), p.133:
"Akeake, paulo post futurum"
1835. W. Yale, 'Some Account of New Zealand,' p. 47:
"Aki, called the Lignum vitae of New Zealand."
1851. Mrs. Wilson, 'New Zealand,' p. 43:
"The ake and towai . . . are almost equal, in point of colour,
to rosewood."
1883. J. Hector, 'Handbook to New Zealand,' p. 131:
"Ake, a small tree, 6 to 12 feet high. Wood very hard,
variegated, black and white; used for Maori clubs; abundant in
dry woods and forests."
Alarm-bird, n. a bird-name no longer used in
Australia. There is an African Alarm-bird.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 9:
"Lobivanellus lobatus (Lath.), Wattled Pewit, Alarm Bird of
the Colonists."
Alectryon, n. a New Zealand tree and flower,
Alectryon excelsum, De C., Maori name Titoki
(q.v.); called also the New Zealand Oak, from the
resemblance of its leaves to those of an oak. Named by
botanists from Grk. 'alektruown, a cock.
1872. A. Domett, 'Ranolf,' I. 7, p. 16:
"The early season could not yet
Have ripened the alectryon's beads of jet,
Each on its scarlet strawberry set."
Alexandra Palm, n. a Queensland tree,
Ptychosperma alexandrae, F. v. M. A beautifully marked
wood much used for making walking sticks. It grows 70 or 80
feet high.
Alluvial, n. the common term in Australia and
New Zealand for gold-bearing alluvial soil. The word is also
used adjectivally as in England.
1889. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms,' p. 403:
"The whole of the alluvial will be taken up, and the Terrible
Hollow will re-echo with the sound of pick and shovel."
Ambrite (generally called ambrit), n.
Mineral [from amber + ite, mineral formative, 'O.E.D.'], a
fossil resin found in masses amidst lignite coals in various
parts of New Zealand. Some identify it with the resin of
Dammara australis, generally called Kauri gum
(q.v.).
1867. F. von Hochstetter, 'New Zealand,' p. 79:
"Although originating probably from a coniferous tree related
to the Kauri pine, it nevertheless has been erroneously taken
for Kauri gum."--[Footnote]: "It is sufficiently characterised
to deserve a special name ; but it comes so near to real
amber that it deserves the name of Ambrite."
[This is the earliest use of the word.]
Anabranch, n. a branch of a river which leaves
it and enters it again. The word is not Australian, though it
is generally so reckoned. It is not given in the 'Century,'
nor in the 'Imperial,' nor in 'Webster,' nor in the 'Standard.'
The 'O.E.D.' treats Ana as an independent word, rightly
explaining it as anastomosing, but its quotation from
the 'Athenaeum' (1871), on which it relies,is a misprint. For
the origin and coinage of the word, see quotation 1834. See
the aboriginal name Billabong.
1834. Col.Jackson, 'Journal of Royal Geographical Society,' p. 79:
"Such branches of a river as after separation re-unite, I would
term anastomosing-branches; or, if a word might be
coined, ana-branches, and the islands they form,
branch-islands. Thus, if we would say, 'the river in
this part of its course divides into several
ana-branches,' we should immediately understand the
subsequent re-union of the branches to the main trunk."
Col. Jackson was for a while Secretary and Editor of the
Society's Journal. In Feb. 1847 he resigned that position, and
in the journal of that year there is the following amusing
ignorance of his proposed word--
1847. 'Condensed Account of Sturt's Exploration in the
Interior of Australia--Journal of the Royal Geographical
Society,' p. 87:
"Captain Sturt proposed sending in advance to ascertain the
state of the Ana branch of the Darling, discovered by Mr. Eyre
on a recent expedition to the North."
No fewer than six times on two pages is the word
anabranch printed as two separate words, and as if
Ana were a proper name. In the Index volume it appears
"Ana, a branch of the Darling."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 35:
"The river itself divided into anabranches which . . . made the
whole valley a maze of channels."
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. i. p. 298:
"What the Major calls, after the learned nomenclature of
Colonel Jackson, in the 'Journal of the Geographical Society,'
anabranches, but which the natives call billibongs, channels
coming out of a stream and returning into it again."
1871. 'The Athenaeum,' May 27, p. 660 (' O.E.D.'):
"The Loddon district is called the County of Gunbower,
which means, it is said, an ana branch [sic]."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' p. 48:
"A plain bordering an ana-branch sufficient for water."
Anchorwing, n. a bird-name, Falco
melanogenys, Gould. The Black-cheeked Falcon, so called
because of the resemblance of the wings outspread in flight to
the flukes of an anchor.
Anguillaria, n. one of the vernacular names
used for the common Australian wild flower, Anguillaraa
australis, R. Br., Wurmbsea dioica, F. v. M.,
N.O. Liliaceae. The name Anguillarea is from the
administrator of the Botanic Gardens of Padua, three centuries
ago. There are three Australian forms, distinguished by Robert
Brown as species. The flower is very common in the meadows in
early spring, and is therefore called the Native Snow
Drop. In Tasmania it is called Nancy.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' 67:
"Spotted Anguillaria. Nancy. The little lively white flower
with blue spots in the centre, about 2 inches high, that
everywhere enlivens our grassy hills in spring, resembling the
Star of Bethlehem."
1878. W. R. Guilfoyle, 'Australian Botany,' p. 83:
"Native Snowdrop. Anguillaria Australis. The earliest
of all our indigenous spring-flowering plants. . . . In early
spring our fields are white with the flowers of this pretty
little bulbous-rooted plant."
Ant-eater, n.
(1) i.q. Ant-eating-Porcupine. See Echidna.
(2) The Banded Ant-eater (q.v.).
Ant-eater, Banded. See Banded Ant-eater.
Antechinornys, n. scientific name for the genus
with the one species of Long legged Pouched-Mouse
(q.v.). (Grk. 'anti, opposed to, 'echivos,
hedgehog, and mus, mouse, sc. a mouse different to the
hedgehog.) It is a jumping animal exclusively insectivorous.
Antipodes, n. properly a Greek word, the plural
of 'antipous, lit. "having feet opposed." The
ancients, however, had no knowledge of the southern hemisphere.
Under the word perioikos, Liddell and Scott explain that
'antipodes meant "those who were in opposite parallels
and meridians." The word Antipodes was adopted into the
Latin language, and occurs in two of the Fathers, Lactantius
and Augustine. By the mediaeval church to believe in the
antipodes was regarded as heresy. 'O.E.D.' quotes two examples
of the early use of the word in English.
1398. 'Trevisa Barth. De P. R.,' xv. lii. (1495), p. 506:
"Yonde in Ethiopia ben the Antipodes, men that have theyr fete
ayenst our fete."
1556. 'Recorde Cast. Knowl.,' 93:
"People . . . called of the Greeks and Latines also
'antipodes, Antipodes, as you might say
Counterfooted, or Counterpasers."
Shakspeare uses the word in five places, but, though he knew
that this "pendent world" was spherical, his Antipodes were not
Australasian. In three places he means only the fact that it
is day in the Eastern hemisphere when it is night in England.
'Midsummer Night's Dream,' III. ii. 55:
"I'll believe as soon
This whole earth may be bored, and that the moon
May thro' the centre creep and so displease
His brother's noontide with the Antipodes."
'Merchant of Venice,' V. 127:
"We should hold day with the Antipodes
If you would walk in absence of the sun."
'Richard II.,' III. ii. 49:
"Who all this while hath revell'd in the night,
Whilst we were wandering with the Antipodes."
In 'Henry VI.,' part 3, I. iv. 135, the word more clearly
designates the East:
"Thou art as opposite to every good
As the Antipodes are unto us,
Or as the South to the Septentrion." [sc. the North.]
But more precise geographical indications are given in 'Much
Ado,' II. i. 273, where Benedick is so anxious to avoid
Beatrice that he says--
"I will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes that
you can devise to send me on. I will fetch you a tooth-picker
now from the farthest inch of Asia; bring you the length of
Prester John's foot; fetch you a hair of the great Kam's beard;
do you any embassage to the Pygmies rather than hold three
words conference with this harpy."
Now the Pygmies lived on the Upper Nile, near Khartoum,
Prester John in India, and the great Kam (Khan) in Tartary.
The word Antipodes in modern use is applied rather to
places than to people. Geographically, the word means a place
exactly opposite on the surface of the globe, as Antipodes
Island (Eastward of New Zealand), which is very near the
opposite end of the diameter of the globe passing through
London. But the word is often used in a wider sense, and the
whole of Australasia is regarded as the Antipodes of Great
Britain.
The question is often asked whether there is any singular to
the word Antipodes, and 'O.E.D.' shows that antipode is
still used in the sense of the exact opposite of a
person. Antipod is also used, especially playfully. The
adjectives used are Antipodal and Antipodean.
1640. Richard Brome [Title]:
"The Antipodes; comedy in verse." [Acted in 1638, first
printed 4t0. 1640.]
Ant-orchis, n. an Australian and Tasmanian
orchid, Chiloglottis gunnii, Lind.
Apple and Apple-tree, n. and
adj. The names are applied to various indigenous trees,
in some cases from a supposed resemblance to the English fruit,
in others to the foliage of the English tree. The varieties
are--
Black or Brush Apple--
Achras australis, R. Br.
Emu A.--
Owenia acidula, F. v. M.; called also Native
Nectarine and Native Quince.
Petalostigma quadriloculare, F. v. M.; called also
Crab-tree, Native Quince, Quinine-tree
(q.v.)
Kangaroo A.--
See Kangaroo Apple.
Mooley A. (West N.S.W. name)--
Owenia acidula, F. v. M.
Mulga A.--
The Galls of Acacia aneura, F. v. M.
Oak A.--
Cones of Casuarina stricta, Ait.
Rose A.--
Owenia cerasifera, F. v. M.
1820. John Oxley, 'Journal of Two Expeditions into the Interior
of New South Wales,' p. 187:
"The blue gum trees in the neighbourhood were extremely fine,
whilst that species of Eucalyptus, which is vulgarly called the
apple-tree . . . again made its appearance. . . ."
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 260:
"It builds its nest of sticks lined with grass in
Iron-bark and Apple-trees (a species of
Angophora)."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,'
vol. i. p. 200:
"The apple-trees resemble the English apple only in leaf."
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 195:
"In looking down upon the rich flats below, adjoining the
stream, I was perpetually reminded of a thriving and rich
apple-orchard. The resemblance of what are called apple-trees
in Australia to those of the same name at home is so striking
at a distance in these situations, that the comparison could
not be avoided, although the former bear no fruit, and do not
even belong to the same species."
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 52:
"I have heard of men employed in felling whole apple-trees
(Angophera lanceolata) for the sheep."
1846. J. L. Stokes, 'Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c.
iv. p. 132;
"Red Apple, Quonui, affects salt grounds."
1847. J. D. Lang, 'Phillipsland,' p. 256:
"The plains, or rather downs, around it (Yass) are thinly but
most picturesquely covered with 'apple-trees,' as they are
called by the colonists, merely from their resemblance to the
European apple-tree in their size and outline, for they do not
resemble it in producing an edible fruit."
1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, 'Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 32:
"The musk-plant, hyacinth, grass-tree, and kangaroo apple-tree
are indigenous."
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 219:
"Pomona would indignantly disown the apple-tree, for there is
not the semblance of a pippin on its tufted branches."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 113:
"Sandy apple-tree flats, and iron-bark ridges, lined the creek
here on either side."
1896. H. Lawson, 'When the World was Wide,' p. 158:
"The desolate flats where gaunt apple-trees rot."
Apple-berry, n. the fruit of an Australian
shrub, Billardiera scandens, Smith,
N.O. Pittosporeae, called by children "dumplings."
1793. J. E. Smith, 'Specimen of Botany of New Holland,' pp. 1, 3:
"Billardiera scandens. Climbing Apple Berry. . . .
The name Billardiera is given it in honour of James Julian la
Billardiere, M.D., F.M.L.S., now engaged as botanist on board
the French ships sent in search of M. de la Peyrouse."
Apple-gum, n. See Gum.
Apple-scented gum, n. See Gum.
Apteryx, n. [Grk. 'a privative and
pterux, a wing.] A New Zealand bird about the size of
a domestic fowl, with merely rudimentary wings.See Kiwi.
1813. G. Shaw, 'Naturalist's Miscellany.' c. xxiv. p. 1058
('O.E.D.'):
"The Southern Apteryx."
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 137:
"The present Apterix or wingless bird of that country (New
Zealand)."
1851. 'Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van
Diemen's Land,' vol. i. p. 300 [Letter from Rev. W. Colenso,
Waitangi, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, Sept. 4, 1850:
"You enquire after an Apteryx. How delighted should I
be to succeed in getting you one. Three years ago Owen
expressed a similar wish, and I have repeatedly tried, but
failed. Yet here they still are in the mountain forests,
though, doubtless, fast hastening towards extinction. I saw
one in its wild state two years ago in the dense woods of the
interior; I saw it clearly. . . . Two living specimens were
lately taken by the Acheron, steamer, to Sydney, where they
died; these were obtained at the Bay of Islands, where also I
once got three at one time. Since then I have not been able to
obtain another, although I have offered a great price for one.
The fact is, the younger natives do not know how to take them,
and the elder ones having but few wants, and those fully
supplied, do not care to do so. Further, they can only be
captured by night, and the dog must be well trained to be of
service."
1874. F. P. Cobbe, in 'Littell's Age,' Nov. 7, p. 355
('Standard'):
"We have clipped the wings of Fancy as close as if she were
an Apteryx.'
Arbutus, Native, n. See Wax-Cluster.
Ardoo, n. See Nardoo.
Artichoke, n. name given to the plant
Astelia Alpina, R. Br., N.O. Liliaceae.
Ash, n. The name, with various epithets, is
applied to the following different Australasian trees--
Black Ash--
Nephelium semiglaucum, F. v. M.,
N.O. Sapindaceae; called also Wild Quince.
Black Mountain A.-- Eucalyptus leucoxylon, F. v. M.,
N.O. Myrtaceae.
Blue A.--
Elaeodendron australe, Vent., N.O. Celastrinae.
Blueberry A.-- Elaeocarpus holopetalus, F. v. M.,
N.O. Tiliaceae.
Brush Apple-- Acronychia baueri, Schott. (of Illawarra,
N.S.W.).
Crow's A.--
Flindersia australis, R. Br., N.O. Meliaceae.
Elderberry A. (of Victoria)--
Panax sambucifolius, Sieb., N.O. Araliaceae.
Illawarra A.--
Elaeocarpus kirtonia, F. v. M., N.O. Tiliaceae.
Moreton Bay A.--
Eucalyptus tessellaris, Hook., N.O. Myrtaceae.
Mountain A. (see Mountain Ash).
New Zealand A. (see Titoki).
Pigeonberry A.--
Elaeocarpus obovatus, G. Don., N.O. Tiliaceae.
Red A.--
Alphitonia excelsa, Reiss, N.O. Rhamnaceae.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 75:
"The Moreton Bay Ash (a species of Eucalyptus). ..was
here also very plentiful."
Assigned, past part. of verb to assign,
to allot. Used as adj. of a convict allotted to a
settler as a servant. Colloquially often reduced to "signed."
1827. 'Captain Robinson's Report,' Dec. 23:
"It was a subject of complaint among the settlers, that their
assigned servants could not be known from soldiers, owing to
their dress; which very much assisted the crime of
'bush-ranging.'"
1837. J. D. Lang, 'New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 31
"The assigned servant of a respectable Scotch family residing
near Sydney."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 75:
"Of the first five persons we saw to Van Diemen's Land, four
were convicts, and perhaps the fifth. These were the assigned
servants of the pilot."
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 324:
"Under the old practice, the convicts, as soon as they arrived
from Britain, were assigned among the various applicants. The
servant thus assigned was bound to perform diligently, from
sunrise till sunset, all usual and reasonable labour."
Assignee, n. a convict assigned as a servant. The
word is also used in its ordinary English sense.
1843. 'Penny Cyclopaedia,' vol. xxv. p. 139, col. 2:
"It is comparatively difficult to obtain another
assignee,--easy to obtain a hired servant."
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 324:
"Any instance of gross treatment disqualified him for the
future as an assignee of convict labour."
Assignment, n. service as above.
1836. C. Darwin, 'Journal of Researches' (1890),
c. xix. p. 324:
"I believe the years of assignment are passed away with
discontent and unhappiness."
1852. John West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 126:
"That form of service, known as assignment, was established by
Governor King in 1804."
1861. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 117:
"The assignment system was then in operation, and such as
obtained free grants of land were allowed a certain proportion
of convicts to bring it into cultivation."
Asthma Herb, Queensland, n. Euphorbia
pilulifera, Linn. As the name implies, a remedy for asthma.
The herb is collected when in flower and carefully dried.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 183:
"This plant, having obtained some reputation in Australasia in
certain pulmonary complaints, has acquired the appellation to
the Colonies of 'Queensland Asthma Herb'. Nevertheless, it is
by no means endemic in Australasia, for it is a common tropical
weed."
Aua, n. Maori name for a New Zealand fish,
Agonostoma forsteri, Bleek. Another Maori name is
Makawhiti; also called Sea-Mullet and sometimes
Herring; (q.v.). It is abundant also in Tasmanian
estuaries, and is one of the fishes which when dried is called
Picton Herring (q.v.). See also Maray and
Mullet. Agonostoma is a genus of the family
Mugilidae or Grey-Mullets.
Aurora australis, n. the Southern equivalent
for Aurora borealis.
1790. J. White, 'Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 214:
"Sept. 5, 1788. About half after six in the evening, we saw an
Aurora Australis, a phenomenon uncommon in the southern
hemisphere."
Austral, adj. "Belonging to the South,
Southern. Lat. Australis, from auster,
south-wind." ('O.E.D.') The word is rarely used in Australasia
in its primary sense, but now as equivalent to Australian or
Australasian.
1823. Wentworth's Cambridge poem on 'Australasia':
"And grant that yet an Austral Milton's song,
Pactolus-like, flow deep and rich along,
An Austral Shakespeare rise, whose living page
To Nature true may charm in every age;
And that an Austral Pindar daring soar,
Where not the Theban Eagle reach'd before."
1825. Barron Field, 'First Fruits of Australian Poetry,' Motto in
Geographical Memoir of New South Wales, p. 485:
"I first adventure. Follow me who list;
And be the second Austral harmonist."
Adapted from Bishop Hall.
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 184:
"For this, midst Austral wilds I waken
Our British harp, feel whence I come,
Queen of the sea, too long forsaken,
Queen of the soul, my spirit's home."--Alien Song.
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 43:
"Every servant in this Austral Utopia thinks himself a
gentleman."
1868. C. Harpur, 'Poems' (ed. 1883), p. 215:
"How oft, in Austral woods, the parting day
Has gone through western golden gates away."
1879. J. B. O'Hara, 'Songs of the South,' p. 127:
"What though no weird and legendary lore
Invests our young, our golden Austral shore
With that romance the poet loves too well,
When Inspiration breathes her magic spell."
1894. Ernest Favenc [Title]:
"Tales of the Austral Tropics."
1896. [Title]:
"The Austral Wheel--A Monthly Cycling Magazine, No. 1, Jan."
1896. 'The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 53
"Our Austral Spring." [Title of an article describing Spring in
Australia.]
Australasia, n. (and its adjectives), name
"given originally by De Brosses to one of his three divisions
of the alleged Terra australis." ('O.E.D.') Now used as
a larger term than Australian, to include the continent of
Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji and islands. For
peculiar use of the name for the Continent in 1793, see
Australia.
1756. Charles de Brosses, 'Histoire des Navigations aux Terres
Australes,' tom. i. p. 80:
"On peut de meme diviser le monde austral inconnu en trois
portions. .. .L'une dans l'ocean des Indes au sud de l'Asie que
j'appellerai par cette raison australasie."
1766. Callander, 'Terra Australis,' i. p. 49 (Translation of
de Brosses)('O.E.D.):
"The first [division] in the Indian Ocean, south of Asia, which
for this reason we shall call Australasia."
1802. G. Shaw, 'Zoology,' iii. p. 506 ('O.E.D.'):
"Other Australasian snakes."
1823. Subject for English poem at Cambridge University:
'Australasia.'
[The prize (Chancellor's Medal) was won by Winthrop Mackworth
Praed. William Charles Wentworth stood second.] The concluding
lines of his poem are:
"And Australasia float, with flag unfurl'd,
A new Britannia in another world."
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 77:
"How far had these ideas been acted upon by the Colonists of
Austral Asia?" [sic.]
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. 1. p. 109:
"'The Austral-Asiatic Review,' by Murray, also made its
appearance [in Hobart] in February, 1828."
1855. Tennyson, 'The Brook,' p. 194:
" Katie walks
By the long wash of Australasian seas
Far off, and holds her head to other stars,
And breathes in converse seasons."
[Altered in Edition of 1894 to "breathes in April-autumns."]
1857. Daniel Bunce [Title]:
"Australasiatic reminiscences."
1864. 'The Australasian,' Oct. 1, First Number [Title]:
"The Australasian."
1880. Alfred R. Wallace [Title]:
"Australasia." [In Stanford's 'Compendium of Geography and
Travel.']
1881. David Blair [Title]:
"Cyclopaedia of Australasia."
1890. E. W. Hornung, 'Bride from the Bush,' p. 29:
"It was neither Cockney nor Yankee, but a nasal blend of both:
it was a lingo that declined to let the vowels run alone, but
trotted them out in ill-matched couples, with discordant and
awful consequences; in a word, it was Australasiatic of the
worst description."
1890. 'Victorian Consolidated Statutes,' Administration and
p.obate Act, Section 39:
"'Australasian Colonies,' shall mean all colonies for the time
being on the main land of Australia. ..and shall also include
the colonies of New Zealand, Tasmania and Fiji and any other
British Colonies or possessions in Australasia now existing or
hereafter to be created which the Governor in Council may from
time to time declare to be Australasian Colonies within the
meaning of this Act."
1895. Edward Jenks [Title]:
"History of the Australasian Colonies."
1896. J. S. Laurie [Title]:
"The Story of Australasia."
Australia, n., and Australian,
adj. As early as the 16th century there was a belief in
a Terra australis (to which was often added the epithet
incognita), literally "southern land," which was
believed to be land lying round and stretching outwards from
the South Pole.
In 'Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of
Australasia,' Sydney, Jan. 1892, is printed a paper read at the
Geographical Congress at Berne, by E. Delmar Morgan, on the
'Early Discovery of Australia.' This paper is illustrated by
maps taken from 'Nordenskiold's Atlas.' In a map by Orontius
Finoeus, a French cosmographer of Provence, dated 1531, the
Terra australis is shown as "Terra Australis recenter
inventa, sed nondum plene cognita." In Ortelius' Map, 1570, it
appears as "Terra Australis nondum cognita." In Gerard
Mercator's Map, 1587, as "Terra Australis" simply.
In 1606 the Spaniard Fernandez de Quiros gave the name of
Terra Australis del Espiritu Santo to land which he
thought formed part of the Great Southland. It is in fact one
of the New Hebrides.
The word "Australian " is older than "Australia"
(see quotations, 1693 and 1766). The name Australia was
adapted from the Latin name Terra Australis. The
earliest suggestion of the word is credited to Flinders, who
certainly thought that he was inventing the name. (See
quotation, 1814.) Twenty-one years earlier, however, the word
is found (see quotation, 1793); and the passage containing it
is the first known use of the word in print. Shaw may thus be
regarded as its inventor. According to its title-page, the
book quoted is by two authors, the Zoology, by Shaw and
the Botany by Smith. The Botany, however, was
not published. Of the two names--Australia and
Australasia--suggested in the opening of the quotation,
to take the place of New Holland, Shaw evidently favoured
Australia, while Smith, in the 'Transactions of the
Linnaean Society,' vol. iv. p. 213 (1798), uses
Australasia for the continent several times. Neither
name, however, passed then into general use. In 1814, Robert
Brown the Botanist speaks of "Terra Australis," not of
"Australia." "Australia" was reinvented by Flinders.
Quotations for " Terra Australis"--
1621. R. Burton, 'Anatomy of Melancholy' (edition 1854), p. 56:
"For the site, if you will needs urge me to it, I am not fully
resolved, it may be in Terra Australis incognita, there
is room enough (for of my knowledge, neither that hungry
Spaniard nor Mercurius Britannicus have yet discovered half of
it)."
Ibid. p. 314:
"Terra Australis incognita. ..and yet in likelihood it
may be so, for without all question, it being extended from the
tropic of Capricorn to the circle Antarctic, and lying as it
doth in the temperate zone, cannot choose but yield in time
some flourishing kingdoms to succeeding ages, as America did
unto the Spaniards."
Ibid. p. 619:
"But these are hard-hearted, unnatural, monsters of men,
shallow politicians, they do not consider that a great part of
the world is not yet inhabited as it ought, how many colonies
into America, Terra Australis incognita, Africa may be
sent?"
Early quotations for "Australian"
1693. 'Nouveau Voyage de la Terre Australe, contenant les
Coutumes et les Moeurs des Australiens, etc.' Par Jaques
Sadeur [Gabriel de Foigny].
[This is a work of fiction, but interesting as being the first
book in which the word Australiens is used. The next
quotation is from the English translation.]
1693. 'New Discovery, Terra Incognita Australis,' p. 163
('O.E.D.'):
"It is easy to judge of the incomparability of the Australians
with the people of Europe."
1766. Callander, 'Terra Australis' (Translation of De Brosses),
c. ii. p. 280:
"One of the Australians, or natives of the Southern World,
whom Gonneville had brought into France."
Quotations for "Australia"
1793. G. Shaw and I. E. Smith, 'Zoology and Botany of New
Holland,' p. 2:
"The vast Island or rather Continent of Australia, Australasia,
or New Holland, which has so lately attracted the particular
attention of European navigators and naturalists, seems to
abound in scenes of peculiar wildness and sterility; while the
wretched natives of many of those dreary districts seem less
elevated above the inferior animals than in any other part of
the known world; Caffraria itself not excepted; as well as less
indued with the power of promoting a comfortable existence by
an approach towards useful arts and industry. It is in these
savage regions however that Nature seems to have poured forth
many of her most highly ornamented products with unusual
liberality."
1814. M. Flinders, 'Voyage to Terra Australis,' Introduction,
p. iii. and footnote:
"I have . . . ventured upon the readoption of the original
Terra Australis, and of this term I shall hereafter make
use, when speaking of New Holland [sc. the West] and New
South Wales, in a collective sense; and when using it in the
most extensive signification, the adjacent isles, including
that of Van Diemen, must be understood to be comprehended."
[Footnote]: "Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the
original term, it would have been to convert it into Australia;
as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the
names of the other great portions of the earth."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,'
vol. i. p. 9:
"New South Wales (or Australia, as we colonials say)."
1839. C. Darwin, 'Naturalist's Voyage' (ed. 1890), p. 328:
"Farewell, Australia! You are a rising child, and doubtless
some day will reign a great princess in the South; but you are
too great and ambitious for affection, yet not great enough for
respect. I leave your shores without sorrow or regret."
1852. A Liverpool Merchant [Title]:
"A Guide to Australia and the Gold Regions."
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' c. viii. (new
ed.) p. 152:
"The colonies are determined to be separate. Australia is a
term that finds no response in the patriotic feeling of any
Australian. . . . But this will come to an end sooner or later.
The name of Australia will be dearer, if not greater, to
Australian ears than the name of Great Britain."
[Mr. Trollope's prophecy has come true, and the name of
Australia is now dearer to an Australian than the name of his
own separate colony. The word "Colonial" as indicating
Australian nationality is going out of fashion. The word
"Australian" is much preferred.]
1878. F. P. Labilliere, 'Early History of the Colony of
Victoria,' vol. i. p. 184:
"In a despatch to Lord Bathurst, of April 4th, 1817, Governor
Macquarie acknowledges the receipt of Captain Flinders's charts
of 'Australia.' This is the first time that the name of
Australia appears to have been officially employed. The
Governor underlines the word. . . . In a private letter to
Mr. Secretary Goulbourn, M.P., of December 21st, 1817, [he]says
. . . 'the Continent of Australia, which, I hope, will be the
name given to this country in future, instead of the very
erroneous and misapplied name hitherto given it of New Holland,
which, properly speaking, only applies to a part of this
immense Continent.'"
1883. G. W. Rusden, 'History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 64:
"It is pleasant to reflect that the name Australia was selected
by the gallant Flinders; though, with his customary modesty, he
suggested rather than adopted it."
1895. H. M. Goode, 'The Argus,' Oct. 15, p. 7, col. 4:
"Condemning the absurd practice of using the word 'Colonial' in
connection with our wines, instead of the broader and more
federal one, 'Australian.' In England our artists, cricketer,
scullers, and globe-trotters are all spoken of and acknowledged
as Australians, and our produce, with the exception of wine, is
classed as follows:--Australian gold and copper, Australian
beef and mutton, Australian butter, Australian fruits, &c."
Ibid. p. 14:
"Merops or Bee-Eater. A tribe [of birds] which appears to be
peculiarly prevalent in the extensive regions of Australia."
Australian flag, n. Hot climate and country
work have brought in a fashion among bushmen of wearing a belt
or leather strap round the top of trousers instead of braces.
This often causes a fold in the shirt protruding all round from
under the waistcoat, which is playfully known as "the
Australian flag." Slang.
Australioid and Australoid, adj. like
Australian, sc. aboriginal--a term used by ethnologists. See
quotations.
1869. J. Lubbock, 'Prehistoric Times,' vol. xii. p. 378:
"The Australoid type contains all the inhabitants of Australia
and the native races of the Deccan."
1878. E. B. Tylor, 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. ii. p. 112:
"He [Professor Huxley] distinguishes four principal types of
mankind, the Australioid, Negroid, Mongoloid, and Xanthochroic,
adding a fifth variety, the Melanochroic. The special points
of the Australioid are a chocolate-brown skin, dark brown or
black eyes, black hair (usually wavy), narrow (dolichocephalic)
skull, brow-ridges strongly developed, projecting jaw, coarse
lips and broad nose. This type is best represented by the
natives of Australia, and next to them by the indigenous tribes
of Southern India, the so-called coolies."
Austral Thrush, n. See Port-Jackson
Thrush.
Avocet, n. a well-known European bird-name.
The Australian species is the Red-necked A., Recurvirostra
nova-hollandiae, Vieill.
Aweto, n. Maori name for a
vegetable-caterpillar of New Zealand. See quotation.
1889. E. Wakefield, 'New Zealand after Fifty Years,' p. 81:
". . . the aweto, or vegetable-caterpillar, called by
the naturalists Hipialis virescens. It is a perfect
caterpillar in every respect, and a remarkably fine one too,
growing to a length in the largest specimens of three and a
half inches and the thickness of a finger, but more commonly to
about a half or two-thirds of that size. . . . When
full-grown, it undergoes a miraculous change. For some
inexplicable reason, the spore of a vegetable fungus
Sphaeria Robertsii, fixes itself on its neck, or between
the head and the first ring of the caterpillar, takes root and
grows vigorously . . . exactly like a diminutive bulrush from 6
to 10 inches high without leaves, and consisting solely of a
single stem with a dark-brown felt-like head, so familiar in
the bulrushes . . . always at the foot of the rata."
1896. A. Bence Jones, in 'Pearson's Magazine,' Sept., p. 290:
"The dye in question was a solution of burnt or powdered resin,
or wood, or the aweto, the latter a caterpillar, which,
burrowing in the vegetable soil, gets a spore of a fungus
between the folds of its neck, and unable to free itself, the
insect's body nourishes the fungus, which vegetates and
occasions the death of the caterpillar by exactly filling the
interior of the body with its roots, always preserving its
perfect form. When properly charred this material yielded a
fine dark dye, much prized for purposes of moko." [See
Moko.]
Axe-breaker, n. name of a tree, Notelaea
longifolia, Vent., N.O. Jasmineae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 579:
"Axe-breaker. Wood hard, close-grained and firm. Its
vernacular name emphasizes its hardness."
B
Baal, or Bail, interj. and adv.
"An aboriginal expression of disapproval." (Gilbert Parker,
Glossary to 'Round the Compass in Australia,' 1888.) It was
the negative in the Sydney dialect.
1893. J. F. Hogan, 'Robert Lowe,' p. 271, quoting from 'The
Atlas' (circa 1845):
"Traces, however, of the Egyptian language are discoverable
among the present inhabitants, with whom, for instance, the
word 'Bale' or 'Baal' is in continual use . . . ." [Evidently
a joke.]
Babbler, n. a bird-name. In Europe, "name
given, on account of their harsh chattering note, to the
long-legged thrushes." ('O.E.D.') The group "contains a great
number of birds not satisfactorily located elsewhere, and has
been called the ornithological waste-basket." ('Century.') The
species are--
The Babbler--
Pomatostomus temporalis, V. and H.
Chestnut-crowned B.--
P. ruficeps, Hart.
Red-breasted B.--
P. rubeculus, Gould.
White-browed B.--
P. superciliosus, V. and H.
Back-blocks, n. (1) The far interior of
Australia, and away from settled country. Land in Australia is
divided on the survey maps into blocks, a word confined, in
England and the United States, to town lands.
(2) The parts of a station distant from the frontage
(q.v.).
1872. Anon. 'Glimpses of Life in Victoria,' p. 31:
". . . we were doomed to see the whole of our river-frontage
purchased. . . . The back blocks which were left to us were
insufficient for the support of our flocks, and deficient in
permanent water-supply. . . ."
1880. J. Mathew, Song--'The Bushman':
"Far, far on the plains of the arid back-blocks
A warm-hearted bushman is tending his flocks.
There's little to cheer in that vast grassy sea:
But oh! he finds pleasure in thinking of me.
How weary, how dreary the stillness must be!
But oh! the lone bushman is dreaming of me."
1890. E. W. Horning, 'A Bride from the Bush,' p. 298:
"'Down in Vic' you can carry as many sheep to the acre as acres
to the sheep up here in the 'backblocks.'"
1893. M. Gaunt, 'English Illustrated, 'Feb., p. 294:
"The back-blocks are very effectual levellers."
1893. Haddon Chambers, 'Thumbnail Sketches of Australian
Life,' p. 33
"In the back-blocks of New South Wales he had known both hunger
and thirst, and had suffered from sunstroke."
1893. 'The Australasian,' Aug. 12, p. 302, col. 1:
"Although Kara is in the back-blocks of New South Wales, the
clothes and boots my brother wears come from Bond Street."
Back-block, adj. from the interior.
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Sydneyside Saxon,' vol. xii. p. 215:
"'What a nice mare that is of yours!' said one of the
back-block youngsters."
Back-blocker, n. a resident in the back-blocks.
1870. 'The Argus,' March 22, p. 7, col. 2
"I am a bushman, a back blocker, to whom it happens about once
in two years to visit Melbourne."
1892. E. W. Hornung, 'Under Two Skies,' p. 21:
"As for Jim, he made himself very busy indeed, sitting on his
heels over the fire in an attitude peculiar to back-blockers."
Back-slanging, verbal n. In the back-blocks
(q.v.) of Australia, where hotels are naturally scarce and
inferior, the traveller asks for hospitality at the
stations (q.v.) on his route, where he is always made
welcome. There is no idea of anything underhand on the part of
the traveller, yet the custom is called back-slanging.
Badger, n. This English name has been
incorrectly applied in Australia, sometimes to the Bandicoot,
sometimes to the Rock-Wallaby, and sometimes to the Wombat. In
Tasmania, it is the usual bush-name for the last.
1829. 'The Picture of Australia,' p. 173:
"The Parameles, to which the colonists sometimes give
the name of badger. . . ."
1831. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 265:
"That delicious animal, the wombat (commonly known at that
place [Macquarie Harbour] by the name of badger, hence
the little island of that name in the map was so called, from
the circumstance of numbers of that animal being at first found
upon it)."
1850. James Bennett Clutterbuck, M.D., 'Port Phillip in 1849,'
p. 37:
"The rock Wallaby, or Badger, also belongs to the family of the
Kangaroo; its length from the nose to the end of the tail is
three feet; the colour of the fur being grey-brown."
1875. Rev. J. G. Wood, 'Natural History,' vol. i. p. 481:
"The Wombat or Australian Badger as it is popularly called by
the colonists. . . ."
1891. W. Tilley, 'Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 8:
"With the exception of wombats or 'badgers,' and an occasional
kangaroo . . . the intruder had to rely on the stores he carried
with him."
ibid. p. 44:
"Badgers also abound, or did until thinned out by hungry
prospectors."
Badger-box, n. slang name for a roughly-
constructed dwelling.
1875. 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania,'
September, p. 99 ['Port Davey in 1875,' by the Hon. James Reid
Scott, M.L.C.]:
"The dwellings occupied by the piners when up the river are of
the style known as 'Badger-boxes,' in distinction from huts,
which have perpendicular walls, while the Badger-box is like an
inverted V in section. They are covered with bark, with a
thatch of grass along the ridge, and are on an average about 14
x 10 feet at the ground, and 9 or 10 feet high."
Bail, n. "A framework for securing the head of
a cow while she is milked." ('O.E.D.')
This word, marked in 'O.E.D.' and other Dictionaries as
Australian, is provincial English. In the 'English Dialect
Dictionary,' edited by Joseph Wright, Part I., the word is
given as used in "Ireland, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk,
Hampshire and New Zealand." It is also used in Essex.
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 83:
"In every milking yard is an apparatus for confining a cow's
head called a 'bail.' This consists of an upright standiron,
five feet in height, let into a framework, and about six inches
from it another fixed at the heel, the upper part working
freely in a slit, in which are holes for a peg, so that when
the peg is out and the movable standiron is thrown back, there
is abundance of room for a cow's head and horns, but when
closed, at which time the two standirons are parallel to each
other and six inches apart, though her neck can work freely up
and down, it is impossible for her to withdraw her head . . ."
1874. W. M. B., 'Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 225:
"The former bovine female was a brute to manage, whom it would
have been impossible to milk without a 'bail.' To what man or
country the honour of this invention belongs, who can tell? It
is in very general use in the Australian colonies; and my
advice to any one troubled with a naughty cow, who kicks like
fury during the process of milking, is to have a bail
constructed in their cow-house."
Bail up, v. (1) To secure the head of a cow in a
bail for milking.
(2) By transference, to stop travellers in the bush, used of
bushrangers. The quotation, 1888, shows the method of
transference. It then means generally, to stop. Like the
similar verb, to stick up (q.v.), it is often used
humorously of a demand for subscriptions, etc.
1844. Mrs. Chas. Meredith, 'Notes and Sketches of New South
Wales,' p. 132:
"The bushrangers . . . walk quickly in, and 'bail up,' i.e.
bind with cords, or otherwise secure, the male portion."
1847. Alex. Marjoribanks, 'Travels in New South Wales,' p. 72:
". . . there were eight or ten bullock-teams baled up by three
mounted bushrangers. Being baled up is the colonial phrase for
those who are attacked, who are afterwards all put together,
and guarded by one of the party of the bushrangers when the
others are plundering."
1855 W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 309:
"So long as that is wrong, the whole community will be wrong,--
in colonial phrase, 'bailed up' at the mercy of its own
tenants."
1862. G. T. Lloyd, 'Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,'
p. 192:
"'Come, sir, immediately,' rejoined Murphy, rudely and
insultingly pushing the master; 'bail up in that corner, and
prepare to meet the death you have so long deserved.'"
1879. W. J. Barry, 'Up and Down,' p. 112:
"She bailed me up and asked me if I was going to keep my
promise and marry her."
1880. W. Senior, 'Travel and Trout,' p. 36:
"His troutship, having neglected to secure a line of retreat,
was, in colonial parlance, 'bailed up.'"
1880. G. Walch, 'Victoria in 1880,' p.133:
"The Kelly gang . . . bailed up some forty residents in the local
public house."
1882. A. J. Boyd, 'Old Colonials,' p. 76:
"Did I ever get stuck-up? Never by white men, though I have
been bailed up by the niggers."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 105:
"A little further on the boar 'bailed up' on the top of a
ridge."
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms,' p. 368:
"One of the young cows was a bit strange with me, so I had to
shake a stick at her and sing out 'Bail up' pretty rough before
she'd put her head in. Aileen smiled something like her old
self for a minute, and said, 'That comes natural to you now,
Dick, doesn't it ?' I stared for a bit and then burst out
laughing.It was a rum go, wasn't it? The same talk for cows
and Christians. That's how things get stuck into the talk in a
new country. Some old hand like father, as had been assigned
to a dairy settler, and spent all his mornings in the cow-yard,
had taken to the bush and tried his hand at sticking up people.
When they came near enough of course he'd pop out from behind a
tree, with his old musket or pair of pistols, and when he
wanted 'em to stop, 'Bail up, d-- yer,' would come a deal
quicker and more natural-like to his tongue than 'Stand.' So
'bail up' it was from that day to this, and there'll have to be
a deal of change in the ways of the colonies, and them as come
from 'em before anything else takes its place between the man
that's got the arms and the man that's got the money."
Bailing-up Pen, n. place for fastening up cattle.
1889. R. M. Praed, 'Romance of Station,' vol. i. c. ii.
['Eng. Dial. Dict.']:
"Alec was proud of the stockyard and pointed out . . . the
superior construction of the 'crush,' or branding lane, and the
bailing-up pen."
Bald-Coot, n. a bird-name, Porphyrio
melanotus, Temm.; Blue, P. bellus, Gould. The
European bald-coot is Fulica atra.
Ballahoo, n. a name applied to the
Garfish (q.v.) by Sydney fishermen. The word is West
Indian, and is applied there to a fast-sailing schooner; also
spelled Bullahoo and Ballahou.
Balloon-Vine n. Australian name for the common
tropical weed, Cardiospermum halicacabum, Linn.,
N.O. Sapindaceae: called also Heart-seed,
Heart-pea, and Winter-cherry. It is a climbing
plant, and has a heart-shaped scar on the seed.
Balsam of Copaiba Tree, n. The name is applied
to the Australian tree, Geijera salicifolia, Schott,
N.O. Rutaceae, because the bark has the odour of the
drug of that name.
Bamboo-grass, n. an Australian cane-like grass,
Glyceria ramigera, F. v. M. ; also called Cane
Grass. Largely used for thatching purposes. Stock eat the
young shoots freely.
Banana, n. There are three species native to
Queensland, of which the fruit is said to be worthless--
Musa Banksii, F. v. M.
M. Hillii, F. v. M.
M. Fitzalani, F. v. M., N.O. Scitamineae.
The Bananas which are cultivated and form a staple
export of Queensland are acclimatized varieties.
Banana-land, n. slang name for Queensland,
where bananas grow in abundance.
Banana-lander, n. slang for a Queenslander (see
above).
Banded Ant-eater, n. name given to a small
terrestrial and ant-eating marsupial, Myrmecobius
fasciatus, Waterh, found in West and South Australia. It
is the only species of the genus, and is regarded as the most
closely allied of all living marsupials to the extinct
marsupials of the Mesozoic Age in Europe. It receives its name
banded from the presence along the back of a well-marked series
of dark transverse bands.
1871. G. Krefft, 'Mammals of Australia':
"The Myrmecobius is common on the West Coast and in the
interior of New South Wales and South Australia: the
Murrumbidgee River may be taken as its most eastern boundary."
1893. A. R. Wallace, 'Australasia,' p. 340:
"Thus we have here [W. Australia] alone the curious little
banded ant-eater (Myrmecobius fasciatus), which presents
the nearest approach in its dentition to the most ancient known
mammals whose remains are found in the oolite and Trias of the
Mesozoic epoch."
Banded-Kangaroo, i.q. Banded-Wallaby. See
Lagostrophus and Wallaby.
Banded-Wallaby, n. sometimes called
Banded-Kangaroo. See Lagostrophus and
Wallaby.
Bandicoot, n. an insect-eating marsupial
animal; family, Peramelidae; genus, Perameles.
"The animals of this genus, commonly called Bandicoots
in Australia, are all small, and live entirely on the ground,
making nests composed of dried leaves, grass and sticks, in
hollow places. They are rather mixed feeders; but insects,
worms, roots and bulbs, constitute their ordinary diet."
('Encyclopaedia Britannica,' 9th edit., vol. xv. p. 381.) The
name comes from India, being a corruption of Telugu
pandi-kokku, literally "pig-dog," used of a large rat
called by naturalists Mus malabaricus, Shaw, Mus
giganteus, Hardwicke; Mus bandis coota, Bechstein.
The name has spread all over India. The Indian animal is very
different from the Australian, and no record is preserved to
show how the Anglo-Indian word came to be used in Australia.
The Bandicoots are divided into three genera--the True
Bandicoots (genus Perameles, q.v.), the Rabbit
Bandicoots (genus Peragale, q.v.), and the
Pig-footed Bandicoots (q.v.) (genus Choeropus,
q.v.). The species are--
Broadbent's Bandicoot--
Perameles broadbenti, Ramsay.
Cockerell's B.--
P. cockerelli, Ramsay.
Common Rabbit B.--
Peragale lagotis, Reid.
Desert B.--
P. eremiana, Spencer.
Doria's B.--
Perameles dorerana, Quoy & Gaim.
Golden B.--
P. aurata, Ramsay.
Gunn's B.--
P. gunni, Gray.
Less Rabbit B.--
Peragale minor, Spencer.
Long-nosed B.--
Perameles nasuta, Geoffr.
Long-tailed B.--
P. longicauda, Peters & Doria.
North-Australian B.--
P. macrura, Gould.
Port Moresby B.--
P. moresbyensis, Ramsay.
Raffray's B.--
P. rafrayana, Milne-Edw.
Short-nosed B.--
P. obesula, Shaw.
Striped B.--
P. bougainvillii, Quoy & Gaim.
White-tailed Rabbit B.--
P. lesicura. Thomas.
Pig-footed B.--
Choeropus castanotis, Gray.
1802. D. Collins, 'Account of New South Wales',
vol. ii. p. 188 (Bass's Diary at the Derwent, January 1799):
"The bones of small animals, such as opossums, squirrels,
kangooroo rats, and bandicoots, were numerous round their
deserted fire-places."
1820. W. C. Wentworth, 'Description o New South Wales,' p. 3:
"The animals are, the kangaroo, native dog (which is a smaller
species of the wolf), the wombat, bandicoot, kangaroo-rat,
opossum, flying squirrel, flying fox, etc. etc."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 316
"The bandicoot is about four times he size of a rat, without
a tail, and burrows in the ground or in hollow trees."
1832. Bischoff, 'Van Diemen's Land,' vol. ii. p. 28:
"The bandicoot is as large as a rabbit. There are two kinds,
the rat and the rabbit bandicoot."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 233:
"The common people are not destitute of what Wordsworth calls
'the poetry of common speech,' many of their similes being very
forcibly and naturally drawn from objects familiarly in sight
and quite Australian. 'Poor as a bandicoot,' 'miserable as a
shag on a rock.'"
Ibid. p. 330:
"There is also a rat-like animal with a swinish face, covered
with ruddy coarse hair, that burrows in the ground--the
bandicoot. It is said to be very fine eating."
1845. J. O. Balfour, 'Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 26:
"The bandicoot is the size of a large rat, of a dark brown
colour; it feeds upon roots, and its flesh is good eating.
This animal burrows in the ground, and it is from this habit,
I suppose, that when hungry, cold, or unhappy, the Australian
black says that he is as miserable as the bandicoot."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals, p. 92:
"The bandicoots are good eating even for Europeans, and in my
opinion are the only Australian mammals fit to eat. They
resemble pigs, and the flesh tastes somewhat like pork."
Bangalay, n. a Sydney workmen's name for the
timber of Eucalyptus botrioides, Smith. (See
Gum.) The name is aboriginal, and by workmen is always
pronounced Bang Alley.
Bangalow, n. an ornamental feathery-leaved
palm, Ptychosperma elegans, Blume, N.O. Palmeae.
1851. J. Henderson, 'Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p.229
"The Bangalo, which is a palm. . . The germ, or roll of young
leaves in the centre, and near the top, is eaten by the
natives, and occasionally by white men, either raw or boiled.
It is of a white colour, sweet and pleasant to the taste."
1884. W. R. Guilfoyle, 'Australian Botany,' p. 23:
"The aborigines of New South Wales and Queensland, and
occasionally the settlers, eat the young leaves of the cabbage
and bangalo palms."
1886. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 193:
You see he was bred in a bangalow wood,
And bangalow pith was the principal food
His mother served out in her shanty."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 592:
"Bangalow. . . . The small stems sometimes go under the name
of 'Moreton Bay Canes.' It is a very ornamental,
feathery-leaved palm."
Bang-tail muster. See quotation.
1887. W. S. S. Tyrwhitt, 'The New Churn in the Queensland Bush,'
p. 61:
"Every third or fourth year on a cattle station, they have what
is called a 'bang tail muster'; that is to say, all the cattle
are brought into the yards, and have the long hairs at the end
of the tail cut off square, with knives or sheep-shears. . .
The object of it is. . .to find out the actual number of
cattle on the run, to compare with the number entered on the
station books."
Banker, n. a river full up to the top of the
banks. Compare Shakspeare: "Like a proud river, peering o'er
his bounds." ('King John,' III. i. 23.)
1888. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol, iii. p. 175
"The Murrumbidgee was running a 'banker'--water right up to the
banks."
1890. Lyth, 'Golden South,' c. vii. p. 52:
"The driver stated that he had heard the river was 'a banker.'"
1896. H. Lawson, 'When the World was Wide,' p. 45:
"The creeks were bankers, and the flood
Was forty miles round Bourke."
Ibid. p. 100:
"Till the river runs a banker,
All stained with yellow mud."
Banksia, n. "A genus of Australian shrubs with
umbellate flowers,--now cultivated as ornamental shrubs in
Europe." ('O.E.D.') Called after Mr. Banks, naturalist of the
Endeavour, afterwards Sir Joseph Banks. The so-called
Australian Honeysuckle (q.v.). See also
Bottle-brush.
1790. J. White, 'Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 221:
"The different species of banksia. The finest new genus
hitherto found in New Holland has been destined by Linnaeus,
with great propriety, to transmit to posterity the name of Sir
Joseph Banks, who first discovered it in his celebrated voyage
round the world."
1798. D. Collins, 'Account of English Colony in New South
Wales,' p. 557:
"A few berries, the yam and fern root, the flowers of the
different banksia, and at times some honey, make up the whole
vegetable catalogue."
1829. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of the Linnaean
Society,' vol. xv. p. 312:
"Scrubs where the different species of banksia are found, the
flowers of which I (Mr. Caley) have reason to think afford it
sustenance during winter."
1833. C. Sturt, 'South Australia,' vol. ii. c. ii. p. 30:
"Some sandhills . . . crowned by banksias."
1845. J. Q. Balfour, 'Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 39:
"Many different species of banksia grow in great plenty in the
neighbourhood of Sydney, and from the density of their foliage
are very ornamental."
1846. L. Leichhardt, quoted by J. D. Lang, 'Cooksland,' p. 331:
"The table-land is covered by forests of stringy-bark, of
melaleuca-gum, and banksia."
1851. 'Quarterly Review,' Dec., p. 40:
"In this they will find an extremely rich collection of
bottle-brush-flowered, zigzag-leaved, grey-tinted, odd-looking
things, to most eyes rather strange than beautiful,
notwithstanding that one of them is named Banksia
speciosa. They are the 'Botany Bays' of old-fashioned
gardeners, but are more in the shrub and tree line than that of
flowering pots. Banksia Solandei will remind them to
turn to their 'Cook's Voyages' when they get home, to read how
poor Dr. Solander got up a mountain and was heartily glad to get
down again."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 46:
"The banksias are of historic interest, inasmuch as the genus
was dedicated already by the younger Linne in 1781 to Sir
Joseph Banks, from whom the Swedish naturalist received
branchlets of those species, which in Captain Cook's first
voyage more than 100 years ago (1770) were gathered by Banks at
Botany-Bay and a few other places of the east coast of
Australia."
1887. J. Bonwick, 'Romance of the Wool Trade,' p. 228:
"A banksia plain, with its collection of
bottle-brush-like-flowers, may have its charms for a botanist,
but its well-known sandy ground forbids the hope of good
grasses."
Baobab, n. a tree, native of Africa,
Adansonia digitata. The name is Ethiopian. It has been
introduced into many tropical countries. The Australian
species of the genus is A. gregorii, F. v. M., called also
Cream of Tartar or Sour Gourd-tree,
Gouty-stem (q.v.), and Bottle-tree (q.v.).
Barber, or Tasmanian Barber, n. a name
for the fish Anthias rasor, Richards., family
Percidae; also called Red-Perch. See
Perch. It occurs in Tasmania, New Zealand, and Port
Jackson. It is called Barber from the shape of the
praeoperculum, one of the bones of the head. See
quotation.
1841. John Richardson, 'Description of Australian Fish,' p. 73:
"Serranus Rasor.-- Tasmanian Barber. . . . The
serrature of the preoperculum is the most obvious and general
character by which the very numerous Serrani are connected with
each other . . . The Van Diemen's Land fish, which is described
below, is one of the 'Barbers,' a fact which the specific
appellation rasor is intended to indicate; the more
classical word having been previously appropriated to another
species. . . Mr. Lempriere states that it is known locally as
the 'red perch or shad.'"
[Richardson also says that Cuvier founded a subdivision of the
Serrani on the characters of the scales of the jaws,
under the name of 'les Barbiers,' which had been previously
grouped by Block under the title Anthias.]
Barcoo-grass, n. an Australian grass,
Anthistiria membranacea, Lindl. One of the best pasture
grasses in Queensland, but growing in other colonies also.
Barcoo Rot, n. a disease affecting inhabitants
of various parts of the interior of Australia, but chiefly
bushmen. It consists of persistent ulceration of the skin,
chiefly on the back of the hands, and often originating in
abrasions.
It is attributed to monotony of diet and to the cloudless
climate, with its alternations of extreme cold at night and
burning heat by day. It is said to be maintained and
aggravated by the irritation of small flies.
1870. E. B. Kennedy, 'Four Years in Queensland,' p. 46:
"Land scurvy is better known in Queensland by local names,
which do not sound very pleasant, such as 'Barcoo rot,'
'Kennedy rot,' according to the district it appears in. There
is nothing dangerous about it; it is simply the festering of
any cut or scratch on one's legs, arms or hands. . . They take
months to heal. . . Want of vegetables is assigned as the
cause."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 58:
"In Western Queensland people are also subject to bad sores on
the hand, called Barcoo-rot."
Barcoo Vomit, n. a sickness occurring in
inhabitants of various parts of the high land of the interior
of Australia. It is characterized by painless attacks of
vomiting, occurring immediately after food is taken, followed
by hunger, and recurring as soon as hunger is satisfied.
The name Barcoo is derived from the district traversed
by the river Barcoo, or Cooper, in which this complaint and the
Barcoo Rot are common. See Dr. E. C. Stirling's 'Notes
from Central Australia,' in 'Intercolonial Quarterly Journal of
Medicine and Surgery,' vol. i. p. 218.
Bargan, n. a name of the Come-back
Boomerang (q.v.). (Spelt also barragan.)
1892. J. Fraser, 'Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 70:
"The 'come-back' variety (of boomerang) is not a fighting
weapon. A dialect name for it is bargan, which word may be
explained in our language to mean 'bent like a sickle or
crescent moon.'"
Barking Owl, n. a bird not identified, and not
in Gould (who accompanied Leichhardt).
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition, p. 47:
"The glucking-bird and the barking-owl were heard throughout
the moonlight night."
Barrack, v. to jeer at opponents, to interrupt
noisily, to make a disturbance; with the preposition "for," to
support as a partisan, generally with clamour. An Australian
football term dating from about 1880. The verb has been ruled
unparliamentary by the Speaker in the Victorian Legislative
Assembly. It is, however, in very common colloquial use. It
is from the aboriginal word borak (q.v.), and the sense
of jeering is earlier than that of supporting, but jeering at
one side is akin to cheering for the other. Another suggested
derivation is from the Irish pronunciation of "Bark," as
(according to the usually accepted view) "Larrikin" from
"larking." But the former explanation is the more probable.
There is no connection with soldiers' "barracks;" nor is it
likely that there is any, as has been ingeniously suggested,
with the French word baragouin, gibberish.
1890. 'Melbourne Punch,' Aug. 14, p. 106, col. 3:
"To use a football phrase, they all to a man 'barrack' for the
British Lion."
1893. 'The Age,' June 17, p. 15, col. 4:
"[The boy] goes much to football matches, where he barracks,
and in a general way makes himself intolerable."
1893. 'The Argus,' July 5, p. 9, col. 4, Legislative Assembly:
"Mr. Isaacs:. . . He hoped this 'barracking' would not
be continued." [Members had been interrupting him.]
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), Sept. 9, p. 1, col. 6:
"He noticed with pleasure the decrease of disagreeable
barracking by spectators at matches during last season.
Good-humoured badinage had prevailed, but the spectators had
been very well conducted."
Barracker, n. one who barracks (q.v.).
1893. 'The Age,' June 27, p. 6, col. 6:
"His worship remarked that the 'barracking' that was carried on
at football matches was a mean and contemptible system, and was
getting worse and worse every day. Actually people were afraid
to go to them on account of the conduct of the crowd of
'barrackers.' It took all the interest out of the game to see
young men acting like a gang of larrikins."
1894. '"The Argus,' Nov. 29, p. 4, col. 9:
"The 'most unkindest cut of all' was that the Premier, who was
Mr. Rogers's principal barracker during the elections, turned
his back upon the prophet and did not deign to discuss his
plan."
Barracks, n. a building on a station with rooms
for bachelors.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 100
"A roomy, roughly-finished building known as the 'barracks.'
. . . . Three of the numerous bedrooms were tenanted by young
men, . . . neophytes, who were gradually assimilating the love
of Bush-land."
Barracouta, or Barracoota, n. The
name, under its original spelling of Barracuda, was
coined in the Spanish West Indies, and first applied there to a
large voracious fish, Sphyraena pecuda, family
Sphyraenidae. In Australia and New Zealand it is
applied to a smaller edible fish, Thyrsites atun,
Cuv. and Val., family Trichiuridae, called Snook
(q.v.) at the Cape of Good Hope. It is found from the Cape of
Good Hope to New Zealand.
1845. 'Voyage to Port Philip,' p. 40:
"We hook the barracuda fish."
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fishes of New South Wales,'
p. 69:
"Sphyrenidae. The first family is the barracudas, or
sea-pike." [Footnote]: "This name is no doubt the same as
Barracouta and is of Spanish origin. The application of it to
Thyrsites atun in the Southern seas was founded on some
fancied resemblance to the West Indian fish, which originally
bore the name, though of course they are entirely different."
(2) The word is used as a nickname for an inhabitant of Hobart;
compare Cornstalk.
Barramunda, n. a fish, i.q. Burramundi
(q.v.).
Basket-Fence, n. Local name for a stake-hedge.
See quotation.
1872. G. S. Baden-Powell, 'New Homes for the Old Country,' p. 208:
"For sheep, too, is made the 'basket fence.' Stakes are driven
in, and their pliant 'stuff' interwoven, as in a stake hedge in
England."
Bastard Dory and John Dory (q.v.), spelt also
Dorey, n. an Australian fish, Cyttus australis,
family Cyttidae; the Australian representative of
Zeus faber, the European "John Dory," and its close
relative, is called Bastard Dorey in New Zealand, and
also Boar-fish (q.v.).
1880. Guenther, 'Study of Fishes,' p. 387:
"Histiopterus. . . .The species figured attains to a
length of twenty inches, and is esteemed as food. It is known
at Melbourne by the names of 'Boar-fish' or 'Bastard Dorey'
(fig.), Histiopterus recurvirostris."
Bastard Trumpeter, n. a fish. See Morwong,
Paper-fish, and Trumpeter. In Sydney it is
Latris ciliaris, Forst., which is called Moki in
New Zealand; in Victoria and Tasmania, L. forsteri,
Casteln.
1883. 'Royal Commission on the Fisheries of Tasmania,' p. 35:
"The bastard trumpeter (Latris Forsteri). . . .Scarcely
inferior to the real trumpeter, and superior to it in abundance
all the year round, comes the bastard trumpeter. . . This fish
has hitherto been confounded with Latris ciliaris
(Forst.); but, although the latter species has been reported as
existing in Tasmanian waters, it is most probably a mistake:
for the two varieties (the red and the white), found in such
abundance here, have the general characters as shown
above. . . They must be referred to the Latris Forsteri
of Count Castelnau, which appears to be the bastard trumpeter
of Victorian waters."
Bat-fish, n. The name in England is given to a
fish of the family Maltheidae. It is also applied to
the Flying Gurnard of the Atlantic and to the Californian
Sting-ray. In Australia, and chiefly in New South Wales, it is
applied to Psettus argenteus, Linn., family
Carangidae, or Horse Mackerels. Guenther says that the
"Sea Bats," which belong to the closely allied genus
Platax, are called so from the extraordinary length of
some portion of their dorsal and anal fins and of their
ventrals.
Bathurst Bur, n. Explained in quotation.
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 261:
"The Bathurst bur (Xanthium spinosuzn), a plant with
long triple spines like the barbary, and burs which are ruinous
to the wool of the sheep--otherwise, itself very like a
chenopodium, or good-fat-hen."
Bats-wing-coral, n. the Australian wood
Erythrina vespertilio, Bentham, N.O. Leguminosae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 426:
"Batswing Coral. . . .The wood is soft, and used by the
aborigines for making their 'heilamans,' or shields. It is
exceedingly light and spongy, and of the greatest difficulty to
work up to get anything like a surface for polishing."
Bauera, n. a shrub, Bauera rubioides,
Andr., N.O. Saxifrageae, the Scrub Vine, or
Native Rose; commonly called in Tasmania "Bauera,"and
celebrated for forming impenetrable thickets in conjunction
with "cutting grass," Cladium psittacorum, Labill.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 70:
"Bauera rubiaefolia. Madder leaved Bauera. A pretty little
plant with pink flowers. This genus is named after the
celebrated German draughtsman, whose splendid works are yet
unrivalled in the art, especially of the Australian plants
which he depicted in his voyage round New Holland with
Capt. Flinders in the Investigator."
1888. R. M. Johnston, 'Geology of Tasmania,' Intro. p. vi.:
"The Bauera scrub . . . is a tiny, beautiful shrub . . . Although
the branches are thin and wiry, they are too tough and too much
entangled in mass to cut, and the only mode of progress often
is to throw one's self high upon the soft branching mass and
roll over to the other side. The progress in this way is slow,
monotonous, and exhausting."
1891. 'The Australasian,' April 4, p. 670, col. 2:
"Cutting-grass swamps and the bauera, where a dog can't hardly
go,
Stringy-bark country, and blackwood beds, and lots of it broken
by snow."
1891. W. Tilley, 'Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 7:
"Interposing the even more troublesome Bauera shrub; whose
gnarled branches have earned for it the local and expressive
name of 'tangle-foot' or 'leg ropes.' [It] has been named by
Spicer the 'Native Rose.'"
Beal, Bool, or Bull, n. a sweet
aboriginal drink.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.:
"A good jorum of bull (washings of a sugar bag)" [given
to aborigines who have been working].
1839. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions,' vol. ii. p. 288:
"The flowers are gathered, and by steeping them a night in
water the natives made a sweet beverage called 'bool.'"
1878. R. Brough Smyth, 'Aborigines of Victoria,' vol. i. p. 210:
"In the flowers of a dwarf species of banksia
(B. ornata) there is a good deal of honey, and this was
got out of the flowers by immersing them in water. The water
thus sweetened was greedily swallowed by the natives. The
drink was named beal by the natives of the west of
Victoria, and was much esteemed."
Beal (2), n. i.q. Belar (q.v.).
Bean, Queensland, or Leichhardt, or
Match-box, n. Entada scandens, Benth.,
N.O. Leguminosae. Though this bean has two Australian
names, it is really widely distributed throughout the tropics.
A tall climbing plant; the seeds are used for match-boxes.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 425:
"The seeds are about two inches across, by half-an-inch thick,
and have a hard woody and beautifully polished shell, of a dark
brown or purplish colour. These seeds are converted into
snuff-boxes, scent-bottles, spoons, etc., and in the Indian
bazaars they are used as weights. ('Treasury of Botany.') In
the colonies we usually see the beans of this plant mounted
with silver, as match-boxes. The wood itself is soft, fibrous,
and spongy."
Bean-Tree, n. called also Moreton Bay
Chestnut, Castanospermum australe, Cunn. and Fraser,
N.O. Leguminosae; a tall tree with red flowers and large
seed-pods. The timber of young specimens has beautiful dark
clouding.
Bear, Native, n. the colonists' name for an
animal called by the aborigines Koala, Koolah, Kool-la, and
Carbora (Phascolarctus cinereus). It is a tree-climbing
marsupial, about two feet in length, like a small bear in its
heavy build. Its food is the young leaves of the Eucalyptus,
and it is said that the Native Bear cannot be taken to England
because it would die on board ship, owing to there being no
fresh gum leaves. The writers are incorrect who call the
animal a sloth.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 317
"Our coola (sloth or native bear) is about the size of an
ordinary poodle dog, with shaggy, dirty-coloured fur, no tail,
and claws and feet like a bear, of which it forms a tolerable
miniature. It climbs trees readily and feeds upon their
leaves."
1846. G. H. Haydon, 'Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 57:
"The bear (phascolomys) of the colonists is in reality a
species of sloth, and partakes of all the characteristics of
that animal; it is of the marsupial order, and is found chiefly
in the neighbourhood of thickly timbered high land; its flesh
is used by the aborigines for food, but is tough and
unpalatable; its usual weight is from eight to twelve pounds."
[Note: Phascolomys is the name of the Wombat, not the
Bear.]
1854. G. H. Hayden, 'The Australian Emigrant,' p. 126:
"The luckless carbora fell crashing through the
branches." [Footnote] "The native name of an animal of the
sloth species, but incorrectly called by the colonists a bear."
1855. W. Blandowski, 'Transactions of Philosophical Society of
Victoria,' vol. i. p. 68:
"The koala or karbor (Phascolarctus cinereus) frequents
very high trees, and sits in places where it is most sheltered
by the branches. . . . Its fur is of the same colour as the
bark . . . like the cat has the power of contracting and
expanding the pupil of the eye . . . . Its skin is remarkably
thick . . . dense woolly fur . . . . The natives aver that the
koala never drinks water."
1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'History of the Discovery and
Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 448:
"They were soon entirely out of provisions, but found a sort of
substitute by living on the native bear (Phascolarctus
cinereus), which was plentiful even in the forests."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 214:
"Look, high up in the branches of that tall tree is a native
bear! It sits motionless. It has something the appearance of
a solemn old man. How funny his great ears and Roman nose
look! He sits on the branch as if it was a chair, holding with
hand-like claws the surrounding twigs."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 9:
"We learned that a koala or native bear (Phascolarctus
cinereus) was sitting on a tree near the but of a
shepherd . . . not a dangerous animal. It is called 'native
bear,' but is in no wise related to the bear family. It is an
innocent and peaceful marsupial, which is active only at night,
and sluggishly climbs the trees, eating leaves and sleeping
during the whole day. As soon as the young has left the pouch,
the mother carries it with her on her back. The Australian
bear is found in considerable numbers throughout the eastern
part of the continent, even within the tropical circle."
Bearded Lizard, n. See Jew Lizard.
Beardie, or Beardy, n. a fish. In
Scotland the name is applied to the Bearded Loach,
Nemachilus barbatus, of Europe; in New South Wales the
name is given to the fish Lotella marginata, Macl., of
the family Gadidae, or Cod-fishes, which is also called
Ling (q.v.).
Beaver-rat, n. an aquatic rodent, something
like the English water-rat, genus Hydromys.
1864. 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land'
[paper by Morton Allport], p. 62:
"Common to both fresh and brackish water is the yellow bellied
beaver-rat or musk-rat (Hydromys chrysogaster)."
Beech, n. There is only one true Beech in
Australia, Fagus cunninghamii, Hook,
N.O. Cupuliferae; but the name is applied to many other
kinds of Australian trees, viz.--
(1) Simply to
Cryptocarya glaucescens, R. Br., N.O. Laurineae,
called also Black Sassafras, White Laurel, She Beech, and Black
Beech.
Flindersia australis, R. Br., N.O. Meliaceae,
called also Flindosa Ash, Crow's Ash, and Rasp-pod, and
invariably Myrtle to Tasmania.
Gmelina leichhardtii, F. v. M., N.O. Verbenaceae.
Monotoca elliptica, R. Br., N.O. Epacrideae.
Phyllanthus ferdinandi, Muell. and Arg., N.O.
Euphorbiaceae, called also Pencil Cedar in Southern
New South Wales.
Schizomeria ovata, D. Don, N.O. Saxifrageae,
called also Corkwood, Light-wood, Coachwood, and White Cherry.
Trochocarpa laurina, R. Br., N.O. Epacrideae,
called also Brush Cherry, and Brush Myrtle.
(2) With various epithets the name is also used as follows--
Evergreen Beech--
Fagus cunninghamii, Hook, N.O. Cupuliferae,
called also Myrtle and Negro-head Beech.
Flindosy B.--
Flindersia schottiana, F. v. M., N.O. Meliaceae,
called also Ash and Stave-wood.
Indian B.--
Pongamia glabra, Vent., N.O. Leguminosae, B. Fl.
Mountain B.--
Lomatia longifolia, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae.
Native B.--
Callicoma serratifolia, Andr., N.O. Saxifragiae,
"one of the trees called by the early colonists 'Black Wattle,'
from the fancied resemblance of the flowers to those of some of
the wattles." (Maiden, p. 389.)
Negro-head B., i.q. Evergreen B. (q.v. supra).
Queensland B.--
Gmelina leichhardtii , F. v. M., N.O. Verbenaceae,
a tall valuable timber-tree.
Red B.--
Tarrietia trifoliata, F. v. M., N.O. Sterculiaceae.
She B.--
Cryptocazya obovata, R. Br., H.0. Laurineae, B. Fl.,
called also Bastard Sycamore.
White B.--
Elaeocarpus kirtoni, F. v. M., N.O. Tiliaceae,
called also Mountain Ash.
(3) In New Zealand, there are six species of true beeches, which
according to Kirk are as follows--
Blair's B.--
Fagus blairii, T. Kirk.
Entire-leaved B.--
F. solandri, Hook. f.
Mountain B.--
F. cliffortioides, Hook. f.
Pointed-leaved B.--
F. apiculata, Colenso.
Silver B.--
F. Menziesii, Hook. f.
Tooth-leaved B.--
F. fusca, Hook. f.
All these, however, are commonly called Birches.
See also the words Ash, Myrtle, Sassafras.
Bee-eater, n. a bird-name. The European
Bee-eater is Merops apiaster; the Australian species is
Merops ornatus, Lath. The bird was called
"M. phrygius, the Embroidered Merops," by Shaw.
1793. G. Shaw, 'Zoology [and Botany] of New Holland,' p. 14:
"Specific character.--Black Merops varied with yellow. The
bird figured in its natural size on the present plate is a
species of Merops or Bee-eater; a tribe which appears to be
peculiarly prevalent in the extensive regions of Australia,
since more birds of this genus have been discovered than of any
other, except the very numerous one of Psittacus."
[The birds, however, have been since this date further
differentiated, and are now all classed in other genera, except
the present species.]
1790. J. White, 'Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 144:
"The wattled bee-eater, of which a plate is annexed, fell in
our way during the course of the day. . . . Under the eye,
on each side, is a kind of wattle of an orange colour. . .
This bird seems to be peculiar to New Holland."
Ibid. p. 190:
"We this day shot a knob-fronted bee-eater (see plate annexed).
This is about the size of a black-bird." [Description follows.]
Beef-wood, n. the timber of various Australian
trees, especially of the genus Casuarina, and some of
the Banksias; often used as a synonym of She-oak (q.v.).
The name is taken from the redness of the wood.
1826. J. Atkinson, 'Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales,'
p. 31:
"The wood is well known in England by the names of Botany Bay
wood, or beef wood.The grain is very peculiar, but the wood is
thought very little of in the colony; it makes good shingles,
splits, in the colonial phrase, from heart to bark . . ."
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,' vol. i. c. i. p. 22:
"They seemed to be covered with cypresses and beef-wood."
1846. C. Holtzapffel, 'Turning,' vol. i. p. 74:
"Beef wood. Red-coloured woods are sometimes thus named, but
it is generally applied to the Botany-Bay oak."
1852. G. C. Munday, 'Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 219:
"A shingle of the beef-wood looks precisely like a raw
beef-steak."
1856. Capt. H. Butler Stoney, 'A Residence in Tasmania,' p. 265:
"We now turn our attention to some trees of a very different
nature, Casuarina stricta and quadrivalvis,
commonly called He and She oak, and sometimes known by the name
of beef-wood, from the wood, which is very hard and takes a
high polish, exhibiting peculiar maculae spots and veins
scattered throughout a finely striated tint . . ."
1868. Paxton's 'Botanical Dictionary,' p. 116:
"Casuarinaceae,or Beefwoods. Curious branching, leafless trees
or shrubs, with timber of a high order, which is both hard and
heavy, and of the colour of raw beef, whence the vulgar name."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants.' (See 'Index of
vernacular names.')
Belar, n. (various spellings, Belah, billa,
beela, beal), an aboriginal name for the tree Casuarina
glauca. The colonists call the tree Bull-oak, probably
from this native name.
1862. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 18:
"A voice in the beela grows wild in its wail."
1868. J. A. B., 'Meta,' p. 19:
"With heartfelt glee we hail the camp,
And blazing fire of beal."
[Footnote]: "Aboriginal name of the gum-tree wood."
1874. W. H. L. Ranken, 'Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 110:
"These scrubs . . . sometimes crown the watersheds as 'belar.'"
Bell-bird, n. name given to several birds,
from
their note, like the tinkling of a bell. In Australia,
a Honey-eater, Myzantha melanophrys, Gould ('Birds of
Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 80), the 'Australian Bell-bird' (the
same bird as Myzantha flavirostris, V. and H.), chiefly
found in New South Wales; also Oreoica gutturalis, Gould
(vol. ii. pl. 81), the 'Bell-bird' of Western Australia; and
Oreoica cristata, Lewin. In New Zealand, Anthornis
melanura, Sparrm., chief Maori names, Korimako
(q.v.) in North, and Makomako in South. Buller gives
ten Maori names. The settlers call it Moko (q.v.).
There is also a Bell-bird in Brazil.
1774. J. Hawkesworth, 'Voyages,' vol. ii. p. 390 [Journal of
Jan. 17, 1770):
"In the morning we were awakened by the singing of the birds;
the number was incredible, and they seemed to strain their
throats in emulation of each other. This wild melody was
infinitely superior to any that we had ever heard of the same
kind; it seemed to be like small bells most exquisitely tuned,
and perhaps the distance, and the water between, might be no
small advantage to the sound. Upon enquiry we were informed
that the birds here always began to sing about two hours after
midnight, and continuing their music till sunrise were, like
our nightingales, silent the rest of the day."
[This celebrated descriptive passage by Dr. Hawkesworth is
based upon the following original from 'Banks's Journal,' which
now, after an interval of 122 years, has just been published in
London, edited by Sir J. D. Hooker.]
1770. J. Banks, 'Journal,' Jan. 17 (edition 1896):
"I was awakened by the singing of the birds ashore, from whence
we are distant not a quarter of a mile. Their numbers were
certainly very great. They seemed to strain their throats with
emulation, and made, perhaps, the most melodious wild music I
have ever heard, almost imitating small bells, but with the
most tunable silver sound imaginable, to which, maybe, the
distance was no small addition. On inquiring of our people, I
was told that they had observed them ever since we had been
here, and that they began to sing about one or two in the
morning, and continue till sunrise, after which they are silent
all day, like our nightingales."
1802. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,'
c. viii. p. 84:
"The cry of the bell-bird seems to be unknown here."
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean
Society,' vol. xv. p. 319:
"Mr. Caley thus observes on this bird: 'Dell-bird or Bell-bird.
So called by the colonists. It is an inhabitant of bushes,
where its disagreeable noise (disagreeable at least to me) [but
not to the poets] may be continually heard; but nowhere more so
than on going up the harbour to Paramatta, when a little above
the Flats.'"
1835. T. B. Wilson, 'Voyage Round the World,' p. 259:
"During the night, the bell bird supplied, to us, the place of
the wakeful nightingale . . . a pleasing surprise, as we had
hitherto supposed that the birds in New Holland were not formed
for song."
1839. E. J. Wakefield, 'Adventures in New Zealand,' p. 23:
"Every bough seemed to throng with feathered musicians: the
melodious chimes of the bell-bird were specially distinct."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 102:
"Look at the bell-bird's nest, admire the two spotted salmon
coloured eggs."
Ibid. ('Verses written whilst we lived in tents'), p. 171:
"Through the Eucalyptus shade,
Pleased could watch the bell-bird's flutter,
Blending with soft voice of waters
The delicious tones they utter."
1846. Lady Martin, 'Bush journey, 1846, Our Maoris,' p. 93:
"We did hear the birds next morning as Captain Cook had
described --first the bell-bird gave its clear, full note, and
then came such a jargoning as made one's heart glad."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 81:
"Oreoica gutturalis, Gould. Crested Oreoica.
Bell-bird, Colonists of Swan River [Western
Australia]. . . I find the following remarks in my note-book--
'Note, a very peculiar piping whistle, sounding like
weet-weet-weet-weet-oo, the last syllable fully drawn
out and very melodious. . . . In Western Australia, where the
real Bell-bird is never found, this species has had that
appellation given to it,--a term which must appear ill-applied
to those who have heard the note of the true Bell-bird of the
brushes of New South Wales, whose tinkling sound so nearly
resembles that of a distant sheep-bell as occasionally to
deceive the ears of a practised shepherd."
1866. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 93:
"Every now and then we stood, by common consent, silent and
almost breathless, to listen to the bell-bird, a dingy little
fellow, nearly as large as a thrush with the plumage of a
chaffinch, but with such a note! How can I make you hear its
wild, sweet, plaintive tone, as a little girl of the party said
'just as if it had a bell in its throat;' but indeed it would
require a whole peal of silver bells to ring such an exquisite
chime."
1868. F. Napier Broome, 'Canterbury Rhymes,' second edition, p. 108:
"Where the bell-bird sets solitudes ringing,
Many times I have heard and thrown down
My lyre in despair of all singing."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 21:
"Listen to the bell-bird. Ping, ping, sounds through the vast
hushed temple of nature."
1883. G. W. Rusden, 'History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 81:
"The bell-bird, with metallic but mellow pipe, warns the
wanderer that he is near water in some sequestered nook."
1886. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 8:
"And softer than slumber and sweeter than singing,
The notes of the bell-bird are running and ringing."
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 85:
"Anthornis melanura. Chatham Island Bell-bird
(A. Melanocephala), the Bell-bird--so-called from the
fanciful resemblance of one of its notes to the distant tolling
of a bell."
1889. Prof. Parker, 'Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 119:
"Bell-bird, Korimako,or Makomako (Anthornis melanura),
is still common in many parts of the South Island--e.g. in the
neighbourhood of Dunedin; but has almost disappeared from the
North Island. Its song is remarkably fine."
1893. W. P. Reeves, 'The Passing of the Forest,' 'Review of
Reviews,' Feb. 1893, p. 45:
"Gone are the forest birds, arboreal things,
Eaters of honey, honey-sweet in song;
The tui, and the bell-bird--he who sings
That brief rich music one would fain prolong.'
1896. G. A. Keartland, 'Horne Expedition in Central
Australia,' Part II., Zoology, Aves, p. 74:
"In the north they [Oreoica] are frequently called
'Bell-birds,' but bear no resemblance to Manorhina
melanophrys in plumage, shape, or note. The Oreoica is
such an accomplished ventriloquist that it is difficult to
find."
Bell-bottomed, adj. a particular fashion of
trouser affected by the larrikin (q.v.).
1891. 'The Argus,' Dec. 5, p. 13, col. 2:
"Can it be that the pernicious influence of the House is
gradually tingeing the high priests of the bell-bottomed
ballottee with conservatism!"
Bell-Frog, Golden, n. See Golden Bell-Frog.
Bell-topper, n. The ordinary Australian name
for the tall silk-hat.
1860. W. Kelly, 'Life in Victoria,' p. 268 [Footnote]:
"Bell-topper was the derisive name given by diggers to old
style hat, supposed to indicate the dandy swell."
Benjamin, n. a husband, in Australian
pigeon-English.
1870. Chas. H. Allen, 'A Visit to Queensland and her Goldfields,'
p. 182:
"There are certain native terms that are used by the whites
also as a kind of colonial slang, such as 'yabber,' to talk;
'budgeree,' good; 'bale,' no; 'yan,' to go; 'cabon,' much; and
so on.
"With the black people a husband is now called a 'benjamin,'
probably because they have no word to their own language to
express this relationship."
Benjamin-Tree, n. also called Weeping
Fig in Queensland, Ficus benjaminea, Linn.,
N.O. Urticaceae.
Bent-grass. n. See Grass.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 65:
"Agrostis virginica. Virginian Agrostis, or Bent-grass.
. . . Many species of this genus go under the general name of
Bent-grass. Their roots spread along among light and sandy
soil in which they generally grow with joints like the Squitch
or Couch grass of England."
Berigora, n. aboriginal name for a bird of
genus Falco, from beri, claw, and gora,
long. See Hawk
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,' vol.
xv. p. 185:
"The native name of this bird which we have adopted as its
specific name, is Berigora. It is called by the
settlers Orange-speckled Hawk."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' I. i. pl. 11:
"Hieracidea berigora. Brown Hawk. Berigora, Aborigines
of New South Wales. Orange-speckled Hawk of the Colonists."
Berley, n. term used by Australian fishermen
for ground bait. It is probably of aboriginal origin.
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods,
'Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales,' p. 75:
"With hook and line along the rocks of our sea-coast these
fishes are caught, but the bait should be crabs. It is usual
to wrench legs and shell off the back, and cast them out for
Berley."
1896. 'Badminton Magazine,' August, p. 201:
"I would signal to the sharks by opening and washing out a few
of the largest fish at the boat's head, sometimes adding bait
chopped small to serve for what Australian fishermen call
Berley."
Betcherrygah, n. bird-name, Melopsittacus
undulatus, Shaw. See Budgerigar.
Bettongia, n. the scientific name of the genus
of Prehensile-tailed Kangaroo-Rats, whose aboriginal name
is Bettong. They are the only ground-dwelling
marsupials with prehensile tails, which they use for carrying
bunches of grasses and sticks. See Kangaroo-Rat.
Biddy-biddy, or Biddybid, n. a
corruption of Maori name piripiri. It is a kind of bur.
1880. T. H. Potts, 'Out in the Open, 'New Zealand Country Journal,'
vol. xii. p. 95:
"Piri-piri (acaena sanguisorbe) by settlers has been
converted or corrupted into biddy-biddy; a verb has been formed
on it, which is in very constant use for a good part of the
year at least. To biddy, is to rid one of burrs, as 'I'll just
biddy my clothes before I come in.' Small birds are
occasionally found in a wretched state of discomfort in which
they appear a moving mass of burrs. Parroquets, pipets, and
the little white-eyes, have been found victims suffering from
these tenacious burrs of the piri-piri, just moving little
brown balls unable to fly till picked up and released from
their bonds."
1896. 'Otago Witness,' Jan. 23, vol. ii. p. 36:
"Yes, biddybids detract very materially from the value of the
wool, and the plant should not be allowed to seed where sheep
are depastured. They are not quite so bad as the Bathurst
burr, but they are certainly in the same category."
Biddy, v. See Biddy-biddy, n.
Bidgee Widgee, n. name given to a Tasmanian
Bur (q.v.).
Bidyan Ruffe, n. a fresh-water fish of New
South Wales, Therapon richardsonii, Castln., family
Percidae. Mr. J. Douglas Ogilby, Assistant Zoologist at
the Australian Museum, Sydney, says in a letter "The Bidyan
Ruffe of Sir Thomas Mitchell is our Therapon ellipticus,
Richards (T. richardsonii, Castln.). Found in all the
rivers of the Murray system, and called Kooberry by the
natives." It is also called the Silver Perch and
sometimes Bream.
1838. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 95 [Note]:
"Bidyan is the aboriginal name."
Ibid. vol. i. p. 135:
"Abundance of that which the men commonly called bream
(Cernua bidyana), a very coarse but firm fish, which
makes a groaning noise when taken out of the water."
Big-head, n. a fish. The name is used locally
for various fishes; in Australia it is Eleotris
nudiceps, Castln., family Gobiidae, a river fish.
Of the genus Eleotris, Guenther says that as regards
form they repeat almost all the modifications observed among
the Gobies, from which they differ only in having the ventral
fins non-coalescent. See Bull-head (2).
Billabong, n. an effluent from a river,
returning to it, or often ending in the sand, in some cases
running only in flood time.
In the Wiradhuri dialect of the centre of New South Wales, East
coast, billa means a river and bung dead. See
Bung. Billa is also a river in some Queensland
dialects, and thus forms part of the name of the river
Belyando. In the Moreton Bay dialect it occurs in the form
pill , and in the sense of 'tidal creek.' In the
'Western Australian Almanack' for 1842, quoted in J. Fraser's
'Australian Language,' 1892, Appendix, p. 50, Bilo is
given for River.
Billabong is often regarded as a synonym for
Anabranch (q.v.); but there is a distinction. From the
original idea, the Anabranch implies rejoining the
river; whilst the Billabong implies continued separation
from it; though what are called Billabongs often do
rejoin.
1862. W. Landsborough, 'Exploration of Australia,' p. 30:
"A dried-up tributary of the Gregory, which I named the
Macadam."
[Footnote]: "In the south, such a creek as the Macadam is
termed a billy-bonn [sic], from the circumstance of the
water carrier returning from it with his pitcher (billy)
empty (bong, literally dead)."
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia, vol. i. p. 298:
"What the Major calls, after the learned nomenclature of
Colonel Jackson, in the 'Journal of the Geographical Society,'
anabranches, but which the natives call billibongs, channels
coming out of a stream and returning into it again."
1880. P. J. Holdsworth, 'Station Hunting on the Warrego:'
"In yon great range may huddle billabongs."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 25:
"What a number of swallows skim about the 'billabongs' along
the rivers in this semi-tropical region."
1893. 'The Argus,' April 8, p. 4, col. 1:
"Let's make a start at once, d'ye hear; I want to get over to
the billabong by sunrise."
Billet, n. an appointment, a position; a very
common expression in Australia, but not confined to Australia;
adapted from the meaning, "an official order requiring the
person to whom it is addressed to provide board and lodging for
the soldier bearing it." ('O.E.D.')
1890. E. W. Hornung, 'A Bride from the Bush,' p. 267:
"If ever she went back to Australia, she'd remember my young
man, and get him a good billet."
Billy, n. a tin pot used as a bushman's kettle.
The word comes from the proper name, used as abbreviation for
William. Compare the common uses of 'Jack,' 'Long Tom,'
'Spinning Jenny.' It came into use about 1850. It is not used
in the following.
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 48:
"He then strikes a light and makes a fire to boil his kettle
and fry his bacon."
About 1850, the billy superseded the quart-pot (q.v.),
chiefly because of its top-handle and its lid. Another
suggested derivation is that billy is shortened from
billycan, which is said to be bully-can (sc.
Fr. bouili). In the early days "boeuf bouilli"
was a common label on tins of preserved meat in ship's stores.
These tins, called "bully-tins," were used by diggers and
others as the modern billy is (see quotation 1835). A third
explanation gives as the origin the aboriginal word
billa (river or water).
1835. T. B. Wilson, 'Voyage Round the World,' p. 238:
"An empty preserved meat-canister serving the double purpose of
tea-kettle and tea-pot."
[The word billy is not used, but its origin is
described.]
1857. W. Howitt, 'Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 202:
"A tin pan bearing the familiar name of a billy."
1871 J. J. Simpson, 'Recitations,' p. 5:
"He can't get a billy full for many a mile round."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 41:
"A billy (that is a round tin pitcher with a lid) in his hand."
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 69:
"A tin can, which the connoisseurs call for some reason or
other a 'billy.'"
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' p. 24:
"A very black camp-kettle, or billy, of hot tea."
1892. 'The Australasian,' April 9, p. 707, col. 4:
"How we praised the simple supper
(we prepared it each in turn),
And the tea! Ye gods! 'twas nectar.
Yonder billy was our urn."
Billy-can, n. a variation of the above, more
used by townsmen than bushmen.
1892. 'The Australasian,' April 9, p. 707, col. 4:
"But I said, 'Dear friend and brother, yonder billy-can is
mine; You may confiscate the washing that is hanging on the
line, You may depredate the larder, take your choice of pot and
pan; But, I pray thee, kind sundowner, spare, oh spare, my
billy-can.'"
Bingy [g soft], n. stomach or belly.
Aboriginal. The form at Botany Bay was bindi; at Jervis
Bay, binji.
1851. Rev. David Mackenzie, 'Ten Years in Australia,' p. 140:
"They lay rolling themselves on the ground, heavily groaning in
pain, and with their hands rubbing their bellies, exclaiming,
'Cabonn buggel along bingee' (that is, I am very sick in the
stomach)."
Birch, n. In New Zealand, the trees called
birches are really beeches (q.v.), but the term birch is
used very vaguely; see quotation 1889. In Tasmania, the name is
applied to Dodonaea ericifolia, Don., N.O.
Sapindaceae.
1853. J. Hector, 'Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 125:
"White-birch of Nelson and Otago (from colour of bark),
Black-heart Birch of Wellington, Fagus solandri, Hook, a
lofty, beautiful ever-green tree, 100 feet high. Black-birch
(Tawhai) of Auckland and Otago (from colour of bark), Red-birch
of Wellington and Nelson (from colour of timber), Fagus
fusca, N.O. Cupuliferae, a noble tree 60 to 90 feet high."
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 91:
"Like all small-leaved forest trees it [Fagus solandri,
Hook. f.] is termed 'birch' by the bushman. . . . It is not
too much to say that the blundering use of common names in
connection with the New Zealand beeches, when the timber has
been employed in bridges and constructive works, has caused
waste and loss to the value of many thousands of pounds."
Bird-catching Plant, n. a New Zealand shrub or
tree, Pisonia brunoniana, Endl.,
N.O. Nyctagineae; Maori name, Parapara.
1883. R. H. Govett, 'Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,'
vol. xvi. Art. xxviii. p. 364::
"A Bird-killing Tree. . . . In a shrub growing in my father's
garden at New Plymouth, two Silver-eyes (Zosterops) and
an English Sparrow had been found with their wings so glued by
the sticky seed-vessels that they were unable to move, and
could only fly away after having been carefully washed."
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 293:
"It is sometimes termed the 'birdcatching plant' by settlers
and bushmen . . . It will always be a plant of special
interest, as small birds are often found captured by its viscid
fruits, to which their feathers become attached as effectively
as if they were glued."
Bird's-nest fungus, n. a small fungus of the
genus Cyathus, four species of which occur in
Queensland.
Bitter-Bark, n. an Australian tree,
Petalostigma quadrilo culare, F. v. M.,
N.O. Euphorbiacea. Called also Crab-tree, Native
Quince, Emu apple, and Quinine-tree. The bark
contains a powerful bitter essence, which is used medicinally.
The name is also applied to Tabernaemontana orientalis,
R. Br., N.O. Apocyneae, and to Alstonia
constricta, F. v. M., N.O. Aporynacece, which is also
called Feverbark.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 204:
"Bitter Bark. This small tree has an intensely bitter bark,
and a decoction of it is sometimes sold as 'bitters."
Bitter-Leaf, n. a Tasmanian name for the
Native Hop. See Hops and Hopbush.
Bittern, n. bird-name well known in England.
The Australian species are--
The Bittern--
Botaurus paeciloptilus, Wagl.
Black B.--
Butoroides flavicollis, Lath.
Green B.--
B. javanica, Horsfield.
Little B.--
Ardetta pusilla, Vieill.
Blackberry, Native, or Bramble, n.
called also Raspberry. Three species of the genus
Rubus occur in Queensland--Rubus moluccanus,
Linn., R. parvifolius, Linn., R.
rosifolius, Smith, N.O. Rosaceae See also
Lawyer.
Blackbird, n. "A cant name for a captive negro,
or Polynesian, on board a slave or pirate ship." ('O.E.D.') But
no instance is given of its use for a negro.
1871. 'Narrative of the Voyage of the Brig Carl' [pamphlet]
"They were going to take a cruise round the islands
'black-bird' catching."
1872. 'The Argus,' Dec. 21, Supplement, p. 2, col. 1 [Chief
Justice's charge in the case of the 'Carl Outrage']:
"They were not going pearl-fishing but blackbird-hunting. It
is said you should have evidence as to what blackbird-hunting
meant. I think it is a grievous mistake to pretend to
ignorance of things passing before our eyes everyday. We may
know the meaning of slang words, though we do not use them. Is
there not a wide distinction between blackbird-hunting and a
legitimate labour-trade, if such a thing is to be carried on?
What did he allude to? To get labourers honestly if they could,
but, if not, any way?"
1881. 'Chequered Career,' p.188 ('O.E.D.')
"The white men on board know that if once the 'blackbirds'
burst the hatches . . . they would soon master the ship."
Black-birding, n. kidnapping natives of South
Sea islands for service in Queensland plantations.
1871. 'Narrative of the Voyage of the Brig Carl' [pamphlet]:
"All the three methods, however, of obtaining labour in the
South Seas--that which was just and useful, that which was of
suspicious character, and that which was nothing, more or less,
than robbery and murder--were in use the same time, and all
three went by the same general slang term of 'blackbirding,' or
'blackbird catching.'"
1872. Rev. H. S. Fagan, 'The Dark Blue' (Magazine), June,
p. 437:
"Well, you see how it is that C is not safe, even though he is
a missionary bishop, after A has made the name of missionary an
offence by his ingenious mode of 'black-birding.'"
1892. Gilbert Parker, 'Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 78:
"In the early days of sugar-planting there may have been
black-birding, but it was confined to a very few, and it is
done away with altogether now."
Black-birding, adj.
1883. 'The Academy,' Sept. 8, p. 158 ('O.E.D.')
"[He] slays Bishop Patteson by way of reprisal for the
atrocities of some black-birding crew."
Blackboy, n. a grass-tree. Name applied to all
species of the genus Xanthorroea, but especially to
X. preissii, Endl., N.O. Liliaceae. Compare
Maori-head.
1846. J. L. Stokes, 'Discovery in Australia,' ii. 4, 132:
"Black Boy . . . gum on the spear, resin on the trunk."
Ibid. ii. 12, 280 [Note]
"These trees, called blackboys by the colonists, from the
resemblance they bear in the distance to natives."
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 92:
"Gas admirably fitted for domestic purposes had been extracted
from the shrub called the 'blackboy.' I regret to state that
the gas . . . is not . . . at present known in the colony."
1886. R. Henty, 'Australiana,' p. 15:
"The common grass-tree or 'blackboy,' so called from its long
dark stem and dark seed head (when dry)."
1896. 'The Australasian,' Feb. 15, p. 313 (with an
Illustration):
"The Blackboy trees are a species of grass-tree or
Xanthorrhoea, exuding a gummy substance used by the
blacks for fastening glass and quartz-barbs to their spears.
Many years ago, when coal was scarce in Western Australia, an
enterprising firm . . . erected a gas-making plant, and
successfully lit their premises with gas made from the
Blackboy."
1896. Modern:
A story is told of a young lady saying to a naval officer:--
"I was this morning watching your ship coming into harbour,
and so intently that I rode over a young blackboy." The officer
was shocked at her callousness in expressing no contrition.
Black-Bream, n. an Australian fish,
Chrysophrys australis, Gunth., family Sparidae,
or Sea-Breams; called in Tasmania Silver-Bream, the fish
there called Black-Bream being another of the
Sparidae, Girella tricuspidata, Cuv. and Val.
See Tarwhine and Black-fish.
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,' p. 42:
"Chrysophrys comprises the tarwhine and black-bream of
the Sydney fishermen. . . . We have two species in
Australia. . . . The black-bream, C. australis,
Gunth., and the tarwhine, C. sarba, Forsk. . . .
The Australian bream is as common on the south as on the east
coast. It affords excellent sport to anglers in Victoria."
Blackbutt, n. Eucalyptus pilularis, Smith,
Victoria; E. regnans, F. v. M., New South Wales; a timber
tree, a gum. Another name is Flintwood. The lower part
of the trunk is black.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 49:
"The range . . . having with the exception of the Blackbutt all
the trees . . . of Moreton Bay."
1863. M. K. Beveridge, 'Gatherings among Gum-trees,' p. 86:
"'Tis there the 'blackbut' rears its head."
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 30:
"A tree of considerable size. . . The bark smooth and falling
off in flakes upward, and on the branches."
1897. 'The Age,' Feb. 22, p. 5, col. 3:
"Mr. Richards stated that the New South Wales black butt and
tallow wood were the most durable and noiseless woods for
street-paving, as well as the best from a sanitary point of
view."
Black-Cod, n. a New Zealand fish, Notothenia
angustata.
Blackfellow, n. an aboriginal Australian.
1846. J. L. Stokes, 'Discovery in Australia,' i. 4, 74:
"The native Miago . . . appeared delighted that these 'black
fellows,' as he calls them, have no throwing sticks."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 9:
"The well-known tracks of blackfellows are everywhere visible."
1871. Dingo, 'Australian Rhymes,' p. 14:
"Wurragaroo loved Wangaraday
In a blackfellow's own peculiar way."
Black-Fern, n. The Tasmanian species so called
is Athyrium australe, Presl., N.O. Polypodeae.
Black-fish, n. The name is given, especially in
Sydney, to the sea-fishes Girella simplex, Richards (see
Ludrick), and Girella tricuspidata, Cuv. and
Val.; also to a fresh-water fish all over Australia,
Gadopsis marmoratus, Richards. G. marmoratus is
very common in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and
parts of Tasmania. There are local varieties. It is much
esteemed as a food fish, but is, like all mud fishes, rich and
oily. Girella belongs to the family Sparida, or
Sea-Breams, and Gadopsis to the Gadopsidae, a
family allied to that containing the Cod fishes. The name was
also formerly applied to a whale.
1853. C. St. Julian and E. K. Silvester, 'Productions,
Industry, and Resources of New South Wales,' p. 115:
"There is a species of whale called by those engaged in the
south sea fishing the Black-fish or Black-whale,
but known to the naturalist as the Southern Rorqual, which the
whalemen usually avoid."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 100
"Nothing is better eating than a properly cooked black-fish.
The English trout are annihilating them, however."
Black-Line. See Black-War.
Black-Perch, n. a river fish of New South Wales.
Therapon niger, Castln., family Percidae.
A different fish from those to which the name is applied
elsewhere. See Perch.
Black-and-white Ringed Snake. See under Snake.
Black Rock-Cod, n. an Australian fish, chiefly
of New South Wales, Serranus daemeli, Gunth.; a
different fish from the Rock-Cod of the northern
hemisphere. The Serrani belong to the family Percidae,
and are commonly called "Sea-perches."
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,'
p. 33:
"The genus Serranus comprises most of the fishes known
as 'rock cod.'. . . One only is sufficiently useful as an
article of food to merit notice, and that is the 'black rock
cod' (Serranus damelii, Guenther), without exception the
very best of all our fishes."
Black-Snake. See under Snake.
Black-Swan. See Swan.
Black Thursday, the day of a Victorian conflagration,
which occurred on Feb. 6, 1851. The thermometer was 112
degrees in the shade. Ashes from the fire at Macedon, 46 miles
away, fell in Melbourne. The scene forms the subject of the
celebrated picture entitled "Black Thursday," by William
Strutt, R.B.A.
1859. Rev. J. D. Mereweather, 'Diary of a Working Clergyman in
Australia,' p. 81:
"Feb. 21 . . . Dreadful details are reaching us of the great
bush fires which took place at Port Phillip on the 6th of this
month . . . . Already it would seem that the appellation of
'Black Thursday' has been given to the 6th February, 1851, for
it was on that day that the fires raged with the greatest
fury."
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillman, 'Australian Life,' p. 39:
"The old colonists still repeat the most terrible stories of
Black Thursday, when the whole country seemed to be on fire.
The flames leaped from tree to tree, across creeks, hills, and
gullies, and swept everything away. Teams of bullocks in the
yoke, mobs of cattle and horses, and even whole families of
human beings, in their bush-huts, were completely destroyed,
and the charred bones alone found after the wind and fire had
subsided."
Black-Tracker, n. an aboriginal employed in
tracking criminals.
1867. 'Australia as it is,' pp. 88-9:
"The native police, or 'black trackers,' as they are sometimes
called, are a body of aborigines trained to act as policemen,
serving under a white commandant--a very clever expedient for
coping with the difficulty . . . of hunting down and discovering
murderous blacks, and others guilty of spearing cattle and
breaking into huts . . ."
1870. 'The Argus,' March 26, p. 5, col. 4:
"The troopers, with the assistance of two black trackers,
pursued the bushrangers . . ."
1870. Ibid. April 13, p. 6, col. 7:
. . . two members of the police force and a black tracker . . .
called at Lima station . . ."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. xvii. p. 165:
"Get the black-trackers on the trail."
1893. 'The Argus,' April 8, p. 4, col. 3 .
"Only three weeks before he had waddied his gin to death for
answering questions put to her by a blacktracker, and now he
advanced to Charlie . . . and said,. . . 'What for you come alonga
black fella camp?'"
1896. 'The Argus,' March 30, p. 6, col. 9:
"About one hundred and fifty horsemen have been out to-day in
addition to the local police. The black-trackers arrived by
the train last night, and commenced work this morning."
Black-Trevally. See Trevally.
Black-War, or Black-Line, a military
operation planned in 1830 by Governor Arthur for the capture
of the Tasmanian aborigines. A levy en masse of the
colonists was ordered. About 5000 men formed the "black line,"
which advanced across the island from north to south-east, with
the object of driving the tribes into Tasman's Peninsula. The
operation proved a complete failure, two blacks only being
captured at a cost to the Government of L 30,000.
1835. H. Melville, 'History of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 103:
"The parties forming the 'black line,' composed, as they were,
of a curious melange of masters and servants, took their
respective stations at the appointed time. As the several
parties advanced, the individuals along the line came closer
and closer together --the plan was to keep on advancing slowly
towards a certain peninsula, and thus frighten the Aborigines
before them, and hem them in."
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol, ii. p. 54:
"Thus closed the Black War. This campaign of a month supplied
many adventures and many an amusing tale, and, notwithstanding
the gravity of his Excellency, much fun and folly . . . . Five
thousand men had taken the field. Nearly L 30,000 had been
expended, and probably not much less in time and outlay by the
settlers, and two persons only were captured."
Black Wednesday, n. a political phrase for a
day in Victoria (Jan. 9, 1878), when the Government without
notice dismissed many Civil Servants, including heads of
departments, County Court judges and police magistrates, on the
ground that the Legislative Council had not voted the money for
their salaries.
1878. 'Melbourne Punch,' May 16, vol. xlvi. p. 195 [Title of
Cartoon]:
"In Memoriam. Black Wednesday, 9th January 1878."
1896. 'The Argus,' [Sydney telegram] Aug. 18, p. 6, col. 4:
"The times in the public service at present reminded him of
Black Wednesday in Victoria, which he went through. That
caused about a dozen suicides among public servants. Here it
had not done so yet, but there was not a head of a department
who did not now shake in his shoes."
Blackwood, n. an Australian timber, Acacia
melanoxylon, R. Br.; often called Lightwood; it is
dark in colour but light in weight.
1828. 'Report of Van Diemen's Land Company,' Bischoff, 'Van
Diemen's Land, 1832,' p. 118
"Without a tree except a few stumps of blackwood."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' p. 21:
"Grassy slopes thickly timbered with handsome Blackwood trees."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 359:
"Called 'Blackwood' on account of the very dark colour of the
mature wood."
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 4:
"Blackwood, Lightwood--rather frequent on many rich river-flats
. . . .It is very close-grained and heavy, and is useful for
all purposes where strength and flexibility are required."
Bladder Saltbush, n. a Queensland shrub,
Atriplex vesicarium, Heward, N.O. Salsolaceae.
The Latin and vernacular names both refer to "the bladdery
appendage to fruiting perianth." (Bailey.) See
Saltbush.
Blandfordia, n. the scientific name of the
Gordon-Lily (see under Lily). The plant was
named after George, Marquis of Blandford, son of the second
Duke of Marlborough. The Tasmanian aboriginals called the
plant Remine, which name has been given to a small port
where it grows in profusion on the west coast.
Bleeding-Heart, n. another name for the
Kennedya (q.v.).
1896. 'The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 53:
"The trailing scarlet kennedyas, aptly called the 'bleeding-
heart' or 'coral-pea,' brighten the greyness of the sandy
peaty wastes."
Blight. See Sandy-blight.
Blight-bird, n. a bird-name in New Zealand for
the Zosterops (q.v.). Called also Silver-eye
(q.v.), Wax-eye, and White-eye (q.v.). It is
called Blight-bird because it eats the blight on trees.
1882. T. H. Potts, 'Out in the Open,' p. 130:
"The white-eye or blight-bird, with cheerful note, in crowded
flocks, sweeps over the face of the country, and in its
progress clears away multitudes of small insect pests."
1885. A. Hamilton, 'Native Birds of Petane, Hawke's Bay,'
'Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xviii. p. 125:
"Zosterops lateralis, white-eye, blight-bird. One of
our best friends, and abundant in all parts of the district."
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' (2nd ed.)
vol. i. p. 82:
"By the settlers it has been variously designated as Ring-eye,
Wax-eye, White-eye, or Silver-eye, in allusion to the beautiful
circlet of satiny-white feathers which surrounds the eyes; and
quite as commonly the 'Blightbird' or 'Winter-migrant.' . . .
It feeds on that disgusting little aphis known as American
blight, which so rapidly covers with a fatal cloak of white the
stems and branches of our best apple-trees; it clears our early
cabbages of a pestilent little insect, that left unchecked
would utterly destroy the crop; it visits our gardens and
devours another swarming parasite that covers our roses."
Blind Shark, or Sand Shark,
n. i.q. Shovel-nose (q.v.).
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods 'Fish and Fisheries of New
South Wales, p. 97:
"Rhinobatus granulatus or shovel-nose, which is properly
speaking a Ray, is called here the blind or sand shark, though,
as Mr. Hill remarks, it is not blind. He says 'that it
attains the length of from 6 to 7 feet, and is also harmless,
armed only with teeth resembling small white beads secured
closely upon a cord; it however can see tolerably well, and
searches on sandy patches for crustaceae and small shell fish.'"
1886. J. Douglas-Ogilby, 'Catalogue of the Fishes of New South
Wales,' p. 5:
"Rhinobatus Granulatus . . . I have not seen a New South Wales
example of this fish, which appears to have been confounded
with the following by writers on the Australian fauna.
Rhinobatus Bongainvillei, Muell and Heule,
Habitat Port Jackson. Shovel-nosed Ray of Sydney
fishermen."
Blind-your-Eyes, n. another name for the
Milky Mangrove. See Mangrove.
doing the block, v. lounging in the
fashionable promenade. In Melbourne, it is Collins Street,
between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets. In Sydney, "The Block"
is that portion of the city bounded by King, George, Hunter,
and Pitt Streets. It is now really two blocks, but was all in
one till the Government purchased the land for the present Post
Office, and then opened a new street from George to Pitt
Street. Since then the Government, having purchased more land,
has made the street much wider, and it is now called Martin's
Place.
1869. Marcus Clarke, 'Peripatetic Philosopher,' (in an Essay on
'Doing the Block') (reprint), p. 13:
"If our Victorian youth showed their appreciation for domestic
virtues, Victorian womanhood would 'do the Block' less
frequently."
1872. 'Glimpses of Life in Victoria by a Resident,' p. 349:
"A certain portion of Collins street, lined by the best
drapers' and jewellers' shops, with here and there a bank or
private office intervening, is known as 'the Block,' and is the
daily resort of the belles and beaux. . . ."
1875. R. and F. Hill, 'What We Saw in Australia,' p. 267:
"To 'do the block' corresponds in Melbourne to driving in Hyde
Park."
1876. Wm. Brackley Wildey, 'Australasia and the Oceanic Region,'
p. 234:
"The streets are thronged with handsome women, veritable
denizens of the soil, fashionably and really tastefully
attired, 'doing the block,' patrolling Collins-street, or
gracefully reclining in carriages. . . ."
1890. Tasma, 'In her Earliest Youth,' p. 126:
"You just do as I tell you, and we'll go straight off to town
and 'do the block.'"
1894. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), Oct. 6, p. 6, col. 1:
"But the people doing the block this morning look very nice."
Block, on the.(1) On the promenade above referred to.
1896. 'The Argus,' July 17, p. 4. col. 7:
" We may slacken pace a little now and again, just as the busy
man, who generally walks quickly, has to go slowly in the crowd
on the Block."
(2) Term in mining, fully explained in 'The Miner's Right,'
chapters vii. and viii.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'The Miner's Right,' p. 86:
"I declare the Liberator Lead to be 'on the block.'"
'Extract from Mining Regulation 22' (Ibid. p. 77):
"The ground shall be open for taking up claims in the block
form."
Blood-bird, n. name given to the Sanguineous
Honey-eater. See Honey-eater.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 63:
"Myzomela sanguinolenta, Sanguineous Honey-eater.
Blood-bird of the Colonists of New South Wales."
Blood-sucker, n. popular name for certain
species of Lizards belonging to the genus Amphibolurus
(Grammatophora). Especially applied to A. muricata,
Shaw.
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 37:
"Another description of lizard is here vulgarly called the
'bloodsucker.' "
1890. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Natural History of Victoria,'
Dec. 12, pl. cxi.:
"Why the popular name of 'Bloodsucker' should be so universally
given to this harmless creature by the Colonists (except on the
locus a non lucendo principle) I cannot conceive."
1890. A. H. S. Lucas, 'Handbook of the Australasian Association
for the Advancement of Science,' Melbourne, p. 70:
"Two species of 'blood sucker' so absurdly designated."
Blood-wood, or Blood-tree, n. a name
applied, with various epithets, to many of the Gum-trees
(q.v.), especially to--(1) Eucalyptus corymbosa, Smith,
sometimes called Rough-barked bloodwood; (2) E. eximia,
Schauer, Mountain or Yellow bloodwood; (3) Baloghia
lucida, Endl., N.O. Euphorbiaceae, called Brush
Bloodwood. The sap is blood-red, running copiously when cut
across with a knife.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean
Society,' vol. xv. p. 271:
"The natives tell me it breeds in the winter in Mun'ning-trees
or Blood-trees of the colonists (a species of Eucalyptus)."
1847. L.Leichhardt,' Overland Expedition,' p. 292:
"The bergue was covered with fine bloodwood trees,
stringy-bark, and box."
1892. A. J. North, 'Proceedings of Linnaean Society,' New South
Wales, vol. vii. series 2, p. 396:
"I traced her to a termite nest in a bloodwood tree
(Eucalyptus corymbosa)."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' 448:
"It [E. eximia] is called 'bloodwood,' partly because
kino exudes in the concentric circles of the wood . . . partly
because its fruits are in shape very similar to those of
E. corymbosa."
Blow, n. stroke of the shears in sheep-shearing.
1890. 'The Argus,' September 20, p. 13, col. 7:
"The shearers must make their clip clean and thorough. If it
be done so incompetently that a 'second blow' is needed, the
fleece is hacked."
Blow,/2/ n. braggadocio, boasting.
1890. Lyth, 'Golden South,' viii. p. 71:
"Is there not very much that the Australian may well be proud
of, and may we not commend him for a spice of blow?"
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Sydney-Side Saxon,' p. 77:
"He can walk as fast as some horses can trot, cut out any beast
that ever stood on a camp, and canter round a cheese-plate.
This was a bit of blow."
1893. 'The Australasian,' Aug. 12, p. 102, col. 1:
"Now Digby Holland will think it was mere Australian blow."
Blow, v. to boast; abbreviated from the phrase
"to blow your own trumpet." The word is not Australian though
often so regarded. It is common in Scotland and in the United
States.
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 387:
"The blast of the trumpet as heard in Victoria is louder than
all the blasts--and the Melbourne blast beats all the other
blowing of that proud colony. My first, my constant, my
parting advice to my Australian cousins is contained in two
words, 'don't blow.'"
Blower, n. a boaster. (See Blow, v.)
1890. Rolf Boldrewood,' A Colonial Reformer,' p. 411:
"A regular Sydney man thinks all Victorians are blowers and
speculators."
Blowing, verbal n. boasting.
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 387:
"A fine art much cultivated in the colonies, for which the
colonial phrase of 'blowing' has been created."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 9:
"Blowing (that is, talking loudly and boastingly on any and
every subject)."
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 45:
"He was famous for 'blowing' in Australian parlance . . .
of his exploits."
Bluebell, n. The name is given in Tasmania
to the flower Wahlenbergia gracilis, De C., N.O.
Campanulaceae.
Blueberry, n. i.q. Native Currant
(q.v.). The name is also given to Dianella longifolia,
R. Br., N.O. Liliaceae.
Blueberry Ash, n. a Victorian tree,
Elaeocarpus holopetalus, F. v. M.
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 15:
"Blueberry Ash or Prickly Fig. A noble tree, attaining a
height of 120 feet. Wood pale, fine-grained; exquisite for
cabinet work."
Blue-bush, n. an Australian forage plant,
a kind of Salt-bush, Kochia pyrainidata, Benth,
N.O. Chenopodiaceae.
1876. W. Harcus. 'South Australia,' p. 124:
"[The country] would do splendidly for sheep, being thickly
grassed with short fine grass, salt and blue bush, and geranium
and other herbs."
Blue-Cod, n. name given to a New Zealand fish,
Percis colias, family Trachinidae. Called also
in New Zealand Rock-Cod (q.v.). The fish is of a
different family from the Cod of the northern
hemisphere.
Blue-creeper, n. name given to the creeper,
Comesperma volubile, Lab., N.O. Campanulaceae.
Blue-eye, n. a bird name. The Blue faced
Honey-eater (q.v.).
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 68:
"Entomyza cyanotis, Swains. Blue-faced Entomyza.
Blue-eye of the colonists."
Blue-fish, n. name given in Sydney to
Girella cyanea, of the family Sparidae, or
Sea-Breams. It is different from the Blue-fish of the
American coasts, which is of the family Carangidae.
Blue-Groper, n. a fish of New South Wales and
Tasmania, Cossyphus gouldii, one of the Labridae
or Wrasses, often called Parrot-Fish in Australia.
Called also Blue-head in Tasmania. Distinct from the
fish called the Groper (q.v).
Blue-gum, n. See under Gum. It is an
increasing practice to make a single word of this compound, and
to pronounce it with accent on the first syllable, as
'wiseman,' 'goodman.'
Blue-head, n. Tasmanian name for the fish
called the Blue-Groper (q.v.)
Blue Lobelia, n. The indigenous species in
Tasmania which receives this name is Lobelia gibbosa,
Lab., N.O. Campanulaceae.
Blue-pointer, n. a name given in New South
Wales to a species of Shark, Lamna glauca, Mull. and
Heule, family Lamnidae, which is not confined to
Australasia.
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,'
p. 95:
"On the appearance of a 'blue pointer' among boats fishing for
schnapper outside, the general cry is raised, 'Look out for the
blue pointer.' . . . These are high swimming fishes, and may
be readily seen when about pushing their pursuits; the
beautiful azure tint of their back and sides, and independent
manner they have of swimming rapidly and high among the boats
in search of prey, are means of easy recognition, and they
often drive the fishermen away."
Bluestone, n. a kind of dark stone of which many
houses and public buildings are built.
1850. 'The Australasian' (Quarterly), Oct. [Footnote], p. 138:
"The ancient Roman ways were paved with polygonal blocks of a
stone not unlike the trap or bluestone around Melbourne."
1855. R. Brough Smyth, 'Transactions of Philosophical Society,
Victoria,' vol. i. p. 25:
"The basalt or 'bluestone,' which is well adapted to structural
purposes, and generally obtains where durability is desired."
1883. J. Hector, 'Handbook to New Zealand,' p. 62:
"Basalts, locally called 'bluestones,' occur of a quality
useful for road-metal, house-blocks, and ordinary rubble
masonry."
1890. 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania,' p. xx.
[Letter from Mr. S. H. Wintle]:
"The newer basalts, which in Victoria have filled up so
extensively Miocene and Pliocene valleys, and river channels,
are chiefly vesicular Zeolitic dolerites and
anaemesites, the former being well represented by the
light-coloured Malmsbury 'bluestone' so extensively employed in
buildings in Melbourne."
Blue-tongued Lizard, n. name given to
Tiliqua nigroluteus, Gray, a common Australian and
Tasmanian lizard belonging to the family Scincidae.
The name is derived from its blue-coloured tongue, and on
account of its sluggish habits it is also often called the
Sleepy lizard.
1887. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Dec. 14,
pl. 131:
"Not uncommon about Melbourne, where it is generally called the
'Blue-tongued Lizard,' or 'Sleepy Lizard.'"
Blue-wing, n. a sportsman's name (as in England)
for the bird called the Shoveller (q.v.).
Bluey, n. (1) A blue blanket commonly used by
swagmen in Australia. He wraps his bundle in it, and the whole
is called a Swag (q.v.). To hump bluey means to
go on the tramp, carrying a swag on the back.
(2) In the wet wildernesses of Western Tasmania a rough shirt
or blouse is made of this material, and is worn over the coat
like an English smock-frock. Sailors and fishermen in England
call it a "Baltic shirt."
1890. 'The Argus,' Aug. 16, p. 13, col. 2:
"We shall have to hump bluey again."
1891. R. Wallace, 'Rural Economy and Agriculture of Australia
and New Zealand,' p. 73:
"'Humping bluey' is for a workman to walk in search of work."
1891. W. Tilley, 'The Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 29:
"Leehan presents an animated scene . . . . Heavily laden
drays, pack-horses and mules, form constant processions
journeying from Dundas or Trial; miners with their swags,
surveyors in their 'blueys' . . . all aid effectively in the
panorama."
Board, n. term used by shearers. See quotation.
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), Dec. 23, p. 6, col. 1:
"'The board' is the technical name for the floor on which the
sheep are shorn."
With a full board, with a full complement of shearers.
1894. 'The Herald,' Oct. 6, p. 1. Col. 2:
"The secretary of the Pastoralists' Association . . . reports
that the following stations have started shearing with full
boards."
Boar-fish, n. a name applied in England to
various dissimilar fishes which have projecting snouts.
('Century.') In New Zealand it is given to Cyttus
australis, family Cyttidae, which is related to the
John Dory (q.v.). This name is sometimes applied to it,
and it is also called Bastard Dory (q.v.). In Melbourne
the Boar-fish is Histiopterus recurvirostris,
family Percidae, and Pentaceropsis
recurvirostris, family Pentacerotidae.
Mrs. Meredith, in 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' 1880 (pl. vi.),
figures Histiopterus recurvirostris with the vernacular
name of Pig-faced Lady. It is a choice edible fish.
Boil down, v. to reduce a statement to its
simplest form; a constant term amongst pressmen. Over the
reporters' table in the old 'Daily Telegraph' office
(Melbourne) there was a big placard with the words-"Boil it
down." The phrase is in use in England. 'O.E.D.' quotes
'Saturday Review,' 1880. The metaphor is from the numerous
boiling-down establishments for rendering fat sheep into
tallow. See quotation, 1878.
1878. F. P. Labilliere, 'Early History of the Colony of
Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 330:
"The first step which turned the tide of ill-fortune was the
introduction of the system of boiling down sheep. When stock
became almost worthless, it occurred to many people that, when
a fleece of wool was worth from half-a-crown to three shillings
in England, and a sheep's tallow three or four more, the value
of the animal in Australia ought to exceed eighteenpence or two
shillings. Accordingly thousands of sheep were annually boiled
down after shearing . . . until . . . the gold discovery; and
then 'boiling down,' which had saved the country, had to be
given up. . . . The Messrs. Learmonth at Buninyong . . . found
it answered their purpose to have a place of their own, instead
of sending their fat stock, as was generally done, to a public
'boiling down' establishment."
1895. 'The Argus,' Aug. 17, p. 8, col. 2:
"Boiled down, the matter comes to this."
Bonduc Nuts, n. a name in Australia for the
fruit of the widely distributed plant Caesalpina
bonducella, Flem., N.O. Leguminosae. Called
Molucca Beans in Scotland and Nicker Nuts
elsewhere.
Bonito, n. Sir Frederick McCoy says that the
Tunny, the same fish as the European species Thynnus
thynnus, family Scombridae, or Mackerels, is called
Bonito, erroneously, by the colonists and fishermen. The
true Bonito is Thynnus pelamys, Linn., though the
name is also applied to various other fishes in Europe, the
United States, and the West Indies.
Bony-Bream, i.q. Sardine (q.v.).
Boobook, n. an owl. Ninox boobook (see
Owl); Athene boobook (Gould's 'Birds of
Australia,' vol.i. pl. 32)." From cry or note of bird. In the
Mukthang language of Central Gippsland, BawBaw, the mountain in
Gippsland, is this word as heard by the English ear."
(A. W. Howitt.) In South Australia the word is used for a
mopoke.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean
Society,' vol. xv. p. 188:
"The native name of this bird, as Mr. Caley informs us, is
Buck'buck. It may be heard nearly every night during winter,
uttering a cry, corresponding with that word. . . .The lower
order of the settlers in New South Wales are led away by the
idea that everything is the reverse in that country to what it
is in England : and the cuckoo, as they call this bird, singing
by night, is one of the instances which they point out."
1894. 'The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:
"In most cases--it may not be in all--the familiar call, which
is supposed to sound like 'More-pork,' is not the mopoke (or
podargus) at all, but the hooting of a little rusty red
feather-legged owl, known as the Boobook. Its double note is
the opposite of the curlew, since the first syllable is dwelt
upon and the second sharp. An Englishman hearing it for the
first time, and not being told that the bird was a 'more-pork,'
would call it a night cuckoo."
Booby, n. English bird-name. Used in Australia
for the Brown-Gannet. See Gannet.
Boobyalla, or Boobialla, n. the
aboriginal name for the tree Acacia longifolia, Willd.,
N.O. Leguminosae, also called Native Willow. A
river in Tasmania bears the name of Boobyalla, the tree being
plentiful on the coast.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p63:
"Acacia sophora. Sophora podded Acacia or Booby-aloe.
This species forms a large shrub on the sand-hills of the
coast."
1843. J. Backhouse, 'Narrative of a Visit to the Australian
Colonies,' p. 59:
"The sandbanks at the mouth of Macquarie Harbour are covered
with Boobialla, a species of Acacia, the roots of which
run far in the sand."
1855. J. Milligan, 'Vocabulary of Dialects of the Aboriginal
Tribes of Tasmania,' 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of
Tasmania,' vol. iii. p. 238:
"Wattle tree--seaside. (Acacia Maritinia) Boobyallah."
1861. Mrs. Meredith, 'Over the Straits,' vol. ii. p. 62:
"Boobyalla bushes lay within the dash of the ceaseless spray."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 359:
"Boobyalla . . . an excellent tree for binding coast-sands."
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 4:
"On the coast it is known by the native name, Boobyalla."
Boomah, or Boomer, n. name of a very
large kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, Shaw. The spelling
"boomah" seems due to a supposed native origin. See
quotation, 1872, the explanation in which is probably
erroneous. It is really from the verb to boom, to rush with
violence.
1830. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 110:
"Snapped the boomah's haunches, and he turned round to offer
battle."
1833. Lieut. Breton, 'Excursions in New South Wales, Western
Australia, and Van Diemen's Land,' p. 251:
"Boomah. Implies a large kangaroo."
Ibid. p. 254:
"The flying gin (gin is the native word for woman or female)
is a boomah, and will leave behind every description of dog."
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 244:
"The Great or Forest Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), the
'Forester' of the Colonists. . . .The oldest and heaviest male
of the herd was called a 'Boomer,' probably a native term."
1853. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 325:
"The forester (Macropus major, Shaw), the male being
known by the name of 'boomer,' and the young female by that of
'flying doe,' is the largest and only truly gregarious
species."
1854. G. H. Haydon, 'The Australian Emigrant,' p. 124:
"It was of an old man kangaroo,a regular boomer."
1855. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes,' p. 169:
"An officer from Van Diemen's Land told me that he had once
killed in that colony a kangaroo of such magnitude, that, being
a long way from home, he was unable, although on horseback, to
carry away any portion except the tail, which alone weighed
thirty pounds. This species is called the boomah, and stands
about seven feet high."
1857. W. Howitt, 'Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 47:
"Sometimes starting a grand boomah, or great red kangaroo."
1862. F. J. Jobson, 'Australia,' c. v. p. 124:
"Some of the male kangaroos, called 'boomers,' were described
as being four or five feet high."
1864. J. Rogers, 'New Rush,' p. 55:
"The Boomer starts, and ponders
What kind of beasts we be."
1867. W. Richardson, 'Tasmanian Poems,' p. 26:
"The dogs gather round a 'boomer' they've got."
1872. Mrs. E. Millett, 'An Australian Parsonage,' p. 195:
"A tall old Booma, as the natives call the male
kangaroo, can bring his head on a level with the face of a man
on horseback. . . . A kangaroo's feet are, in fact, his
weapons of defence with which, when he is brought to bay, he
tears his antagonists the dogs most dreadfully, and instances
are not wanting of even men having been killed by a large old
male. No doubt this peculiar method of disposing of his
enemies has earned him the name of Booma, which in the
native language signifies to strike."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 16:
"As he plunged into the yellow waters, the dogs were once more
by his side, and again the 'boomer' wheeled, and backed against
one of the big trees that stud these hollows."
Applied generally to something very large.
1885. 'Australasian Printers' Keepsake,' p. 76:
"When the shades of evening come,
I choose a boomer of a gum."
Boomerang, n. a weapon of the Australian
aborigines, described in the quotations. The origin of the
word is by no means certain. One explanation is that of
Mr. Fraser in quotation, 1892. There may perhaps be an
etymological connection with the name woomera (q.v.),
which is a different weapon, being a throwing stick, that is,
an instrument with which to throw spears, whilst the
boomerang is itself thrown; but the idea of throwing is
common to both. In many parts the word is pronounced by the
blacks bummerang. Others connect it with the aboriginal word
for "wind," which at Hunter River was burramaronga, also
boomori. In New South Wales and South Queensland there
is a close correspondence between the terms for wind and
boomerang.
1827. Captain P. P. King, 'Survey of Intertropical and West
Coasts of Australia,' vol. i. p. 355:
"Boomerang is the Port Jackson term for this weapon, and may
be retained for want of a more descriptive name."
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 108:
"We gambolled all the way up, throwing small pieces of bark at
each other, after the manner of the native youths, who practise
this with a view of strengthening their arms, and fitting them
for hurling a curious weapon of war called a 'bomering,' which
is shaped thus:"
\
\
/
/
Ibid. p. 280:
"Around their loins was the opossum belt, in one side of which
they had placed their waddies, with which they meant to break
the heads of their opponents, and on the other was the
bomering, or stick, with which they threw their spears."
[This is a confusion between boomerang and
woomera (q.v.). Perhaps Mr. Dawson wrote the second
word, and this is a misprint.]
1839. Major T. L. 'Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions into the
Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. ii. p. 348:
"The bommereng, or their usual missile, can be thrown by a
skilful hand, so as to rise upon the air, and thus to deviate
from the usual path of projectiles, its crooked course being,
nevertheless, equally under control."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 186:
"The admirable dexterity with which they fling the bomerangs.
To our thinking the thrower was only sending the instrument
along the ground, when suddenly, after spinning along it a
little way, it sprung up into the air, performing a circle, its
crescent shape spinning into a ring, constantly spinning round
and round, until it came and fell at his feet."
1845. O. Wendell Holmes, 'Modest Request' (in Poems):
"Like the strange missile which the Australian throws,
Your verbal boomerang slaps you on the nose."
1849. J. P. Townsend, 'Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 39:
"This instrument, called a bommereng, is made of wood, and is
much like the blade of a scimitar. I believe it has been
introduced into England as a plaything for children."
1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, 'Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 57:
"The boomerang is an extraordinary missile, formed in the shape
of a crescent, and when propelled at an object, apparently
point blank, it turns in any direction intended by the
thrower, so that it can actually be directed in this manner
against a person standing by his side. The consummate art
visible in its unnatural-looking progression greatly depends
upon the manner in which it is made to rebound from the ground
when thrown."
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 107;
"He [Sir Thomas Mitchell] applied to the screw propeller the
revolving principle of the boomerang of the Australian
natives."
1867. G. G. McCrae, 'Balladeadro,' p. 25:
"While circling thro' the air there sang
The swift careering boomerang."
1888. A. Seth, 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. xxiv. p. 530,
col. 2:
"He [Archbishop Whately] was an adept in various savage sports,
more especially in throwing the boomerang."
1889. P. Beveridge, 'Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,' p. 49:
"Boomerang: a thin piece of wood, having the shape of a
parabola, about eighteen inches or two feet long from point to
point, the curve being on the thin side. Of the broad sides of
the missile one is slightly convex, the other is flat. The
thin sides are worked down finely to blunt edges. The peculiar
curve of the missile gives it the property of returning to the
feet of the thrower. It is a dangerous instrument in a melee.
Of course the wood from which it is made is highly seasoned by
fire. It is therefore nearly as hard as flint."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 49:
[A full description of the use of the boomerang is given,
with illustrations.]
"The boomerang is a curved, somewhat flat, and slender weapon,
made from a hard and heavy wood, Brigalow (Acacia
excelsa), or Myall (Acacia pendula), but the best
one I found was made of a lighter kind of wood. The curving of
the boomerang, which often approaches a right angle, must be
natural, and in the wood itself. One side is perfectly flat,
and the other slightly rounded. The ends are pointed."
1890. G. W. Rusden, 'Proceedings, Royal Colonial Institute,' vol.
xxii. p. 62:
"You hardly ever see an allusion in the English Press to the
boomerang which does not refer to it as a weapon of war which
returns to the thrower, whereas the returning boomerang is not
a weapon of war, and the boomerang which is a weapon of war
does not return to the thrower. There are many kinds of
boomerang--some for deadly strife, some for throwing at game,
and the returning boomerang, which is framed only for
amusement. If a native had no other missile at hand, he would
dispatch it at a flight of ducks. Its circular course,
however, makes it unfit for such a purpose, and there is a
special boomerang made for throwing at birds. The latter keeps
a straight course, and a native could throw it more than two
hundred yards."
1892. J. Fraser, 'The Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 69:
"The name bumarang has always hitherto been written boomerang;
but, considered etymologically, that is wrong, for the root of
it is buma--strike, fight, kill; and -ara, -arai, -arang, are
all of them common formative terminations."
1893. 'The Argus,' July 1, p. 8, col. 7:
"'I tell you, sir,' said Mr. Healy at an Irish political
meeting, 'that there are at the present moment crystallizing
in this city precedents which will some day come home to
roost like a boomerang.'"
Boongary, n. the tree-kangaroo of North
Queensland, a marsupial tree-climber, about the size of a large
wallaby, Dendrolagus lumholtzii, Collett. A native
name. Bangaray = Red Kangaroo, in Governor Hunter's
vocabulary of the Port Jackson dialect (1793).
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 226:
"The tree-kangaroo is without comparison a better-proportioned
animal than the common kangaroo. The fore-feet, which are
nearly as perfectly developed as the hind-feet, have large
crooked claws, while the hind-feet are somewhat like those of a
kangaroo, though not so powerful. The sole of the foot is
somewhat broader and more elastic on account of a thick layer
of fat under the skin. In soft ground its footprints are very
similar to those of a child. The ears are small and erect, and
the tail is as long as the body of the animal. The skin is
tough, and the fur is very strong and beautiful. . . . Upon
the whole the boongary is the most beautiful mammal I have seen
in Australia. It is a marsupial, and goes out only in the
night. During the day it sleeps in the trees, and feeds on the
leaves."
Bora, n. a rite amongst the aborigines of
eastern Australia; the ceremony of admitting a young black to
the rights of manhood. Aboriginal word.
The word bur, given by Ridley, means not only girdle but
'circle.' In the man-making ceremonies a large circle is made
on the ground, where the ceremonies take place.
1875. W. Ridley, 'Kamilaroi,' p. 24:
"Girdle--bor or bur. Hence Bora, the ceremony of initiation
into manhood, where the candidate is invested with the belt of
manhood."
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 24:
"The great mystery of the Blacks is the Bora--a ceremony at
which the young men found worthy receive the rank of warriors."
1892. J. Fraser, 'Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 6:
"These ceremonies are . . . called the Bora."
Borage, Native, n. a plant, Pollichia
zeylanica, F. v. M., N.O. Boragineae. The so-called
Native Borage is not endemic to Australia. In India it
is used as a cure for snake bites.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 124:
"The native borage (Trichodesina zeylanica, R. Br.)."
Borak, n. aboriginal word of New South Wales,
meaning banter, chaff, fun at another's expense. (See
quotation, 1845.) Prior to 1870 the word was much in use on
the stations in New South Wales. About 1870 Victorian farmers'
sons took shearing work there, and brought back the word with
them. It was subsequently altered to barrack (q.v.).
1845. C. Griffith, 'Present State and Prospects of the Port
Phillip District of New South Wales,' p. 162:
"The following is a specimen of such eloquence:--'You
pilmillally jumbuck, plenty sulky me, plenty boom, borack
gammon,' which, being interpreted, means--'If you steal my
sheep I shall be very angry, and will shoot you and no
mistake.'"
1856. W. W. Dobie, 'Recollections of a Visit to Port Phillip,
Australia, in 1852-55' p. 93:
". . . he gravely assured me that it was 'merrijig' (very
good), and that 'blackfellow doctor was far better than
whitefellow doctor.' In proof of which he would say, 'Borak
you ever see black fellow with waddie (wooden) leg.
Bungalallee white fellow doctor cut him leg, borak black
fellow stupid like it that."
1885. 'Australasian Printers' Keepsake,' p. 75:
"On telling him my adventures, how Bob in my misery had 'poked
borack' at me. . . ."
1888. Alfred J.Chandler,' Curley' in 'Australian Poets,'
1788-1888, ed. Sladen, p. 100:
"Here broke in Super Scotty, 'Stop
Your borak, give the bloomin' man a show.'"
1893. 'The Argus,' Aug. 26, p. 13, col. 1:
"It does not do for a man whose mission it is to wear stuff and
a horse-hair wig to 'poke borak' at that venerable and
eminently respectable institution--the law, and still worse is
it for a practising barrister to actually set to work, even in
the most kindly spirit, to criticise the judges, before whom at
any moment he may be called upon to plead."
Borboby, n. i.q. Corrobbery (q.v.), but
the word is rare.
1890. Carl Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals' [Title of illustration],
p. 122:
"A warrior in great excitement just before Borboby commences."
Boree, n. aboriginal name for the tree
Acacia pendula, A. Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae; a
variety of Myall, probably from Queensland aboriginal
word Booreah, fire. It would be preferred by black or
white man as firewood over any other timber except
giddea (q.v.).
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 363:
"Weeping, or true myall. It is sometimes called bastard gidgee
in Western New South Wales. Called boree by aboriginals, and
often boree, or silver-leaf boree, by the colonists of Western
New South Wales. Nilyah is another New South Wales name."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' iii. p. 30:
"Myall and boree belts of timbers."
1893. 'The Times,' [Reprint] 'Letters from Queensland,' p. 6o:
"The timber, of course, when seen close at hand is strange.
Boree and gidyah, coolibah and whitewood, brigelow, mulgah, and
myall are the unfamiliar names by which you learn to recognise
the commonest varieties."
Borer, n. name applied to an Australian insect.
See quotation.
1876. W. Harcus, 'South Australia,' p. 110:
"There is another destructive insect called the 'borer,' not
met with near the sea-coast, but very active and mischievous
inland, its attacks being chiefly levelled against timber.
This creature is about the size of a large fly."
Boronia, n. scientific and vernacular name of a
genus of Australian plants, certain species of which are noted
for their peculiar fragrance. The genus is especially
characteristic of West Australia, to which out of fifty-nine
species thirty-three are confined, while only five are known in
Tasmania. Boronia belongs to the N.O. Rutaceae.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 72:
"Boronia variabilis. A beautiful little heath-like
plant growing about the Cascade and other hills round about
Hobart Town. . . . This genus is named after Borone, an
Italian servant of the late Dr. Sibthorp, who perished at
Athens. . . .Another species found in Van Diemen's Land is the
Lemon plant of the mountains."
1896. 'The Melburnian,' vol. xxii., No. 3, August 28, p. 53:
"Winter does not last for ever, and now at each street corner
the scent of boronia and the odour of wattle-blossom greet us
from baskets of the flower-girl."
Boss-cockie, n. a slang name in the bush for a
farmer, larger than a Cockatoo (see Cockatoo, n. 2), who
employs other labour as well as working himself.
Botany Bay, n. lying to the south of the
entrance to Port Jackson, New South Wales, the destination of
the first two shiploads of convicts from England. As a matter
of fact, the settlement at Botany Bay never existed. The
"First Fleet," consisting of eleven sail under Governor
Phillip, arrived at Botany Bay on January 18, 1788. The
Governor finding the place unsuitable for a settlement did not
land his people, but on January 25 removed the fleet to Port
Jackson. On the next day (January 26) he landed his people at
Sydney Cove, and founded the city of Sydney. The name,
however, citing to popular imagination, and was used sometimes
as the name of Australia. Seventy years after Governor
Phillip, English schoolboys used "go to Botany Bay" as an
equivalent to "go to Bath." Captain Cook and his naturalists,
Banks and Solander, landed at Botany Bay, and the name was
given (not at first, when the Bay was marked Stingray, but a
little later) from the large number of plants collected there.
1770. 'Captain Cook's Original Journal,' ed. by Wharton, 1893,
p. 247:
"6 May. . . .The great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr.
Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the Name
of Botany Bay."
1789. [Title]:
"The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay," published in
London.
1789. Captain Watkin Tench [Title]: "A Narrative of the
Expedition to Botany Bay," published in London.
1793 G. Barrington [Title]:
"Voyage to Botany Bay," [published in London.]
This was the popular book on the new settlement, the others
being high priced. As Lowndes says, "A work of no authority,
but frequently printed." Barrington, the pickpocket, whose
name it bears, had nothing to do with it. It was pirated from
Phillip, Collins, etc. It went through various editions and
enlargements to 1810 or later. After 1795 the name was altered
to 'Voyage to New South Wales.'
1798. D. Collins, 'Account of the English Colony in New South
Wales,' vol. i. p. 502:
"The word 'Botany Bay' became a term of reproach that was
indiscriminately cast on every one who resided in New South
Wales."
1840. Thos. Hood, 'Tale of a Trumpet:
"The very next day
She heard from her husband at Botany Bay."
1851. Rev. David Mackenzie, 'Ten Years in Australia,' p. 50:
". . . a pair of artificially black eyes being the Botany Bay
coat of arms."
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' Vol. ii. p. 91:
"Some gentlemen, on a visit to a London theatre, to draw the
attention of their friends in an opposite box, called out
cooey; a voice in the gallery answered 'Botany Bay!'"
1894. 'Pall Mall Budget,' May 17, p. 20, col. 1:
"The owner of the ship was an ex-convict in Sydney--then called
Botany Bay--who had waxed wealthy on the profits of rum, and
the 'shangai-ing' of drugged sailors."
Botany-Bay Greens, n. a vegetable common to all
the colonies, Atriplex cinereum, Poir, N.O.
Salsolaceae.
1810. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,' p. 263:
"Botany Bay greens are abundant; they much resemble sage in
appearance; and are esteemed a very good dish by the
Europeans."
1834. Ross, 'Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 134:
"I do not think it necessary to enter upon any description of
the Barilla shrubs (Atriplex halimus, Rhagodur
billardiera; and Salicornia arbuscula), which, with
some others, under the promiscuous name of Botany Bay greens,
were boiled and eaten along with some species of seaweed, by
the earliest settlers, when in a state of starvation."
1835. Ibid. p. 69:
"Atriplex Halimus. Barrilla. Botany Bay Greens. This is the
plant so common on the shores of Cape Barren and other islands
of the Straits, from which the alkaline salt is obtained and
brought up in boats to the soap manufactory at Hobart Town. It
has been set down as the same plant that grows on the coast of
Spain and other parts of Europe."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 9:
"Once used as a pot-herb in New South Wales. Leichhardt used a
species of Atriplex as a vegetable, and spoke very
highly of it."
Botany-Bay Oak, or Botany-Bay Wood,
n. a trade name in England for the timber of
Casuarina. See Beef-wood.
Bottle-brush, n. name given to various species
of Callistemon and Melaleuca,
N.O. Myrtaceae; the Purple Bottle-brush is
Melaleuca squamea, Lab. The name is also more rarely
given to species of Banksia, or Honeysuckle
(q.v.). The name bottle-brush is from the resemblance
of the large handsome blossoms to the brush used to clean out
wine-bottles.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 359:
"Red Bottle-brush. The flowers of some species of
Callistemon are like bottle-brushes in shape."
Bottle-Gourd, n. an Australian plant,
Lagenaria vulgaris, Ser., N.O. Cucurbitaceae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 192:
"Bottle Gourd. This plant, so plentiful along the tropical
coast of Queensland, is said to be a dangerous poison. It is
said that some sailors were killed by drinking beer that had
been standing for some time in a bottle formed of one of these
fruits. (F. M. Bailey.)"
Bottle-Swallow, n. a popular name for the bird
Lagenoplastis ariel, otherwise called the Fairy
Martin. See Martin. The name refers to the bird's
peculiar retort shaped nest. Lagenoplashs is from the
Greek lagaenos, a flagon, and plautaes, a modeller.
The nests are often constructed in clusters under rocks or the
eaves of buildings. The bird is widely distributed in
Australia, and has occurred in Tasmania.
Bottle-tree, n. an Australian tree, various
species of Sterculia, i.q. Kurrajong (q.v.). So
named from its appearance. See quotations.
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 264:
"The sterculia, or bottle-tree, is a very singular curiosity.
It generally varies in shape between a soda-water and port-wine
bottle, narrow at the basis, gradually widening at the middle,
and tapering towards the neck."
1848. L. Leichhardt, Letter in 'Cooksland, by J. D. Lang,
p. 91:
"The most interesting tree of this Rosewood Brush is the true
bottle-tree, a strange-looking unseemly tree, which swells
slightly four to five feet high, and then tapers rapidly into a
small diameter; the foliage is thin, the crown scanty and
irregular, the leaves lanceolate, of a greyish green; the
height of the whole tree is about forty-five feet."
1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'History of the Discovery and
Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 127:
"It was on this range (Lat. 26 degrees, 42') that Mitchell saw
the bottle-tree for the first time. It grew like an enormous
pear-shaped turnip, with only a small portion of the root in
the ground."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 60:
"A 'Kurrajong.' The 'Bottle-tree' of N.E. Australia, and also
called 'Gouty-stem,' on account of the extraordinary shape of
the trunk. It is the 'Binkey' of the aboriginals.
"The stem abounds in a mucilaginous substance resembling pure
tragacanth, which is wholesome and nutritious, and is said to
be used as an article of food by the aborigines in cases of
extreme need. A similar clear jelly is obtainable by pouring
boiling water on chips of the wood."
Bottom, n. in gold-mining, the old river-bed
upon which the wash-dirt rests, and upon which the richest
alluvial gold is found; sometimes called the gutter.
1887. H. H. Hayter, 'Christmas Adventure,' p. 5:
"We reached the bottom, but did not find gold."
Bottom, v. to get to the bedrock, or clay,
below which it was useless to sink (gold-mining).
1858. T. McCombie, 'History of Victoria,' c. xv. p. 219:
"In their anxiety to bottom their claims, they not seldom threw
away the richest stuff."
Boundary-rider, n. a man who rides round the
fences of a station to see that they are in order.
1890. E. W. Hornung, 'A Bride from the Bush,' p. 279:
"A boundary-rider is not a 'boss' in the Bush, but he is an
important personage in his way. He sees that the sheep in his
paddock draw to the water, that there is water for them to draw
to, and that the fences and gates are in order. He is paid
fairly, and has a fine, free, solitary life."
1892. 'Scribner's Magazine,' Feb., p. 147:
"The manager's lieutenants are the 'boundary-riders,' whose
duty it is to patrol the estate and keep him informed upon
every portion of it."
Bower-bird n. Australian bird. See quotation,
1891. See Ptilonorhynchinae. The following are the
varieties---
Fawn-breasted Bower-bird--
Chlamydoderea cerviniventris, Gould.
Golden B.--
Prionodura newtoniana, De Vis.
Great B.--
Chlambydodera nuchalis, Gould ('Birds of Australia,'
vol.iv. pl. 9).
Queensland B.--
C. orientalis, Gould.
Satin B.--
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, Vieillot.
Spotted B.--
Chlamydodera maculata, Gould (ibid. pl. 8).
Yellow-spotted B.--
C. gutttata, Gould.
And the Regent-bird (q.v.).
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 140:
"The same person had the last season found, to his surprise,
the playhouse, or bower, of the Australian satin bower-bird."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 28:
"Any shred of glass or metal which arrests the eye or reflects
the rays of the sun is a gem in the bower-bird's collection,
which seems in a sense to parody the art decorations of a
modern home."
1891. 'Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':
"In one is a representation of the playing place of the spotted
bowerbird. These bowers are quite independent of the birds'
nests, which are built on neighbouring trees. They first
construct a covered passage or bower about three feet long, and
near it they place every white or bright object they can find,
such as the bleached bones of animals, pieces of white or
coloured stone, feathers, shells, etc., etc.; the feathers they
place on end. When these curious playing places were first
discovered, they were thought to be made by the native women
for the amusement of their children. More than a bushel of
small pieces of bleached bones or shells are often found at one
of these curious sporting places. Sometimes a dozen or more
birds will assemble, and they delight in chasing each other
through the bower and playing about it."
Box, Box-tree, Box-gum,
n. The name is applied to many Eucalypts, and to
a few trees of the genus Tristania, as given below, all
of the N.O. Myrtaceae, chiefly from the qualities of
their timber, which more or less resembles "Boxwood." Most of
these trees also bear other vernacular names, and the same tree
is further often described vernacularly as different kinds of
Box. China-, Heath-, and Native-Box (q.v. below)
are of other Natural Orders and receive their names of
Box from other reasons. The following table is compiled
from Maiden:--
Bastard Box--
Eucalyptus goniocalyx, F. v. M.;
E. largiflorens, F. v. M. (called also Cooburn);
E. longifolia, Link.; E. microtheca, F. v. M.;
E. polyanthema, F. v. M.; E. populifolia,
Hook. (called also Bembil or Bimbil Box and Red Box);
Tristania conferta, R. Br.;
T. laurana, R. Br., all of the N.O. Myrtaceae.
Black Box--
Eucalyptus obliqua, L'Herit.;
E. largiflorens, F. v. M.;
E. microtheca, F. v. M.
Brisbane Box---
Tristania conferta, R. Br.
Broad-leaved Box--
Eucalyptus acmenoides, Schau.
Brown Box--
Eucalyptus polyanthema, Schau.
Brush Box--
Tristania conferta, R. Br.
China Box-- Murraya exotica, Linn., N.O. Rutaceae
(not a tree, but a perfume plant, which is found also in India
and China).
Dwarf, or Flooded Box-- Eucalyptus microtheca,
F. v. M. (Also called Swamp Gum, from its habit of growing on
land inundated during flood time. An aboriginal name for the
same tree is goborro.)
Grey Box--
Eucalyptus goniocalyx, F. v. M.;
E. hemiphloia, F. v. M.;
E. largiflorens, F. v. M.;
E. polyanthema, Schau.;
E. saligna, Smith.
Gum-topped Box--
Eucalyptus hemiphloia, F. v. M.
Heath Box-- Alyxia buxifolia, R. Br.,
N.O. Apocyneae (called also Tonga-beanwood,
owing to its scent)
Iron-bark Box--
Eucalyptus obliqua, L'Herit.
Narrow-leaved Box--
Eucalyptus microtheca, F. v. M.
Native Box-- Bursaria spinosa, Cav.,
N.O. Pittosporeae. (Called also Box-thorn
and Native-Olive. It is not a timber-tree but a forage-
plant. See quotation, 1889.)
Poplar Box--
Eucalyptus populifolia, Hook.
Red Box--
Eucalyptus populifolia, Hook.;
E. polyanthema, Schau.;
Tristania
conferta, R. Br.
Thozet's Box--
Eucalyptus raveretiana, F. v. M.
White Box--
Eucalyptus hemiphloia, F. v. M.;
E. odorata, Behr.;
E. populifolia, Hook.;
Tristania conferta, R. Br.
Yellow Box--
Eucalyptus hemiphloia, F. v. M.
E. largiflorens, F. v. M.
E. melliodora, A. Cunn.
1820. John Oxley, 'Two Expeditions,' p. 126:
"The country continued open forest land for about three miles,
the cypress and the bastard-box being the prevailing timber;
of the former many were useful trees."
1838. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions, vol. ii. p. 55:
"The small kind of tree . . . which Mr. Oxley, I believe, terms
the dwarf-box, grows only on plains subject to inundation
. . . . It may be observed, however, that all permanent waters
are invariably surrounded by the 'yarra.' These peculiarities
are only ascertained after examining many a hopeless hollow,
where grew the 'goborro' only; and after I had found my sable
guides eagerly scanning the 'yarra' from afar, when in search
of water, and condemning any view of the 'goborro' as hopeless
during that dry season."
[See Yarra, a tree.]
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 6:
"Belts of open forest land, principally composed of the
box-tree of the colonists, a species of eucalyptus (in no
respect resembling the box of Europe)."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 15:
"The Honey-Eucalypt (Eucalyptus melliodora). This tree
passes by the very unapt vernacular name Yellow Box-tree,
though no portion of it is yellow, not even its wood, and
though the latter resembles the real boxwood in no way
whatever. Its systematic specific name alludes to the odour of
its flowers, like that of honey, and as the blossoms exude much
nectar, like most eucalypts, sought by bees, it is proposed to
call it the small-leaved Honey-Eucalypt, but the Latin name
might as easily be conveyed to memory, with the advantage of
its being a universal one, understood and used by all nations."
1881. A.C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 46:
"Poor country, covered with ti-tree, box, and iron-bark
saplings, with here and there heavy timber growing on
sour-looking ridges."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 7:
"The clumps of box-gums clinging together for sympathy."
1888. J. Howlett Ross, 'Laureate of the Centaurs,' p. 41:
"Box shrubs which were not yet clothed with their creamy-white
plumes (so like the English meadowsweet)."
1889. P. Beveridge, 'Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,'
p. 59:
"These spears are principally made from a tall-growing box (one
of the eucalypts) which often attains to an altitude of over
100 feet; it is indigenous to the north-western portion of the
colony, and to Riverina; it has a fine wavy grain, consequently
easily worked when in a green state. When well seasoned,
however, it is nearly as hard as ebony."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 121:
"Native box is greedily eaten by sheep, but its thorny
character preserves it from extinction upon sheep-runs: usually
a small scrub, in congenial localities it developes into a
small tree."
Box, n. See succeeding verb.
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 67:
"Great care must of course be taken that no two flocks come
into collision, for a 'box,' as it is technically called,
causes an infinity of trouble, which is the reason that the
stations are so far apart."
Box, v. to mix together sheep that ought to be
kept separate apparently from "to box" in the sense of to shut
up in narrow limits ('O.E.D.' v. i. 5); then to shut up
together and so confuse the classification; then the sense of
shutting up is lost and that of confusion remains.
1881. A.C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 253:
"All the mobs of different aged lambs which had been hitherto
kept apart were boxed up together."
1889. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms,' p. 356:
"After they'd got out twenty or thirty they'd get boxed, like a
new hand counting sheep, and have to begin all over again."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 84:
"At nightfall, the fifteen flocks of sheep were all brought in,
and 'boxed,' or mixed together, to Ernest's astonishment."
1890. Tasma, 'In her Earliest Youth,' p. 166:
"He must keep tally when the sheep are being counted or
draughted, I'm not sure which, and swear--no, he needn't
swear--when they get boxed."
1896. A. B. Paterson, 'Man from Snowy River,' p. 54:
"But the travelling sheep and the Wilga sheep were boxed on the
Old Man Plain.
'Twas a full week's work ere they drafted out and hunted them off
again."
Boxer, n. This word means in Australia the
stiff, low-crowned, felt hat, called a billy-cock or
bowler. The silk-hat is called a bell-topper
(q.v.).
1897. 'The Argus,' Jan. 9, p. 14, col. 2:
"And will you wear a boxer that is in a battered state ?
I wonder, will you--now that you're a knight?"
Box-wood, n. a New Zealand wood, Olea
lanceolata, Hook., N.O. Jasminea (Maori name,
Maire). Used by the 'Wellington Independent' (April 19,
1845) for woodcuts, and recommended as superior to box-wood for
the purpose. See also Box, n.
Boyla, n. aboriginal word for a sorcerer.
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. i. p. 384:
"The absolute power of boylas or evil sorcerers . . . he
chanted gloomily:--
Oh, wherefore would they eat the muscles?
Now boylas storm and thunder make.
Oh, wherefore would they eat the muscles ?"
Bramble, Native, n. See Blackberry.
Bread, Native, n. a kind of fungus. "The
sclerotium of Polyporus mylitta, C. et M. Until quite
recently the sclerotium was known, but not the fructification.
It was thought probable that its fruit would be ascomycetous,
and on the authority of Berkeley it was made the type of a
genus as Mylitta Australis. It is found throughout
Eastern Australia and Tasmania. The aborigines ate it, but to
the European palate it is tough and tasteless, and probably as
indigestible as leather." (L. Rodway.)
1843. James Backhouse, 'Narrative of a Visit to the Australian
Colonies,' p. 40:
"Natural Order. Fungi. . . . Mylitta Australis. Native
Bread. This species of tuber is often found in the Colony,
attaining to the size of a child's head: its taste somewhat
resembles boiled rice. Like the heart of the Tree-fern, and
the root of the Native Potato, cookery produces little change."
1848. 'Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van
Diemen's Land,' vol. i. p. 157:
"11th October, 1848 . . . Specimens of the fungus known
as 'native bread,' Mylitta Australis, lay upon the
table. A member observed that this substance, grated and made
into a pudding with milk alone, had been found by him very
palatable. Prepared in the same way, and combined with double
its weight of rice or sago, it has produced a very superior
dish. It has also been eaten with approval in soup, after the
manner of truffle, to which it is nearly allied."
1857. Dr. Milligan, in Bishop Nixon's 'Cruise of the Beacon,'
p. 27:
"But that which afforded the largest amount of solid and
substantial nutritious matter was the native bread, a
fungus growing in the ground, after the manner of the truffle,
and generally so near the roots of trees as to be reputed
parasitical."
1896. 'Hobart Mercury,' Oct. 30, p. 2, last col.:
"A large specimen of 'native bread,' weighing 12 lb., has been
unearthed on Crab Tree farm in the Huon district, by
Mr. A. Cooper. It has been brought to town, and is being
examined with interest by many at the British Hotel. It is one
of the fungi tribe that forms hard masses of stored food for
future use."
Breadfruit-tree, name given by the explorer Leichhardt
to the Queensland tree, Gardenia edulis, F. v. M.,
N.O. Rubiaceae.
Breakaway, n.(1) A bullock that leaves the
herd.
1893. 'The Argus,' April 29, p. 4, col. 4:
"The smartest stock horse that ever brought his rider up within
whip distance of a breakaway or dodged the horns of a sulky
beast, took the chance."
(2) The panic rush of sheep, cattle, or other animals at the
sight or smell of water.
1891: "The Breakaway," title of picture by Tom Roberts at
Victorian Artists' Exhibition.
Bream, n. The name is applied in Australia to
various species of Chrysophrys, family Sparidae,
and to other fishes of different families. The
Black-Bream (q.v.) is C. australis, Gunth.
The Bony-Bream is also called the Sardine (q.v.).
The Silver-Bream (q.v.) or White-Bream is
Gerres ovatus, Gunth., family Percidae. The
Red-Bream is a Schnapper (q.v.) one year old. The
popular pronunciation is Brim, and the fishes are all
different from the various fishes called Bream in the
northern hemisphere. See also Tarwhine and
Blue-fish.
Brickfielder, n. (1) Originally a Sydney name
for a cold wind, blowing from the south and accompanied by
blinding clouds of dust; identical with the later name for the
wind, the Southerly Buster (q.v.). The brickfields lay
to the south of Sydney, and when after a hot wind from the west
or north-west, the wind went round to the south, it was
accompanied by great clouds of dust, brought up from the
brickfields. These brickfields have long been a thing of the
past, surviving only in "Brickfield Hill," the hilly part of
George Street, between the Cathedral and the Railway Station.
The name, as denoting a cold wind, is now almost obsolete, and
its meaning has been very curiously changed and extended to
other colonies to denote a very hot wind. See below (Nos. 2
and 3), and the notes to the quotations.
1833. Lieut. Breton, R.N., 'Excursions in New South Wales and
Van Diemen's Land,' p. 293:
"It sometimes happens that a change takes place from a hot wind
to a 'brickfielder,' on which occasions the thermometer has
been known to fall, within half an hour, upwards of fifty
degrees! That is to say, from above 100 degrees to 50
degrees! A brickfielder is a southerly wind, and it takes its
local name from the circumstances of its blowing over, and
bringing into town the flames [sic] of a large brick-field: it
is nearly as detestable as a hot wind."
[Lieut. Breton must have had a strong imagination. The
brickfields, at that date, were a mile away from the town, and
the bringing in of their flames was an impossibility.
Perhaps, however, the word is a misprint for fumes; yet
even then this earliest quotation indicates part of the source
of the subsequent confusion of meaning. The main
characteristic of the true brickfielder was neither
flames nor fumes,--and certainly not heat,--but
choking dust.]
1839. W. H. Leigh, 'Reconnoitering Voyages, Travels, and
Adventures in the new Colony of South Australia,' etc., p. 184:
"Whirlwinds of sand come rushing upon the traveller, half
blinding and choking him,--a miniature sirocco, and decidedly
cousin-german to the delightful sandy puffs so frequent at Cape
Town. The inhabitants call these miseries 'Brickfielders,' but
why they do so I am unable to divine; probably because they are
in their utmost vigour on a certain hill here, where bricks are
made."
[This writer makes no allusion to the temperature of the wind,
whether hot or cold, but lays stress on its especial
characteristic, the dust. His comparison with the sirocco
chiefly suggests the clouds of sand brought by that wind from
the Libyan Desert, with its accompanying thick haze and
darkness ('half blinding and choking'), rather than its
relaxing warmth.]
1844. John Rae, 'Sydney Illustrated,' p. 26:
"The 'brickfielder' is merely a colonial name for a violent
gust of wind, which, succeeding a season of great heat, rushes
in to supply the vacuum and equalises the temperature of the
atmosphere; and when its baneful progress is marked, sweeping
over the city in thick clouds of brick-coloured dust (from the
brickfields), it is time for the citizens to close the doors
and windows of their dwellings, and for the sailor to take more
than half his canvas in, and prepare for a storm."
[Here the characteristic is again dust from the
brickfields, as the origin of the name, with cold as an
accompaniment.]
1844. Mrs.Meredith, 'Notes and Sketches of New South Wales,'
p. 44:
"These dust winds are locally named 'brickfielders,' from the
direction in which they come" [i.e. from neighbouring
sandhills, called the brickfields].
[Here dust is the only characteristic observed, with the
direction of the wind as the origin of its name.]
1845. J. O. Balfour, 'Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 4:
"The greatest peculiarity in the climate is what is called by
colonists a brickfielder. This wind has all the
characteristics of a sirocco in miniature . . . . Returning
home, he discovers that the house is full of sand; that the
brickfielder has even insinuated itself between the leaves of
his books; at dinner he will probably find that his favourite
fish has been spoiled by the brickfielder. Nor is this all;
for on retiring to rest he will find that the brickfielder has
intruded even within the precincts of his musquito curtains."
[Here again its dust is noted as the distinguishing
feature of the wind, just as sand is the distinguishing feature
of the 'sirocco' in the Libyan Desert, and precipitated
sand,--'blood rain' or 'red snow,'--a chief character of the
sirocco after it reaches Italy.]
1847. Alex. Marjoribanks, 'Travels in New South Wales,' p. 61:
"The hot winds which resemble the siroccos in Sicily are,
however, a drawback . . . but they are almost invariably
succeeded by what is there called a 'brickfielder,' which is a
strong southerly wind, which soon cools the air, and greatly
reduces the temperature."
[Here the cold temperature of the brickfielder is described,
but not its dust, and the writer compares the hot wind
which precedes the brickfielder with the sirocco. He in fact
thinks only of the heat of the sirocco, but the two preceding
writers are thinking of its sand, its thick haze, its quality
of blackness and its suffocating character,--all which
applied accurately to the true brickfielder.]
1853. Rev. H. Berkeley Jones, 'Adventures in Australia in 1852
and 1853,' p. 228:
"After the languor, the lassitude, and enervation which some
persons experience during these hot blasts, comes the
'Brickfielder,' or southerly burster."
[Cold temperature noticed, but not dust.]
1853. 'Fraser's Magazine,' 48, p. 515:
"When the wind blows strongly from the southward, it is what
the Sydney people call a 'brickfielder'; that is, it carries
with it dense clouds of red dust or sand, like brick dust,
swept from the light soil which adjoins the town on that side,
and so thick that the houses and streets are actually hidden;
it is a darkness that may be felt."
[Here it is the dust, not the temperature, which
determines the name.]
(2) The very opposite to the original meaning,--a severe hot
wind. In this inverted sense the word is now used, but not
frequently, in Melbourne and in Adelaide, and sometimes even in
Sydney, as the following quotations show. It will be noted
that one of them (1886) observes the original prime
characteristic of the wind, its dust.
1861. T. McCombie,' Australian Sketches,' p. 79:
"She passed a gang of convicts, toiling in a broiling
'brickfielder.'"
1862. F. J. Jobson, 'Australia with Notes by the Way,' p. 155:
"The 'brickfielders' are usually followed, before the day
closes, with 'south-busters' [sic.]."
1886. F. Cowan, 'Australia, a Charcoal Sketch':
"The Buster and Brickfielder: austral red-dust blizzard;
and red-hot Simoom."
This curious inversion of meaning (the change from cold to hot)
may be traced to several causes. It may arise--
(a) From the name itself. People in Melbourne and Adelaide,
catching at the word brickfielder as a name for a
dusty wind, and knowing nothing of the origin of the
name, would readily adapt it to their own severe hot north
winds, which raise clouds of dust all day, and are described
accurately as being 'like a blast from a furnace,' or 'the
breath of a brick-kiln.' Even a younger generation in Sydney,
having received the word by colloquial tradition, losing its
origin, and knowing nothing of the old brickfields, might apply
the word to a hot blast in the same way.
(b) From the peculiar phenomenon.--A certain cyclonic change of
temperature is a special feature of the Australian coastal
districts. A raging hot wind from the interior desert (north
wind in Melbourne and Adelaide, west wind in Sydney) will blow
for two or three days, raising clouds of dust; it will be
suddenly succeeded by a 'Southerly Buster' from the
ocean, the cloud of dust being greatest at the moment of
change, and the thermometer falling sometimes forty or fifty
degrees in a few minutes. The Sydney word brickfielder
was assigned originally to the latter part--the dusty
cold change. Later generations, losing the finer distinction,
applied the word to the whole dusty phenomenon,and ultimately
specialized it to denote not so much the extreme dustiness of
its later period as the more disagreeable extreme heat of its
earlier phase.
(c) From the apparent, though not real, confusion of terms, by
those who have described it as a 'sirocco.'--The word
sirocco (spelt earlier schirocco, and in Spanish
and other languages with the sh sound, not the s)
is the Italian equivalent of the Arabic root sharaga,
'it rose.' The name of the wind, sirocco, alludes in
its original Arabic form to its rising, with its cloud of sand,
in the desert high-lands of North Africa. True, it is defined
by Skeat as 'a hot wind,' but that is only a part of its
definition. Its marked characteristic is that it is
sand-laden, densely hazy and black, and therefore
'choking,' like the brickfielder. The not unnatural
assumption that writers by comparing a brickfielder with
a sirocco, thereby imply that a brickfielder is a
hot wind, is thus disposed of by this characteristic, and by
the notes on the passages quoted. They were dwelling only on
its choking dust, and its suffocating qualities,--'a
miniature sirocco.' See the following quotations on this
character of the sirocco:--
1841. 'Penny Magazine,' Dec. 18, p. 494:
"The Islands of Italy, especially Sicily and Corfu, are
frequently visited by a wind of a remarkable character, to
which the name of sirocco, scirocco, or schirocco, has been
applied. The thermometer rises to a great height, but the air
is generally thick and heavy . . . . People confine themselves
within doors; the windows and doors are shut close, to prevent
as much as possible the external air from entering; . . . but a
few hours of the tramontane, or north wind which
generally succeeds it, soon braces them up again. [Compare this
whole phenomenon with (b) above.] There are some peculiar
circumstances attending the wind. . . . Dr. Benza, an Italian
physician, states:--'When the sirocco has been impetuous and
violent, and followed by a shower of rain, the rain has carried
with it to the ground an almost impalpable red micaceous sand,
which I have collected in large quantities more than once in
Sicily. . . . When we direct our attention to the island of
Corfu, situated some distance eastward of Sicily, we find the
sirocco assuming a somewhat different character. . . . The
more eastern sirocco might be called a refreshing breeze
[sic]. . . . The genuine or black sirocco (as it is called)
blows from a point between south-east and south-south-east.'"
1889. W. Ferrell, 'Treatise on Winds,' p. 336:
"The dust raised from the Sahara and carried northward by the
sirocco often falls over the countries north of the
Mediterranean as 'blood rain,' or as 'red snow,' the moisture
and the sand falling together. . . .The temperature never rises
above 95 degrees."
1889. 'The Century Dictionary,' s.v. Sirocco:
"(2) A hot, dry, dust-laden wind blowing from the highlands of
Africa to the coasts of Malta, Sicily and Naples. . . . During
its prevalence the sky is covered with a dense haze."
(3) The illustrative quotations on brickfielder, up to
this point, have been in chronological consecutive order. The
final three quotations below show that while the original true
definition and meaning, (1), are still not quite lost, yet
authoritative writers find it necessary to combat the modern
popular inversion, (2).
1863. Frank Fowler, 'The Athenaeum,' Feb. 21, p. 264, col. 1:
"The 'brickfielder' is not the hot wind at all; it is but
another name for the cold wind, or southerly buster, which
follows the hot breeze, and which, blowing over an extensive
sweep of sandhills called the Brickfields, semi-circling
Sydney, carries a thick cloud of dust (or 'brickfielder')
across the city."
[The writer is accusing Dr. Jobson (see quotation 1862, above)
of plagiarism from his book 'Southern Lights and Shadows.']
1890. Lyth, 'Golden South,' vol. ii. p. 11:
"A dust which covered and penetrated everything and everywhere.
This is generally known as a 'brickfielder.'"
1896. 'Three Essays on Australian Weather,' 'On Southerly
Buster,' by H. A. Hunt, p. 17:
"In the early days of Australian settlement, when the shores of
Port Jackson were occupied by a sparse population, and the
region beyond was unknown wilderness and desolation, a great
part of the Haymarket was occupied by the brickfields from
which Brickfield Hill takes its name. When a 'Southerly
Burster' struck the infant city, its approach was always
heralded by a cloud of reddish dust from this locality, and in
consequence the phenomenon gained the local name of
'brickfielder.' The brickfields have long since vanished, and
with them the name to which they gave rise, but the wind
continues to raise clouds of dust as of old under its modern
name of 'Southerly Burster."
Bricklow, n. obsolete form of Brigalow
(q.v.).
Brigalow, n. and adj. Spellings various.
Native name, Buriargalah. In the Namoi dialect in New
South Wales, Bri or Buri is the name for
Acacia pendula, Cunn.; Buriagal, relating to the
buri; Buriagalah == place of the buri tree. Any
one of several species of Acacia, especially
A. harpophylla, F. v. M., H.O. Leguminosae. J. H.
Maiden ('Useful Native Plants,' p. 356, 1889) gives its uses
thus:
"Wood brown, hard, heavy, and elastic; used by the natives for
spears, boomerangs, and clubs. The wood splits freely, and is
used for fancy turnery. Saplings used as stakes in vineyards
have lasted twenty years or more. It is used for building
purposes, and has a strong odour of violets.'
1846. L. Leichhardt, quoted by J. D. Lang, 'Cooksland,'
p. 312:
"Almost impassable bricklow scrub, so called from the bricklow
(a species of acacia)."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 4:
"The Bricklow Acacia, which seems to be identical with the
Rosewood Acacia of Moreton Bay; the latter, however, is a fine
tree, 50 to 60 feet high, whereas the former is either a small
tree or a shrub. I could not satisfactorily ascertain the
origin of the word Bricklow, but as it is well understood and
generally adopted by all the squatters between the Severn River
and the Boyne, I shall make use of the name. Its long,
slightly falcate leaves, being of a silvery green colour, give
a peculiar character to the forest, where the tree
abounds."--[Footnote]: "Brigaloe Gould."
1862. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 79:
"Good-bye to the Barwan and brigalow scrubs."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 190:
"Now they pass through a small patch of Brigalow scrub. Some
one has split a piece from a trunk of a small tree. What a
scent the dark-grained wood has!"
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia;' vol. iv. p. 69:
"There exudes from the Brigalow a white gum, in outward
appearance like gum-arabic, and even clearer, but as a
'sticker' valueless, and as a 'chew-gum' disappointing."
1892. Gilbert Parker, 'Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 23:
"The glare of a hard and pitiless sky overhead, the infinite
vista of saltbush, brigalow, stay-a-while, and mulga, the
creeks only stretches of stone, and no shelter from the
shadeless gums."
Brill, n. a small and very bony rhomboidal fish
of New Zealand, Pseudorhombus scaphus, family
Pleuronectidae. The true Brill of Europe is
Rhombus levis.
Brisbane Daisy, n. See Daisy, Brisbane.
Bristle-bird, n. a name given to certain
Australian Reed-warblers. They are--Sphenura
brachyptera, Latham; Long-tailed
B.--S. longirostris, Gould; Rufous-headed
B.--S. broadbentii, McCoy. See Sphenura.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 232:
"He (Mr. Caley) calls it in his notes 'Bristle Bird.'"
Broad-leaf, n. a settlers' name for
Griselinia littoralis, Raoul; Maori name,
Paukatea.
1879. W. N. Blair, 'Building Materials of Otago,' p. 155:
"There are few trees in the [Otago] bush so conspicuous or so
well known as the broad-leaf. . . . It grows to a height of
fifty or sixty feet, and a diameter of from three to six; the
bark is coarse and fibrous, and the leaves a beautiful deep
green of great brilliancy."
1879. J. B. Armstrong, 'Transactions of New Zealand
Institute,' vol. xii. Art. 49, p. 328:
"The broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis) is abundant in
the district [of Banks' Peninsula], and produces a hard red
wood of a durable nature."
1882. T. H. Potts, 'Out in the Open,' p. 103:
"The rough trunks and limbs of the broadleaf."
Broker, n. Australian slang for a man
completely ruined, stonebroke.
1891. 'The Australasian,' Nov. 21, p. 1014:
"We're nearly 'dead brokers,' as they say out here. Let's
harness up Eclipse and go over to old Yamnibar."
Bronze-wing, n. a bird with a lustrous
shoulder, Phaps chalcoptera, Lath. Called also
Bronze-wing Pigeon.
1790. J. White, 'Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 145:
"One of the gold-winged pigeons, of which a plate is annexed.
[Under plate, Golden-winged Pigeon.] This bird is a curious
and singular species remarkable for having most of the feathers
of the wing marked with a brilliant spot of golden yellow,
changing, in various reflections of light, to green and
copper-bronze, and when the wing is closed, forming two bars of
the same across it."
1832. J. Bischoff, 'Van Diemen's Land,' vol. ii. p. 31:
"The pigeons are by far the most beautiful birds in the island;
they are called bronze-winged pigeons."
1857. W. Howitt, 'Tallangetta,' vol. ii. p. 57:
"Mr. Fitzpatrick followed his kangaroo hounds, and shot his
emus, his wild turkeys, and his bronze-wings."
1865. 'Once a Week.' 'The Bulla-Bulla Bunyip.'
"Hours ago the bronze-wing pigeons had taken their evening
draught from the coffee-coloured water-hole beyond the
butcher's paddock, and then flown back into the bush to roost
on 'honeysuckle' and in heather."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 122:
"Another most beautiful pigeon is the 'bronze-wing,' which is
nearly the size of the English wood-pigeon, and has a
magnificent purply-bronze speculum on the wings."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 33:
"Both the bronze-wing and Wonga-Wonga pigeon are hunted so
keenly that in a few years they will have become extinct in
Victoria."
1893. 'The Argus,' March 25, p. 4, col. 6:
"Those who care for museum studies must have been interested in
tracing the Australian quail and pigeon families to a point
where they blend their separate identities in the partridge
bronze-wing of the Central Australian plains. The eggs mark
the converging lines just as clearly as the birds, for the
partridge-pigeon lays an egg much more like that of a quail
than a pigeon, and lays, quail fashion, on the ground."
Brook-Lime, n. English name for an aquatic
plant, applied in Australia to the plant Gratiola
pedunculata, R. Br., N.O. Scrophularinae. Also
called Heartsease.
Broom, n. name applied to the plant
Calycothrix tetragona, Lab., N.O. Myrtaceae.
Broom, Native, n. an Australian timber,
Viminaria denudala, Smith, N.O. Leguminosae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 612:
"Native broom. Wood soft and spongy."
Broom, Purple, n. a Tasmanian name for
Comesperma retusum, Lab., N.O. Polygaleae.
Brown Snake, n. See under Snake.
Brown-tail, n. bird-name for the Tasmanian
Tit. See Tit.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iii, pl. 54:
"Acanthiza Diemenensis, Gould. Brown-tail, colonists of
Van Diemen's Land."
Brown Tree-Lizard, n. of New Zealand,
Naultinus pacificus.
Browny or Brownie, n. a kind of
currant loaf.
1890. E. D. Cleland, 'The White kangaroo,' p. 57:
"Cake made of flour, fat and sugar, commonly known as
'Browny.'"
1890. 'The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 57:
"Four o'clock. 'Smoke O!' again with more bread and brownie
(a bread sweetened with sugar and currants)."
1892. Gilbert Parker, 'Round the Compass,' p. 36:
"Roast mutton and brownie are given us to eat."
Brumby, Broombie (spelling various), n. a wild
horse. The origin of this word is very doubtful. Some claim
for it an aboriginal, and some an English source. In its
present shape it figures in one aboriginal vocabulary, given in
Curr's 'Australian Race' (1887), vol. iii. p. 259. At p. 284,
booramby is given as meaning "wild" on the river Warrego
in Queensland. The use of the word seems to have spread from
the Warrego and the Balowne about 1864. Before that date, and
in other parts of the bush ere the word came to them, wild
horses were called clear-skins or scrubbers,
whilst Yarraman (q.v.) is the aboriginal word for a
quiet or broken horse. A different origin was, however, given
by an old resident of New South Wales, to a lady of the name of
Brumby, viz. "that in the early days of that colony, a
Lieutenant Brumby, who was on the staff of one of the
Governors, imported some very good horses, and that some of
their descendants being allowed to run wild became the
ancestors the wild horses of New South Wales and Queensland."
Confirmation of this story is to be desired.
1880. 'The Australasian,' Dec. 4, p. 712, col. 3:
"Passing through a belt of mulga, we saw, on reaching its edge,
a mob of horses grazing on the plains beyond. These our guide
pronounced to be 'brumbies,' the bush name here [Queensland]
for wild horses."
1888. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. ii. p. 176:
"The wild horses of this continent known all over it by the
Australian name of 'brumbies.'"
Ibid. p. 178:
"The untamed and 'unyardable' scrub brumby."
1888. R. Kipling, 'Plain Tales from the Hills,' p. 160:
"Juggling about the country, with an Australian larrikin; a
'brumby' with as much breed as the boy. . . . People who lost
money on him called him a 'brumby.'"
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms.' p. 67:
"The three-cornered weed he rode that had been a 'brumbee.'"
1895. 'Chambers' Journal,' Nov. 2, Heading 'Australian Brumbie
Horses':
"The brumbie horse of Australia, tho' not a distinct equine
variety, possesses attributes and qualities peculiar to itself,
and, like the wild cattle and wild buffaloes of Australia, is
the descendant of runaways of imported stock."
1896. 'Sydney Morning Herald,' (Letter from 'J. F. G.,' dated
Aug. 24):
"Amongst the blacks on the Lower Balonne, Nebine, Warrego, and
Bulloo rivers the word used for horse is 'baroombie,' the 'a'
being cut so short that the word sounds as 'broombie,' and as
far as my experience goes refers more to unbroken horses in
distinction to quiet or broken ones ('yarraman')."
1896. H. Lawson, 'When the World was Wide,' p. 156:
"Yet at times we long to gallop where the reckless bushman rides
In the wake of startled brumbies that are flying for their
hides."
Brush, n. at first undergrowth, small trees, as
in England; afterwards applied to larger timber growth and
forest trees. Its earlier sense survives in the compound
words; see below.
1820. Oxley, 'New South Wales' ('O.E.D.'):
"The timber standing at wide intervals, without any brush or
undergrowth."
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,' (2nd ed.) vol. i. p. 62:
"We journeyed . . . at one time over good plains, at another
through brushes."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. i. Introd. p. 77:
"Jungle, or what in New South Wales would be called brush."
Ibid. vol. v. Pl. 59:
"Those vast primeval forests of New South Wales to which the
colonists have applied the name of brushes."
1853. Chas. St. Julian and Edward K. Silvester, 'The
Productions, Industry, and Resources of New South Wales,'
p. 20:
"What the colonists term 'brush' lands are those covered with
tall trees growing so near each other and being so closely
matted together by underwood, parasites, and creepers, as to be
wholly impassable."
1883. G. W. Rusden, 'History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 67,
note:
"Brush was allotted to the growth of large timber on alluvial
lands, with other trees intermixed, and tangled vines. The
soil was rich, and 'brushland' was well understood as a
descriptive term. It may die away, but its meaning deserves to
be pointed out."
Brush-Apple, n. See Apple.
Brush-Bloodwood, n. See Bloodwood.
Brush-Cherry, n. an Australian tree,
Trochocarpa laurina, R. Br., and Eugenia
myrtifolia, Simms. Called also Brush-Myrtle.
Brush-Deal, n. a slender Queensland tree,
Cupania anacardioides, A. Richard. See Brush,
above.
Brusher, n. a Bushman's name, in certain parts,
for a small wallaby which hops about in the bush or scrub with
considerable speed. "To give brusher," is a phrase derived
from this, and used in many parts, especially of the interior
of Australia, and implies that a man has left without paying
his debts. In reply to the question "Has so-and-so left the
township? "the answer, "Oh yes, he gave them brusher," would
be well understood in the above sense.
Brush-Kangaroo, n. another name for the
Wallaby (q.v.).
1802. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,' c. viii.
p. 273:
"A place . . . thickly inhabited by the small brush-kangaroo."
1830. 'Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society,' i. 29:
"These dogs . . . are particularly useful in catching the
bandicoots, the small brush kangaroo, and the opossum."
1832. J. Bischoff, 'Van Diemen's Land,' c. ii. p. 28:
"The brush-kangaroo . . . frequents the scrubs and rocky hills."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. iii. p. 24:
"Violet was so fast that she could catch the brush-kangaroo
(the wallaby) within sight."
Brush-Myrtle, i.q. Brush-Cherry (q.v.)
Brush-Turkey, n. See Turkey.
Brush-Turpentine, n. another name for the tree
Syncarpia leptopetala, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae,
called also Myrtle (q.v.).
Bubrush, n. See Wonga and Raupo.
Buck, v. Used "intransitively of a horse, to
leap vertically from the ground, drawing the feet together like
a deer, and arching the back. Also transitively to buck off."
('O.E.D.') Some say that this word is not Australian, but all
the early quotations of buck and cognate words are
connected with Australia. The word is now used freely in the
United States; see quotation, 1882.
1870. E. B. Kennedy, 'Four Years in Queensland,' p. 193:
"Having gained his seat by a nimble spring, I have seen a man
(a Sydney native) so much at his ease, that while the horse has
been 'bucking a hurricane,' to use a colonial expression, the
rider has been cutting up his tobacco and filling his pipe,
while several feet in the air, nothing to front of him
excepting a small lock of the animal's mane (the head being
between its legs), and very little behind him, the stern being
down; the horse either giving a turn to the air, or going
forward every buck."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 131:
"'Well,' said one, 'that fellow went to market like a bird.'
'Yes,' echoed another, 'Bucked a blessed hurricane.' 'Buck a
town down,' cried a third. 'Never seed a horse strip himself
quicker,' cried a fourth."
1882. Baillie-Grohman, 'Camps in the Rockies,' ch. iv. p. 102
('Standard'):
"There are two ways, I understand, of sitting a bucking horse
. . . one is 'to follow the buck,' the other 'to receive the
buck.'"
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 55:
"The performance is quite peculiar to Australian horses, and no
one who has not seen them at it would believe the rapid
contortions of which they are capable. In bucking, a horse
tucks his head right between his fore-legs, sometimes striking
his jaw with his hind feet. The back meantime is arched like a
boiled prawn's; and in this position the animal makes a series
of tremendous bounds, sometimes forwards, sometimes sideways
and backwards, keeping it up for several minutes at intervals
of a few seconds."
Buck, n. See preceding verb.
1868. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 224:
"I never saw such bucks and jumps into the air as she [the
mare] performed."
1886. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 206:
"For, mark me, he can sit a buck
For hours and hours together;
And never horse has had the luck
To pitch him from the leather."
Bucker, Buck-jumper, n. a horse given
to bucking or buck-jumping.
1853. H. Berkeley Jones, 'Adventures in Australia in 1852 and
1853,' [Footnote] p. 143:
"A 'bucker' is a vicious horse, to be found only in Australia."
1884. 'Harper's Magazine,' July, No. 301, p. 1 ('O.E.D.'):
"If we should . . . select a 'bucker,' the probabilities are
that we will come to grief."
1893. Haddon Chambers, 'Thumbnail Sketches of Australian Life,'
p. 64:
"No buck jumper could shake him off."
1893. Ibid. p. 187:
"'Were you ever on a buck-jumper?' I was asked by a friend,
shortly after my return from Australia."
Buck-jumping, Bucking, verbal nouns.
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 43:
"At length it shook off all its holders, and made one of those
extraordinary vaults that they call buck-jumping."
1859. H. Kingsley, 'Geoffrey Hamlyn,' vol. ii. p. 212:
"That same bucking is just what puzzles me utterly."
1859. Rev. J. D. Mereweather, 'Diary of a Working Clergyman in
Australia and Tasmania, kept during the years 1850-1853,'
p. 177:
"I believe that an inveterate buckjumper can be cured by
slinging up one of the four legs, and lunging him about
severely in heavy ground on the three legs. The action they
must needs make use of on such an occasion somewhat resembles
the action of bucking; and after some severe trials of that
sort, they take a dislike to the whole style of thing. An
Irishman on the Murrumbidgee is very clever at this schooling.
It is called here 'turning a horse inside out.'"
1885. Forman (Dakota), item 26, May 6, 3 ('O.E.D.'):
"The majority of the horses there [in Australia] are vicious
and given to the trick of buck jumping." [It may be worth while
to add that this is not strictly accurate.]
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 94:
"'I should say that buck jumping was produced in this country
by bad breaking,' said Mr. Neuchamp oracularly. 'Don't you
believe it, sir. Bucking is like other vices--runs in the
blood.'"
Buck-shot, n. a settlers' term for a
geological formation. See quotation.
1851. 'The Australasian Quarterly,' p. 459:
"The plain under our feet was everywhere furrowed by Dead
men's graves, and generally covered with the granulated
lava, aptly named by the settlers buck-shot, and found
throughout the country on these trappean 'formations.
Buck-shot is always imbedded in a sandy alluvium,
sometimes several feet thick."
Buddawong, n. a variation of Burrawang
(q.v.).
1877. Australie, 'The Buddawong's Crown,' 'Australian Poets,'
1788-1888, ed. Sladen, p. 39:
"A Buddawong seed-nut fell to earth,
In a cool and mossy glade,
And in spring it shot up its barbed green swords,
Secure 'neath the myrtle's shade.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And the poor, poor palm has died indeed.
But little the strangers care,
'There are zamias in plenty more,' they say,
But the crown is a beauty rare."
Budgeree, adj. aboriginal word for good, which
is common colloquially in the bush. See Budgerigar.
1793. J.Hunter, 'Port Jackson,' p. 195:
"They very frequently, at the conclusion of the dance, would
apply to us . . . for marks of our approbation . . . which we
never failed to give by often repeating the word
boojery, good; or boojery caribberie, a good
dance."
Budgerigar, or Betcherrygah, n.
aboriginal name for the bird called by Gould the Warbling
Grass-parrakeet; called also Shell-parrot and
Zebra- Grass-parrakeet. In the Port Jackson dialect
budgeri, or boodgeri, means good, excellent. In
'Collins' Vocabulary' (1798), boodjer-re = good. In New South
Wales gar is common as first syllable of the name for
the white cockatoo, as garaweh. See Galah. In
the north of New South Wales kaar= white cockatoo. The
spelling is very various, but the first of the two above given
is the more correct etymologically. In the United States it is
spelt beauregarde, derived by 'Standard' from French
beau and regarde, a manifest instance of the law
of Hobson -Jobson.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 297:
"The betshiregah (Melopsittacus Undulatus, Gould) were
very numerous."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. v. Pl. 44:
"Melopsittacus Undulatus. Warbling Grass-Parrakeet.
Canary Parrot--colonists. Betcherrygah--natives of
Liverpool Plains."
1857. Letter, Nov.17, in 'Life of Fenton J. A. Hort' (1896), vol.
i. p. 388:
"There is also a small green creature like a miniature
cockatoo, called a Budgeragar, which was brought from
Australia. He is quaint and now and then noisy, but not
on the whole a demonstrative being."
1857. W. Howitt, 'Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 48:
"Young paroquets, the green leeks, and the lovely speckled
budgregores."
1865. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 7:
"I saw several pairs of those pretty grass or zebra parroquets,
which are called here by the very inharmonious name of
'budgereghars.'"
2890. Lyth, 'Golden South,' c. xiv. p. 127:
"The tiny budgeriegar, sometimes called the shell parrot."
Bugle, n. name given to the Australian plant
Ajuga australis, R. Br., N.O. Labiatae.
Bugler, n. a name given in Tasmania to the fish
Centriscus scolopax, family Centriscidae; called
in Europe the Trumpet-fish, Bellows-fish, the
latter name being also used for it in Tasmania. The structure
of the mouth and snout suggests a musical instrument, or,
combined with the outline of the body, a pair of bellows. The
fish occurs also in Europe.
Bugong, or Bogong, or Bougong,
n. an Australian moth, Danais limniace, or
Agrotis spina, eaten by the aborigines.
1834. Rev. W. B. Clarke, 'Researches in the Southern Gold Fields
of New South Wales' (second edition), p. 228:
"These moths have obtained their name from their occurrence on
the 'Bogongs' or granite mountains. They were described by my
friend Dr. Bennett in his interesting work on 'New South
Wales,' 1832-4, as abundant on the Bogong Mountain, Tumut
River. I found them equally abundant, and in full vigour, in
December, coming in clouds from the granite peaks of the
Muniong Range. The blacks throw them on the fire and eat
them."
1859. H. Kingsley, 'Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 355:
"The westward range is called the Bougongs. The blacks during
summer are in the habit of coming thus far to collect and feed
on the great grey moths (bougongs) which are found on the
rocks."
1871. 'The Athenaeum,' May 27, p. 660:
"The Gibbs Land and Murray districts have been divided into the
following counties: . . . Bogong (native name of grubs and
moths)."
1878. R. Brough Smyth, 'The Aborigines of Victoria,'
vol. i. p. 207
"The moths--the Bugong moths(Agrolis suffusa) are
greedily devoured by the natives; and in former times, when
they were in season, they assembled in great numbers to eat
there, and they grew fat on this food." [Also a long footnote.]
1890. Richard Helms, 'Records of the Australian Museum,'
vol. i. No. 1:
"My aim was to obtain some 'Boogongs,' the native name for the
moths which so abundantly occur on this range, and no doubt
have given it its name."
1896. 'Sydney Mail,' April 4, Answers to Correspondents:
"It cannot be stated positively, but it is thought that the
name of the moth 'bogong' is taken from that of the mountain.
The meaning of the word is not known, but probably it is an
aboriginal word."
Bull-a-bull, or Bullybul, n. a child's
corruption of the Maori word Poroporo (q.v.), a
flowering shrub of New Zealand. It is allied to the
Kangaroo-Apple (q.v.).
1845. 'New Plymouth's National Song,' in Hursthouse's 'New
Zealand,' p. 217:
"And as for fruit, the place is full
Of that delicious bull-a-bull."
Bullahoo, n. See Ballahoo.
Bull-ant, n. contracted and common form of the
words Bull-dog Ant (q.v.).
Bull-dog Ant, n. (frequently shortened to
Bull-dog or Bull-ant), an ant of large size with
a fierce bite. The name is applied to various species of the
genus Myrmecia, which is common throughout Australia and
Tasmania.
1878. Mrs. H. Jones, 'Long Years in Australia,' p. 93:
"Busy colonies of ants (which everywhere infest the
country). . . One kind is very warlike--the 'bull-dog':
sentinels stand on the watch, outside the nest, and in case of
attack disappear for a moment and return with a whole army of
the red-headed monsters, and should they nip you, will give you
a remembrance of their sting never to be forgotten."
1888. Alleged 'Prize Poem,' Jubilee Exhibition:
"The aborigine is now nearly extinct,
But the bull-dog-ant and the kangaroo rat
Are a little too thick--I think."
1896. A. B. Paterson, 'Man from Snowy River,' p. 142:
"Where the wily free-selector walks in armour-plated pants,
And defies the stings of scorpion and the bites of bull-dog
ants."
Bull-dog Shark, i.q. Bull-head (1) (q.v.).
Bull-head, n. The name is applied to many
fishes of different families in various parts of the world,
none of which are the same as the following two. (1) A shark
of Tasmania and South Australia of small size and harmless,
with teeth formed for crushing shells, Heterodontus
phillipi , Lacep., family Cestraciontidae; also
called the Bull-dog Shark, and in Sydney, where it is
common, the Port-Jackson Shark : the aboriginal name was
Tabbigan. (2) A freshwater fish of New Zealand,
Eleotris gobioides, Cuv.and Val., family
Gobiidae. See Bighead.
Bulln-Bulln, n. an aboriginal name for the
Lyre-bird (q.v.). This native name is imitative. The most
southerly county in Victoria is called Buln-Buln; it is
the haunt of the Lyre-bird.
1857. D. Bunce, 'Travels with Leichhardt in Australia,' p. 70:
"We afterwards learned that this was the work of the Bullen
Bullen, or Lyre-bird, in its search for large worms, its
favourite food."
1871. 'The Athenaeum,' May 27, p. 660:
"The Gipps Land and Murray districts have been divided into the
following counties: . . . Buln Buln (name of Lyre-bird)."
Bull-Oak, n. See Oak.
Bullocky, n. and adj. a bullockdriver."
In the bush all the heavy hauling is done with bullock-drays.
It is quite a common sight up the country to see teams of a
dozen and upwards." (B. and L.)
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xii. p. 121:
"By George, Jack, you're a regular bullocky boy."
Bull-puncher, or Bullock-puncher,
n. slang for a bullockdriver. According to Barrere and
Leland's 'Slang Dictionary,' the word has a somewhat different
meaning in America, where it means a drover. See Punch.
1872. C. N. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 49:
"The 'bull-puncher,' as bullock-drivers are familiarly called."
1873. J. Mathew, song 'Hawking,' in 'Queenslander,' Oct. 4:
"The stockmen and the bushmen and the shepherds leave the station,
And the hardy bullock-punchers throw aside their occupation."
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 143:
"These teams would comprise from five to six pairs of bullocks
each, and were driven by a man euphoniously termed a
'bull-puncher.' Armed with a six-foot thong, fastened to a
supple stick seven feet long. . . ."
Bull-rout, n. a fish of New South Wales,
Centropogon robustus, Guenth., family
Scorpaenidae.
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,'
p. 48:
"It emits a loud and harsh grunting noise when it is
caught. . . . The fisherman knows what he has got by the noise
before he brings his fish to the surface. . . . When out of the
water the noise of the bull-rout is loudest, and it spreads its
gills and fins a little, so as to appear very formidable. . . .
The blacks held it in great dread, and the name of bull-rout
may possibly be a corruption of some native word."
Bull's-eye, n. a fish of New South Wales,
Priacanthus macracanthus, Cuv.and Val.
Priacanthus, says Guenther, is a percoid fish with short
snout, lower jaw and chin prominent, and small rough scales all
over them and the body generally. The eye large, and the
colour red, pink, or silvery.
1884. E. P. Ramsay, 'Fisheries Exhibition Literature,' vol. v.
p. 311:
"Another good table-fish is the 'bull's-eye,' a beautiful
salmon-red fish with small scales. . . . At times it enters
the harbours in considerable numbers; but the supply is
irregular."
Bulls-wool, n. colloquial name for the inner
portion of the covering of the Stringybark-tree (q.v.).
This is a dry finely fibrous substance, easily disintegrated by
rubbing between the hands. It forms a valuable tinder for
kindling a fire in the bush, and is largely employed for that
purpose. It is not unlike the matted hair of a bull, and is
reddish in colour, hence perhaps this nickname, which is common
in the Tasmanian bush.
Bully, n. a Tasmanian fish, Blennius
tasmanianus, Richards., family Blennidae.
Bulrush, n. See Wonga and Raupo.
Bung, to go, v. to fail, to become bankrupt.
This phrase of English school-boy slang, meaning to go off with
an explosion, to go to smash (also according to Barrere and
Leland still in use among American thieves), is in very
frequent use in Australia. In Melbourne in the times that
followed the collapse of the land-boom it was a common
expression to say that Mr. So-and-so had "gone bung," sc. filed
his schedule or made a composition with creditors; or that an
institution had "gone bung," sc. closed its doors, collapsed.
In parts of Australia, in New South Wales and Queensland, the
word "bung" is an aboriginal word meaning "dead," and even
though the slang word be of English origin, its frequency of
use in Australia may be due to the existence of the aboriginal
word, which forms the last syllable in Billabong (q.v.),
and in the aboriginal word milbung blind, literally,
eye-dead.
(a) The aboriginal word.
1847. J. D. Lang, 'Cooksland,' p. 430:
"A place called Umpie Bung, or the dead houses."
[It is now a suburb of Brisbane, Humpy-bong.]
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 175
[in Blacks' pigeon English]:
"Missis bail bong, ony cawbawn prighten. (Missis not dead,
only dreadfully frightened.)"
1882. A. J. Boyd, 'Old Colonials,' p. 73:
"But just before you hands 'im [the horse] over and gets
the money, he goes bong on you" (i.e. he dies).
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p: 142:
"Their [the blacks'] ordinary creed is very simple. 'Directly
me bung (die) me jump up white feller,' and this seems to be
the height of their ambition."
1895. 'The Age,' Dec. 21, p. 13, col. 6:
"'Then soon go bong, mummy,' said Ning, solemnly.
'Die,' corrected Clare. You mustn't talk blacks' language.'
'Suppose you go bong,' pursued Ning reflectively, 'then you go
to Heaven.'"
(b) The slang word.
1885. 'Australian Printers' Keepsake,' p. 40:
"He was importuned to desist, as his musical talent had
'gone bung,' probably from over-indulgence in confectionery."
1893. 'The Argus,' April 15 (by Oriel), p. 13, col. 2:
"Still change is humanity's lot. It is but the space of a day
Till cold is the damask cheek, and silent the eloquent tongue,
All flesh is grass, says the preacher, like grass it is withered
away,
And we gaze on a bank in the evening, and lo, in the morn
'tis bung."
1893. Professor Gosman, 'The Argus,' April 24, p. 7, col. 4:
"Banks might fail, but the treasures of thought could never go
'bung.'"
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), April 25, p. 2, col. 4:
"Perhaps Sydney may supply us with a useful example. One
member of the mischief-making brotherhood wrote the words 'gone
bung' under a notice on the Government Savings Bank, and he was
brought before the Police Court charged with damaging the
bank's property to the extent of 3d. The offender offered the
Bench his views on the bank, but the magistrates bluntly told
him his conduct was disgraceful, and fined him L 3 with costs,
or two months' imprisonment."
Bunga or Bungy, n. a New Zealand
settlers' corruption of the Maori word punga (q.v.).
Bunt, n. a Queensland fungus growing on wheat,
fetid when crushed. Tilletia caries, Tul.,
N.O. Fungi.
Bunya-Bunya, n. aboriginal word. [Bunyi
at heads of Burnett, Mary, and Brisbane rivers, Queensland;
baanya, on the Darling Downs.] An Australian tree,
Araucaria bidwillii, Hooker, with fruit somewhat like
Bertholletia excelsa, N.O. Coniferae.
Widgi-Widgi station on the Mary was the head-quarters for the
fruit of this tree, and some thousands of blacks used to
assemble there in the season to feast on it; it was at this
assembly that they used to indulge in cannibalism ; every third
year the trees were said to bear a very abundant crop. The
Bunya-Bunya mountains in Queensland derive their name from this
tree.
1843. L. Leichhardt, Letter in 'Cooksland, by J. D. Lang,
p. 82:
"The bunya-bunya tree is noble and gigantic, and its
umbrella-like head overtowers all the trees of the bush."
1844. Ibid. p. 89:
"The kernel of the Bunya fruit has a very fine aroma,
and it is certainly delicious eating."
1844. 'Port Phillip Patriot,' July 25:
"The Bunya-Bunya or Araucaria on the seeds of which
numerous tribes of blacks are accustomed to feed."
1879. W. R. Guilfoyle, 'First Book of Australian Botany,' p. 58:
"A splendid timber tree of South Queensland, where it forms
dense forests, one of the finest of the Araucaria tribe,
attaining an approximate height of 200 feet. The Bunya-Bunya
withstands drought better than most of the genus, and
flourishes luxuriantly in and around Melbourne."
1887. J. Mathew, in Curr's 'Australian Race,' vol. iii. p. 161:
[A full account.] "In laying up a store of bunyas, the blacks
exhibited an unusual foresight. When the fruit was in season,
they filled netted bags with the seeds, and buried them."
1889. Hill, quoted by J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 7:
"The cones shed their seeds, which are two to two and a half
inches long by three-quarters of an inch broad; they are sweet
before being perfectly ripe, and after that resemble roasted
chestnuts in taste. They are plentiful once in three years,
and when the ripening season arrives, which is generally in the
month of January, the aboriginals assemble in large numbers
from a great distance around, and feast upon them. Each tribe
has its own particular set of trees, and of these each family
has a certain number allotted, which are handed down from
generation to generation with great exactness. The bunya is
remarkable as being the only hereditary property which any of
the aborigines are known to possess, and it is therefore
protected by law. The food seems to have a fattening effect on
the aborigines, and they eat large quantities of it after
roasting it at the fire."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 377:
"The 'Bunya-bunya' of the aboriginals--a name invariably
adopted by the colonists."
1892. J. Fraser, 'Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 50:
"The Bunya-bunya tree, in the proper season, bears a fir cone
of great size--six to nine inches long-and this, when roasted,
yields a vegetable pulp, pleasant to eat and nutritious."
1893. 'Sydney Morning Herald,' Aug. 19, p. 7, col. 1:
"There is a beautiful bunya-bunya in a garden just beyond, its
foliage fresh varnished by the rain, and toning from a rich
darkness to the very spring tint of tender green."
Bunyip, n. (1) the aboriginal name of a
fabulous animal. See quotations. For the traditions of the
natives on this subject see Brough Smyth, 'Aborigines of
Victoria,' vol. i. p. 435.
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 391:
"Certain large fossil bones, found in various parts of
Australia Felix, have been referred by the natives, when
consulted on the subject by the colonists, to a huge animal of
extraordinary appearance, called in some districts the Bunyup,
in others the Kianpraty, which they assert to be still alive.
It is described as of amphibious character, inhabiting deep
rivers, and permanent water-holes, having a round head, an
elongated neck, with a body and tail resembling an ox. These
reports have not been unattended to, and the bunyup is said to
have been actually seen by many parties, colonists as well as
aborigines. . . .[A skull which the natives said was that of a
'piccinini Kianpraty' was found by Professor Owen to be that of
a young calf. The Professor] considers it all but impossible
that such a large animal as the bunyup of the natives can be
now living in the country. [Mr. Westgarth suspects] it is only
a tradition of the alligator or crocodile of the north."
1849. W. S. Macleay, 'Tasmanian journal,' vol. iii. p. 275:
"On the skull now exhibited at the Colonial Museum of Sydney as
that of the Bunyip."
1855. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes,' p. 214:
"Did my reader ever hear of the Bunyip (fearful name to the
aboriginal native!) a sort of 'half-horse, half-alligator,'
haunting the wide rushy swamps and lagoons of the interior?"
1859. H. Kingsley, 'Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 258:
"The river is too deep, child, and the Bunyip lives in the
water under the stones."
1865. 'Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45, The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':
"Beyond a doubt, in 'Lushy Luke's' belief, a Bunyip had taken
temporary lodgings outside the town. This bete noire of
the Australian bush Luke asserted he had often seen in bygone
times. He described it as being bigger than an elephant, in
shape like a 'poley' bullock, with eyes like live coals, and
with tusks like a walrus's. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What the Bunyip is, I cannot pretend to say, but I think it is
highly probable that the stories told by both old bushmen and
blackfellows, of some bush beast bigger and fiercer than any
commonly known in Australia, are founded on fact. Fear and the
love of the marvellous may have introduced a considerable
element of exaggeration into these stories, but I cannot help
suspecting that the myths have an historical basis."
1872. C. Gould, 'Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society
of Tasmania,' 1872, p. 33:
"The belief in the Bunyip was just as prevalent among the
natives in parts hundreds of miles distant from any stream in
which alligators occur. . . . Some other animal must be sought
for." . . . [Gould then quotes from 'The Mercury' of April 26,
1872, an extract from the 'Wagga Advertiser']: "There really is
a Bunyip or Waa-wee, actually existing not far from us . . . in
the Midgeon Lagoon, sixteen miles north of Naraudera . . . I
saw a creature coming through the water with tremendous
rapidity . . . . The animal was about half as long again as an
ordinary retriever dog, the hair all over its body was jet
black and shining, its coat was very long." [Gould cites other
instances, and concludes that the Bunyip is probably a seal.]
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 202:
"In the south-eastern part of Australia the evil spirit of the
natives is called Bunjup, a monster which is believed to
dwell in the lakes. It has of late been supposed that this is
a mammal of considerable size that has not yet been discovered
. . . is described as a monster with countless eyes and
ears. . . . He has sharp claws, and can run so fast that it is
difficult to escape him. He is cruel, and spares no one either
young or old."
1894. 'The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:
"The hollow boom so often heard on the margin of reedy swamps
--more hollow and louder by night than day--is the mythical
bunyip, the actual bittern."
(2) In a secondary sense, a synonym for an impostor.
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 214:
"One advantage arose from the aforesaid long-deferred discovery
--a new and strong word was adopted into the Australian
vocabulary: Bunyip became, and remains a Sydney synonoyme for
impostor, pretender, humbug, and the like. The black
fellows, however, unaware of the extinction, by superior
authority, of their favourite loup-garou, still continue
to cherish the fabulous bunyip in their shuddering
imagination."
1853. W. C. Wentworth--Speech in August quoted by Sir Henry
Parkes in 'Fifty Years of Australian History' (1892),
vol. i. p. 41:
"They had been twitted with attempting to create a mushroom, a
Brummagem, a bunyip aristocracy; but I need scarcely observe
that where argument fails ridicule is generally resorted to for
aid."
Burnet, Native, n. The name is given in
Australia to the plant Acaena ovina, Cunn.,
N.O. Rosaceae.
Burnett Salmon, n. one of the names given to
the fish Ceratodus forsteri, Krefft. See
Burramundi.
Burnt-stuff, n. a geological term used by miners.
See quotation.
1853. Mrs. Chas. Clancy, 'Lady's Visit to Gold Diggings,' p. 112:
"The top, or surface soil, for which a spade or shovel is used,
was of clay. This was succeeded by a strata almost as hard as
iron--technically called 'burnt-stuff'--which robbed the pick
of its points nearly as soon as the blacksmith had steeled them
at a charge of 2s. 6d. a point."
Bur, n. In Tasmania the name is applied to
Acaena rosaceae, Vahl., N.O. Rosaceae.
Burramundi, or Barramunda, n. a
fresh-water fish, Osteoglossum leichhardtii, Guenth.,
family Osteoglossidae, found in the Dawson and Fitzroy
Rivers, Queensland. The name is also incorrectly applied by
the colonists to the large tidal perch of the Fitzroy River,
Queensland, Lates calcarifer, Guenth., a widely
distributed fish in the East Indies, and to Ceratodus
forsteri, Krefft, family Sirenidae, of the Mary and
Burnett Rivers, Queensland. Burramundi is the aboriginal name
for O. leichhardtii. The spelling barramunda is
due to the influence of barracouta (q.v.). See
Perch.
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,'
vol. i. p. 189:
"There is a fish too at Rockhampton called the burra mundi,--
I hope I spell the name rightly,--which is very commendable."
1880. Guenther, 'Study of Fishes,' p. 357:
"Ceratodus. . . . Two species, C. forsteri and
C. miolepis, are known from fresh-waters of
Queensland. . . . Locally the settlers call it 'flathead,'
'Burnett or Dawson salmon,' and the aborigines 'barramunda,' a
name which they apply also to other largescaled fresh-water
fishes, as the Osteoglossum leichhardtii. . . . The
discovery of Ceratodus does not date farther back than
the year 1870."
1882. W. Macleay, 'Descriptive Catalogue of Australian fishes'
('Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales,'
vol. vi. p. 256):
"Osteoglossum leichhardtii, Gunth. Barramundi of the
aborigines of the Dawson River."
1892. Baldwin Spencer, 'Proceedings of the Royal Society
of Victoria,' vol. iv. [Note on the habits of Ceratodus
forsterii]
"It has two common names, one of which is the 'Burnett Salmon'
and the other the 'Barramunda" . . . the latter name . . . is
properly applied to a very different form, a true teleostean
fish (Osteoglossum leichhardtii) which is
found . . . further north . . . in the Dawson and
Fitzroy . . . Mr. Saville Kent states that the Ceratodus is much
prized as food. This is a mistake, for, as a matter of fact,
it is only eaten by Chinese and those who can afford to get
nothing better."
Burrawang, or Burwan, n. an Australian
nut-tree, Macrozamia spiralis, Miq.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 221:
"The burwan is a nut much relished by our natives, who prepare
it by roasting and immersion in a running stream, to free it
from its poisonous qualities."
1851. J. Henderson, 'Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 238
"The Burrowan, which grows in a sandy soil, and produces
an inedible fruit, resembling the pine-apple in appearance."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 41:
"Burrawang nut, so called because they used to be, and are to
some extent now, very common about Burrawang, N.S.W. The nuts
are relished by the aboriginals. An arrowroot of very good
quality is obtained from them."
Bush, n. Not originally an Australian
application. "Recent, and probably a direct adoption of the
Dutch Bosch, in colonies originally Dutch" ('O.E.D.'),
[quoting (1780) Forster, in 'Phil. Trans.' lxxi. 2, "The common
Bush-cat of the Cape;" and (1818) Scott, 'Tapestr. Chamber,'
"When I was in the Bush, as the Virginians call it"].
"Woodland, country more or less covered with natural wood
applied to the uncleared or untitled districts in the British
Colonies which are still in a state of nature, or largely so,
even though not wooded; and by extension to the country as
opposed to the towns." ('O.E.D.')
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 48:
"I have spent a good deal of my time in the woods, or bush, as
it is called here.'
1836. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 85:
"With the exception of two or three little farms, comprising
about 20 or 30 acres of cultivation, all was 'bush' as it is
colonially called. The undergrowth was mostly clear, being
covered only with grass or herbs, with here and there some low
shrubs."
1837. J. D. Lang, 'New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 253:
"His house was well enough for the bush, as the country is
generally termed in the colony."
1855. From a letter quoted in Wathen's 'The Golden Colony,'
p. 117:
"'The Bush,' when the word is used in the towns, means all the
uninclosed and uncultivated country . . . when in the country,
'the Bush' means more especially the forest. The word itself
has been borrowed from the Cape, and is of Dutch origin."
1857. 'The Argus,' Dec. 14, p. 5, col. 7:
"'Give us something to do in or about Melbourne, not away in
the bush,' says the deputation of the unemployed."
1861. T. McCombie,' Australian Sketches,' p. 123:
"At first the eternal silence of the bush is oppressive, but a
short sojourn is sufficient to accustom a neophyte to the new
scene, and he speedily becomes enamoured of it."
1865. J. F. Mortlock, 'Experiences of a Convict,' p. 83:
"The 'bush,' a generic term synonymous with 'forest' or
'jungle,' applied to all land in its primaeval condition,
whether occupied by herds or not."
1872. A. McFarland, 'Illawarra and Manaro,' p. 113:
"All the advantages of civilized life have been surrendered
for the bush, its blanket and gunyah."
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,'
vol. i. p. 250:
"The technical meaning of the word 'bush.' The bush is the
gum-tree forest, with which so great a part of Australia is
covered, that folk who follow a country life are invariably
said to live in the bush. Squatters who look after their own
runs always live in the bush, even though their sheep are
pastured on plains. Instead of a town mouse and a country
mouse in Australia, there would be a town mouse and a bush
mouse; but mice living in the small country towns would still
be bush mice."
Ibid. c. xx. p. 299:
"Nearly every place beyond the influence of the big towns is
called 'bush,' even though there should not be a tree to be
seen around."
1883. G. W. Rusden, 'History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 67, n.:
"Bush was a general term for the interior. It might be thick
bush, open bush, bush forest, or scrubby bushterms which
explain themselves."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 40:
"The first thing that strikes me is the lifeless solitude of
the bush. . . . There is a deep fascination about the freedom
of the bush."
1890. E. W. Hornung [Title]:
"A Bride from the Bush."
1896. 'Otago Daily Times,' Jan. 27, p. 2, col. 5:
"Almost the whole of New South Wales is covered with bush.
It is not the bush as known in New Zealand. It is rather
a park-like expanse, where the trees stand widely apart,
and where there is grass on the soil between them."
Bush, adj. or in composition, not always
easy to distinguish, the hyphen depending on the fancy of the
writer.
1836. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 75:
"The round trundling of our cart wheels, it is well known, does
not always improve the labours of Macadam, much less a bush
road."
1848. Letter by Mrs. Perry, given in Canon Goodman's 'Church
in Victoria, during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,'p. 75:
"A hard bush sofa, without back or ends."
1849. J. Sidney, 'Emigrants' Journal, and Travellers'
Magazine,' p. 40 (Letter from Caroline Chisholm):
"What I would particularly recommend to new settlers is
'Bush Partnership'--Let two friends or neighbours agree
to work together, until three acres are cropped, dividing the
work, the expense, and the produce--this partnership will grow
apace; I have made numerous bush agreements of this kind . . .
I never knew any quarrel or bad feeling result from these
partnerships, on the contrary, I believe them calculated to
promote much neighbourly good will; but in the association of a
large number of strangers, for an indefinite period, I have no
confidence."
1857. W. Westgarth, 'Victoria,' c. xi. p. 250:
"The gloomy antithesis of good bushranging and bad bush-roads."
[Bush-road, however, does not usually mean a made-road through
the bush, but a road which has not been formed, and is in a
state of nature except for the wear of vehicles upon it, and
perhaps the clearing of trees and scrub.]
1864. 'The Reader,' April 2, p. 40, col. 1 ('O.E.D.'):
"The roads from the nascent metropolis still partook mainly of
the random character of 'bush tracks.'"
1865. W. Hewitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 211:
"Dr. Wills offered to go himself in the absence of any more
youthful and, through bush seasoning, qualified person."
1880. 'Blackwood's Magazine,' Feb., p. 169 [Title]:
"Bush-Life in Queensland."
1881. R. M. Praed, 'Policy and Passion,' c. i. p. 59:
"The driver paused before a bush inn."
[In Australia the word "inn" is now rare. The word "hotel"
has supplanted it.]
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv.p. 3:
"Not as bush roads go. The Australian habit is here followed
of using 'bush' for country, though no word could be more
ludicrously inapplicable, for there is hardly anything on the
way that can really be called a bush."
1894. 'Sydney Morning Herald' (exact date lost):
"Canada, Cape Colony, and Australia have preserved the old
significance of Bush--Chaucer has it so--as a territory on
which there are trees; it is a simple but, after all, a kindly
development that when a territory is so unlucky as to have no
trees, sometimes, indeed, to be bald of any growth whatever,
it should still be spoken of as if it had them."
1896. Rolf Boldrewood, in preface to 'The Man from Snowy
River':
"It is not easy to write ballads descriptive of the bushland
of Australia, as on light consideration would appear."
1896. H. Lawson, 'While the Billy boils,' p. 104:
"About Byrock we met the bush liar in all his glory. He was
dressed like--like a bush larrikin. His name was Jim."
Bush-faller, n. one who cuts down timber in the
bush.
1882. 'Pall Mall Gazette,' June 29, p. 2, col. 1:
"A broken-down, deserted shanty, inhabited once, perhaps, by
rail-splitters or bush-fallers." ['O.E.D.,' from which this
quotation is taken, puts (?) before the meaning; but "To fall"
is not uncommon in Australia for "to fell."]
Bush-fire, n. forests and grass on fire in hot
summers.
1868. C. Dilke, 'Greater Britain,' vol. ii. part iii. c. iii.
p. 32:
"The smoke from these bush-fires extends for hundreds of miles
to sea."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. xxii. p. 156:
"A reserve in case of bush-fires and bad seasons."
Bush-lawyer, n. (1) A Bramble.
See Lawyer.
(2) Name often used for a layman who fancies he knows all about
the law without consulting a solicitor. He talks a great deal,
and 'lays down the law.'
1896. H. G. Turner, 'Lecture on J. P. Fawkner':
"For some years he cultivated and developed his capacity for
rhetorical argument by practising in the minor courts of law in
Tasmania as a paid advocate, a position which in those days,
and under the exceptional circumstances of the Colony, was not
restricted to members of the legal profession, and the term
Bush Lawyer probably takes its origin from the practice of this
period."
Bush-magpie, n. an Australian bird, more
commonly called a Magpie (q.v.).
1888. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. ii. p. 235:
". . . the omnipresent bush-magpie. Here he may warble all the
day long on the liquid, mellifluous notes of his Doric flute,
fit pipe indeed for academic groves . . . sweetest and brightest,
most cheery and sociable of all Australian birds."
Bushman, n. (1) Settler in the bush.
Used to distinguish country residents from townsfolk.
1852. 'Blackwood's Magazine,' p. 522 ('O.E.D.'):
"Where the wild bushman eats his loathly fare."
1880. J. Mathew, song, 'The Bushman:'
"How weary, how dreary the stillness must be!
But oh! the lone bushman is dreaming of me."
1886. Frank Cowan: 'Australia; a Charcoal Sketch':
"The bushman . . . Gunyah, his bark hovel; Damper,
his unleavened bread baked in the ashes; Billy, his
tea-kettle, universal pot and pan and bucket; Sugar-bag,
his source of saccharine, a bee-tree; Pheasant, his
facetious metaphoric euphism for Liar, quasi Lyre-bird; Fit
for Woogooroo, for Daft or Idiotic; Brumby, his
peculiar term for wild horse; Scrubber, wild ox;
Nuggeting, calf-stealing; Jumbuck, sheep, in
general; an Old-man, grizzled wallaroo or kangaroo;
Station, Run, a sheep- or cattle-ranch; and
Kabonboodgery--an echo of the sound diablery for ever in
his ears, from dawn to dusk of Laughing Jackass and from dusk
to dawn of Dingo--his half-bird -and-beast-like vocal
substitute for Very Good. . . ."
1896. H.Lawson, 'While the Billy boils,' p. 71:
"He was a typical bushman, . . . and of the old bush school;
one of those slight active little fellows, whom we used to see
in cabbage-tree hats, Crimean shirts, strapped trousers, and
elastic-side boots."
(2) One who has knowledge of the bush, and is skilled in its
ways. A "good bushman" is especially used of a man who can
find his way where there are no tracks.
1868. J. Bonwick, 'John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' pp. 78, 79:
"It is hardly likely that so splendid a bushman as Mr. Batman
would venture upon such an expedition had he not been well.
In fact a better bushman at this time could not be met with."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 3:
"The worst bushman had to undertake the charge of the camp,
cook the provisions, and look after the horses, during the
absence of the rest on flying excursions."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 40:
"Very slight landmarks will serve to guide a good bushman,
for no two places are really exactly alike."
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 78:
"One of the best bushmen in that part of the country: the men
said he could find his way over it blindfold, or on the darkest
night that ever was."
(3) Special sense. See quotation.
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 80:
"Some were what is termed, par excellence, bushmen--that
is, men who split rails, get posts, shingles, take contracts
for building houses, stockyards, etc.--men, in fact, who work
among timber continually, sometimes felling and splitting,
sometimes sawing."
Bushmanship, n. knowledge of the ways of the
bush.
1882. A. J. Boyd, 'Old Colonials,' p. 261:
"A good laugh at the bushmanship displayed."
Bushranger, n. one who ranges or traverses the
bush, far and wide; an Australian highwayman; in the early days
usually an escaped convict. Shakspeare uses the verb 'to
range' in this connection.
"Then thieves and robbers range abroad unseen
In murders and in outrage, boldly here."
('Richard II.,' III. ii. 39.)
"Ranger" is used in modern English for one who protects
and not for one who robs; as 'the Ranger' of a Park.
1806. May 4, 'Sydney Gazette' or 'New South Wales Advertiser,
given in 'History of New South Wales,' p. 265:
"Yesterday afternoon, William Page, the bushranger repeatedly
advertised, was apprehended by three constables."
1820. W. C. Wentworth, 'Description of New South Wales,'
p. 166:
[The settlements in Van Diemen's Land have] "been infested for
many years past by a banditti of runaway convicts, who have
endangered the person and property of every one. . . . These
wretches, who are known in the colony by the name of
bushrangers. . ."
1820. Lieut. Chas. Jeffreys, 'Van Dieman's [sic] Land,' p. 15:
"The supposition . . . rests solely on the authority of the Bush
Rangers, a species of wandering brigands, who will be elsewhere
described."
1838. T. L. 'Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 9:
"Bushrangers, a sub-genus in the order banditti, which happily
can now only exist there in places inaccessible to the mounted
police."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 81:
"This country [Van Diemen's Land] is as much infested as New
South Wales with robbers, runaway convicts, or, as they are
termed, Bush-rangers."
1861. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 77:
"The whole region was infested by marauding bands of
bush-rangers, terrible after nightfall."
1887. J. F. Hogan, 'The Irish in Australia, p. 252:
"Whilst he was engaged in this duty in Victoria, a band
of outlaws--'bushrangers' as they are colonially termed--
who had long defied capture, and had carried on a career
of murder and robbery, descended from their haunts in
the mountain ranges."
Bush-ranging, n. the practice of the Bushranger
(q.v.).
1827. 'Captain Robinson's Report,' Dec. 23
"It was a subject of complaint among the settlers, that their
assigned servants could not be known from soldiers, owing to
their dress; which very much assisted the crime of
'bush-ranging.'"
Bush-scrubber, n. a bushman's word for a boor,
bumpkin, or slatternly person. See Scrubber.
1896. Modern. Up-country manservant on seeing his new
mistress:
"My word! a real lady! she's no bush-scrubber!"
Bush-telegraph, n. Confederates of bushrangers
who supply them with secret information of the movements of the
police.
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 507:
"The police are baffled by the false reports of the
confederates and the number and activity of the bush
telegraphs."
1893. Kenneth Mackay, 'Out Back,' p. 74:
"A hint dropped in this town set the bush telegraphs riding in
all directions."
Bushwoman, n. See quotation.
1892. 'The Australasian,' April 9, p. 707, col. 1:
"But who has championed the cause of the woman of the bush--
or, would it be more correct to say bushwoman, as well as
bushman?--and allowed her also a claim to participate in the
founding of a nation?"
Bush-wren, n. See Wren.
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 108:
[A full description.]
Bushed, adj., quasi past participle,
lost in the bush; then, lost or at a loss.
1661. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 115:
"I left my seat to reach a shelter, which was so many miles
off, that I narrowly escaped being 'bushed.'"
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. i. p. 283:
"The poor youth, new to the wilds, had, in the expressive
phrase of the colonials, got bushed, that is, utterly
bewildered, and thus lost all idea of the direction that he
ought to pursue."
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 29:
"I get quite bushed in these streets."
1896. 'The Argus,' Jan. 1, p. 4, col. 9:
"The Ministry did not assume its duty of leading the House, and
Mr. Higgins graphically described the position of affairs by
stating that the House was 'bushed;' while Mr. Shiels compared
the situation to a rudderless ship drifting hither and
thither."
Bustard, n. "There are about twenty species,
mostly of Africa, several of India, one of Australia, and three
properly European." ('Century.') The Australian variety is
Eupodotis australis, Gray, called also Wild
Turkey, Native Turkey, and Plain Turkey. See
Turkey.
Buster, Southerly, n. The word is a corruption
of 'burster,' that which bursts. A sudden and violent squall
from the south. The name, used first in Sydney, has been
adopted also in other Australian cities. See Brickfielder.
1863. F. Fowler, in 'Athenaeum,' Feb. 21, p. 264, col. 1:
"The cold wind or southerly buster which . . . carries a thick
cloud of dust . . . across the city."
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 587:
"Southerly Busters by 'Ironbark.'"
1886. F. Cowan, 'Australia, a Charcoal Sketch':
"The Buster and Brickfielder: austral red-dust blizzard;
and red-hot Simoom."
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillmann, 'Australian Life,' p. 40:
"Generally these winds end in what is commonly called a
'southerly buster.' This is preceded by a lull in the hot
wind; then suddenly (as it has been put) it is as though a
bladder of cool air were exploded, and the strong cool
southerly air drives up with tremendous force. However
pleasant the change of temperature may be it is no mere pastime
to be caught in a 'southerly buster,' but the drifting rain
which always follows soon sets matters right, allays the dust,
and then follows the calm fresh bracing wind which is the more
delightful by contrast with the misery through which one has
passed for three long dreary days and nights."
1893. 'The Australasian,' Aug. 12, p. 302, col. 1:
"You should see him with Commodore Jack out in the teeth
of the 'hard glad weather,' when a southerly buster sweeps
up the harbour."
1896. H. A.Hunt, in 'Three Essays on Australian Weather'
(Sydney), p. 16:
An Essay on Southerly Bursters, . . . with Four Photographs
and Five Diagrams."
[Title of an essay which was awarded the prize of L 25 offered
by the Hon. Ralph Abercrombie.]
Butcher, n. South Australian slang for a long
drink of beer, so-called (it is said) because the men of a
certain butchery in Adelaide used this refreshment regularly;
cf. "porter" in England, after the drink of the old London
porters.
Butcher-bird, n. The name is in use elsewhere,
but in Australia it is applied to the genus Cracticus.
The varieties are--
The Butcher-bird--
Cracticus torquatus, Lath.; formerly
C. destructor, Gould.
Black B.--
C. quoyi, Less.
Black-throated B.--
C. nigrigularis, Gould.
Grey B. (Derwent Jackass)--
C. cinereus, Gould (see Jackass).
Pied B.--
C. picatus, Gould.
Rufous B.--
C. rufescens, De Vis.
Silver-backed B.--
C. argenteus, Gould.
Spalding's B.--
C. spaldingi, Masters.
White-winged B.--
C. leucopterus, Cav.
The bird is sometimes called a Crow-shrike.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 213:
"Mr. Caley observes--Butcher-bird. This bird used frequently
to come into some green wattle-trees near my house, and in wet
weather was very noisy; from which circumstance it obtained the
name of 'Rain-bird.'"
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. Pl. 52:
"Cracticus Destructor. Butcher Bird, name given by
colonists of Swan River, a permanent resident in New South
Wales and South Australia. I scarcely know of any Australian
bird so generally dispersed."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 50:
"Close to the station one or two butcher-birds were piping
their morning song, a strange little melody with not many
notes, which no one who has heard it will ever forget."
Buttercup, n. The familiar English flower is
represented in Australia and Tasmania by various species of
Ranunculus, such as R. lappaceus, Sm.,
N.O. Ranunculaceae.
Butter-fish, n. a name given in Australia to
Oligorus mitchellii, Castln. (see Murray Perch);
in Victoria, to Chilodactylus nigricans, Richards. (see
Morwong); in New Zealand, to Coridodax pullus,
Forst., called also Kelp-fish. The name is in allusion
to their slippery coating of mucus. See Kelp-fish.
1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, 'Port Phillip,' vol. iii. p. 44:
"In the bay are large quantities of . . . butter-fish."
1880. Guenther, 'Study of Fishes,' p. 533:
"The 'butter-fish,' or 'kelp-fish' of the colonists of New
Zealand (C. pullus), is prized as food, and attains to a
weight of four or five pounds."
Butterfly-conch, n. Tasmanian name for a marine
univalve mollusc, Voluta papillosa, Swainson.
Butterfly-fish, n. a New Zealand sea-fish,
Gasterochisma melampus, Richards., one of the
Nomeidae. The ventral fins are exceedingly broad and
long, and can be completely concealed in a fold of the abdomen.
The New Zealand fish is so named from these fins; the European
Butterfly-fish, Blennius ocellaris, derives its name
from the spots on its dorsal fin, like the eyes in a peacock's
tail or butterfly's wing.
Butterfly-Lobster, n. a marine crustacean, so
called from the leaf-like expansion of the antennae. It is
"the highly specialized macrourous decapod Ibacus
Peronii." (W. A. Haswell.)
1880. Mrs. Meredith, 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 248:
"Those curious crustaceans that I have heard called 'butterfly
lobsters'. . . the shell of the head and body (properly known
as the carapace) expands into something like wing-forms,
entirely hiding the legs beneath them."
Butterfly-Plant, n. a small flowering plant,
Utricularia dichotoma, Lab., N.O. Leutibularina.
Button-grass, n. Schaenus
sphaerocephalus, Poiret, N.O. Cyperaceae. The grass
is found covering barren boggy land in Tasmania, but is not
peculiar to Tasmania. So called from the round shaped flower
(capitate inflorescence), on a thin stalk four or five feet
long, like a button on the end of a foil.
Buzzard, n. an English bird-name applied in
Australia to Gypoictinia melanosternon, Gould, the
Black-breasted Buzzard.
C
Cabbage Garden, a name applied to the colony of
Victoria by Sir John Robertson, the Premier of New South Wales,
in contempt for its size.
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillmann, 'Australian Life,' p. 30:
"'The cabbage garden,' old cynical Sir John Robertson, of New
South Wales, once called Victoria, but a garden
notwithstanding. Better at any rate 'the cabbage garden' than
the mere sheep run or cattle paddock."
Cabbage-Palm, n. same as Cabbage-tree
(1) (q.v.).
Cabbage-tree, n (1)Name given to various palm
trees of which the heart of the young leaves is eaten like the
head of a cabbage. In Australia the name is applied to the fan
palm, Livistona inermis, R. Br., and more commonly to
Livistona australis, Martius. In New Zealand the name
is given to various species of Cordyline, especially to
Cordyline indivisa. See also Flame-tree (2).
1769. 'Capt. Cook's Journal,' ed. Wharton (1893), p. 144:
"We likewise found one Cabage Tree which we cut down for the
sake of the cabage."
1802. G.Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,' p. 60:
"Even the ships crews helped, except those who brought the
cabbage trees."
1846. J. L. Stokes, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. c. iv.
p. 132:
"Cabbage-tree . . . grew in abundance."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 72:
"Several of my companions suffered by eating too much of the
cabbage-palm."
1865. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia,' vol. i. p. 414:
"Clumps of what the people of King George's Sound call
cabbage-trees."
1867. F. Hochstetter, 'New Zealand,' p. 240:
"There stands an isolated 'cabbage-tree' (Ti of the natives;
Cordyline Australis) nearly thirty feet high, with
ramified branches and a crown of luxuriant growth."
(2) A large, low-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, made out of the
leaves of the Cabbage-tree (Livistona).
1802. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,' 335:
"This hat, made of white filaments of the cabbage-tree,
seemed to excite the attention of the whole party."
1852. G. F. P., 'Gold Pen and Pencil Sketches,' xv.:
"With scowl indignant flashing from his eye,
As though to wither each unshaven wretch,
Jack jogs along, nor condescends reply,
As to the price his cabbage-tree might fetch."
1864. 'Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45, The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':
"Lushy Luke endeavoured to sober himself by dipping his head in
the hollowed tree-trunk which serves for the water-trough of an
up-country Australian inn. He forgot, however, to take off his
'cabbage-tree' before he ducked, and angry at having made a
fool of himself, he gave fierce orders, in a thick voice, for
his men to fall in, shoulder arms, and mark time."
1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'History of the Discovery
and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. pp. 160, 161:
"The cabbage-palm was also a new species, called by Mr. Brown
the Livistonia inermis. It was abundant; but the
cabbage (the heart of the young budding leaves) too small to be
useful as an article of food, at least to a ship's company.
But the leaves were found useful. These dried and drawn into
strips were plaited into hats for the men, and to this day the
cabbage-tree hat is very highly esteemed by the Australians, as
a protection from the sun, and allowing free ventilation."
[Note]: "A good cabbage-tree hat, though it very much resembles
a common straw hat, will fetch as much as L3."
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 527:
". . . trousers, peg-top shaped, and wore a new cabbage-tree
hat."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 33:
"A brand-new cabbage-tree hat protected his head."
Cabbage-tree Mob, and Cabbagites, obsolete
Australian slang for modern Larrikins (q.v)., because
wearing cabbage-tree hats.
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes '(edition 1855), p. 17:
"There are to be found round the doors of the Sydney Theatre a
sort of 'loafers' known as the Cabbage-tree mob,--a
class who, in the spirit of the ancient tyrant, one might
excusably wish had but one nose in order to make it a bloody
one. . . . Unaware of the propensities of the cabbagites he
was by them furiously assailed."
Cad, n. name in Queensland for the Cicada
(q.v.).
1896. 'The Australasian,' Jan. 11, p. 76, col. 1:
"From the trees sounds the shrill chirp of large green cicada
(native cads as the bushmen call them)."
Caddie, n. a bush name for the slouch-hat or
wide-awake. In the Australian bush the brim is generally
turned down at the back and sometimes all round.
Cadet, n. term used in New Zealand,
answering to the Australian Colonial Experience,
or jackaroo (q.v.).
1866. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 68:
"A cadet, as they are called--he is a clergyman's son learning
sheepfarming under our auspices."
1871. C. L. Money, 'Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 6:
"The military designation of cadet was applied to any young
fellow who was attached to a sheep or cattle station in the
same capacity as myself. He was 'neither flesh nor fowl nor
good red herring,' neither master nor man. He was sent to work
with the men, but not paid."
Caloprymnus, n. the scientific name of the
genus called the Plain Kangaroo-Rat.
(Grk. kalos, beautiful, and prumnon, hinder
part.) It has bright flanks. See Kangaroo-Rat.
Camp, n. (1) A place to live in, generally
temporary; a rest.
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' pp. 46, 47:
" I was shown my camp, which was a slab but about a hundred
yards away from the big house. . . . I was rather tired, and
not sorry for the prospect of a camp."
(2) A place for mustering cattle.
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 64:
"All about the run, at intervals of fire or six miles, are
cattle-camps, and the cattle that belong to the surrounding
districts are mustered on their respective camps."
1896. A. B. Paterson, 'Man from Snowy River,' p. 26:
"There was never his like in the open bush,
And never his match on the cattle-camps."
(3) In Australia, frequently used for a camping-out expedition.
Often in composition with "out," a camp-out.
1869. 'Colonial Monthly,' vol. iv.p. 289:
"A young fellow with even a moderate degree of sensibility must
be excited by the novelty of his first 'camp-out' in the
Australian bush."
1880. R. H. Inglis, 'Australian Cousins,' p. 233:
"We're going to have a regular camp; we intend going to Port
Hocking to have some shooting, fishing, and general diversion."
(4) A name for Sydney and for Hobart, now long obsolete,
originating when British military forces were stationed there.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 70:
"It is the old resident--he who still calls Sydney, with its
population of twelve thousand inhabitants, the
camp,--that can appreciate these things: he who still
recollects the few earth-huts and solitary tents scattered
through the forest brush surrounding Sydney Cove (known
properly then indeed by the name of 'The Camp')."
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 193:
"Living during the winter in Hobarton, usually called 'the
camp,' in those days."
Camp, v. (1) Generally in composition with
"out," to sleep in the open air, usually without any covering.
Camping out is exceedingly common in Australia owing to the
warmth of the climate and the rarity of rain.
1867. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 125:
"I like to hear of benighted or belated travellers when they
have had to 'camp out,' as it is technically called."
1875. R. and F. Hill, 'What we saw in Australia,' p. 208:
"So the Bishop determined to 'camp-out' at once where a good
fire could be made."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 43:
"There is room here for fifty, rolled up on the floor; and
should that fail them, there is no end of other places; or the
bush, as a fall back, where, indeed, some of them prefer
camping as it is."
1891. 'The Australasian,' Nov. 14, p. 963, col. 1: 'A Lady in
the Kermadecs':
"For three months I 'camped out' there alone, shepherding a
flock of Angoras."
(2) By extension, to sleep in any unusual place, or at an
unusual time.
1893. 'Review of Reviews' (Australasian ed. ), March, p. 51:
"The campaign came to an abrupt and somewhat inglorious close,
Sir George Dibbs having to 'camp' in a railway carriage, and
Sir Henry Parkes being flood-bound at Quirindi."
1896. Modern:
"Visitor,--'Where's your Mother?' 'Oh, she's camping.'" [The
lady was enjoying an afternoon nap indoors.]
(3) To stop for a rest in the middle of the day.
1891. Mrs. Cross (Ada Cambridge), 'The Three Miss Kings,'
p. 180:
"We'll have lunch first before we investigate the caves--if
it's agreeable to you. I will take the horses out, and we'll
find a nice place to camp before they come."
(4) To floor or prove superior to. Slang.
1886. C. H. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 207:
"At punching oxen you may guess
There's nothing out can camp him.
He has, in fact, the slouch and dress,
Which bullock-driver stamp him."
Camphor-wood, n. an Australian timber; the wood
of Callitris (Frenea) robusta, Cunn.,
N.O. Coniferae. Called also Light, Black, White,
Dark, and Common Pine, as the wood varies much in
its colouring. See Pine.
Canajong, n. Tasmanian aboriginal name for
the plants called Pig-faces (q.v.).
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 44:
"Pig-faces. It was the canajong of the Tasmanian
aboriginal. The fleshy fruit is eaten raw by the aborigines:
the leaves are eaten baked."
Canary, n. (1) A bird-name used in New Zealand
for Clitonyx ochrocephala, called also the
Yellow-head. Dwellers in the back-blocks of Australia
apply the name to the Orange-fronted Ephthianura
(E. aurifrons, Gould), and sometimes to the
White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone albigularis).
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 56:
"Clitonyx Ochrocephala. Yellow-head. 'Canary' of the
colonists."
(2) Slang for a convict. See quotations. As early as 1673,
'canary-bird' was thieves' English for a gaol-bird.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 117:
"Convicts of but recent migration are facetiously known by the
name of canaries, by reason of the yellow plumage in
which they are fledged at the period of landing."
1870. T. H. Braim, 'New Homes,' c. ii. p. 72:
"The prisoners were dressed in yellow-hence called 'canary
birds.'"
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. vi. p. 49:
"Can't you get your canaries off the track here for about
a quarter of an hour, and let my mob of cattle pass ?"
Candle-nut, n. The name is given in Queensland
to the fruit of Aleurites moluccana, Willd.,
N.O. Euphorbiaceae. The nuts are two or more inches
diameter. The name is often given to the tree itself, which
grows wild in Queensland and is cultivated in gardens there
under the name of A. triloba, Forst. It is not endemic
in Australia, but the vernacular name of Candle-nut is
confined to Australia and the Polynesian Islands.
1883. F. M. Bailey, 'Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 472:
"Candle-nut. The kernels when dried and stuck on a reed are
used by the Polynesian Islanders as a substitute for candles,
and as an article of food in New Georgia. These nuts resemble
walnuts somewhat in size and taste. When pressed they yield a
large proportion of pure palatable oil, used as a drying-oil
for paint, and known as country walnut-oil and artists' oil."
Cane-grass, n. i.q. Bamboo-grass
(q.v.).
Cape-Barren Goose, n. See Goose.
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 114,
[Footnote]:
"The 'Cape Barren Goose' frequents the island from which it
takes its name, and others in the Straits. It is about the
same size as a common goose, the plumage a handsome mottled
brown and gray, somewhat owl-like in character."
[Cape Barren Island is in Bass Strait, between Flinders Island
and Tasmania. Banks Strait flows between Cape Barren Island
and Tasmania. The easternmost point on the island is called
Cape Barren.]
Cape-Barren Tea, n. a shrub or tree, Correa
alba, Andr., N.O. Rutaceae.
1834. Ross, 'Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 134:
"Leptospermum lanigerum, hoary tea-tree; Acacia
decurrens, black wattle; Correa alba, Cape Barren
tea. The leaves of these have been used as substitutes for tea
in the colony."
Cape Lilac, n. See Lilac.
Cape Weed, n. In Europe, Roccella
tinctoria, a lichen from the Cape de Verde Islands, from
which a dye is produced. In New Zealand, name given to the
European cats-ear, Hypaechoris radicata. In Australia
it is as in quotation below. See 'Globe Encyclopaedia,' 1877
(s.v.).
1878. W. R. Guilfoyle, 'First Book of Australian Botany,'
p. 60:
"Cape Weed. Cryptostemma Calendulaceum. (Natural
Order, Compositae.) This weed, which has proved such
a pest in many parts of Victoria, was introduced from the Cape
of Good Hope, as a fodder plant. It is an annual, flowering
in the spring, and giving a bright golden hue to the fields.
It proves destructive to other herbs and grasses, and though
it affords a nutritious food for stock in the spring, it dies
off in the middle of summer, after ripening its seeds, leaving
the fields quite bare."
Caper-tree, n. The Australian tree of this name
is Capparis nobilis, F. v. M., N.O. Capparideae.
The Karum of the Queensland aboriginals. The fruit is
one to two inches in diameter. Called also Grey Plum or
Native Pomegranate. The name is also given to
Capparis Mitchelli, Lindl. The European caper is
Capparis spinosa, Linn.
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 10:
"Native Caper Tree or Wild Pomegranate. Natural Order,
Capparideae. Found in the Mallee Scrub. A small tree.
The wood is whitish, hard, close-grained, and suitable for
engraving, carving, and similar purposes. Strongly resembles
lancewood."
Captain Cook, or Cooker, n. New
Zealand colonists' slang. First applied to the wild pigs of
New Zealand, supposed to be descended from those first
introduced by Captain Cook; afterwards used as term of reproach
for any pig which, like the wild variety, obstinately refused
to fatten. See Introduction.
1879. W. Quin, 'New Zealand Country Journal,' vol. iii. p. 55:
"Many a rare old tusker finds a home in the mountain gorges.
The immense tusks at Brooksdale attest the size of the wild
boars or Captain Cooks, as the patriarchs are generally named."
1894. E. Wakefield, 'New Zealand after Fifty Years,' p. 85:
"The leanness and roughness of the wild pig gives it quite a
different appearance from the domesticated variety; and hence a
gaunt, ill-shaped, or sorry-looking pig is everywhere called in
derision a 'Captain Cook.'"
Carbora, n. aboriginal name for (1) the
Native Bear. See Bear.
(2) A kind of water worm that eats into timber between high and
low water on a tidal river.
Cardamom, n. For the Australian tree of this
name, see quotation.
1890. C. Lumholtz,' Among Cannibals,' p. 96:
"The Australian cardamom tree." [Footnote]: "This is a
fictitious name, as are the names of many Australian plants and
animals. The tree belongs to the nutmeg family, and its real
name is Myristica insipida. The name owes its
existence to the similarity of the fruit to the real cardamom.
But the fruit of the Myristica has not so strong and
pleasant an odour as the real cardamom, and hence the tree is
called insipida."
Carp, n. The English fish is of the family
Cyprinidae. The name is given to different fishes in
Ireland and elsewhere. In Sydney it is Chilodactylus
fuscus, Castln., and Chilodactylus macropterus,
Richards.; called also Morwong (q.v.). The Murray
Carp is Murrayia cyprinoides, Castln., a percoid
fish. Chilodactylis belongs to the family
Cirrhitidae, in no way allied to Cyprinidae,
which contains the European carps. Cirrhitidae, says
Guenther, may be readily recognized by their thickened
undivided lower pectoral rays, which in some are evidently
auxiliary organs of locomotion, in others, probably, organs of
touch.
Carpet-Shark, n. i.q. Wobbegong (q.v.)
Carpet-Snake, n. a large Australian snake with
a variegated skin, Python variegata, Gray. In
Whitworth's 'Anglo-Indian Dictionary,' 1885 (s.v.), we are told
that the name is loosely applied (sc. in India) to any kind of
snake found in a dwelling-house other than a cobra or a dhaman.
In Tasmania, a venomous snake, Hoplocephalus curtus,
Schlegel. See under Snake.
Carrier, n. a local name for a water-bag.
1893. A. F. Calvert, 'English Illustrated,' Feb., p. 321:
"For the water-holders or 'carriers' (made to fit the bodies of
the horses carrying them, or to 'ride easily' on
pack-saddles)."
Carrot, Native, (1) Daucus brachiatus, Sieb.,
N.O. Umbelliferae. Not endemic in Australia.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 64:
"The native carrot . . . was here withered and in seed."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 124:
"Native carrot. Stock are very fond of this plant when young.
Sheep thrive wonderfully on it where it is plentiful. It is a
small annual herbaceous plant, growing plentifully on sandhills
and rich soil; the seeds, locally termed 'carrot burrs,' are
very injurious to wool, the hooked spines with which the seeds
are armed attaching themselves to the fleece, rendering
portions of it quite stiff and rigid. The common carrot
belongs, of course, to this genus, and the fact that it is
descended from an apparently worthless, weedy plant, indicates
that the present species is capable of much improvement by
cultivation."
(2) In Tasmania Geranium dissectum, Linn., is also
called "native carrot."
Cascarilla, Native, n. an Australian timber,
Croton verreauxii, Baill., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 408:
"Native cascarilla. A small tree; wood of a yellowish colour,
close-grained and firm."
Cassowary, n. The word is Malay, the genus
being found in "the Islands in the Indian Archipelago."
('O.E.D.') The Australian variety is Casuarius
australis, Waller. The name is often erroneously applied
(as in the first two quotations), to the Emu (q.v.), which is
not a Cassowary.
1789. Governor Phillip, 'Voyage,' c. xxii. p. 271:
"New Holland Cassowary. [Description given.] This bird is not
uncommon to New Holland, as several of them have been seen
about Botany Bay, and other parts. . . . Although this bird
cannot fly, it runs so swiftly that a greyhound can scarcely
overtake it. The flesh is said to be in taste not unlike
beef."
1802. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,'
c. xi. p. 438:
"The cassowary of New South Wales is larger in all respects
than the well-known bird called the cassowary."
1869. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia' (Supplement):
"Casuarius Australis, Wall., Australian Cassowary,
sometimes called Black Emu."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 73:
"One day an egg of a cassowary was brought to me; this bird,
although it is nearly akin to the ostrich and emu, does not,
like the latter, frequent the open plains, but the thick
brushwood. The Australian cassowary is found in Northern
Queensland from Herbert river northwards, in all the large
vine-scrubs on the banks of the rivers, and on the high
mountains of the coasts."
Ibid. p. 97.
"The proud cassowary, the stateliest bird of Australia
. . . this beautiful and comparatively rare creature.'"
1891. 'Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':
"The Australian cassowary. . . . They are somewhat shorter
and stouter in build than the emu."
Casuarina, n. the scientific name of a large
group of trees common to India, and other parts lying between
India and Australasia, but more numerous in Australia than
elsewhere, and often forming a characteristic feature of the
vegetation. They are the so-called She-oaks (q.v.). The
word is not, however, Australian, and is much older than the
discovery of Australia. Its etymology is contained in the
quotation, 1877.
1806. 'Naval Chronicles,' c. xv. p. 460:
"Clubs made of the wood of the Casuarina."
1814. R. Brown, 'Botany of Terra Australis,' in M. Flinders'
'Voyage to Terra Australis,' vol. ii. p. 571:
"Casuarinae. The genus Casuarina is certainly not
referable to any order of plants at present established
. . . it may be considered a separate order. . . . The maximum
of Casuarina appears to exist in Terra Australis, where it
forms one of the characteristic features of the vegetation."
1855. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes,' p. 160:
"The dark selvage of casuarinas fringing its bank."
1861. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 10:
"The vegetation assumed a new character, the eucalyptus and
casuarina alternating with the wild cherry and honeysuckle."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 34:
"The scientific name of these well-known plants is as
appropriate as their vernacular appellation is odd and
unsuited. The former alludes to the cassowary (Casuarius), the
plumage of which is comparatively as much reduced among birds,
as the foliage of the casuarinas is stringy among trees. Hence
more than two centuries ago Rumph already bestowed the name
Casuarina on a Java species, led by the Dutch colonists, who
call it there the Casuaris-Boom. The Australian vernacular
name seems to have arisen from some fancied resemblance of the
wood of some casuarinas to that of oaks, notwithstanding the
extreme difference of the foliage and fruit; unless, as
Dr. Hooker supposes, the popular name of these trees and shrubs
arose from the Canadian 'Sheack.'"
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 397:
"From a fancied resemblance of the wood of casuarinas to that
of oak, these trees are called 'oaks,' and the same and
different species have various appellations in various parts."
1890. C. Lumholtz; 'Among Cannibals,' p. 33:
"Along its banks (the Comet's) my attention was drawn to a
number of casuarinas--those leafless, dark trees, which always
make a sad impression on the traveller; even a casual observer
will notice the dull, depressing sigh which comes from a grove
of these trees when there is the least breeze.'"
Cat-bird, n. In America the name is given to
Mimus carolinensis, a mocking thrush, which like the
Australian bird has a cry resembling the mewing of a cat. The
Australian species are--
The Cat-bird--
Ailuraedus viridis, Lath.
Spotted C.--
Ailuraedus maculosus, Ramsay.
Pomatostomus rubeculus, Gould.
Tooth-billed C.--
Scenopaeus dentirostris, Ramsay.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 11:
"Its loud, harsh and extraordinary note is heard; a note which
differs so much from that of all other birds, that having been
once heard it can never be mistaken. In comparing it to the
nightly concert of the domestic cat, I conceive that I am
conveying to my readers a more perfect idea of the note of this
species than could be given by pages of description. This
concert, like that of the animal whose name it bears, is
performed either by a pair or several individuals, and nothing
more is required than for the hearer to shut his eyes from the
neighbouring foliage to fancy himself surrounded by London
grimalkins of house-top celebrity."
1888. D.Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 36:
"One of the most peculiar of birds' eggs found about the Murray
is that of the locally-termed 'cat-bird,' the shell of which is
veined thickly with dark thin threads as though covered with a
spider's web."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals.' p. 96:
"The cat-bird (AEluraedus maculosus), which makes its
appearance towards evening, and has a voice strikingly like the
mewing of a cat."
1893. 'The Argus,' March 25:
"Another quaint caller of the bush is the cat-bird, and its
eggs are of exactly the colour of old ivory."
1896. G. A. Keartland, 'Horne Expedition in Central Australia,'
pt. ii. Zoology, p. 92:
"Their habit of mewing like a cat has gained for them the local
cognomen of cat-birds."
Cat-fish, n. The name is applied in the Old
World to various fishes of the family Siluridae, and
also to the Wolf-fish of Europe and North America. It arises
from the resemblance of the teeth in some cases or the
projecting "whiskers" in others, to those of a cat. In
Victoria and New South Wales it is a fresh-water fish,
Copidoglanis tandanus, Mitchell, brought abundantly to
Melbourne by railway. It inhabits the rivers of the Murray
system, but not of the centre of the continent. Called also
Eel-fish and Tandan (q.v.). In Sydney the same
name is applied also to Cnidoglanis megastoma, Rich.,
and in New Zealand Kathetostoma monopterygium.
Cnidoglanis and Cnidoglanis are Siluroids, and
Kathetostoma is a"stargazer," i.e. a fish having eyes
on the upper surface of the head, belonging to the family
Trachinidsae.
1851. J. Henderson, 'Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 207:
"The Cat-fish, which I have frequently caught in the McLeay,
is a large and very ugly animal. Its head is provided with
several large tentacatae, and it has altogether a disagreeable
appearance. I have eat its flesh, but did not like it."
1880. Mrs. Meredith, 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 213
[Footnote]:
"Mr. Frank Buckland . . . writing of a species of rock-fish,
says--'I found that it had a beautiful contrivance in the
conformation of its mouth. It has the power of prolongating
both its jaws to nearly the extent of half-an-inch from their
natural position. This is done by a most beautiful bit of
mechanism, somewhat on the principle of what are called 'lazy
tongs.' The cat-fish possesses a like feature, but on a much
larger scale, the front part of the mouth being capable of
being protruded between two and three inches when seizing
prey.'"
Cat, Native, n. a small carnivorous marsupial,
of the genus Dasyurus. The so-called native cat is not
a cat at all, but a marsupial which resembles a very large rat
or weasel, with rather a bushy tail. It is fawn-coloured or
mouse-coloured, or black and covered with little white spots; a
very pretty little animal. It only appears at night, when it
climbs fences and trees and forms sport for moonlight shooting.
Its skin is made into fancy rugs and cloaks or mantles.
The animal is more correctly called a Dasyure (q.v.).
The species are--
Black-tailed Native Cat
Dasyurus geoffroyi, Gould.
Common N.C. (called also Tiger Cat, q.v.)--
D. viverrimus, Shaw.
North Australian N.C.--
D. hallucatus, Gould.
Papuan N.C.--
D. albopienetatus, Schl.
Slender N.C.--
D. gracilis, Ramsay.
Spotted-tailed N.C. (called also Tiger Cat)--
D. maculatus, Kerr.
1880. Mrs. Meredith, 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 67:
"The native cat is similar [to the Tiger Cat; q.v.] but
smaller, and its for is an ashy-grey with white spots.
We have seen two or three skins quite black, spotted with white,
but these are very rare."
1885. H. H.Hayter, 'Carboona,' p. 35:
"A blanket made of the fur-covered skins of the native cat."
1894. 'The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:
"The voices of most of our night animals are guttural and
unpleasing. The 'possum has a throaty half-stifled squeak,
the native cat a deep chest-note ending with a hiss and easily
imitated." [See Skirr.]
Catholic Frog, n. name applied to a frog living
in the inland parts of New South Wales, Notaden
bennettii, Guenth., which tides over times of drought in
burrows, and feeds on ants. Called also "Holy Cross Toad."
The names are given in consequence of a large cross-shaped
blackish marking on the back.
1801. J. J. Fletcher, 'Proceedings of the Linnaean Society,
New South Wales,' vol. vi. (2nd series), p. 265:
"Notaden bennettii, the Catholic frog, or as I have
heard it called the Holy Cross Toad, I first noticed in January
1885, after a heavy fall of rain lasting ten days, off and on,
and succeeding a severe drought."
Cat's Eyes, n. Not the true Cat's-eye,
but the name given in Australia to the opercula of Turbo
smaragdus, Martyn, a marine mollusc. The operculum is the
horny or shelly lid which closes the aperture of most spiral
shell fish.
Cat's-head Fern, n. Aspidium aculeatum, Sw.:
1880. Mrs. Meredith, 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 220:
"The cat's-head fern; though why that name was given to it I
have not the remotest idea. . . . It is full of beauty--the
pinnules so exquisitely formed and indented, and gemmed beneath
with absolute constellations of Spori Polystichum
vestitum."
Catspaw, n. a Tasmanian plant, Trichinium
spathulatum, Poir., N.O. Amarantaceae.
Cat's Tail, n. See Wonga.
Cattle-bush, n. a tree, Atalaya
hemiglauca, F. v. M., N.O. Sapindacea.
It is found in South Australia, New South Wales,
and Queensland, and is sometimes called Whitewood.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 117:
"Cattle-bush . . . The leaves of this tree are eaten by stock,
the tree being frequently felled for their use during seasons
of drought."
Cattle-duffer, n. a man who steals cattle
(usually by altering their brands). See also Duffer.
1886. 'Melbourne Punch,' July 15, Cartoon Verses:
"Cattle-duffers on a jury may be honest men enough,
But they're bound to visit lightly sins in those
who cattle duff."
Cattle-racket, n. Explained in quotation.
1852. 'Settlers and Convicts; or Recollections of Sixteen
Years' Labour in the Australian Backwoods,' p. 294:
"A Cattle-racket. The term at the head of this chapter was
originally applied in New South Wales to the agitation of
society which took place when some wholesale system of plunder
in cattle was brought to light. It is now commonly applied to
any circumstance of this sort, whether greater or less, and
whether springing from a felonious intent or accidental."
Caustic-Creeper, n. name given to Euphorbia
drummondii, Boiss., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 127:
"Called 'caustic-creeper' in Queensland. Called 'milk-plant'
and 'pox-plant' about Bourke. This weed is unquestionably
poisonous to sheep, and has recently (Oct. 1887) been reported
as having been fatal to a flock near Bourke, New South
Wales. . . . When eaten by sheep in the early morning, before
the heat of the sun has dried it up, it is almost certain to be
fatal. Its effect on sheep is curious. The head swells to an
enormous extent, becoming so heavy that the animal cannot
support it, and therefore drags it along the ground; the ears
suppurate. (Bailey and Gordon.)"
Caustic-Plant, or Caustic-Vine,
n. Sarcostemma australis, R. Br., N.O.
Asclepiadea. Cattle and sheep are poisoned by eating it.
Cavally, n. the original form of the Australian
fish-name Trevally (q.v.). The form Cavally is
used to Europe, but is almost extinct in Australia; the form
Trevally is confined to Australia.
Cedar, n. The true Cedar is a Conifer
(N.O. Coniferae) of the genus Cedrus, but the
name is given locally to many other trees resembling it in
appearance, or in the colour or scent of their wood. The New
Zealand Cedar is the nearest approach to the true
Cedar, and none of the so-called Australian
Cedars are of the order Coniferae. The following
are the trees to which the name is applied in Australia:--
Bastard Pencil Cedar--
Dysoxylon rfum, Benth., N.O. Meliaceae.
Brown C.--
Ehretia acuminata, R. Br., N.O. Asperifoliae.
Ordinary or Red C.-- Cedrela australis, F. v. M.
Cedrela toona, R. Br., N.O. Meliaceae.
[C. toona is the "Toon" tree of India: its timber is
known in the English market as Moulmein Cedar; but the Baron
von Mueller doubts the identity of the Australian Cedar with
the "Toon" tree; hence his name australis.]
Pencil C.--
Dysoxylon Fraserianum, Benth., N.O. Meliaceae.
Scrub White C.-- Pentaceras australis, Hook. and Don.,
N.O. Rutacea.
White C.--
Melia composita, Willd., N.O. Meliaceae.
Yellow C.--
Rhus rhodanthema, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiacae.
In Tasmania, three species of the genus Arthrotaxis are
called Cedars or Pencil Cedars; namely, A. cupressoides,
Don., known as the King William Pine; A. laxifolza,
Hook., the Mountain Pine; and A. selaginoides, Don., the
Red Pine. All these are peculiar to the island.
In New Zealand, the name of Cedar is applied to Libocedrus
bidwillii, Hook., N.O. Coniferae; Maori name,
Pahautea.
1838. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions, vol. i. p. 328:
"The cedar of the colony (Cedrela toona, R. Br.), which
is to be found only in some rocky gullies of the coast range."
1883. F. M. Bailey, 'Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 63:
"Besides being valuable as a timber-producing tree, this red
cedar has many medicinal properties. The bark is spoken of as
a powerful astringent, and, though not bitter, said to be a
good substitute for Peruvian bark in the cure of remitting and
intermitting fevers."
1883. J. Hector, 'Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 123:
"Pahautea, Cedar. A handsome conical tree sixty to eighty feet
high, two to three feet in diameter. In Otago it produces a
dark-red, freeworking timber, rather brittle . . . frequently
mistaken for totara."
Celery, Australian, or Native,
n. Apium australe, Thon. Not endemic
in Australia. In Tasmania, A. prostratum, Lab.,
N.O. Umbelliferae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 7:
"Australian Celery. This plant may be utilised as a culinary
vegetable. (Mueller.) It is not endemic in Australia."
Celery-topped Pine. n. See Pine. The
tree is so called from the appearance of the upper part of the
branchlets, which resemble in shape the leaf of the garden
celery.
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 9:
"The tanekaha is one of the remarkable 'celery-topped pines,'
and was discovered by Banks and Solander during Cook's first
voyage."
Centaury, Native, n. a plant, Erythraea
australis, R. Br., N.O. Gentianeae. In New South
Wales this Australian Centaury has been found useful in
dysentery by Dr. Woolls.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 175:
"Native centaury . . . is useful as a tonic medicine, especially
in diarrhoea and dysentery. The whole plant is used and is
pleasantly bitter. It is common enough in grass-land, and
appears to be increasing in popularity as a domestic remedy."
Centralia, n. a proposed name for the colony
South Australia ,(q.v.).
1896. J. S. Laurie, 'Story of Australasia,' p. 299:
"For telegraphic, postal, and general purposes one word is
desirable for a name--e.g. why not Centralia; for West
Australia, Westralia; for New South Wales, Eastralia?"
Cereopsis, n. scientific name of the genus
of the bird peculiar to Australia, called the Cake Barren
Goose. See Goose. The word is from Grk.
kaeros, wax, and 'opsis, face, and was given
from the peculiarities of the bird's beak. The genus is
confined to Australia, and Cereopsis novae-hollandiae
is the only species known. The bird was noticed by the early
voyagers to Australia, and was extraordinarily tame when first
discovered.
Channel-Bill, n. name given to a bird
resembling a large cuckoo, Scythrops novae-hollandiae,
Lath. See Scythrops.
Cheesewood, n. a tree, so-called in Victoria (it
is also called Whitewood and Waddywood in Tasmania),
Pittosporum bicolor, Hook., N.O. Pittosporeae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 588:
"Cheesewood is yellowish-white, very hard, and of uniform
texture and colour. It was once used for clubs by the
aboriginals of Tasmania. It turns well, and should be tested
for wood engraving. ('Jurors' Reports, London International
Exhibition of 1862.') It is much esteemed for axe-handles,
billiard-cues, etc."
Cherry, Herbert River, n. a Queensland tree,
Antidesma dallachyanum, Baill., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.
The fruit is equal to a large cherry in size, and has a sharp acid
flavour.
Cherry, Native, n. an Australian tree,
Exocarpus cupressiformis, R. Br.,
N.O. Santalaceae.
1801. 'History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 242:
"Of native fruits, a cherry, insipid in comparison of the
European sorts, was found true to the singularity which
characterizes every New South Wales production, the stone being
on the outside of the fruit."
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 411:
"The shrub which is called the native cherry-tree appears like
a species of cyprus, producing its fruit with the stone united
to it on the outside, the fruit and the stone being each about
the size of a small pea. The fruit, when ripe, is similar in
colour to the Mayduke cherry, but of a sweet and somewhat
better quality, and slightly astringent to the palate,
possessing, upon the whole, an agreeable flavour."
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes' (edition 1851, p. 219:
"The cherry-tree resembles a cypress but is of a tenderer
green, bearing a worthless little berry, having its stone or
seed outside, whence its scientific name of exocarpus."
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 33:
"We also ate the Australian cherry, which has its stone, not on
the outside, enclosing the fruit, as the usual phrase would
indicate, but on the end with the fruit behind it. The
stone is only about the size of a sweet-pea, and the fruit only
about twice that size, altogether not unlike a yew-berry, but
of a very pale red. It grows on a tree just like an arbor
vitae, and is well tasted, though not at all like a cherry in
flavour."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 40:
"The principal of these kinds of trees received its generic
name first from the French naturalist La Billardiere, during
D'Entrecasteaux's Expedition. It was our common Exocarpus
cupressiformis, which he described, and which has been
mentioned so often in popular works as a cherry-tree, bearing
its stone outside of the pulp. That this crude notion of the
structure of the fruit is erroneous, must be apparent on
thoughtful contemplation, for it is evident at the first
glance, that the red edible part of our ordinary exocarpus
constitutes merely an enlarged and succulent fruit-stalklet
(pedicel), and that the hard dry and greenish portion,
strangely compared to a cherry-stone, forms the real fruit,
containing the seed."
1889. J. H. 'Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 30:
"The fruit is edible. The nut is seated on the enlarged
succulent pedicel. This is the poor little fruit of which so
much has been written in English descriptions of the
peculiarities of the Australian flora. It has been likened to
a cherry with the stone outside (hence the vernacular name) by
some imaginative person."
1893. 'Sydney Morning Herald,' Aug. 19, p. 7, col. 1:
"Grass-trees and the brown brake-fern, whips of native cherry,
and all the threads and tangle of the earth's green russet
vestment hide the feet of trees which lean and lounge between
us and the water, their leaf heads tinselled by the light."
Cherry-picker, n. bird-name. See quotation.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. p. 70:
"Melithreptus Validirostris, Gould. Strong-billed
Honey-eater [q.v.]. Cherry-picker, colonists of Van Diemen's
Land."
Chestnut Pine, n. See Pine.
Chewgah-bag, n. Queensland aboriginal
pigeon-English for Sugar-bag (q.v.).
Chinkie, n. slang for a Chinaman. "John,"
short for John Chinaman, is commoner.
1882. A. J. Boyd, 'Old Colonials,' p. 233:
"The pleasant traits of character in our colonialised 'Chinkie,'
as he is vulgarly termed (with the single variation 'Chow')."
Chock-and-log, n. and adj. a particular
kind of fence much used on Australian stations. The
Chock is a thick short piece of wood laid flat, at
right-angles to the line of the fence, with notches in it to
receive the Logs, which are laid lengthwise from
Chock to Chock, and the fence is raised in four
or five layers of this chock-and-log to form, as it
were, a wooden wall. Both chocks and logs are rough-hewn or
split, not sawn.
1872. G. S. Baden-Powell,'New Homes for the Old Country,' p. 207:
"Another fence, known as 'chock and log,' is composed of long
logs, resting on piles of chocks, or short blocks of wood."
1890. 'The Argus.' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 5:
"And to finish the Riverine picture, there comes a herd of
kangaroos disturbed from their feeding-ground, leaping through
the air, bounding over the wire and 'chock-and-log' fences like
so many india-rubber automatons."
Choeropus, n. the scientific name for the genus
of Australian marsupial animals with only one known species,
called the Pigfooted-Bandicoot (q.v.), and see
Bandicoot. (Grk. choiros, a pig,
and pous, foot.) The animal is about the size
of a rabbit, and is confined to the inland parts of Australia.
Christmas, n. and adj. As Christmas
falls in Australasia at Midsummer, it has different
characteristics from those in England, and the word has
therefore a different connotation.
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' p. 184:
"Sheep-shearing in November, hot midsummer weather at
Christmas, the bed of a river the driest walk, and corn
harvest in February, were things strangely at variance
with my Old-World notions."
1896. H. Lawson, 'When the World was Wide,' p. 164:
"One Christmas time when months of drought
Had parched the western creeks,
The bush-fires started in the north
And travelled south for weeks."
Christmas-bush, n. an Australian tree,
Ceratopetalum gummiferum, Smith,
N.O. Saxifrageae. Called also Christmas-tree
(q.v.), and Officer-bush.
1888. Mrs. McCann, 'Poetical Works,' p. 226:
"Gorgeous tints adorn the Christmas bush with a crimson blush."
Christmas-tree, n. In Australia, it is the same
as Christmas-bush (q.v.). In New Zealand, it is
Metrosideros tomentosa, Banks, N.O. Myrtaceae;
Maori name, Pohutukawa (q.v.).
1867. F. Hochstetter, 'New Zealand,' p. 240:
"Some few scattered Pohutukaua trees (Metrosideros
tomentosa), the last remains of the beautiful vegetation
. . . About Christmas these trees are full of charming purple
blossoms; the settler decorates his church and dwelling with
its lovely branches, and calls the tree 'Christmas-tree'! "
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 186:
"The Christmas-tree is in a sense the counterpart of the holly
of the home countries. As the scarlet berry gives its ruddy
colour to Christmas decorations in 'the old country,' so here
the creamy blossoms of the Christmas-tree are the only shrub
flowers that survive the blaze of midsummer."
1889. E. H. and S. Featon, 'New Zealand Flora,' p. 163:
"The Pohutukawa blossoms in December, when its profusion of
elegant crimson-tasselled flowers imparts a beauty to the
rugged coast-line and sheltered bays which may fairly be called
enchanting. To the settlers it is known as the
'Christmas-tree,' and sprays of its foliage and flowers are
used to decorate churches and dwellings during the festive
Christmastide. To the Maoris this tree must possess a weird
significance, since it is related in their traditions that at
the extreme end of New Zealand there grows a Pohutukawa from
which a root descends to the beach below. The spirits of the
dead are supposed to descend by this to an opening, which is
said to be the entrance to 'Te Reinga.'"
Chucky-chucky, n. aboriginal Australian name
for a berry; in Australia and New Zealand, the fruit of species
of Gaultheria. See Wax Cluster.
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 146:
"To gather chucky-chuckies--as the blacks name that most
delicious of native berries."
1891. T. H. Potts, 'Out in the Open,' 'New Zealand Country
Journal,' vol. xv. p. 198:
"When out of breath, hot and thirsty, how one longed for a
handful of chuckie-chucks. In their season how good we used to
think these fruits of the gaultheria, or rather its
thickened calyx. A few handfuls were excellent in quenching
one's thirst, and so plentifully did the plant abound that
quantities could soon be gathered. In these rude and simple
days, when housekeepers in the hills tried to convert carrots
and beet-root into apricot and damson preserves, these notable
women sometimes encouraged children to collect sufficient
chuckie-chucks to make preserve. The result was a jam of a
sweet mawkish flavour that gave some idea of a whiff caught in
passing a hair-dresser's shop."
Chum, n. See New Chum.
Chy-ack, v. simply a variation of the English
slang verb, to cheek.
1874. Garnet Walch, 'Adamanta,' Act ii. sc. ii. p. 27:
"I've learnt to chi-ike peelers."
[Here the Australian pronunciation is also caught. Barere and
Leland give "chi-iked (tailors), chaffed unmercifully," but
without explanation.]
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 742 :
"The circle of frivolous youths who were yelping at and
chy-acking him."
1894. E. W. Hornung, 'Boss of Taroomba,' p. 5:
"It's our way up here, you know, to chi-ak each other and our
visitors too."
Cicada, n. an insect. See Locust.
1895. G. Metcalfe, 'Australian Zoology,' p. 62:
"The Cicada is often erroneously called a locust. . . . It is
remarkable for the loud song, or chirruping whirr, of the males
in the heat of summer; numbers of them on the hottest days
produce an almost deafening sound."
Cider-Tree, or Cider-Gum, n. name given
in Tasmania to Eucalyptus gunnii, Hook.,
N.O. Myrtaceae. See Gum.
1830. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 119:
"Specimens of that species of eucalyptus called the cider-tree,
from its exuding a quantity of saccharine liquid resembling
molasses. . . . When allowed to remain some time and to
ferment, it settles into a coarse sort of wine or cider, rather
intoxicating if drank to any excess."
City, n. In Great Britain and Ireland the word
City denotes "a considerable town that has been,
(a) an episcopal seat,
(b) a royal burgh, or
(c) created to the dignity, like Birmingham, Dundee, and Belfast,
by a royal patent. In the United States and Canada, a
municipality of the first class, governed by a mayor and
aldermen, and created by charter." ('Standard.')
In Victoria, by section ix. of the Local Government Act, 1890,
54 Victoria, No. 1112, the Governor-in-Council may make orders,
#12:
"To declare any borough, including the city of Melbourne and
the town of Geelong, having in the year preceding such
declaration a gross revenue of not less than twenty thousand
pounds, a city."
Claim, n. in mining, a piece of land
appropriated for mining purposes: then the mine itself.
The word is also used in the United States. See also
Reward-claim and Prospecting-claim.
1858. T. McCombie, 'History of Victoria,' c. xiv. p. 213:
"A family named Cavanagh . . . entered a half-worked claim."
1863. H. Fawcett, 'Political Economy,' pt. iii. c. vi.
p. 359 ('O.E.D.'):
"The claim upon which he purchases permission to dig."
1887. H. H. Hayter, 'Christmas Adventure,' p. 3:
"I decided . . . a claim to take up."
Clay-pan, n. name given, especially in the dry
interior of Australia, to a slight depression of the ground
varying in size from a few yards to a mile in length, where the
deposit of fine silt prevents the water from sinking into the
ground as rapidly as it does elsewhere.
1875. John Forrest, 'Explorations in Australia,' p. 260:
"We travelled down the road for about thirty-three miles over
stony plains; many clay-pans with water but no feed."
1896. Baldwin Spencer, 'Horne Expedition in Central Australia,'
Narrative, vol. i. p. 17:
"One of the most striking features of the central area and
especially amongst the loamy plains and sandhills, is the
number of clay-pans. These are shallow depressions, with no
outlet, varying in length from a few yards to half a mile,
where the surface is covered with a thin clayey material, which
seems to prevent the water from sinking as rapidly as it does
in other parts."
Clean-skins, or Clear-skins,
n. unbranded cattle or horses.
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 206:
"These clean-skins, as they are often called, to distinguish
them from the branded cattle."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. xv. p. 109:
"Strangers and pilgrims, calves and clear-skins, are separated
at the same time."
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillmann, 'Australian Life,' p. 82:
"'Clear-skins,' as unbranded cattle were commonly called, were
taken charge of at once."
1893. 'The Argus,' April 29, p.4, col. 4:
"As they fed slowly homeward bellowing for their calves, and
lowing for their mates, the wondering clean-skins would come up
in a compact body, tearing, ripping, kicking, and moaning,
working round and round them in awkward, loblolly canter."
Clearing lease, n. Explained in quotation.
1846. J. L. Stokes, 'Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. x.
p. 321:
"[They] held a small piece of land on what is called a clearing
lease--that is to say, they were allowed to retain possession
of it for so many years for the labour of clearing the land."
Clematis, n. the scientific and vernacular name
of a genus of plants belonging to the
N.O. Ranunculaceae. The common species in Australia is
C. aristata, R. Br.
1834. Ross, 'Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 124:
"The beautiful species of clematis called
aristata, which may be seen in the months of November
and December, spreading forth its milk-white blossoms over the
shrubs . . . in other places rising up to the top of the highest
gum-trees."
Clianthus, n. scientific name for an
Australasian genus of plants, N.O. Leguminosae,
containing only two species--in Australia, Sturt's Desert
Pea (q.v.), C. dampieri; and in New Zealand, the
Kaka-bill (q.v.), C. puniceus. Both species are
also called Glory-Pea, from Grk. kleos, glory,
and anthos, a flower.
1892. 'Otago Witness,' Nov.24, 'Native Trees':
"Hooker says the genus Clianthus consists of the
Australian and New Zealand species only, the latter is
therefore clearly indigenous. 'One of the most beautiful
plants known' (Hooker). Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Solandel
found it during Cook's first voyage."
Climbing-fish, n. i.q. Hopping-fish
(q.v.).
Climbing-Pepper, n. See Pepper.
Clitonyx, n. the scientific name of a genus of
New Zealand birds, including the Yellow-head (q.v.) and
the White-head (q.v.); from Greek klinein, root
klit, to lean, slant, and 'onux, claw. The genus
was so named by Reichenbach in 1851, to distinguish the New
Zealand birds from the Australian birds of the genus
Orthonyx (q.v.), which formerly included them both.
Clock-bird, n. another name for the Laughing
Jachass. See Jackass.
Clock, Settlers', n. i.q. Clock-bird,
(q.v.)
Cloudy-Bay Cod, n. a New Zealand name for the
Ling (q.v.). See also Cod.
Clover-Fern, n. another name for the plant
called Nardoo (q.v.).
Clover, Menindie, n. an Australian fodder
plant, Trigonella suavissima, Lind.,
N.O. Leguminoseae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 143:
'From its abundance in the neighbourhood of Menindie, it is
often called Menindie-clover.' It is the 'Australian shamrock'
of Mitchell. This perennial, fragrant, clover-like plant is a
good pasture herb."
Clover-Tree, n. a Tasmanian tree, called also
Native Laburnun. See under Laburnum.
Coach, n. a bullock used as a decoy to catch
wild cattle. This seems to be from the use of coach as the
University term for a private tutor.
1874. W. H. L. Ranken, 'Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 110:
"To get them [sc. wild cattle] a party of stockmen take a small
herd of quiet cattle, 'coaches.'"
Coach, v. to decoy wild cattle or horses with
tame ones.
1874. W. H. L. Ranken, 'Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 121:
"Here he [the wild horse] may be got by 'coaching' like wild
cattle."
Coach-whip Bird, n. Psophodes crepitans,
V. and H. (see Gould's 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iii. pl. 15);
Black-throated C.B., P. nigrogularis, Gould. Called also
Whipbird and Coachman.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 330:
"This bird is more often heard than seen. It inhabits bushes.
The loud cracking whip-like noise it makes (from whence the
colonists give it the name of coachwhip), may be heard from a
great distance."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 158:
"If you should hear a coachwhip crack behind, you may
instinctively start aside to let the mail pass; but
quickly find it is only our native coachman with his spread-out
fantail and perked-up crest, whistling and cracking out his
whip-like notes as he hops sprucely from branch to branch."
1844. Mrs. Meredith, 'Notes and Sketches of New South Wales,'
p. 137:
"Another equally singular voice among our feathered friends was
that of the 'coachman,' than which no title could be more
appropriate, his chief note being a long clear whistle, with a
smart crack of the whip to finish with."
1845. R. Howitt, 'Australia,' p. 177:
"The bell-bird, by the river heard;
The whip-bird, which surprised I hear,
In me have powerful memories stirred
Of other scenes and strains more dear;
Of sweeter songs than these afford,
The thrush and blackbird warbling clear."
--Old Impressions.
1846. G. H. Haydon, 'Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 71:
"The coach-whip is a small bird about the size of a sparrow,
found near rivers. It derives its name from its note, a slow,
clear whistle, concluded by a sharp jerking noise like the
crack of a whip."
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 76:
"The whip-bird, whose sharp wiry notes, even, are far more
agreeable than the barking of dogs and the swearing of
diggers."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 24:
"That is the coach-whip bird. There again.
Whew-ew-ew-ew-whit. How sharply the last note sounds."
1887. R. M. Praed, 'Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. vi. p. 54:
"The sharp st--wt of the whip-bird . . . echoed through the
gorge."
1888. James Thomas, 'May o' the South,' 'Australian Poets
1788-1888' (ed. Sladen), p. 552:
"Merrily the wagtail now
Chatters on the ti-tree bough,
While the crested coachman bird
'Midst the underwood is heard."
Coast, v. to loaf about from station to
station.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' xxv. 295:
"I ain't like you, Towney, able to coast about without a job
of work from shearin' to shearin'."
Coaster, n. a loafer, a Sundowner
(q.v.).
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' viii. 75:
"A voluble, good-for-nothing, loafing impostor, a regular
'coaster.'"
Cobb, n. sometimes used as equivalent to a
coach. "I am going by Cobb." The word is still used, though
no Mr. Cobb has been connected with Australian coaches for many
years. See quotation.
1861. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 184:
"Mr. Cobb was an American, and has returned long ago to his
native country. He started a line of conveyances from
Melbourne to Castlemaine some time after the gold discoveries.
Mr. Cobb had spirit to buy good horses, to get first-class
American coaches, to employ good Yankee whips, and in a couple
of years or so he had been so extensively patronised that he
sold out, and retired with a moderate fortune." [But the
Coaching Company retained . . . the style of Cobb & Co.]
1879 (about). 'Queensland Bush Song':
"Hurrah for the Roma Railway!
Hurrah for Cobb and Co.!
Hurrah, hurrah for a good fat horse
To carry me Westward Ho!"
Cobbler, n. (1) The last sheep, an Australian
shearing term. (2) Another name for the fish called the
Fortescue (q.v.)
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), Dec. 23, p. 6, col. 1:
"Every one might not know what a 'cobbler' is. It is the last
sheep in a catching pen, and consequently a bad one to shear,
as the easy ones are picked first. The cobbler must be taken
out before 'Sheep-ho' will fill up again. In the harvest field
English rustics used to say, when picking up the last sheaf,
'This is what the cobbler threw at his wife.' 'What?' 'The
last,' with that lusty laugh, which, though it might betray 'a
vacant mind,' comes from a very healthy organism."
Cobblers-Awl, n. bird-name. The word is a
provincial English name for the Avocet. In Tasmania,
the name is applied to a Spine-Bill (q.v.) from the
shape of its beak.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 61:
"Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, Lath., Slender-billed
Spine-bill. Cobbler's Awl, Colonists of Van Diemen's
Land. Spine-bill, Colonists of New South Wales."
Cobbler's Pegs, name given to a tall erect annual
weed, Erigeron linifolius, Willd.,
N.O. Compositae and to Bidens pilosus, Linn.,
N.O. Compositae.
Cobbra, n. aboriginal word for head, skull.
[Kabura or Kobbera, with such variations as
Kobra, Kobbera, Kappara, Kopul, from Malay Kapala, head: one of
the words on the East Coast manifestly of Malay
origin.--J. Mathew. Much used in pigeon converse with
blacks. 'Goodway cobra tree' = 'Tree very tall.'] Collins,
'Port Jackson Vocabulary,' 1798 (p. 611), gives 'Kabura,
ca-ber-ra.' Mount Cobberas in East Gippsland has its name from
huge head-like masses of rock which rise from the summit.
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 31:
"The black fellow who lives in the bush bestows but small
attention on his cobra, as the head is usually called in the
pigeon-English which they employ."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xiii. p. 134:
"I should be cock-sure that having an empty cobbra, as the
blacks say, was on the main track that led to the grog-camp."
Cock-a-bully, n. a popular name for the New
Zealand fish Galaxias fasciatus, Gray, a corruption of
its Maori name Kokopu (q.v.).
1896. 'The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407, col. 3:
"During my stay in New Zealand my little girl caught a fish
rather larger than an English minnow. Her young companions
called it a 'cock-a bully.' It was pretty obvious to scent
a corruption of a Maori word, for, mark you, cock-a-bully has
no meaning. It looks as if it were English and full of meaning.
Reflect an instant and it has none. The Maori name for the
fish is 'kokopu'"
Cockatiel, -eel, n. an arbitrary
diminutive of the word Cockatoo, and used as another name for
the Cockatoo-Parrakeet, Calopsitta novae-hollandiae,
and generally for any Parrakeet of the genus Calopsitta.
('O.E.D.')
Cockatoo, n. (1) Bird-name. The word is Malay,
Kakatua. ('O.E.D.') The varieties are--
Banksian Cockatoo--
Calyptorhynchus banksii, Lath.
Bare-eyed C.--
Cacatua gymnopis, Sclater.
Black C.--
Calyptorhynchus funereus, Shaw.
Blood-stained C.--
Cacatua sanguinea, Gould.
Dampier's C.--
Licmetis pastinator, Gould.
Gang-gang C.-- Callocephalon galeatum, Lath. [See
Gang-gang.]
Glossy C.--
Calyptorhynchus viridis, Vieill.
Long-billed C.--
Licmetis nasicus, Temm. [See Corella.]
Palm C.--
Microglossus aterrimus, Gmel.
Pink C.--
Cacatua leadbeateri, V. & H. (Leadbeater, q.v.).
Red-tailed C.--
Calyptorhynchus stellatus, Wagl.
Rose-breasted C.-- Cacatua roseicapilla, Vieill. [See
Galah. Gould calls it Cocatua eos.
White C.--
Cacatua galerita, Lath.
White-tailed C.--
Calyptorhynchus baudinii, Vig.
See also Parrakeet.
1839. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions, vol. ii. p. 62:
"We saw to-day for the first time on the Kalare, the redtop
cockatoo (Plyctolophus Leadbeateri)."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' c. viii. p. 272:
"The rose-breasted cockatoo (Cocatua eos, Gould) visited
the patches of fresh burnt grass."
Ibid. p. 275:
"The black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus Banksii) has been
much more frequently observed of late."
1857. Daniel Bunce, 'Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 175:
"Dr. Leichhardt caught sight of a number of cockatoos; and,
by tracking the course of their flight, we, in a short time,
reached a creek well supplied with water."
1862. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,'
c. ix. p. 331:
"White cockatoos and parroquets were now seen."
1890. 'Victorian Statutes, Game Act, Third Schedule':
"Black Cockatoos. Gang-gang Cockatoos. [Close season.] From
the 1st day of August to the 10th day of December next
following in each year."
1893. 'The Argus,' March 25, p.4, col. 6:
"The egg of the blood-stained cockatoo has not yet been
scientifically described, and the specimen in this collection
has an interest chiefly in that it was taken [by Mr. A. J.
Campbell] from a tree at Innamincka waterholes, not far from
the spot where Burke the explorer died."
(2) A small farmer, called earlier in Tasmania a
Cockatooer (q.v.). The name was originally given in
contempt (see quotations), but it is now used by farmers
themselves. Cocky is a common abbreviation. Some people
distinguish between a cockatoo and a
ground-parrot, the latter being the farmer on a very
small scale. Trollope's etymology (see quotation, 1873) will
not hold, for it is not true that the cockatoo scratches the
ground. After the gold fever, circa 1860, the selectors
swarmed over the country and ate up the substance of the
squatters; hence they were called Cockatoos. The word
is also used adjectivally.
1863. M. K. Beveridge, 'Gatherings among the Gum-trees,'
p. 154:
"Oi'm going to be married
To what is termed a Cockatoo--
Which manes a farmer."
1867. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 110:
"These small farmers are called cockatoos in Australia by the
squatters or sheep-farmers, who dislike them for buying up the
best bits on their runs; and say that, like a cockatoo, the
small freeholder alights on good ground, extracts all he can
from it, and then flies away, to 'fresh fields and pastures
new.' . . . However, whether the name is just or not, it is a
recognised one here; and I have heard a man say in answer to a
question about his usual 'occupation, 'I'm a cockatoo.'"
1873. A. Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,'
vol. ii. p. 135:
"The word cockatoo in the farinaceous colony has become so
common as almost to cease to carry with it the intended
sarcasm. . . . It signifies that the man does not really
till his land, but only scratches it as the bird does."
1882. A. J. Boyd, 'Old Colonials,' p. 32:
"It may possibly have been a term of reproach applied to the
industrious farmer, who settled or perched on the resumed
portions of a squatter's run, so much to the latter's rage and
disgust that he contemptuously likened the farmer to the
white-coated, yellow-crested screamer that settles or perches
on the trees at the edge of his namesake's clearing."
1889. 'Cornhill Magazine,' Jan., p. 33:
"'With a cockatoo' [Title]. Cockatoo is the name given
to the small, bush farmer in New Zealand."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. xliii. p. 377:
"The governor is a bigoted agriculturist; he has contracted
the cockatoo complaint, I'm afraid."
1893, 'The Argus,' June 17, p. 13, col. 4:
"Hire yourself out to a dairyman, take a contract with a
rail-splitter, sign articles with a cockatoo selector;
but don't touch land without knowing something about it."
Cockatoo, v. intr. (1) To be a farmer.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' c. xx. p. 245:
"Fancy three hundred acres in Oxfordshire, with a score or two
of bullocks,and twice as many black-faced Down sheep. Regular
cockatooing."
(2) A special sense--to sit on a fence as the bird sits.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' c. xviii. p. 224:
"The correct thing, on first arriving at a drafting-yard, is to
'cockatoo,' or sit on the rails high above the tossing
horn-billows."
Cockatooer, n. a variant of Cockatoo
(q.v.), quite fallen into disuse, if quotation be not a nonce
use.
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 137:
"A few wretched-looking huts and hovels, the dwellings of
'cockatooers,' who are not, as it might seem, a species of
bird, but human beings; who rent portions of this forest
. . . on exorbitant terms . . . and vainly endeavour to exist
on what they can earn besides, their frequent compulsory
abstinence from meat, when they cannot afford to buy it, even
in their land of cheap and abundant food, giving them some
affinity to the grain-eating white cockatoos."
Cockatoo Fence, n. fence erected by small
farmers.
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. xxii. p. 155:
"There would be roads and cockatoo fences . . . in short, all
the hostile emblems of agricultural settlement."
1890. Lyth, 'Golden South,' c. xiv. p. 120:
"The fields were divided by open rails or cockatoo fences, i.e.
branches and logs of trees laid on the ground one across the
other with posts and slip-rails in lieu of gates."
Cockatoo Bush, n. i.q. Native Currant
(q.v).
Cockatoo Orchis, n. a Tasmanian name for the
Orchid, Caleya major, R. Br.
Cock-eyed Bob, a local slang term in Western Australia
for a thunderstorm.
1894. 'The Age,' Jan. 20, p. 13, col. 4:
"They [the natives of the northwest of Western Australia] are
extremely frightened of them [sc. storms called Willy
Willy, q.v.], and in some places even on the approach of an
ordinary thunderstorm or 'Cock-eyed Bob,' they clear off to the
highest ground about."
Cockle, n. In England the name is given to a
species of the familiar marine bivalve mollusc, Cardium.
The commonest Australian species is Cardium
tenuicostatum, Lamarck, present in all extra-tropical
Australia. The name is also commonly applied to members of the
genus Chione.
Cock-Schnapper, n. a fish; the smallest kind of
Schnapper (q.v.). See also Count-fish.
1882. Rev. I. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,'
p. 41:
"The usual method of estimating quantity for sale by the
fisherman is, by the schnapper or count-fish, the school-fish,
and squire, among which from its metallic appearance is the
copper head or copper colour, and the red bream. Juveniles
rank the smallest of the fry, not over an inch or two in
length, as the cock-schnapper. The fact, however, is now
generally admitted that all these are one and the same genus,
merely in different stages of growth."
Cod, n. This common English name of the
Gadus morrhua is applied to many fishes in Australia of
various families, Gadoid and otherwise. In Melbourne it is
given to Lotella callarias, Guenth., and in New South
Wales to several fishes of the genus Serranus.
Lotella is a genus of the family Gadidae, to
which the European Cod belongs; Serranus is a Sea perch
(q.v.). See Rock Cod, Black Rock Cod, Red Rock Cod, Black
Cod, Elite Cod, Red Cod, Murray Cod, Cloudy Bay Cod, Ling,
Groper, Hapuku, and Haddock.
Coffee-Bush, n. a settlers' name for the New
Zealand tree the Karamu (q.v.). Sometimes called also
Coffee-plant.
Coffer-fish, n. i.q. Trunk-fish (q.v.).
Coffee Plant, or Coffee Berry, n. name
given in Tasmania to the Tasmanian Native Holly (q.v.).
Colonial Experience, n. and used as
adj. same as cadet (q.v.) in New Zealand;
a young man learning squatting business, gaining his colonial
experience. Called also jackaroo (q.v.).
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 95:
"You're the first 'colonial experience' young fellow that it
ever occurred to within my knowledge."
Colonial Goose, n. a boned leg of mutton
stuffed with sage and onions. In the early days the sheep was
almost the sole animal food. Mutton was then cooked and served
in various ways to imitate other dishes.
Colour, n. sc. of gold. It is sometimes used
with 'good,' to mean plenty of gold: more usually, the 'colour'
means just a little gold, enough to show in the dish.
1860. Kelly, 'Life in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 222:
". . . they had not, to use a current phrase, 'raised the
colour.'"
1890. Rolf Boldrewood. 'Miner's Right,' c. xiv. p. 149:
"This is the fifth claim he has been in since he came here,
and the first in which he has seen the colour."
1891. W. Lilley, 'Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 14:
"After spending a little time there, and not finding more than
a few colours of gold, he started for Mount Heemskirk."
Convictism, n. the system of transportation of
convicts to Australia and Van Diemen's Land, now many years
abolished.
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 309:
"May it remain nailed to the mast until these colonies are
emancipated from convictism."
1864. 'Realm,' Feb. 24, p.4 ('O.E.D.'):
"No one who has not lived in Australia can appreciate the profound
hatred of convictism that obtains there."
1880. G. Sutherland, 'Tales of Goldfields,' p. 16:
"They preferred to let things remain as they were, convictism
included."
Coobah, n. an aboriginal name for the tree
Acacia salicina, Lindl., N.O.Leguminosae. See
Acacia. The spellings vary, and sometimes begin with a K.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' v. 46:
"A deep reach of the river, shaded by couba trees and
river-oaks."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xxviii. p. 400:
"The willowy coubah weeps over the dying streamlet."
Coo-ee, or Cooey, n. and
interj. spelt in various ways. See quotations. A call
borrowed from the aborigines and used in the bush by one
wishing to find or to be found by another. In the vocabulary
of native words in 'Hunter's Journal,' published in 1790, we
find "Cow-ee = to come."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 23:
"In calling to each other at a distance, the natives make use
of the word Coo-ee, as we do the word Hollo,
prolonging the sound of the coo, and closing that of the
ee with a shrill jerk. . . . [It has] become of general
use throughout the colony; and a newcomer, in desiring an
individual to call another back, soon learns to say
'Coo-ee' to him, instead of Hollo to him."
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 162:
"He immediately called 'coo-oo-oo' to the natives at the fire."
1836. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 84:
"There yet might be heard the significant 'cooy' or
'quhy,' the true import of which was then unknown to our ears."
1839. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions,' p. 46:
"Although Mr. Brown made the woods echo with his 'cooys.'"
[See also p. 87, note.]
1845. Clement Hodgkinson, 'Australia from Port Macquarie to
Moreton Bay,' p. 28:
"We suddenly heard the loud shrill couis of the natives."
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 231:
"Their cooieys are not always what we understand by the word,
viz., a call in which the first note is low and the second
high, uttered after sound of the word cooiey. This is a note
which congregates all together and is used only as a simple
'Here.'"
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 91:
"Like the natives of New South Wales, they called to each other
from a great distance by the cooey; a word meaning 'come
to me.' The Sydney blacks modulated this cry with successive
inflexions; the Tasmanian uttered it with less art. It is a
sound of great compass. The English in the bush adopt it: the
first syllable is prolonged; the second is raised to a higher
key, and is sharp and abrupt."
1862. W. Landsborough, 'Exploration of Australia,' [Footnote]
p. 24:
"Coo-oo-oo-y is a shrill treble cry much used in the
bush by persons wishful to find each other. On a still night
it will travel a couple of miles, and it is thus highly
serviceable to lost or benighted travellers."
1869. J. F. Townend, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 155:
"The jingling of bells round the necks of oxen, the cooey of
the black fellow . . . constituted the music of these desolate
districts."
1873. J. B. Stephens, 'Black Gin,' p. 82:
"Hi! . . . cooey! you fella . . . open 'im lid."
1880. Fison and Howitt, 'Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 183:
"A particular 'cooee' . . . was made known to the young men
when they were initiated."
1880. G. Sutherland, 'Tales of the Goldfields,' p. 40:
"From the woods they heard a prolonged cooee, which evidently
proceeded from some one lost in the bush."
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 276:
"Two long farewell coo-ees, which died away in the silence of
the bush."
1890. E. W. Hornung, 'A Bride from the Bush,' p. 184:
"The bride encircled her lips with her two gloved palms,
and uttered a cry that few of the hundreds who heard it ever
forgot--'coo-ee!' That was the startling cry as nearly as
it can be written. But no letters can convey the sustained
shrillness of the long, penetrating note represented by the
first syllable, nor the weird, die-away wail of the second.
It is the well-known bushcall,the 'jodel' of the black fellow."
Cooee, within, adv. within easy distance.
1887. G. L. Apperson, in 'All the Year Round,' July 30, p. 67,
col. 1 ('O.E.D.'):
"A common mode of expression is to be 'within cooey' of a
place. . . . Now to be 'within cooey' of Sydney is to be
at the distance of an easy journey therefrom."
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), June 26, p. 2, col. 6:
"Witness said that there was a post-office clock 'within
coo-ee,' or within less than half-a-mile of the station."
1896. H. Lawson, 'When the World was Wide,' p. 80:
"Just to camp within a cooey of the Shanty for the night."
Cooee, v.intr. to utter the call.
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 81:
"Our sable guides 'cooed' and 'cooed' again, in their usual
tone of calling to each other at a distance."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition, p. 115:
"Brown cooyed to him, and by a sign requested him to wait for
us."
1847. J. D. Lang, 'Phillipsland,' p. 85 [Footnote]:
"Cooey is the aboriginal mode of calling out to any person at a
distance, whether visible or not, in the forest. The sound is
made by dwelling on the first syllable, and pronouncing the
second with a short, sharp, rising inflexion. It is much
easier made, and is heard to a much greater distance than the
English holla! and is consequently in universal use
among the colonists. . . . There is a story current in the
colony of a party of native-born colonists being in London, one
of whom, a young lady, if I recollect aright, was accidentally
separated from the rest, in the endless stream of pedestrians
and vehicles of all descriptions, at the intersection of Fleet
Street with the broad avenue leading to Blackfriars Bridge.
When they were all in great consternation and perplexity at the
circumstance, it occurred to one of the party to cooey,
and the well-known sound, with its ten thousand Australian
associations, being at once recognised and responded to, a
reunion of the party took place immediately, doubtless to the
great wonderment of the surrounding Londoners, who would
probably suppose they were all fit for Bedlam."
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 90:
"They [the aborigines] warily entered scrubs, and called out
(cooyed) repeatedly in approaching water-holes, even when yet
at a great distance."
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 91:
"A female, born on this division of the globe, once stood at
the foot of London Bridge, and cooyed for her husband, of whom
she had lost sight, and stopped the passengers by the novelty
of the sound; which however is not unknown in certain
neighbourhoods of the metropolis. Some gentlemen, on a visit
to a London theatre, to draw the attention of their friends in
an opposite box, called out cooey; a voice in the gallery
answered 'Botany Bay!'"
1880 (circa). 'Melbourne Punch,' [In the days of long trains]:
"George, there's somebody treading on my dress; cooee to the
bottom of the stairs."
Coo-in-new, n. aboriginal name for "a useful
verbenaceous timber-tree of Australia, Gmelina
leichhardtii, F. v. M. The wood has a fine silvery grain,
and is much prized for flooring and for the decks of vessels,
as it is reputed never to shrink after a moderate seasoning."
('Century.') Usually called Mahogany-tree (q.v.).
Coolaman or Kooliman, n. an aboriginal
word, Kamilaroi Dialect of New South Wales. [W. Ridley,
'Kamilaroi,' p. 25, derives it from Kulu, seed, but it
is just as likely from Kolle, water.--J. Mathew.] A
hollowed knot of a tree, used as a seed vessel, or for holding
water. The word is applied to the excrescence on the tree as
well as to the vessel; a bush hand has been heard to speak of a
hump-backed man as 'cooliman-backed.'
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 269:
"Three koolimans (vessels of stringy bark) were full of honey
water, from one of which I took a hearty draught."
1863. M. K. Beveridge, 'Gatherings among the Gum-trees,'
p. 37:
"And the beautiful Lubrina
Fetched a Cooliman of water."
[In Glossary.] Cooliman, a hollow knot of a tree for holding
water.
186. W. Howitt, 'Discovery in Australia, vol. ii. p. 24:
"Koolimans, water vessels. . . The koolimans were made of the
inner layer of the bark of the stringy-bark tree."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 185:
"Coolaman, native vessel for holding water."
1885. Mrs. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 76:
"Cooliman, a vessel for carrying water, made out of the bark
which covers an excrescence peculiar to a kind of gum-tree."
Cooper's-flag, n. another name in New Zealand
for Raupo (q.v.).
Coopers-wood, n. the timber of an Australian
tree, Alphitonia excelsa, Reiss, N.O. Rhamneae.
The wood becomes dark with age, and is used for coopers' staves
and various purposes.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 373:
"Variously called Mountain-ash, Red-ash, Leather-jacket,
and Coopers-wood."
Coordaitcha. See Kurdaitcha.
Coot, n. common English birdname; the
Australian species is Fulica australis, Gould.
See also Bald-Coot.
Copper-head, n. See under Snake.
Copper Maori. This spelling has been influenced by
the English word Copper, but it is really a corruption
of a Maori word. There is a difference of opinion amongst
Maori scholars what this word is. Some say Kapura, a
common fire used for cooking, in contradistinction to a
'chief's fire,' at which he sat, and which would not be allowed
to be defiled with food. Others say Kopa. The Maori
word Kopa was (1) adj. meaning bent, (2)
n. angle or corner, and (3) the native
oven, or more strictly the hole scooped out for the oven.
1888. T. Pine, 'Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' 'A
local tradition of Raukawa,' vol. xxi. p. 417:
"So they set to work and dug holes on the flat, each hole about
2 ft. across and about 1 1/2 ft. deep, and shaped something
like a Kopa Maori."
1889. H. D. M. Haszard, ibid. 'Notes on some Relics of
Cannibalism,' vol. xxii. p. 104:
"In two distinct places, about four chains apart, there were a
number of Kapura Maori, or native ovens, scattered about
within a radius of about forty feet."
Coprosma, n. scientific and vernacular
name fora large genus of trees and shrubs of the order
Rubiaceae. From the Greek kopros, dung,
on account of the bad smell of some of the species.
See quotation. The Maori name is Karamu (q.v.).
Various species receive special vernacular names,
which appear in their places in the Dictionary.
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 110:
"Corosma comprises about forty species, of which at
least thirty are found in New Zealand, all of which are
restricted to the colony except C. pumila, which extends
to Australia. Five species are found in Australia, one of
which is C. pumila mentioned above. A few species occur
in the Pacific, Chili, Juan Fernandez, the Sandwich Islands,
&c."
Coral, n. See Batswing-Coral.
Coral-Fern, n. name given in Victoria to
Gleichenia circinata, Swartz, called in Bailey's list
Parasol-Fern. See Fern.
Coral-Flower, n. a plant, Epacris
(q.v.), Epacris microphylla, R. Br.,
N.O. Epacrideae.
Coral-Pea, n. another name for the Kennedya
(q.v.).
1896. 'The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 53:
"The trailing scarlet kennedyas, aptly called the
'bleeding-heart' or 'coral pea,' brighten the greyness of the
sandy, peaty wastes."
Coranderrk, n. the aboriginal name for the
Victorian Dogwood (q.v.). An "aboriginal station," or
asylum and settlement for the remaining members of the
aboriginal race of Victoria, is called after this name because
the wood grew plentifully there.
Cordage-tree, n. name given in Tasmania to a
Kurrajong (q.v.). The name Sida pulchella has
been superseded by Plagianthus sidoides, Hook.
1835. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 108:
"Sida pulchella. Handsome Sida. Currijong or cordage tree of
Hobart Town. . . . The bark used to be taken for tying up post
and rail fences, the rafters of huts, in the earlier periods of
the colony, before nails could be so easily procured."
Corella, n. any parrot of the genus
Nymphicus; the word is dim. of late Lat. cora =
korh, a girl, doll, etc. The Australian Corella is
N. novae-hollandiae, and the name is also given to
Licmetus nasicus, Temm, the Long-billed Cockatoo
(q.v.). It is often used indiscriminately by bird-fanciers for
any pretty little parrot, parrakeet, or cockatoo.
Cork-tree, n. See Bat's-wing Coral.
Corkwood, n. a New Zealand tree, Entelea
arborescens, R. Br., N.O. Tiliaceae. Maori name,
Whau.
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 45:
"The whau . . . is termed corkwood by the settlers on account
of its light specific gravity."
Cormorant, n. common English bird-name.
In Australia the name is applied to the following birds:--
Black Cormorant--
Graculus novae-hollandiae, Steph.
Little C.--
G. melanoleucus, Vieill.
Little-black C.--
G. stictocephalus, Bp. .
Pied C.--
G. varius, Gm.
White-breasted Cormorant--
G. leucogaster, Gould.
White-throated C.--
G. brevirostris, Gould.
Cornstalk, n. a young man or a girl born
and bred in New South Wales, especially if tall and big.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,'
vol. ii. p. 116:
"The colonial-born, bearing also the name of cornstalks (Indian
corn), from the way in which they shoot up."
1834. Geo. Benett, 'Wanderings in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 341:
"The Australian ladies may compete for personal beauty and
elegance with any European, although satirized as 'Cornstalks,'
from the slenderness of their forms."
1849. J. P. Townsend, 'Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 68:
"Our host was surrounded by a little army of 'cornstalks.'. . .
The designation 'cornstalk' is given because the young people
run up like the stems of the Indian corn."
1869. W. R. Honey, 'Madeline Clifton,' Act III. sc. v. p. 30:
"Look you, there stands young cornstalk."
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 526:
"If these are the heroes that my cornstalk friends worship
so ardently, they must indeed be hard up for heroes."
1893. Haddon Chambers, 'Thumbnail Sketches of Australian Life,'
p. 217:
"While in the capital I fell in with several jolly cornstalks,
with whom I spent a pleasant time in boating, fishing, and
sometimes camping out down the harbour."
Correa, n. the scientific name of a genus of
Australian plants of the N.O. Rutaceae, so named after
Correa de Serra, a Portuguese nobleman who wrote on rutaceous
plants at the beginning of the century. They bear scarlet or
green and sometimes yellowish flowers, and are often called
Native Fuchsias (q.v.), especially C. speciosa, Andrews,
which bears crimson flowers.
1827. R. Sweet, 'Flora Australasica,' p. 2:
"The genus was first named by Sir J. E. Smith in compliment to
the late M. Correa de Serra, a celebrated Portuguese botanist."
1859. H. Kingsley, 'Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 384:
"The scarlet correa lurked among the broken quartz."
1877. F. v. Mueller, 'Botanic Teachings,' p. 70:
"With all wish to maintain vernacular names, which are not
actually misleading, I cannot call a correa by the common
colonial name 'native fuchsia,' as not the slightest structural
resemblance and but little habitual similarity exists between
these plants; they indeed belong to widely different orders."
Ibid.:
"All Correas are geographically restricted to the south-eastern
portion of the Australian continent and Tasmania, the genus
containing but few species."
1880. Mrs. Meredith, 'Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 23:
"I see some pretty red correa and lilac." [Footnote]: "Correa
speciosa, native fuchsia of Colonies."
Corrobbery, n. This spelling is nearest to the
accepted pronunciation, the accent falling on the second
syllable. Various spellings, however, occur,
viz.--Corobbery, Corrobery, Corroberry, Corroborree,
Corrobbory, Corroborry, Corrobboree, Coroboree, Corroboree,
Korroboree, Corroborri, Corrobaree, and Caribberie.
To these Mr. Fraser adds Karabari (see quotation, 1892),
but his spelling has never been accepted in English. The word
comes from the Botany Bay dialect.
[The aboriginal verb (see Ridley's 'Kamilaroi and other
Australian Languages,' p. 107) is korobra, to dance; in the
same locality boroya or beria means to sing; probably koro is
from a common Australian word for emu.--J. Mathew.]
(1) An aboriginal name for a dance, sacred, festive, or
warlike.
1793. Governor Hunter, 'Port Jackson, p. 195:
"They very frequently, at the conclusion of the dance, would
apply to us . . . for marks of our approbation . . . which we
never failed to give by often repeating the word boojery,
good; or boojery caribberie, a good dance."
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 280:
"Dancing with their corrobery motion."
Ibid. p. 311:
"With several corrobery or harlequin steps."
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,' vol. ii. c. iii. p. 55:
"They hold their corrobbores (midnight ceremonies)."
1836. C. Darwin, 'Journal of the Voyage of the Beagle' (ed. 1882),
c. xix. p. 450:
"A large tribe of natives, called the white cockatoo men,
happened to pay a visit to the settlement while we were there.
These men as well as those of the tribe belonging to King
George's Sound, being tempted by the offer of some tubs of rice
and sugar were persuaded to hold a 'corrobery' or great dancing
party." [Description follows.]
1838. T. L. Mitchell, 'Three Expeditions,' vol. ii. p. 4:
"There can be little doubt that the corrobboree is the medium
through which the delights of poetry and the drama are enjoyed
in a limited degree, even by these primitive savages of New
Holland."
1844. Mrs. Meredith. 'Notes and Sketches of New South Wales,'
p. 91:
"Great preparations were made, as for a grand corrobory, or
festival, the men divesting themselves of even the portions of
clothing commonly worn, and painting their naked black bodies
in a hideous manner with pipe-clay. After dark, they lit their
fires, which are small, but kept blazing with constant
additions of dry bark and leaves, and the sable gentry
assembled by degrees as they completed their evening toilette,
full dress being painted nudity. A few began dancing in
different parties, preparatory to the grand display, and the
women, squatting on the ground, commenced their strange
monotonous chant, each beating accurate time with two
boomerangs. Then began the grand corrobory, and all the men
joined in the dance, leaping, jumping, bounding about in the
most violent manner, but always in strict unison with each
other, and keeping time with the chorus, accompanying their
wild gesticulations with frightful yells, and noises. The
whole 'tableau' is fearfully grand! The dark wild forest
scenery around--the bright fire-light gleaming upon the savage
and uncouth figures of the men, their natural dark hue being
made absolutely horrible by the paintings bestowed on them,
consisting of lines and other marks done in white and red
pipe-clay, which gives them an indescribably ghastly and
fiendish aspect--their strange attitudes, and violent
contortions and movements, and the unearthly sound of their
yells, mingled with the wild and monotonous wail-like chant of
the women, make altogether a very near approach to the horribly
sublime in the estimation of most Europeans who have witnessed
an assembly of the kind."
1846. G. H. Haydon, 'Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 103:
"They have no instrument of music, the corobery's song being
accompanied by the beating of two sticks together, and by the
women thumping their opossum rugs.'"
1847. J. D. Lang, 'Cooksland,' p. 447 [Footnote]:
"These words, which were quite as unintelligible to the natives
as the corresponding words in the vernacular language of the
white men would have been, were learned by the natives, and are
now commonly used by them in conversing with Europeans, as
English words. Thus corrobbory, the Sydney word for a
general assembly of natives, is now commonly used in that sense
at Moreton Bay; but the original word there is
yanerwille. Cabon, great; narang, little;
boodgeree, good; myall, wild native, etc. etc.,
are all words of this description, supposed by the natives [of
Queensland] to be English words, and by the Europeans to be
aboriginal words of the language of that district."
[The phrase "general assembly" would rise naturally in the mind
of Dr. Lang as a Presbyterian minister; but there is no
evidence of anything parliamentary about a corrobbery.]
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 78:
"The exact object or meaning of their famous corrobboree or
native dance, beyond mere exercise and patience, has not as yet
been properly ascertained; but it seems to be mutually
understood and very extensively practised throughout Australia,
and is generally a sign of mutual fellowship and good feeling
on the part of the various tribes."
1849. J. P. Townsend, 'Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 100:
"When our blacks visited Sydney, and saw the military paraded,
and heard the bands, they said that was 'white fellows'
corrobbory.'"
185. E. Stone Parker, 'Aborigines of Australia,' p. 21:
"It is a very great mistake to suppose . . . that there is any
kind of religious ceremony connected with the ordinary
corrobory. . . . I may also remark that the term corrobory is
not a native word."
[It is quite certain that it is native, though not known to
Mr. E. Stone Parker.]
1862. G. T. Lloyd, 'Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and
Victoria,' p. 49:
[In Tasmania] "the assembling of the tribes was always
celebrated by a grand corroboree, a species of bestial
bal masque. On such occasions they presented a most
grotesque and demon-like appearance, their heads, faces, and
bodies, liberally greased were besmeared alternately with clay
and red ochre; large tufts of bushy twigs were entwined around
their ankles, wrists, and waists; and these completed their
toilet."
1879. J. D. Woods, 'Native Tribes of South Australia,'
Introduction, pp. xxxii. and xxxiii.:
"The principal dance is common all over the continent, and
'corrobboree' is the name by which it is commonly known. It is
not quite clear what a corrobboree is intended to signify.
Some think it a war-dance--others that it is a representation
of their hunting expeditions--others again, that it is a
religious, or pagan, observance; but on this even the blacks
themselves give no information."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 41:
"The good fortune to witness a korroboree, that is a
festive dance by the natives in the neighbourhood."
1892. J. Fraser, 'The Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 21:
"'Karabari' is an aboriginal name for those dances which our
natives often have in the forests at night. Hitherto the name
has been written corrobboree, but etymologically it should be
karabari, for it comes from the same root as 'karaji,' a wizard
or medicine-man, and 'bari' is a common formative in the native
languages. The karabari has been usually regarded as a form of
amusement . . . these dances partake of a semi-religious
character."
[Mr. Fraser's etymology is regarded as far-fetched.]
(2) The song that accompanied the dance.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 323:
"I feared he might imagine we were afraid of his incantations,
for he sang most lamentable corroborris."
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 68:
". . . listen to the new corroborree. Great numbers arrive;
the corroborree is danced night after night with the utmost
enthusiasm. . . .These corroborrees travel for many hundreds of
miles from the place where they originated. . . .These
composers [of song and dance] pretend that the Spirit of Evil
originally manufactured their corroborree."
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillman, 'Australian Life,' p. 132:
"The story was a grand joke among the blacks for many a day.
It became, no doubt, the theme for a 'corroberee,' and Tommy
was always after a hero amongst his countrymen."
(3) By transference, any large social gathering or public
meeting.
1892. 'Saturday Review,' Feb.' 13, p. 168, col. 2:
"A corrobory of gigantic dimensions is being prepared for
[General Booth's] reception [in Australia]." ('O.E.D.')
1895. Modern:
"There's a big corrobbery on to-night at Government House,
and you can't get a cab for love or money."
(4) By natural transference, a noise, disturbance, fuss
or trouble.
1874. Garnet Walch, 'Adamanta,' Act II. sc. ii. p. 27:
"How can I calm this infantile corroboree?"
1885. H. O. Forbes, 'Naturalist's Wanderings,' p. 295:
"Kingfishers . . . in large chattering corrobories in the tops
of high trees."
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms,' p. 242:
"The boy raises the most awful corroboree of screams and howls,
enough for a whole gang of bushrangers, if they went in for
that sort of thing."
1897. 'The Herald,' Feb. 15, p. i, col. 1:
"Latest about the Cretan corroboree in our cable messages this
evening. The situation at the capital is decidedly
disagreeable. A little while ago the Moslems threw the
Christians out and took charge. Now the last report is that
there is a large force of Christians attacking the city and
quite ready, we doubt not, to cut every Moslem throat that
comes in the way."
Corrobbery, v. (1) To hold a corrobbery.
1830. R. Dawson, 'Present State of Australia,' p. 61:
"They began to corrobery or dance.
(p. 206): They 'corroberried,' sang, laughed, and screamed."
1885. R. M. Pried, 'Australian Life,' p. 22:
"For some time the district where the nut [bunya] abounds
is a scene of feasting and corroboreeing."
(2) By transference to animals, birds, insects, etc.
1846. C. P. Hodgson, 'Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 257:
"The mosquitoes from the swamps corroboreed with unmitigated
ardour."
1871. C. Darwin, 'Descent of Man' (2nd ed. 1885), p. 406:
"The Menura Alberti [see Lyrebird] scratches for
itself shallow holes, or, as they are called by the natives,
corroborying places, where it is believed both sexes assemble."
(3) To boil; to dance as boiling water does.
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 43:
"'Look out there! 'he continued; 'quart-pot corroborree,'
springing up and removing with one hand from the fire one of
the quart-pots, which was boiling madly, while with the other
he dropped in about as much tea as he could hold between his
fingers and thumb."
Ibid. p. 49:
"They had almost finished their meal before the new quart
corroborreed, as the stockman phrased it."
Corypha-palm, n. an obsolete name for
Livistona inermis, now called Cabbage-tree
(q.v.).
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 49:
"The bottle-tree and the corypha-palm were frequent."
Cottage, n. a house in which all the rooms are
on the ground-floor. An auctioneer's advertisement often
runs--"large weatherboard cottage, twelve rooms, etc.," or
"double-fronted brick cottage." The cheapness of land caused
nearly all suburban houses in Australia to be built without
upper storeys and detached.
Cotton-bush, n. name applied to two trees
called Salt-bush (q.v.). (1) Bassia bicornis,
Lindl. (2) Kochia aphylla, R. Br.,
N.O. Salsolaceae. S. Dixon (apud Maiden, p. 132)
thus describes it--
"All kinds of stock are often largely dependent on it during
protracted droughts, and when neither grass nor hay are
obtainable I have known the whole bush chopped up and mixed
with a little corn, when it proved an excellent fodder for
horses."
1876. W. Harcus, 'South Australia,' p. 126:
"This is a fine open, hilly district, watered, well grassed,
and with plenty of herbage and cotton-bush."
Cotton-shrub, n. a name given in Tasmania to the
shrub Pimelea nivea, Lab., N.O. Thymeleae.
Cotton-tree, n. an Australian tree, Hibiscus
teliaceus, Linn., N.O. Malvaceae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 624:
"The fibre of the bark [cotton-tree] is used for nets and
fishing-lines by the aborigines."
Cotton-wood, n. the timber of an Australian
tree, Bedfordia salicina, De C., N.O. Compositae.
Called Dog-wood (q.v.) in Tasmania.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p.386:
"The 'dog-wood' of Tasmania, and the 'cotton-wood' of Southern
New South Wales, on account of the abundant down on the leaves.
A hard, pale-brown, well-mottled wood, said by some to be good
for furniture. It emits a foetid smell when cut."
Coucal, n. a bird-name, "mentioned probably for
the first time in Le Vaillant's 'Oiseaux d'Afrique,' beginning
about 1796; perhaps native African. An African or Indian
spear-headed cuckoo: a name first definitely applied by Cuvier
in 1817 to the birds of the genus Centropus."
('Century.') The Australian species is Centropus
phasianellus, Gould, or Centropus phasianus, Lath.
It is called also Swamp-pheasant (q.v.), and
Pheasant-cuckoo.
Count-fish, n. a large Schnapper
(q.v.). See Cock-Schnapper.
1874. 'Sydney Mail,' 'Fishes and Fishing in New South Wales':
"The ordinary schnapper or count fish implies that all of a
certain size are to count as twelve to the dozen, the shoal or
school-fish eighteen or twenty-four to the dozen, and the
squire, thirty or thirty-six to the dozen--the latter just
according to their size, the redbream at per bushel."
Count-muster, n. a gathering, especially of
sheep or cattle in order to count them.
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 1:
"The old man's having a regular count-muster of his sons and
daughters, and their children and off side relatives-that is,
by marriage."
Cowdie, n. an early variant of Kauri
(q.v.), with other spellings.
1889. T. Kirk, 'Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 143:
"The native name 'Kauri' is the only common name in general
use. When the timber was first introduced into Britain it was
termed 'cowrie' or 'kowdie-pine'; but the name speedily fell
into disuse, although it still appears as the common name in
some horticultural works."
Cowshorns, n. a Tasmanian orchid,
Pterostylis nutans, R. Br.
Cow-tree, n. a native tree of New Zealand.
Maori name, Karaka (q.v.).
1860. G. Bennett, 'Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 346:
"The karaka-tree of New Zealand (Corynocarpus
laevigata), also called kopi by the natives, and cow-tree
by Europeans (from that animal being partial to its leaves),
grows luxuriantly in Sydney."
Crab, n. Of the various Australian species of
this marine crustacean, Scylla serrata alone is large
enough to be much used as food, and it is seldom caught. In
Tasmania and Victoria, Pseudocarcinus gigas, called the
King-Crab, which reaches a weight of 20 lbs., is occasionally
brought to market. There is only one fresh-water crab known in
Australia--Telphusa transversa.
1896. Spencer and Hall, 'Horne Expedition in Central
Australia,' Zoology, p. 228:
"In the case of Telphusa transversa, the fresh-water
crab, the banks of certain water holes are riddled with its
burrows."
Crab-hole, n. a hole leading into a pit-like
burrow, made originally by a burrowing crayfish, and often
afterwards increased in size by the draining into it of water.
The burrows are made by crayfish belonging to the genera
Engaeus and Astacopsis, which are popularly known
as land-crabs.
1848. Letter by Mrs. Perry, given in Canon Goodman's 'Church
in Victoria, during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 72:
"Full of crab holes, which are exceedingly dangerous for the
horses. There are holes varying in depth from one to three
feet, and the smallest of them wide enough to admit the foot of
a horse: nothing more likely than that a horse should break its
leg in one. . . . These holes are formed by a small land-crab
and then gradually enlarged by the water draining into them."
1859. H. Kingsley, 'Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 368:
"This brute put his foot in a crabhole, and came down, rolling
on my leg.''
1875. Wood and Lapham, 'Waiting for the Mail,' p. 49:
"Across the creek we went . . . now tripping over tussocks,
now falling into crab holes."
Crab-tree, n. i.q. Bitter-bark (q.v.).
Cradle, n. common in Australia, but of
Californian origin. "A trough on rockers in which auriferous
earth or sand is shaken in water, in order to separate and
collect the gold." ('O.E.D.')
1849. 'Illustrated London News,' Nov. 17, p. 325, col. 1
('O.E.D.'): [This applies to California, and is before the
Australian diggings began]:
"Two men can keep each other steadily at work, the one digging
and carrying the earth in a bucket, and the other washing and
rocking the cradle."
1851. Letter by Mrs. Perry, quoted in Canon Goodman's 'Church
in Victoria during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 171:
"The streets are full of cradles and drays packed for the
journey."
1858. T. McCombie, 'History of Victoria,' c. xv. p. 215:
"Cradles and tin dishes to supply the digging parties."
1865. F. H. Nixon, 'Peter Perfume,' p. 56:
"They had cradles by dozens and picks by the score."
1884. T. Bracken, 'Lays of Maori,' p. 154:
"The music of the puddling mill, the cradle, and the tub."
Cradle, v. tr. to wash auriferous gravel in a
miner's cradle.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. 21, p. 197:
"The laborious process of washing and 'cradling' the ore."
Crake, n. common English bird-name. The
Australian varieties are--
Little Crake--
Porzana palustris, Gould.
Spotless C.--
P. tabuensis, Gmel.
Spotted C.--
P. fluminea, Gould.
White-browed C.--
P. cinereus, Vieill.
See also Swamp-crake.
Cranberry, Native, n. called also
Ground-berry; name given to three Australian shrubs.
(1) Styphelia (formerly Lissanthe) humifusa,
Persoon, N.O. Epacrideae.
1834. J. Ross, 'Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 133:
"Astroloma humifusum. The native cranberry has a fruit
of a green, reddish, or whitish colour, about the size of a
black currant, consisting of a viscid apple-flavoured pulp
inclosing a large seed; this fruit grows singly on the trailing
stems of a small shrub resembling juniper, bearing beautiful
scarlet blossoms in autumn."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 8:
"Commonly called 'ground-berry.' In Tasmania the fruits are
often called native cranberries. The fruits of these dwarf
shrubs are much appreciated by school-boys and aboriginals.
They have a viscid, sweetish pulp, with a relatively large
stone. The pulp is described by some as being apple-flavoured,
though I have always failed to make out any distinct flavour."
(2) Styphelia sapida, F. v. M., N.O. Epacrideae.
1866. 'Treasury of Botany,' p. 688 ('O.E.D.'):
"Lissanthe sapida, a native of South-eastern Australia,
is called the Australian Cranberry, on account of its
resemblance both in size and colour to our European cranberry,
Vaccinium Oxyconos."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 39:
"Native cranberry. The fruit is edible. It is something like
the cranberry of Europe both in size and colour, but its flesh
is thin, and has been likened to that of the Siberian crab.
[Found in] New South Wales."
(3) Pernettya tasmanica, Hook., N.O. Ericeae
(peculiar to Tasmania).
Crane, n. common English bird-name. In
Australia used for (1) the Native-Companion (q.v.), Grus
australianus, Gould; (2) various Herons, especially in New
Zealand, where the varieties are--Blue Crane (Matuku),
Ardea sacra, Gmel.; White Crane (Kotuku), Ardea
egretta, Gmel. See Kotuku and Nankeen Crane.
The Cranes and the Herons are often popularly confused.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 53:
"Ardea Novae-Hollandiae, Lath., White-fronted Heron, Blue
Crane of the colonists. Herodias Jugularis, Blue Reef
Heron, Blue Crane, colonists of Port Essington."
1848. Ibid. pl. 58:
"Herodias Immaculata, Gould [later melanopus], Spotless
Egret, White Crane of the colonists."
1890. 'Victorian Consolidated Statutes, Game Act,' 3rd
Schedule:
"[Close Season.] All Birds known as Cranes such as Herons,
Egrets, &c. From First day of August to Twentieth day of
December following in each year."
Craw-fish, n. a variant of Crayfish
(q.v.).
Crawler, n. that which crawls; used specially
in Australia of cattle.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 217:
"Well-bred station crawlers, as the stockmen term them from
their peaceable and orderly habits."
Cray-fish, n. The Australasian Cray-fish
belong to the family Parastacidae, the members of which
are confined to the southern hemisphere, whilst those of the
family Potamobiidae are found in the northern
hemisphere. The two families are distinguished from one
another by, amongst other points of structure, the absence of
appendages on the first abdominal segment in the
Parastacidae. The Australasian cray-fishes are
classified in the following genera--Astacopsis, found in
the fresh waters of Tasmania and the whole of Australia;
Engaeus, a land-burrowing form, found only in Tasmania
and Victoria; Paranephrops, found in the fresh waters of
New Zealand; and Palinurus, found on the coasts of
Australia and New Zealand. The species are as follows :--
(1) The Yabber or Yabbie Crayfish. Name given to the
commonest fresh-water Australian Cray-fish, Astacopsis
bicarinatus, Gray. This is found in waterholes, but not
usually in running streams, over the greater part of the
continent, and often makes burrows in the ground away from
water, and may also do great damage by burrowing holes through
the banks of dams and reservoirs and water-courses, as at
Mildura. It was first described as the Port Essington
Crayfish.
1845. Gray, in E. J. Eyre's 'Expeditions into Central
Australia,' vol. i. p. 410:
"The Port Essington Cray fish. Astacus bicarinatus."
1885. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'
Dec. 2, pl. 29:
"They are commonly known about Melbourne by the native name of
Yabber or Yabbie."
(2) The Murray Lobster or the Spiny Cray-fish. Name
given to the largest Australian fresh-water Cray-fish,
Astacopsis serratus, Shaw, which reaches a length of
over twelve inches, and is found in the rivers of the Murray
system, and in the southern rivers of Victoria such as the
Yarra, the latter being distinguished as a variety of the
former and called locally the Yarra Spiny Cray-fish.
1890. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'
Dec. 8, pl. 160: "
Our plate 160 illustrates a remarkable variety of the typical
A. serratus of the Murray, common in the Yarra and its
numerous affluents flowing southwards."
(3) The Tasmanian Cray-fish. Name given to the large
fresh-water Cray-fish found in Tasmania, Astacopsis
franklinii; Gray.
(4) The Land-crab. Name applied to the burrowing
Cray-fish of Tasmania and Victoria, Engaeus fossor,
Erich., and other species. This is the smallest of the
Australian Cray-fish, and inhabits burrows on land, which it
excavates for itself and in which a small store of water is
retained. When the burrow, as frequently happens, falls in
there is formed a Crab-hole (q.v.).
1892. G. M. Thomson, 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of
Tasmania,' p. 2:
"Only four of the previously described forms are fresh-water
species, namely: Astacopsis franklinii and
A. tasmanicus, Engaeus fossor and
E. cunicularius, all fresh-water cray fishes."
(5) New Zealand Fresh-water Cray-fish. Name applied to
Paranephrops zealandicus, White, which is confined to
the fresh water of New Zealand.
1889. T. J. Parker, 'Studies in Biology' (Colonial Museum and
Geological Survey Department, New Zealand), p. 5:
"Paranephrops which is small and has to be specially collected
in rivers, creeks or lakes."
(6) Sydney Cray-fish. Name given to the large
salt-water Cray-fish, rarely called Craw-fish, or Spiny
Lobster, found along the Sydney coast, Palinurus
huegeli, Heller.
1890. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'
Dec. 16, pl. 159:
"This species, which is the common Sydney Craw-fish, is easily
distinguished from the southern one, the P. Lalandi,
which is the common Melbourne Craw-fish."
(7) Southern Rock-Lobster or Melbourne Crayfish. Name
given to the large salt-water Cray-fish, sometimes called
Craw-fish, found along the southern coast and common in the
Melbourne market, Palinurus lalandi, Lam.
1890. F. McCoy, 'Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'
Dec. 15, pl. 150:
"I suggest the trivial name of Southern Rock Lobster for this
species, which abounds in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand,
as well as the Cape of Good Hope . . . does not appear to have
been noticed as far north as Sydney."
The name Craw-fish is merely an ancient variant of
Cray-fish, though it is said by Gasc, in his French
Dictionary, that the term was invented by the London
fishmongers to distinguish the small Spiny Lobster,
which has no claws, from the common Lobster, which has
claws. The term Lobster, in Australia, is often applied
to the Sydney Cray-fish (see 7, above).
Creadion, n. scientific name given by Vieillot
in 1816 to a genus of birds peculiar to New Zealand, from Greek
kreadion, a morsel of flesh, dim. of kreas,
flesh. Buller says, "from the angle of the mouth on each side
there hangs a fleshy wattle, or caruncle, shaped like a
cucumber seed and of a changeable bright yellow colour."
('Birds of New Zealand,' 1886, vol. i. p. 18.) The
Jack-bird (q.v.) and Saddle-back (q.v.) are the
two species.
1855. Rev. R. Taylor, 'Te Ika a Maui,' p. 404:
"Family Sturnidae--Tieki (Creadion Carunculatus).
This is a beautiful black bird with a chestnut band across the
back and wings; it has also a fleshy lappet on either side of
the head. The tieki is considered a bird of omen: if
one flies on the right side it is a good sign; if on the left,
a bad one."
Cream of Tartar tree, n. i.q. Baobab
(q.v.).
Creek, n. a small river, a brook, a branch of
a river. "An application of the word entirely unknown in Great
Britain." ('O.E.D.') The 'Standard Dictionary' gives, as a use
in the United States, "a tidal or valley stream, between a
brook and a river in size." In Australia, the name brook is
not used. Often pronounced crick, as in the United States.
Dr. J. A.H. Murray kindly sends the following note:--"Creek
goes back to the early days of exploration. Men sailing up the
Mississippi or other navigable river saw the mouths of
tributary streams, but could not tell with out investigation
whether they were confluences or mere inlets, creeks. They
called them creeks, but many of them turned out to be running
streams, many miles long--tributary rivers or rivulets. The
name creek stuck to them, however, and thus became
synonymous with tributary stream, brook."
1793. Governor Hunter, 'Voyage,' p. 516:
"In the afternoon a creek obliged them to leave the banks of
the river, and go round its head, as it was too deep to cross:
having rounded the head of this creek. . ."
1802. G. Barrington, 'History of New South Wales,' p. 228:
"They met with some narrow rivers or creeks."
1809. Aug. 6, 'History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 327:
"Through Rickerby's grounds upon the riverside and those of the
Rev. Mr. Marsden on the creek."
1826. Goldie, in Bischoff's 'Van Diemen's Land' (1832), p. 162:
"There is a very small creek which I understand is never dry."
1848. W. Westgarth, 'Australia Felix,' p. 17:
"The creeks and rivers of Australia have in general a
transitory existence, now swollen by the casual shower, and
again rapidly subsiding under the general dryness and heat of
the climate."
1854. 'Bendigo Advertiser,' quoted in 'Melbourne Morning
Herald,' May 29:
"A Londoner reading of the crossing of a creek would naturally
imagine the scene to be in the immediate neighbourhood of the
coast, instead of being perhaps some hundreds of miles in the
interior, and would dream of salt water, perriwinkles and
sea-weed, when he should be thinking of slimy mud-holes, black
snakes and gigantic gum-trees."
1861. Mrs. Meredith, 'Over the Straits,' c. iv. p. 134:
"The little rivulet, called, with that singular pertinacity for
error which I have so often noticed here, 'the creek.'"
1865. Lady Barker, 'Station Life in, New Zealand,' p. 29:
"The creek, just like a Scotch burn, hurrying and tumbling down
the hillside to join the broader stream in the valley."
1870. P. Wentworth, 'Amos Thorne,' i. p. 11:
"A thirsty creek-bed marked a line of green."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 39:
"In the rivers, whether large watercourses, and dignified by
the name of 'river,' or small tributaries called by the less
sounding appellation 'creeks."
1887. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. i. p. 41:
"Generally where the English language is spoken a creek means a
small inlet of the sea, but in Australia a creek is literally
what it is etymologically, a crack in the ground. In dry
weather there is very little water; perhaps in the height of
summer the stream altogether ceases to run, and the creek
becomes a string of waterholes; but when the heavens are
opened, and the rain falls, it reappears a river."
Creeklet, n. diminutive of Creek.
1884. T. Bracken, 'Lays of Maori,' p. 91:
"One small creeklet day by day murmurs."
Creeper, n. The name (sc. Tree-creeper)
is given to several New Zealand birds of the genus
Certhiparus, N.O. Passeres. The Maori names are
Pipipi, Toitoi, and Mohona.
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 51:
"Certhiparus Novae Zelandiae, Finsch. New Zealand
Creeper." [A full description.]
Cronk, adj. Derived from the German
krank--sick or ill.
(1) A racing term used of a horse which is out of order and not
"fit" for the contest; hence transferred to a horse whose owner
is shamming its illness and making it "run crooked" for the
purpose of cheating its backers.
(2) Used more generally as slang, but not recognized in Barere
and Leland's 'Slang Dictionary.'
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), July 4, p. 2, col. 7:
"He said he would dispose of the cloth at a moderate figure
because it was 'cronk.' The word 'cronk,' Mr. Finlayson
explained, meant 'not honestly come by.'"
Crow, n. common English bird-name. The
Australian species is--White-eyed, Corvus coronoides
V. and H. In New Zealand (Maori name, Kokako) the name
is used for the Blue-wattled Crow, Glaucopis wilsoni and
for the (N. island) Orange-wattled, G. cinerea, Gmel.
(S. island).
Crow-shrike, n. Australian amalgamation of two
common English bird-names. The Crow-shrikes are of
three genera, Strepera, Gymnorrhima, and
Cracticus. The varieties of the genus Strepera are--
Black Crow-shrike--
Strepera fuliginosa, Gould.
Black-winged C.--
S. melanoptera, Gould.
Grey C.--
S. cuneicaudata, Vieill.
Hill C.--
S. arguta, Gould.
Leaden C.--
S. plumbea, Gould.
Pied C.--
S. graculina, White.
Birds of the genus Gymnorrhina are called Magpies
(q.v.). Those of the genus Cracticus are called
Butcher-birds (q.v.).
Crush, n. a part of a stockyard. See
quotations.
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 69:
"A crush, which is an elongated funnel, becoming so narrow
at the end that a beast is wedged in and unable to move."
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 87:
"There were some small yards, and a 'crush,' as they call it,
for branding cattle."
Cuckoo, n. common English bird-name.
The Australian birds to which it is applied are--
Black-eared Cuckoo--
Mesocalius osculans, Gould.
Bronze C.--
Chalcoccyx plagosus, Lath.
Brush C.--
Cacomantis insperatus.
[Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl.87.]
Chestnut-breasted C.--
C. castanei-ventris, Gould.
Fantailed C.--
C. flabelliformis, Lath.
Little-bronze C.--
Chalcoccyx malayanus, Raffles.
Narrow-billed bronze C.--
C. basalis, Hors.
Oriental C.--
Cuculus intermedius, Vahl.
Pallid C.--
Cacomantis pallidus and C. canorus, Linn.
Square-tailed C.--
C. variolosus, Hors.
Whistling-bronze C.--
Chalcoccyx lucidus, Gmel.
In New Zealand, the name is applied to Eudynamis
taitensis (sc. of Tahiti) Sparm., the Long-tailed Cuckoo;
and to Chrysococcyx lucidus, Gmel., the Shining Cuckoo.
The name Cuckoo has sometimes been applied to the
Mopoke (q.v.) and to the Boobook (q.v.). See
also Pheasant-cuckoo.
1855. G. W. Rusden, 'Moyarra,' Notes, p. 30:
"The Australian cuckoo is a nightjar, and is heard only by night."
1868. W. Carleton, 'Australian Nights,' p. 19:
"The Austral cuckoo spoke
His melancholy note, 'Mopoke.'"
1889. Prof. Parker, 'Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,'
p. 118:
"There are two species of the Longtailed Cuckoo (Eudynamis
taitensis), and the beautiful Bronze or Shining Cuckoo
(Chrysococcyx lucidus). They are both migratory birds.
The Long-tailed Cuckoo spends its winter in some of the Pacific
islands, the Shining Cuckoo in Australia."
Cuckoo-shrike, n. This combination of two
common English bird-names is assigned in Australia to the
following--
Barred Cuckoo-shrike
Graucalus lineatus, Swains.
Black-faced C.--
G. melanops, Lath.
Ground C.--
Pteropodocys phasianella, Gould.
Little C.--
Graucalus mentalis, Vig. and Hors.
Small-billed C.--
G. parvirostris, Gould.
White-bellied C.--
G. hyperleucus, Gould.
Cucumber-fish, n. i.q. Grayling (q.v.).
Cucumber-Mullet, n. i.q. Grayling
(q.v.).
Cultivation paddock, n. a field that has been
tilled and not kept for grass.
1853. Chas. St. Julian and Ed. K. Silvester, 'The Productions,
Industry, and Resources of New South Wales,' p. 170:
"Few stations of any magnitude are without their 'cultivation
paddocks,' where grain and vegetables are raised . . ."
1860. A Lady, 'My Experiences in Australia,' p. 173:
"Besides this large horse paddock, there was a space cleared of
trees, some twenty to thirty acres in extent, on the banks of
the creek, known as the 'Cultivation Paddock,' where in former
days my husband had grown a sufficient supply of wheat for home
consumption."
1893. 'The Argus,' June 17, p. 13, col. 4:
"How any man could have been such an idiot as to attempt to
make a cultivation paddock on a bed of clay passed all my
knowledge.'
Curlew, n. common English bird-name.
The Australian species is Numenius cyanopus, Vieill.
The name, however, is more generally applied to AEdicnemus
grallarius, Lath.
1862. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 43:
"They rend the air like cries of despair,
The screams of the wild curlew."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 18:
"Truly the most depressing cry I ever heard is that of the
curlew, which you take no notice of in course of time; but
which to us, wet, weary, hungry, and strange, sounded most
eerie."
1890. 'Victorian Statutes, Game Act, Third Schedule':
"Southern Stone Plover or Curlew."
1894. 'The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:
"The calling of the stone plover. It might as well be a curlew
at once, for it will always be a curlew to country people. Its
first call, with the pause between, sounds like 'Curlew'--that
is, if you really want it to sound so, though the blacks get
much nearer the real note with 'Koo-loo,' the first syllable
sharp, the second long drawn out."
1896. Dr. Holden, of Hobart, 'Private letter,' Jan.:
"There is a curlew in Australia, closely resembling the English
bird, and it calls as that did over the Locksley Hall
sand-dunes; but Australians are given to calling AEdicnemus
grallarius Latham (our Stone Plover), the 'curlew,' which
is a misnomer. This also drearily wails, and after dark."
Currajong or Currijong, i.q. Kurrajong
(q.v.).
Currant, Native, n. The name is given to
various shrubs and trees of the genus Coprosma,
especially Coprosma billardieri, Hook.,
N.O. Rubiare(e; also to Leucopogon richei, Lab.,
N.O. Epacrideae, various species of Leptomeria,
N.O. Santalaceae, and Myoporum serratum, R. Br.,
N.O. Myoporineae. The names used for
M. serratum, chiefly in South Australia, are
Blueberry Tree, Native Juniper, Native
Myrtle, Palberry, and Cockatoo Bush.
See also Native Plum.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 220:
"Our native currants are strongly acidulous, like the
cranberry, and make an excellent preserve when mixed with
the raspberry."
1834. Ross, 'Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 133:
"Leucopogon lanceolatum. A large bush with numerous
harsh leaves, growing along the sea shore, with some other
smaller inland shrubs of the same tribe, produces very small
white berries of a sweetish and rather herby flavour. These
are promiscuously called white or native currants in the
colony."
["The insignificant and barely edible berries of this shrub are
said to have saved the life of the French botanist Riche, who
was lost in the bush on the South Australian coast for three
days, at the close of the last century." (Maiden.) The plant
is now called L. Richei.]
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 19:
"Native Currant. . . . This plant bears a small round drupe,
about the size of a small pea. Mr. Backhouse states that (over
half a century ago) when British fruits were scarce, it was
made into puddings by some of the settlers of Tasmania, but the
size and number of the seeds were objectionable."
Currant, Plain, n. See Plain Currant.
Currency, n. (1) Name given especially to early
paper-money in the Colonies, issued by private traders and of
various values, and in general to the various coins of foreign
countries, which were current and in circulation. Barrington,
in his 'History of New South Wales '(1802), gives a table of
such specie.
1824. Edward Curr, 'Account of the Colony of Van Diemen's Land,'
p.5:
"Much of this paper-money is of the most trifling description.
To this is often added 'payable in dollars at 5s. each.' Some
. . . make them payable in Colonial currency."
[p. 69, note]: "25s. currency is about equal to a sovereign."
1826. Act of Geo. IV., No. 3 (Van Diemen's Land):
"All Bills of Exchange, Promissory Notes . . . as also all
Contracts and Agreements whatsoever which shall be drawn and
circulated or issued, or made and entered into, and shall be
therein expressed . . . to be payable in Currency, Current
Money, Spanish Dollars . . . shall be . . . Null and Void."
1862. Geo. Thos. Lloyd, 'Thirty-three years in Tasmania and
Victoria,' p. 9:
"Every man in business . . . issued promissory notes, varying
in value from the sum of fourpence to twenty shillings, payable
on demand. These notes received the appellation of paper
currency. . . . The pound sterling represented twenty-five
shillings of the paper-money."
(2) Obsolete name for those colonially-born.
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
(Table of Contents):
"Letter XXI.--Currency or Colonial-born
population."
Ibid. p. 33:
"Our colonial-born brethren are best known here by the name of
Currency, in contradistinction to Sterling, or
those born in the mother-country. The name was originally
given by a facetious paymaster of the 73rd Regiment quartered
here--the pound currency being at that time inferior to the
pound sterling."
1833. H. W. Parker, 'Rise, Progress, and Present State of Van
Diemen's Land,' p. 18:
"The Currency lads, as the country born colonists in the
facetious nomenclature of the colony are called, in
contradistinction to those born in the mother country."
1840. Martin's 'Colonial Magazine,' vol. iii. p. 35:
"Currency lady."
1849. J. P. Townsend, 'Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 68:
"Whites born in the colony, who are also called 'the currency';
and thus the 'Currency Lass' is a favourite name for colonial
vessels." [And, it may be added, also of Hotels.]
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 6:
"A singular disinclination to finish any work completely, is a
striking characteristic of colonial craftsmen, at least of the
'currency' or native-born portion. Many of them who are
clever, ingenious and industrious, will begin a new work,
be it ship, house, or other erection, and labour at it most
assiduously until it be about two-thirds completed, and then
their energy seems spent, or they grow weary of the old
occupation, and some new affair is set about as busily as the
former one."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Colonial Reformer,' p. 35:
"English girls have such lovely complexions and cut out us poor
currency lasses altogether."
Ibid. p. 342:
"You're a regular Currency lass . . . always thinking about
horses."
Cushion-flower, n. i.q. Hakea laurina,
R. Br. See Hakea.
Cut out, v. (1) To separate cattle from the
rest of the herd in the open.
1873. Marcus Clarke, 'Holiday Peak, &c.,' p. 70:
"The other two . . . could cut out a refractory bullock with
the best stockman on the plains."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. x. p. 72:
"We . . . camped for the purpose of separating our cattle,
either by drafting through the yard, or by 'cutting out' on
horse-back."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 70:
"Drafting on the camp, or 'cutting out' as it is generally
called, is a very pretty performance to watch, if it is well
done."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' c. ii. p. 13:
"Tell him to get 'Mustang,' he's the best cutting-out horse."
1893. 'The Argus,' April 29, p. 4. col. 4:
"A Queenslander would have thought it was as simple as going on
to a cutting-out camp up North and running out the fats."
(2) To finish shearing.
1890. 'The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 6:
"When the stations 'cut out,' as the term for finishing is,
and the shearers and rouseabout men leave."
Cutting-grass, n. Cladium psittacorum,
Labill., N.O. Cyperaceae. It grows very long narrow
blades whose thin rigid edge will readily cut flesh if
incautiously handled; it is often called Sword-grass.
1858. T. McCombie 'History of Victoria,' vol. i. p. 8:
"Long grass, known as cutting-grass between four and five feet
high, the blade an inch and a half broad, the edges exquisitely
sharp."
1891. W. Tilley, 'Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 42:
"Travelling would be almost impossible but for the button
rush and cutting grass, which grow in big tussocks out of
the surrounding bog."
1894. 'The Age,' Oct. 19, p. 5, col. 8:
"'Cutting grass' is the technical term for a hard, tough grass
about eight or ten inches high, three-edged like a bayonet,
which stock cannot eat because in their efforts to bite it off
it cuts their mouths."
D
Dabchick, n. common English bird-name. The New
Zealand species is Podiceps rufipectus. There is no
species in Australia.
Dacelo, n. Name given by "W. E. Leach, 1816.
An anagram or transposition of Lat. Alcedo, a
Kingfisher." ('Century.') Scientific name for the
Jackass (q.v.).
Dactylopsila, n. the scientific name of the
Australian genus of the Striped Phalanger, called locally the
Striped Opossum; see Opossum. It has a long bare
toe. (Grk. daktulos, a finger, and psilos, bare.)
Daisy, Brisbane, n. a Queensland and New South
Wales plant, Brachycome microcarpa, F. v. M.,
N.O. Compositae.
Daisy, Native, n. a Tasmanian flower,
Brachycome decipiens, Hook., N.O. Compositae.
Daisy Tree, n. two Tasmanian trees, Astur
stellulatus, Lab., and A. glandulosus, Lab.,
N.O. Compositae. The latter is called the
Swamp-Daisy-Tree.
Dam, n. In England, the word means a barrier
to stop water in Australia, it also means the water so stopped,
as 'O.E.D.' shows it does in Yorkshire.
1873. Marcus Clarke, 'Holiday Peak, &c.,' p. 76:
"The dams were brimming at Quartz-borough, St. Roy reservoir
was running over."
1892. 'Scribner's Magazine,' Feb., p. 141:
"Dams as he calls his reservoirs scooped out in the hard soil."
1893. 'The Leader,' Jan. 14:
"A boundary rider has been drowned in a dam."
1893. 'The Times,' [Reprint] 'Letters from Queensland,' p. 68:
"At present few stations are subdivided into paddocks smaller
than 20,000 acres apiece. If in each of these there is but one
waterhole or dam that can be relied upon to hold out in
drought, sheep and cattle will destroy as much grass in
tramping from the far corners of the grazing to the drinking
spot as they will eat. Four paddocks of 5,000 acres each, well
supplied with water, ought to carry almost double the number of
sheep."
1896. 'The Argus,' March 30, p. 6, col. 9:
"[The murderer] has not since been heard of. Dams and
waterholes have been dragged . . . but without result."
Dammara, n. an old scientific name of the
genus, including the Kauri Pine (q.v.). It is from the
Hindustani, damar, 'resin.' The name was applied to the
Kauri Pine by Lambert in 1832, but it was afterwards
found that Salisbury, in 1805, had previously constituted the
genus Agathis for the reception of the Kauri Pine
and the Dammar Pine of Amboyna. This priority of claim
necessitated the modern restoration of Agathis as the
name of the genus.
Damper, n. a large scone of flour and water
baked in hot ashes; the bread of the bush, which is always
unleavened. [The addition of water to the flour suggests a
more likely origin than that given by Dr. Lang. See quotation,
1847.]
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 190
"The farm-men usually make their flour into flat cakes, which
they call damper, and cook these in the ashes . . ."
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,'
vol. ii. c. viii. p. 203:
"I watched the distorted countenances of my humble companions
while drinking their tea and eating their damper."
1845. J. O. Balfour, 'Sketches of New South Wales,' p. 103:
"Damper (a coarse dark bread)."
1846. G. H. Haydon, 'Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 122:
"I must here enlighten my readers as to what 'damper' is. It
is the bread of the bush, made with flour and water kneaded
together and formed into dough, which is baked in the ashes,
and after a few months keeping is a good substitute for bread."
[The last clause contains a most extraordinary statement--
perhaps a joke. Damper is not kept for months, but is
generally made fresh for each meal. See quotation, 1890,
Lumholtz.]
1847. J. D. Lang, 'Cooksland,' p. 122:
"A cake baked in the ashes, which in Australia is usually
styled a damper." [Footnote]: "This appellation is said to
have originated somehow with Dampier, the celebrated
navigator."
1867. F. Hochstetter, 'New Zealand,' p. 284:
"'Damper' is a dough made from wheat-flour and water without
yeast, which is simply pressed flat, and baked in the ashes;
according to civilized notions, rather hard of digestion, but
quite agreeable to hungry woodmen's stomachs."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 20:
"At first we had rather a horror of eating damper, imagining it
to be somewhat like an uncooked crumpet. Experience, however,
showed it to be really very good. Its construction is simple,
and is as follows. Plain flour and water is mixed on a sheet
of bark, and then kneaded into a disc some two or three inches
thick to about one or two feet in diameter, great care to avoid
cracks being taken in the kneading. This is placed in a hole
scraped to its size in the hot ashes, covered over, and there
left till small cracks caused by the steam appear on the
surface of its covering. This is a sign that it is nearly
done, and in a few minutes the skilful chef will sound it over
with his "Wedges of damper (or bread baked in hot ashes) were
cut from time to time from great circular flat loaves of that
palatable and wholesome but somewhat compressed-looking bread."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 32:
"Damper is the name of a kind of bread made of wheat flour and
water. The dough is shaped into a flat round cake, which is
baked in red-hot ashes. This bread looks very inviting, and
tastes very good as long as it is fresh, but it soon becomes
hard and dry."
Damson, Native, n. called also Native Plum,
an Australian shrub, Nageia spinulosa, F. v. M.,
N.O. Coniferae.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 53:
"Native Damson or Native Plum. This shrub possesses edible
fruit, something like a plum, hence its vernacular names. The
Rev. Dr. Woolis tells me that, mixed with jam of the Native
Currant (Leptomeria acida), it makes a very good
pudding."
Dandelion, Native, n. a flowering plant,
Podolepis acuminata, R. Br., N.O. Compositae.
Daphne, Native, n. an Australian timber,
Myoporum viscorum, R. Br., N.O. Myoporineae;
called also Dogwood and Waterbush.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 575:
"Native Daphne. . . . Timber soft and moderately light, yet
tough. It is used for building purposes. It dresses well, and
is straight in the grain."
Darling Pea, n. an Australian plant,
Swainsonia galegifolia, R. Br., N.O. Leguminosae;
i.q. Indigo Plant (q.v.). See also Poison-bush.
The Darling Downs and River were named after General (later Sir
Ralph) Darling, who was Governor of New South Wales from
Dec. 19, 1825 to Oct. 21, 1831. The "pea" is named from one of
these.
Darling Shower, n. a local name in the interior
of Australia, and especially on the River Darling, for a dust
storm, caused by cyclonic winds.
Dart, n. (1) Plan, scheme, idea [slang].
It is an extension of the meaning--"sudden motion."
1887. J. Farrell, 'How: he died,' p. 20:
"Whose 'dart' for the Looard
Was to appear the justest steward
That ever hiked a plate round."
1890. 'The Argus,' Aug. 9, p. 4, col. 2:
"When I told them of my 'dart,' some were contemptuous,
others incredulous."
1892. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Nevermore,' p. 22:
"Your only dart is to buy a staunch horse with a tip-cart."
(2) Particular fancy or personal taste.
1895. Modern:
"'Fresh strawberries eh!--that's my dart,' says the bushman
when he sees the fruit lunch in Collins-street."
Darter, n. common English name for birds of the
genus Plotus. So called from the way it "darts" upon
its prey. The Australian species is Plotus novae-
hollandiae, Gould.
Dasyure, and Dasyurus, n. the
scientific name of the genus of Australian animals called
Native Cats. See under Cat. The first form is
the Anglicized spelling and is scientifically used in
preference to the misleading vernacular name. From the Greek
dasus, thick with hair, hairy, shaggy, and 'oura,
tail. They range over Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and the
adjacent islands. Unlike the Thylacine and Tasmanian
Devil (q.v.), which are purely terrestrial, the
Dasyurus are arboreal in their habits, while they are
both carnivorous and insectivorous.
The Thylacine, Tasmanian Devil, Pouched Mice, and Banded
Ant-eater have sometimes been incorrectly classed as
Dasyures, but the name is now strictly allotted to the
genus Dasyurus, or Native Cat.
Date, Native, n. a Queensland fruit,
Capparis canescens, Banks, N.O. Capparideae.
The fruit is shaped like a pear, and about half an inch
in its largest diameter. It is eaten raw by the aborigines.
Deadbeat, n. In Australia, it means a man "down
on his luck," "stone-broke," beaten by fortune. In America,
the word means an impostor, a sponge. Between the two uses the
connection is clear, but the Australian usage is logically the
earlier.
Dead-bird, n. In Australia, a recent slang
term, meaning "a certainty." The metaphor is from
pigeon-shooting, where the bird being let loose in front of a
good shot is as good as dead.
Dead-finish, n. a rough scrubtree.
(1)Albizzia basaltica, Benth., N.O. Leguminosae.
(2) Acacia farnesiana, Willd.,
N.O. Leguminosae. See quotation, 1889.
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia', p. 272:
"On the eastern face of the coast range are pine, red cedar,
and beech, and on the western slopes, rose-wood, myall,
dead-finish, plum-tree, iron-wood and sandal-wood, all woods
with a fine grain suitable for cabinet-making and fancy work."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 355:
"Sometimes called by the absurd name of 'Dead Finish.' This
name given to some species of Acacia and Albizzia, is on
account of the trees or shrubs shooting thickly from the
bottom, and forming an impenetrable barrier to the traveller,
who is thus brought to a 'dead finish' (stop)"
1893. 'The Times,' [Reprint] 'Letters from Queensland,' p. 60:
"The hawthorn is admirably represented by a brush commonly
called 'dead finish.'" [p. 61]: "Little knolls are crowned
with 'dead finish' that sheep are always glad to nibble."
Dead-wood Fence, n. The Australian fence, so
called, is very different from the fence of the same name in
England. It is high and big, built of fallen timber, logs
and branches. Though still used in Australia for fencing runs,
it is now usually superseded by wire fences.
1852. Mrs. Meredith, 'My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 157:
"A 'dead-wood fence,' that is, a mass of timber four or five
feet thick, and five or six high, the lower part being formed
of the enormous trunks of trees, cut into logs six or eight
feet long, laid side by side, and the upper portion consisting
of the smaller branches skilfully laid over, or stuck down and
twisted."
1872. G. Baden-Powell, 'New Homes for the Old Country,' p. 207:
"A very common fence is built by felling trees round the space
to be enclosed, and then with their stems as a foundation,
working up with the branches, a fence of a desirable height."
Deal, Native, n. an Australian timber,
Nageia elata, F. v. M., N.O. Coniferae.
For other vernacular names see quotation.
1869. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 589:
"Pine, white pine, called she-pine in Queensland; native deal,
pencil cedar. This tree has an elongated trunk, rarely
cylindrical; wood free from knots, soft, close, easily worked,
good for joiners' and cabinet-work; some trees afford planks of
great beauty. (Macarthur.) Fine specimens of this timber have
a peculiar mottled appearance not easily described, and often
of surpassing beauty."
[See also Pine.]
December, n. a summer month in Australia.
See Christmas.
1885. J. Hood, 'Land of the Fern,' p. 34:
"Warm December sweeps with burning breath
Across the bosom of the shrinking earth."
Deepsinker, n. (1) The largest sized tumbler;
(2) the long drink served in it. The idea is taken from
deep-sinking in a mining shaft.
1897. 'The Argus,' Jan. 15, p. 6, Col 5:
"As athletes the cocoons can run rings round the beans; they
can jump out of a tumbler--whether medium, small, or deepsinker
is not recorded."
Deep Yellow-Wood, n. Rhus rhodanthema,
F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaceae. A tree with spreading head;
timber valuable. See Yellow-Wood.
Deferred Payment, n. a legal phrase. "Land on
deferred payment"; "Deferred payment settler"; "Pastoral
deferred payment." These expressions in New Zealand have
reference to the mode of statutory alienation of Crown lands,
known in other colonies as conditional sale, etc., i.e. sale
on time payment, with conditions binding the settler to erect
improvements, ending in his acquiring the fee-simple. The
system is obsolete, but many titles are still incomplete.
Dell-bird, n. another name for the
Bell-bird (q.v.).
Dendrolagus, n. the scientific name of the
genus of Australian marsupials called Tree-Kangaroos
(q.v.). (Grk. dendron, a tree, and lagows, a
hare.) Unlike the other kangaroos, their fore limbs are nearly
as long as the hinder pair, and thus adapted for arboreal life.
There are five species, three belong to New Guinea and two to
Queensland; they are the Queensland Tree-Kangaroo,
Dendrolagus lumholtzi; Bennett's T.-k.,
D. bennettianus; Black T.-k., D. ursinus : Brown
T.-k., D. inustus; Doria's T.-k., D. dorianus.
See Kangaroo.
Derry, n. slang. The phrase "to have a down
on" (see Down) is often varied to "have a derry on."
The connection is probably the comic-song refrain, "Hey derry
down derry."
1896. 'The Argus,' March 19, p. 5, col. 9:
"Mr. Croker: Certainly. We will tender it as evidence.
(To the witness.) Have you any particular 'derry' upon this
Wendouree?--No; not at all. There are worse vessels knocking
about than the Wendouree."
Dervener, n. See quotation,
and Derwenter.
1896. 'The Argus,' Jan. 2, p. 3, col. 4, Letters to the
Editor:
"'Dervener.'--An expression used in continental Australia for a
man from the Derwent in Tasmania. Common up till 1850 at
least.--David Blair."
Ibid. Jan. 3, p. 6, col. 6:
"With respect to 'dervener,' the word was in use while the blue
shirt race existed [sc. convicts], and these people did not
become extinct until after 1860.--Cymro-Victoria."
Derwenter, n. a released convict from Hobart
Town, Tasmania, which is on the River Derwent.
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. xx. p. 140:
"An odd pair of sawyers, generally 'Derwenters,' as the
Tasmanian expirees were called."
Desert Lemon, n. called also Native
Kumquat, Atalantia glauca, Hook.,
N.O. Rutacea.
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 8:
"The native kumquat or desert lemon. The fruit is globular,
and about half an inch in diameter. It produces an agreeable
beverage from its acid juice."
Desert-Oak, n. an Australian tree, Casuarina
decaisneana, F. v. M. See Casuarina and Oak.
1896. Baldwin Spencer, 'Horne Expedition in Central
Australia,' Narrative, p. 49:
"We had now amongst these sandhills come into the region of the
'Desert Oak' (Casuarina Decaisneana). Some of the trees
reach a height of forty or fifty feet, and growing either
singly or in clumps form a striking feature amongst the thin
sparse scrub. . . . The younger ones resemble nothing so much
as large funeral plumes. Their outlines seen under a blazing
sun are indistinct, and they give to the whole scene a curious
effect of being 'out of focus.'"
Devil, Tasmanian, n. an animal, Sarcophilus
ursinus, Harris. Formerly, but erroneously, referred to
the genus Dasyurus (q.v.), which includes the Native
Cat (see under Cat): described in the quotations.
1832. J. Bischoff, 'Van Diemen's Land,' vol. ii. p. 29:
"The devil, or as naturalists term it, Dasyurus ursinus,
is very properly named."
1853. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 323:
"The devil (Dasyurus ursinus, Geoff.), about the size of
a bull terrier, is an exceedingly fierce and disgusting-looking
animal, of a black colour, usually having one white band across
the chest, and another across the back, near the tail. It is a
perfect glutton, and most indiscriminate in its feeding."
1862. F. J. Jobson, 'Australia,' c. vii. p. 186:
"Dasyurus ursinus--a carnivorous marsupial. Colonists
in Tasmania, where only it exists . . . called it the 'devil,'
from the havoc it made among their sheep and poultry."
1891. 'Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':
"In the next division is a pair of Tasmanian devils
(Dasyurus ursinus); these unprepossessing-looking brutes
are hated by every one in Tasmania, their habitat, owing to
their destructiveness amongst poultry, and even sheep. They
are black in colour, having only a white band across the chest,
and possess great strength in proportion to their size."
Devil's Guts, n. The name is given in Australia
to the Dodder-Laurel (see Laurel), Cassytha
filiformis, Linn., N.O. Lauraceae. In Tasmania the
name is applied to Lyonsia straminea, R. Br., N.O.
Apocyneae.
1862. W. Archer, 'Products of Tasmania,' p. 41:
"Lyonsia (Lyonsia straminea, Br.). Fibres of the bark
fine and strong. The lyonsia is met with, rather sparingly, in
dense thickets, with its stems hanging like ropes among the
trees."
1889. J. H. Maiden, 'useful Native Plants,' p. 14:
"This and other species of Cassythia are called
'dodder-laurel.' The emphatic name of 'devil's guts' is
largely used. It frequently connects bushes and trees by
cords, and becomes a nuisance to the traveller." [This plant
is used by the Brahmins of Southern India for seasoning their
buttermilk. ('Treasury of Botany.')]
Ibid. p. 162:
"It is also used medicinally."
Devil-on-the-Coals, n. a Bushman's name for
a small and quickly-baked damper.
1862. Rev. A. Polehampton, 'Kangaroo Land,' p. 77:
"Instead of damper we occasionally made what is colonially
known as 'devils on the coals.' . . . They are convenient when
there is not time to make damper, as only a minute or so is
required to bake them. They are made about the size of a
captain's biscuit, and as thin as possible, thrown on the
embers and turned quickly with the hand."
Diamond Bird, n. a bird-name. In the time of
Gould this name was only applied to Pardalotus
punctatus, Temm. Since that time it has been extended to
all the species of the genus Pardalotus (q.v.). The
broken colour of the plumage suggested a sparkling jewel.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 238:
"We are informed by Mr. Caley that this species is called
diamond bird by the settlers, from the spots on its body.
By them it is reckoned as valuable on account of its skin."
Diamond Snake, n. In Queensland and New South
Wales, Pythonon spilotes, Lacep.; in Tasmania,
Hoplocephalus superhus, Gray, venomous. See under
Snake.
Digger, n. a gold-miner. The earliest mines
were alluvial. Of course the word is used elsewhere, but in
Australia it has this special meaning.
1852. Title:
"Murray's Guide to the Gold Diggings.--The Australian Gold
Diggings; where they are, and how to get at them; with letters
from Settlers and Diggers telling how to work them. London:
Stewart & Murray) 1852."
1853. Valiant, 'Letter to Council,' given in McCombie's
'History of Victoria' (1853), c. xvi. p. 248:
"It caused the diggers, as a body, to pause in their headlong
career."
1855. W. Howitt, 'Land, Labour, and Gold,'
vol. ii. p. 148, Letter xxx:
"Buckland River, January 29th, 1854. The diggers here are a
very quiet and civil race, at the same time that they are a
most active and laborious one. . . . The principal part of
the diggers here are from the Ovens."
1864. J. Rogers, 'New Rush,' pt. ii. p. 31:
"Drink success to the digger's trade,
And break up to the squatter's."
1896. H. Lawson, 'While the Billy boils,' p. 148:
"His Father's Mate had always been a general favourite with the
diggers and fossickers, from the days when he used to slip out
first thing in the morning and take a run across the frosty
flat in his shirt."
Digger's Delight, n. a flower, Veronica
perfoliata, R. Br., N.O. Scrophularaneae, described
in quotations.
1878. W. R. Guilfoyle, 'First Book of Australian Botany,' p. 64:
"Digger's Delight, Veronica perfoliata,
N.O. Scrophularineae. A pretty, blue-flowering shrub,
with smooth stem-clasping leaves; found in the mountainous
districts of Victoria and New South Wales, and deriving its
common name from a supposition that its presence indicated
auriferous country. It is plentiful in the elevated cold
regions of Australia."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 147:
"Such native flowers as the wild violet, the shepherd's purse,
or the blue-flowered 'digger's delight.' This latter has come,
perhaps, with the seeds from some miner's holding amongst the
iron-barks in the gold country, and was once supposed to grow
only on auriferous soils. When no one would think of digging
for gold in this field, the presence of the flower is, perhaps,
as reliable an indication of a golconda underneath as the
reports and information on the strength of which many mining
companies are floated."
Diggerdom, n. collective noun, the diggers.
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 43:
"Diggerdom is gloriously in the ascendant here."
Diggeress, n. a digger's wife.
1855. W. Howitt, 'Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 43:
"The digger marching off, followed by his diggeress, a tall,
slim young woman, who strode on like a trooper. . . . Open
carriages driving about, crowded with diggers and their
diggeresses."
1864. J. Rogers, 'New Rush,' pt. ii. p. 36:
"I'm tir'd of being a diggeress,
And yearn a farmer's home to grace."
Diggings, n. a place where gold-mining is
carried on. The word is generally regarded as singular.
Though common in Australia, it is very old, even in the sense
of a place where digging for gold is carried on.
1769. De Foe's 'Tour of Great Britain,' i. 39 ('O.E.D.'):
"King Henry VIII. was induced to dig for Gold. He was
disappointed, but the Diggings are visible at this Day."
1852. J. Morgan, 'Life and Adventures of William Buckley'
(published at Hobart), p. 183 [quoting from the 'Victoria
Commercial Review,' published at Melbourne, by
Messrs. Westgarth, Ross, & Co., under date September 1, 1851]:
"The existence of a 'goldfield' was not ascertained until May
last. . . . Numbers of persons are daily 'prospecting'
throughout this Colony and New South Wales in search of
gold. . . .In Victoria, as well as in New South Wales, regular
'diggings' are now established."
1852. Murray, 'The Australian Gold Diggings: where they are
and how to get at them,' p. 1;
"It cannot but be acceptable to the crowds of intending
colonists and gold seekers, to present them with a picture of
the 'Progress of the Diggins,' [sic] drawn by the diggers."
1858. T. McCombie, 'History of Victoria,' c. xv. p. 234:
"Immigrants who had not means to start to the diggings."
1870. J. O. Tucker, 'The Mute,' p. 48:
"Ye glorious diggings 'neath a southern clime!
I saw thy dawn."
['Ye,' 'thy.' Is this singular or plural?]
1887. H. H. Hayter, 'Christmas Adventure,' p. i:
"Fryer's creek, a diggings more than 90 miles from Melbourne."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. vii. p. 71:
"It was a goldfield and a diggings in far-away Australia."
Dilli, later Dilly-bag, n. an
aboriginal word, coming from Queensland, for a bag made either
of grasses or of fur twisted into cord. Dhilla is the
term for hair in Kabi dialect, Mary River, Queensland.
Dirrang and jirra are corresponding words in the
east of New South Wales. The aboriginal word dilli has
been tautologically increased to dilly-bag, and the word
is used by bushmen for a little bag for odds-and-ends, even
though made of calico or holland.
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 90:
"In their 'dillis' (small baskets) were several roots or
tubers."
Ibid. p. 195:
"A basket (dilli) which I examined was made of a species of
grass."
1885. R. M. Praed, 'Australian Life,' p. 34:
"I learned too at the camp to plait dilly-bags."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xvii. p. 210:
"Mayboy came forward dangling a small dilly-bag."
1896. A.J. North, 'Report of Australian Museum,' p. 26:
"Dilly-bag (partly wool and partly grass)."
Dingle-bird, n. a poetical name for the
Australian Bell-bird (q.v.).
1870. F. S. Wilson, 'Australian Songs,' p. 30:
"The bell-like chimings of the distant dingle-bird."
1883. C. Harpur, 'Poems,' p. 78:
"I . . . list the tinkling of the dinglebird."
Dingo, n. the native dog of Australia, Canis
dingo. "The aborigines, before they obtained dogs from
Europeans, kept the dingo for hunting, as is still done by
coast tribes in Queensland. Name probably not used further
south than Shoalhaven, where the wild dog is called Mirigang."
(A. W. Howitt.)
1790. J. White, 'Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 280:
[A dingo or dog of New South Wales. Plate. Description by J.
Hunter.] "It is capable of barking, although not so readily as
the European dogs; is very ill-natured and vicious, and snarls,
howls, and moans, like dogs in common. Whether this is the
only dog in New South Wales, and whether they have it in a wild
state, is not mentioned; but I should be inclined to believe
they had no other; in which case it will constitute the wolf of
that country; and that which is domesticated is only the wild
dog tamed, without having yet produced a variety, as in some
parts of America."
1798. D. Collins, 'Account of English Colony in New South
Wales,' p. 614 [Vocab.]:
"Jungo---Beasts, common name.
Tein-go---Din-go.
Wor-re-gal---Dog."
1820. W. C. Wentworth, 'Description of New South Wales,' p. 62:
"The native dog also, which is a species of the wolf, was
proved to be fully equal in this respect [sport] to the fox;
but as the pack was not sufficiently numerous to kill these
animals at once, they always suffered so severely from their
bite that at last the members of the hunt were shy in allowing
the dogs to follow them."
1834. L. E. Threlkeld, 'Australian Grammar,' p. 55:
"Tigko---a bitch."
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes '(1855), p. 153:
"I have heard that the dingo, warragal or native dog, does not
hunt in packs like the wolf and jackal."
1860. William Story, 'Victorian Government Prize Essays,' p. 101:
"The English hart is so greatly superior, as an animal of
chase, to that cunning poultry thief the fox, that I trust
Mister Reynard will never be allowed to become an Australian
immigrant, and that when the last of the dingoes shall have
shared the fate of the last English wolf, Australian Nimrods
will resuscitate, at the antipodes of England, the sterling old
national sport of hart hunting, conjointly with that of African
boks, gazelles, and antelopes, and leave the fox to their
English cousins, who cannot have Australian choice."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 103:
"In the neighbourhood of Brisbane and other large towns where
they have packs, they run the dingoes as you do foxes at home."
1880. Garnet Walch, 'Victoria in 1880,' p. 113:
"The arms of the Wimmera should be rabbit and dingo, 'rampant,'
supporting a sun, 'or, inflamed.'"
1881. A. C. Grant, 'Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 71:
"Dingoes, the Australian name for the wild dogs so destructive
to sheep. They were . . . neither more nor less than wolves,
but more cowardly and not so ferocious, seldom going in large
packs. They hunted kangaroos when in numbers, or driven to it
by hunger; but usually preferred smaller and more easily
obtained prey, as rats, bandicoots, and 'possums."
1890. C. Lumholtz, 'Among Cannibals,' p. 38:
"On the large stations a man is kept whose sole work it is to
lay out poison for the dingo. The black variety with white
breast generally appears in Western Queensland along with the
red."
1891. 'Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':
"The dingo of northern Australia can be distinguished from his
brother of the south by his somewhat smaller size and
courageous bearing. He always carries his tail curled over his
back, and is ever ready to attack any one or anything; whilst
the southern dingo carries his tail low, slinks along like a
fox, and is easily frightened. The pure dingo, which is now
exceedingly rare in a wild state, partly through the agency of
poison, but still more from the admixture of foreign breeds, is
unable to bark, and can only express its feelings in long-drawn
weird howls."
1894. 'The Argus,' June 23, p. l1, col. 4:
"Why is the first call of a dingo always apparently miles away,
and the answer to it--another quavering note slightly more
shrill--so close at hand? Is it delusion or distance?"
Dinornis, n. the scientific name given by
Professor Owen to the genus of huge struthious birds of the
post-Pliocene period, in New Zealand, which survive in the
traditions of the Maoris under the name of Moa (q.v.).
From the Greek deinos, terrible, and 'ornis,
bird.
1888. W. L. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. Intro.
p. xviii:
"The specimens [fossil-bones] transmitted . . . were confided
to the learned Professor [Owen] for determination; and these
materials, scanty as they were, enabled him to define the
generic characters of Dinornis, as afforded by the bones
of the hind extremity."
Ibid. p. xxiv:
"Professor Owen had well-nigh exhausted the vocabulary of terms
expressive of largeness by naming his successive discoveries
ingens, giganteus, crassus, robustus, and
elephantopus, when he had to employ the superlative
Dinornis maximus to distinguish a species far exceeding
in stature even the stately Dinornis giganteus. In this
colossal bird . . . some of the cervical vertebrae almost equal
in size the neck-bones of a horse! The skeleton in the British
Museum . . . measures 11 feet in height, and . . . some of these
feathered giants attained to a still greater stature."
Dipper, n. a vessel with a handle at the top of
the side like a big tin mug. That with which one dips. The
word is not Australian, but is of long standing in the United
States, where it is used as a name for the constellation of the
Great Bear.
1893. 'Australasian Schoolmaster,' Feb.:
"These answers have not the true colonial ring of the
following, which purports to be the remark of the woman of
Samaria: 'Sir, the well is very deep, and you haven't got
a dipper.'"
Dips, n. Explained in quotation.
1859. G. Bunce, 'Travels with Leichhardt,' p. 161:
". . . Dr. Leichhardt gave the party a quantity of dough boys,
or as we called them, dips. . ."
[p. 171]: "In this dilemma, Dr. Leichhardt ordered the cook to
mix up a lot of flour, and treated us all to a feed of dips.
These were made as follows:--a quantity of flour was mixed up
with water, and stirred with a spoon to a certain consistency,
and dropped into a pot of boiling water, a spoonful at a time.
Five minutes boiling was sufficient, when they were eaten with
the water in which they were boiled."
Dirt, n. In Australia, any alluvial deposit in
which gold is found; properly Wash-dirt. The word is
used in the United States. See quotation, 187.
1853. Mrs. Chas. Clancy, 'Lady's Visit to the Gold Diggings,'
p. 109:
"And after doing this several times, the 'dirt,' of course,
gradually diminishing, I was overjoyed to see a few bright
specks."
1857. Borthwick, 'California,' [Bartlett, quoted in 'O.E.D.']
p. 120:
"In California, 'dirt' is the universal word to signify the
substance dug; earth, clay, gravel, or loose slate. The miners
talk of rich dirt and poor dirt, and of stripping off so many
feet of 'top dirt' before getting to 'pay-dirt,' the latter
meaning dirt with so much gold in it that it will pay to dig it
up and wash it."
1870. J. O. Tucker, 'The Mute,'p. 40:
"Others to these the precious dirt convey,
Linger a moment till the panning's through."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. xiv. p. 142:
"We were clean worked out . . . before many of our neighbours
at Greenstone Gully, were half done with their dirt."
Ibid. c. xviii. p. 177:
"We must trust in the Oxley 'dirt' and a kind Providence."
Dish, n. and adj. a small and rough
vessel in which gold is washed. The word is used in the United
States.
1890. 'Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 17:
"I have obtained good dish prospects after crudely crushing up
the quartz."
Dishwasher, n. an old English bird-name for the
Water-Wagtail; applied in Australia to Seisura inquieta,
Lath., the Restless Fly-catcher (q.v.). Seisura
is from Grk. seiein (to shake), and 'oura (a
tail), being thus equal in meaning to Wagtail. Also called
Dishlick, Grinder, and Razor-grinder (q.v.).
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of the Linnaean
Society,' vol. xv. p. 250:
"This bird is called by the colonists Dishwasher. It is very
curious in its actions. In alighting on the stump of a tree it
makes several semi-circular motions, spreading out its tail,
and making a loud noise somewhat like that caused by a
razor-grinder when at work."
Distoechurus, n. the scientific name of the
genus of the New Guinea Pentailed-Phalanger, or so-called
Opossum-mouse (q.v.). It has a tail with the long hairs
arranged in two opposite rows, like the vanes of a
feather.(Grk. distoichos, with two rows, and
'oura, a tail.)
Diver, n. common bird-name used in Australia
for a species of Grebe.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. vii. pl. 80:
"Podiceps australis, Gould; Australian Tippet Grebe;
Diver of the Colonists."
Doctor, n. word used in the South Australian
bush for "the cook."
1896. 'The Australasian,' June 13, p. 1133, col. 1:
"'The doctor's in the kitchen, and the boss is in the shed;
The overseer's out mustering on the plain;
Sling your bluey down, old boy, for the clouds are overhead,
You are welcome to a shelter from the rain.'"
Dodder Laurel, n. i.q. Devil's Guts
(q.v.).
Dog-fish, n. The name belongs to various
fishes of distinct families, chiefly sharks. In Australia,
it is used for the fish Scyllium lima, family
Scylliidae. In New South Wales it is Scyllium
maculatum, Bl. The Sprite Dog-fish of New Zealand
is Acanthias maculatus, family Spinacidae. The
Spotted Dog-fish of New South Wales is Scyllium
anale. The Dusky Dogfish of New South Wales is
Chiloscyllium modestum, Gunth., and there are others
in Tasmania and Australia.
Dogleg, adj. applied to a primitive kind of
fence made of rough timber. Crossed spars, which are the
doglegs, placed at intervals, keep in place a low rail resting
on short posts, and are themselves fixed by heavy saplings
resting in the forks above.
1875. R. and F. Hill, 'What we saw in Australia,' p. 61:
". . . we made acquaintance with the 'dog's leg' fence.
This is formed of bare branches of the gum-tree laid obliquely,
several side by side, and the ends overlapping, so that they
have somewhat the appearance that might be presented by the
stretched-out legs of a crowd of dogs running at full speed.
An upright stick at intervals, with a fork at the top, on which
some of the cross-branches rest, adds strength to the
structure."
1888. D. Macdonald, 'Gum Boughs,' p. 13:
"While the primaeval 'dog-leg' fence of the Victorian bush,
or the latter-day 'chock and log' are no impediments in the path
of our foresters." [sc. kangaroos; see Forester.]
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Robbery under Arms,' p. 71:
"As we rode up we could see a gunyah made out of boughs, and a
longish wing of dog leg fence, made light but well put
together."
Dog's Tongue, n. name given to the plant
Cynoglossum suaveolens, R. Br., N.O. Asperifoliae.
Dogwood, n. various trees and their wood; none
of them the same as those called dogwood in the Northern
Hemisphere, but their woods are used for similar purposes, e.g.
butchers' skewers, fine pegs, and small pointed wooden
instruments. In Australia generally, Jacksonia
scoparia, R. Br., also Myoporum platycarpum, R. Br.
In Tasmania, Bedfordia salicina, De C.,
N.O. Compositae, which is also called Honeywood,
and in New South Wales, Cottonwood (q.v.), and the two
trees Pomaderris elliptica, Lab., and P. apetala,
Lab., N.O. Rhamnaceae, which are called respectively
Yellow and Bastard Dogwood. See also
Coranderrk. In parts of Tasmania, Pomaderris
apetala, Lab., N.O. Rhamn/ac?/eae, is also called
Dogwood, or Bastard Dogwood.
1836. Ross, 'Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 16:
"There is a secluded hollow of this kind near Kangaroo Bottom,
near Hobart Town, where the common dogwood of the colony
(pomaderris apetala) has sprung up so thick and tall, that Mr.
Babington and myself having got into it unawares one day, had
the greatest difficulty imaginable to get out after three or
four hours' labour. Not one of the plants was more than six
inches apart from the others, while they rose from 6 to 12
yards in height, with leaves at the top which almost wholly
excluded the light of the sun."
1847. L. Leichhardt, 'Overland Expedition,' p. 11:
"Iron-bark ridges here and there, with spotted gum, with
dogwood (Jacksonia) on a sandy soil." (p. 20): "A
second creek, with running water, which from the number of
dogwood shrubs (Jacksonia), in the full glory of their
golden blossoms, I called 'Dogwood Creek.'"
1894. 'Melbourne Museum Catalogue--Economic Woods,' p. 46:
"Native dogwood, a hard, pale-brown, well-mottled wood; good
for turnery."
Dogwood Poison-bush, n. a New South Wales name;
the same as Ellangowan Poison-bush (q.v.).
Dollar, n. See Holy Dollar.
Dollar-bird, n. name given to the Roller
(q.v.). See quotations.
1827. Vigors and Horsfield, 'Transactions of Linnaean Society,'
vol. xv. p. 202:
"The settlers call it dollar-bird, from the silver-like spot on
the wing."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia;' vol. ii. pl. 17:
"Eurystomus Australis, Swains., Australian Roller.
Dollar Bird of the Colonists. During flight the white spot in
the centre of each wing, then widely expanded, shows very
distinctly, and hence the name of Dollar Bird.'"
1851. I. Henderson, 'Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii.
p. 183:
"The Dollar-bird derives its name from a round white spot the
size of a dollar, on its wing. It is very handsome, and flies
in rather a peculiar manner. It is the only bird which I have
observed to perform regular migrations; and it is strange that
in such a climate any one should do so. But it appears that
the dollar-bird does not relish even an Australian winter.
It is the harbinger of spring and genial weather."
Dollar-fish n. a name often given formerly to
the John Dory (q.v.), from the mark on its side. See
quotation, 1880. The name Dollar-fish is given on the
American coasts to a different fish.
1880. Guenther, 'Study of Fishes,' p. 451:
"The fishermen of Roman Catholic countries hold this fish in
special respect, as they recognize in a black round spot on its
side the mark left by the thumb of St. Peter, when he took the
piece of money from its mouth."
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, 'Fish of New South Wales,'
p. 62:
"The dory has been long known, and when the currency of the
colony was in Mexican coin it was called a 'dollar-fish.'"
Dorca-Kangaroo, n. See Dorcopsis and
Kangaroo.
Dorcopsis, n. the scientific name of a genus of
little Kangaroos with pretty gazelle-like faces.
(Grk. dorkas, a gazelle, and 'opsis, appearance.)
They are called Dorca-Kangaroos, and are confined to New
Guinea, and form in some respects a connecting link between
Macropus and the Tree-Kangaroo (q.v.). There are
three species--the Brown Dorca Kangaroo, Dorcopsis
muelleri; Grey D., D. luctuosa, Macleay's D.,
D. macleayi. See Kangaroo (e).
Dottrel, n. formerly Dotterel, common
English bird-name, applied in Australia to Charadrius
australis, Gould.
Black-fronted Dottrel--
Charadrius nigrifrons, Temm.
Double-banded D.--
C. bicincta, Jord. and Selb.
Hooded D.--
C. monacha, Geoff.
Large Sand D.--
C. (AEgialitis) geoffroyi, Wag.
Mongolian Sand D.--
C. (AEgialitis) mongolica, Pallas.
Oriental D.--
C. veredus, Gould.
Red-capped Dottrel--
Charadrius ruficapilla, Temm.; called also
Sand-lark.
Red-necked D.--
C. (AEgialitis) mastersi, Ramsay.
Ringed D.--
C. hiaticula, Linn. [See also Red-knee.]
Dove, n. a well-known English bird-name,
applied in Australia to the--
Barred-shouldered Dove--
Geopelia humeralis, Temm.
Ground D.--
G. tranquilla, Gould.
Little D.--
G. cuneata, Lath. [See also Ground-dove.]
Dove-Petrel, n. a well-known English bird-name.
The species in the-Southern Seas are--
Prion turtur, Smith.
Banks D.-P.--
P. banksii, Smith.
Broad-billed D.-P.--
P. vittata, Forst.
Fairy D.-P.--
P. ariel, Gould.
Dover, n. a clasp knife, by a maker of that
name, once much used in the colonies.
1878. 'The Australian,' vol. i. p. 418:
"In plates and knives scant is the shepherd's store,
'Dover' and pan are all, he wants no more."
1893. April 15, 'A Traveller's Note':
"'So much a week and the use of my Dover' men used to say in
making a contract of labour."
1894. 'Bush Song' [Extract]:
"Tie up the dog beside the log,
And come and flash your Dover."
Down, n. a prejudice against, hostility to;
a peculiarly Australian noun made out of the adverb.
1856. W. W. Dobie, 'Recollections of a Visit to Port Philip,'
p. 84:
". . . the bushranger had been in search of another squatter,
on whom 'he said he had a down'. . ."
1884. J. W. Bull, 'Early Life in South Australia,' p. 179:
"It was explained that Foley had a private 'down' on them,
as having stolen from him a favourite kangaroo dog."
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia, vol. iv. p. 180:
"They [diggers] had a 'dead down' on all made dishes."
1893. Professor Gosman, 'The Argus,' April 24, p. 7, col. 4:
"That old prejudice in the minds of many men to the effect that
those who represented the churches or religious people had a
regular down upon freedom of thought."
1893. 'The Age,' June 24, p. 5, col. 1:
"Mr. M. said it was notorious in the department that one of the
commissioners had had 'a down' on him."
1893. R. L. Stevenson, 'Island Nights' Entertainments,' p. 46:
"'They have a down on you,' says Case. 'Taboo a man because
they have a down on him'' I cried. 'I never heard the like.'"
Down, adv. "To come, or be down," is the phrase
used in Australian Universities for to be "plucked," or
"ploughed," or "spun," i.e., to fail in an examination. It has
been in use for a few years, certainly not earlier than 1886.
The metaphor is either taken from a fall from a horse, or
perhaps from the prize-ring. The use has no connection with
being "sent down," or "going down," at Oxford or Cambridge.
Draft, v. to separate and sort cattle. An
adaptation of the meaning "to select and draw off for
particular service," especially used of soldiers.
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. vi. p. 46:
"I should like to be drafting there again."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'The Squatter's Dream,' p. 2:
"There were those cattle to be drafted that had been brought
from the Lost Waterhole."
Draft, n. a body of cattle separated from the
rest of the herd.
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. ii. p. 22:
"A draft of out-lying cattle rose and galloped off."
Drafter, n. a man engaged in drafting cattle.
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xviii. p. 227:
"They behave better, though all the while keeping the drafters
incessantly popping at the fence by truculent charges."
Drafting-gate, n. gate used in separating
cattle and sheep into different classes or herds.
1890. 'The Argus,' Aug. 16, p. 4, col. 7:
"But the tent-flap seemed to go up and down quick as a
drafting-gate."
Drafting-stick, n. a stick used in drafting
cattle.
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Melbourne Memories,' c. x. p. 72:
"We . . . armed ourselves with drafting-sticks and resolutely
faced it."
Drafting-yard, n. a yard for drafting cattle.
1890. 'The Argus,' Aug. 16, p. 13, col. 1:
"There were drafting-yards and a tank a hundred yards off,
but no garden."
Dray, n. an ordinary cart for goods. See
quotation, 1872.
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,' vol. i. Intro. p. xlix:
"They send their produce to the market . . . receiving supplies
for home consumption on the return of their drays or carts from
thence."
1872. C. H. Eden, "My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 31:
"A horse dray, as known in Australia, is by no means the
enormous thing its name would signify, but simply an ordinary
cart on two wheels without springs." [There are also
spring-drays.]
1886. H. C. Kendall, 'Poems,' p. 41:
"One told by camp fires when the station drays
Were housed and hidden, forty years ago."
Dromicia, n. the scientific name of the
Australian Dormouse Phalangers, or little
Opossum- or Flying-Mice, as they are locally
called. See Opossum, Opossum-mouse, and
Phalanger. They are not really the "Flying"-Mice or
Flying-phalanger, as they have only an incipient parachute, but
they are nearly related to the Pigmy Petaurists (q.v.)
or small Flying-Phalangers. (Grk. dromikos, good
at running, or swift.)
Drongo, n. This bird-name was "given by Le
Vaillant in the form drongeur to a South African bird
afterwards known as the Musical Drongo, Dicrurus
musicus, then extended to numerous . . . fly-catching,
crow-like birds." ('Century.') The name is applied in
Australia to Chibia bracteata, Gould, which is called
the Spangled Drongo.
1895. W. 0. Legge, 'Australasian Association for the
Advancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 448:
"There being but one member of the interesting Asiatic genus
Drongo in Australia, it was thought best to characterize
it simply as the Drongo without any qualifying term."
Drop, n. (Slang.) To "have the drop on" is to
forestall, gain advantage over, especially by covering with a
revolver.
It is curious that while an American magazine calls this phrase
Australian (see quotation), the 'Dictionary of Slang'--one
editor of which is the distinguished American, Godfrey
C. Leland--says it is American. It is in common use in
Australia.
1894. 'Atlantic Monthly,' Aug., p. 179.
"His terrible wife, if we may borrow a phrase from Australia,
'had the drop on him' in every particular."
Drooping Acacia, n. See Acacia.
Drove, v. to drive travelling cattle or sheep.
1890. A. J. Vogan, 'Black Police,' p. 334:
"I don't know how you'd be able to get on without the 'boys' to
muster, track, and drove."
1896. A. B. Paterson, 'Man from Snowy River' [Poem 'In the
Droving Days'], p. 95:
"For though lie scarcely a trot can raise,
He can take me back to the droving days."
Drum, n. a bundle; more usually called
a swag (q.v.).
1866. Wm. Starner, 'Recollections of a Life of Adventure,'
vol. i. p. 304
". . . and 'humping his drum' start off for the diggings to
seek more gold."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 17:
"They all chaffed us about our swags, or donkeys, or drums,
as a bundle of things wrapped in a blanket is indifferently
called."
1886. Frank Cowan, 'Australia, Charcoal Sketch,' p. 31:
"The Swagman: bed and board upon his back--or, having humped
his drum and set out on the wallaby . . ."
Drummer, n. a New South Wales name for the fish
Girella elevata, Macl., of the same family as the
Black-fish (q.v.).
Dry-blowing, n. a Western Australian term in
gold-mining.
1894. 'The Argus,' March 28, p. 5, col. 5:
"When water is not available, as unfortunately is the case at
Coolgardie, 'dry blowing' is resorted to. This is done by
placing the pounded stuff in one dish, and pouring it slowly at
a certain height into the other. If there is any wind blowing
it will carry away the powdered stuff; if there is no wind the
breath will have to be used. It is not a pleasant way of
saving gold, but it is a case of Hobson's choice. The
unhealthiness of the method is apparent."
Duboisine, n. an alkaloid derived from the
plant Duboisia myoposides, N.O. Sofanaceae, a
native of Queensland and New South Wales. It is used in
medicine as an application to the eye for the purpose of
causing the pupil to dilate, in the same way as atropine, an
alkaloid obtained from the belladonna plant in Europe, has long
been employed. Duboisine was discovered and introduced into
therapeutics by a Brisbane physician.
Duck, n. the well-known English name of the
birds of the Anatinae, Fuligulinae, and other series,
of which there are about 125 species comprised in about 40 genera.
The Australian genera and species are---
Blue-billed Duck--
Erismatura australis, Gould.
Freckled D.--
Stictonetta naevosa, Gould.
Mountain D. (the Shel-drake, q.v.).
Musk D. (q.v.)--
Biziura lobata, Shaw.
Pink-eared D., or Widgeon (q.v.)--
Malacorhynchus membranaceus, Lath.
Plumed Whistling D.--
Dendrocygna eytoni, Gould.
Whistling D.--
D. vagans, Eyton. [Each species of the
Dendrocygna called also by sportsmen Tree-duck.]
White-eyed D., or Hard-head (q.v.)--
Nyroca australis, Gould.
Wild D.--
Anas superciliosa, Gmel.
Wood D. (the Maned Goose; see Goose).
The following is a table of the ducks as compiled by Gould nearly
fifty years ago.
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. vii:
Plate
Anas superciliosa, Gmel.
Australian Wild Duck . . . 9
Anas naevosa, Gould,
Freckled Duck . . . 10
Anas punctata, Cuv.
Chestnut-breasted Duck . . . 11
Spatula Rhyncotis,
Australian Shoveller . . . 12
Malacorhynchus membranaceus, . . . 13
Membranaceous Duck
Dendrocygna arcuata,
Whistling Duck (q.v.) . . . 14
Leptolarsis Eytoni, Gould,
Eyton's Duck . . . 15
Nyroca Australis, Gould,
White-eyed Duck . . . 16
Erismatura Australis,
Blue-billed Duck . . . 17
Biziura lobata,
Musk Duck . . . 18
The following is Professor Parker's statement of the New Zealand
Ducks.
1889. Prof. Parker, 'Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,'
p. 117:
"There are eleven species of Native Ducks belonging to nine
genera, all found elsewhere, except two--the little Flightless
Duck of the Auckland Islands (genus Nesonetta) and the
Blue Mountain Duck (Hymenolaemus). Among the most
interesting of the non-endemic forms, are the Paradise Duck or
Sheldrake (Casarca variegata), the Brown Duck (Anas
chlorotis), the Shoveller or Spoonbill Duck (Rhynchaspis
variegata), and the Scaup or Black Teal (Fuligula
Novae-Zealandiae)."
Duckbill, n. See Platypus. Sometimes
also called Duckmole.
Duckmole, n. See Platypus.
1825. Barron Field, 'First Fruits of Australian Poetry,'
in 'Geographical Memoirs of New South Wales,' p. 496:
"When sooty swans are once more rare,
And duck-moles the museum's care."
[Appendix : "Water or duck-mole."]
1875. Schmidt, 'Descent and Darwinism,' p. 237:
"The Ornithorhyncus or duck-mole of Tasmania."
Duck-shoving, and Duckshover, n.
a cabman's phrase.
In Melbourne, before the days of trams, the wagonette-cabs used
to run by a time-table from fixed stations at so much
(generally 3d.) a passenger. A cabman who did not wait
his turn on the station rank, but touted for passengers up and
down the street in the neighbourhood of the rank, was termed a
Duck-shover.
1870. D. Blair, 'Notes and Queries,' Aug. 6, p. 111:
"Duck-shoving is the term used by our Melbourne cabmen to
express the unprofessional trick of breaking the rank, in order
to push past the cabman on the stand for the purpose of picking
up a stray passenger or so."
1896. 'Otago Daily Times,' Jan. 25, p. 3, col. 6:
"The case was one of a series of cases of what was technically
known as 'duck shoving,' a process of getting passengers which
operated unfairly against the cabmen who stayed on the licensed
stand and obeyed the by-law."
Dudu, n. aboriginal name for a pigeon,
fat-breasted, and very good eating.
1852. G. C. Mundy, 'Our Antipodes' (3rd ed. 1855), c. vii.
p. 170:
"In the grassland, a sort of ground pigeon, called the dudu,
a very handsome little bird, got up and went off like a
partridge, strong and swift, re-alighting on the ground, and
returning to cover."
Duff, v. to steal cattle by altering the
brands.
1869. E. Carton Booth, 'Another England,' p. 138:
"He said there was a 'duffing paddock' somewhere on the Broken
River, into which nobody but the owner had ever found an
entrance, and out of which no cattle had ever found their
way--at any rate, not to come into their owner's
possession. . . . The man who owned the 'duffing paddock'
was said to have a knack of altering cattle brands . . ."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Squatter's Dream,' c. xiv. p. 162:
"I knew Redcap when he'd think more of duffing a red heifer
than all the money in the country."
1891. Rolf Boldrewood, 'A Sydneyside Saxon,' p. 95:
"As to the calves I'm a few short myself, as I think that
half-caste chap of yours must have 'duffed.'"
Duffer, n. a cattle stealer,
i.q. Cattle-duffer (q.v.).
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Colonial Reformer,' c. xxv. p. 352:
"What's a little money . . . if your children grow up duffers
and planters?"
Duffer2, n. a claim on a mine which turns out
unproductive, called also shicer (q.v.). [This is only
a special application of the slang English, duffer, an
incapable person, or a failure. Old English Daffe, a
fool]
1861. T. McCombie, 'Australian Sketches,' p. 193:
"It was a terrible duffer anyhow, every ounce of gold got from
it cost L 20 I'll swear."
1864. J Rogers, 'New Rush,' p. 55:
"Tho' duffers are so common
And golden gutters rare,
The mining sons of woman
Can much ill fortune bear."
1873. A.Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 291:
"A shaft sunk without any produce from it is a duffer. . . .
But of these excavations the majority were duffers. It is the
duffering part of the business which makes it all so sad.So
much work is done from which there is positively no return."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 266:
"The place is then declared to be a 'duffer,' and abandoned,
except by a few fanatics, who stick there for months and
years."
1891. 'The Australasian,' Nov. 21, p. 1014:
"Another duffer! Rank as ever was bottomed! Seventy-five feet
hard delving and not a colour!"
Duffer out, v. A mine is said to duffer out,
when it has ceased to be productive.
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia,' p. 279:
"He then reported to the shareholders that the lode had
'duffered out,' and that it was useless to continue working."
1889. Cassell's 'Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 73:
"Cloncurry has, to use the mining parlance, duffered out."
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, 'Miner's Right,' c. vi. p. 58:
"'So you're duffered out again, Harry,' she said."
Dugong Oil, n. an oil obtained in Australia,
from Halicore dugong, Gmel., by boiling the superficial
fat. A substitute for cod-liver oil. The dugongs are a genus
of marine mammals in the order Sirenia.
H. dugong inhabits the waters of North and North-east
Australia, the southern shores of Asia, and the east coast of
Africa. The word is Malay.
Dug-out, n. a name imported into New Zealand
from America, but the common name for an ordinary Maori canoe.
Duke Willy, n. See Whistling Dick.
Dummy, n. (1) In Australia, when land was
thrown open for selection (q.v.), the squatters who had
previously the use of the land suffered. Each squatter
exercised his own right of selection. Many a one also induced
others to select nominally for themselves, really for the
squatter. Such selector was called a dummy. The law then
required the selector to swear that he was selecting the land
for his own use and benefit. Some of the dummies did not
hesitate to commit perjury. Dictionaries give "dummy,
adj. fictitious or sham." The Australian noun is an
extension of this idea. Webster gives "(drama) one who
plays a merely nominal part in any action, sham character."
This brings us near to the original dumby, from
dumb, which is radically akin to German dumm,
stupid.
1866. D. Rogerson, 'Poetical Works, p. 23:
"The good selectors got most of the land,
The dummies being afraid to stand."
1866. H. Simcox, 'Rustic Rambles, p. 21:
"See the dummies and the mediums,
Bagmen, swagmen, hastening down."
1872. A. McFarland, 'Illawarra and Manaro,' p. 125:
"Since free selection was introduced, a good many of the
squatters (they say, in self-defence) have, in turn, availed
themselves of it, to secure 'the eyes' or water-holes of the
country, so far as they could by means of 'dummies,' and other
blinds."
1879. R. Niven, 'Fraser's Magazine,' April, p. 516:
"This was the, in the colony, well-known 'dummy' system. Its
nature may be explained in a moment. It was simply a swindling
transaction between the squatter on the one hand and some
wretched fellow on the other, often a labourer in the
employment of the squatter, in which the former for a
consideration induced the latter to personate the character of
a free selector, to acquire from the State, for the purpose of
transferring to himself, the land he most coveted out of that
thrown open for selection adjoining his own property."
1892. 'Scribner's Magazine,' Feb. p. 140:
"By this device the squatter himself, all the members of the
family, his servants, shepherds, boundary-riders, station-hands
and rabbiters, each registered a section, the dummies duly
handing their 'selection' over to the original holder for a
slight consideration."
(2) Colloquial name for the grip-car of the Melbourne trams.
Originally the grip-car was not intended to carry passengers:
hence the name.
1893. 'The Herald' (Melbourne), p. 5, col. 5:
"Linked to the car proper is what is termed a dummy."
1897. 'The Argus,' Jan. 2, p. 7, col. 5:
"But on the tramcar, matters were much worse. The front seat
of the dummy was occupied by a young Tasmanian lady and her
cousin, and, while one portion of the cart struck her a
terrible blow on the body, the shaft pinned her by the neck
against the front stanchion of the dummy."
Dummy, v. to obtain land in the way above
described.
1873. A.Trollope, 'Australia and New Zealand,' c. vi. p. 101:
"Each partner in the run has purchased his ten thousand,
and there have been many Mrs. Harrises. The Mrs. Harris system
is generally called dummying--putting up a non-existent
free-selector--and is illegal. But I believe no one will deny
that it has been carried to a great extent."
1896. 'The Champion' (Melbourne), Jan. 11:
"The verb 'to dummy' and the noun 'dummyism' are purely
Australian, quotations to illustrate the use of which can be
obtained from 'Hansard,' the daily papers, and such works as
Epps' monograph on the 'Land Tenure Systems of Australasia.'"
Dummyism, n. obtaining land by
misrepresentation. See Dummy, n.
1875. 'The Spectator' (Melbourne), June 19, p. 8, col. 2:
"'Larrikinism' was used as a synonym for 'blackguardism,'
and 'dummyism' for perjury."
1876. 'The Argus,' Jan. 26, p. 6, col. 6:
"Mr. Bent thought that a stop should be put to all selection
and dummyism till a land law was introduced."
1887. J. F. Hogan, 'The Irish in Australia, p. 98:
"This baneful and illegal system of land-grabbing is known
throughout the colonies by the expressive name of 'dummyism,'
the persons professing to be genuine selectors, desirous of
establishing themselves on the soil, being actually the agents
or the 'dummies of the adjoining squatters."
Dump, n. a small coin formerly used in
Australia and Tasmania. Its history is given in the
quotations. In England the word formerly meant a heavy
leaden counter; hence the expression, "I don't care a dump."
See Holy Dollar.
1822. 'Hobart Town Gazette,' December 14:
"Government Public Notice.--The Quarter Dollars, or 'Dumps,'
struck from the centre of the Spanish Dollar, and issued by
His Excellency Governor Macquarie, in the year 1813, at One
Shilling and Threepence each, will be exchanged for Treasury
Bills at Par, or Sterling money."
1823. 'Sydney Gazette,' Jan. ['Century']:
"The small colonial coin denominated dumps have all been called
in. If the dollar passes current for five shillings the dump
lays claim to fifteen pence value still in silver money."
1827. P. Cunningham, 'Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.
p. 44
"He only solicits the loan of a 'dump,' on pretence of treating
his sick gin to a cup of tea."
Ibid. p. 225:
"The genuine name of an Australian coin, in value
1s. 3d."
1852. J. West, 'History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 141:
"Tattered promissory notes, of small amount and doubtful
parentage, fluttered about the colony; dumps, struck out from
dollars, were imitated by a coin prepared without requiring
much mechanical ingenuity."
1870. T. H. Braim, 'New Homes,' c. iii. p. 131:
"The Spanish dollar was much used. A circular piece was struck
out of the centre about the size of a shilling, and it was
called a 'dump.'"
1879. W. J. Barry, 'Up and Down,' p. 5:
"The coin current in those days (1829) consisted of ring-
dollars and dumps, the dump being the centre of the dollar
punched out to represent a smaller currency."
1893. 'The Daily News' (London), May 11, p. 4:
"The metallic currency was then [1819-25] chiefly Spanish
dollars, at that time and before and afterwards the most widely
disseminated coin in the world, and they had the current value
of 5s. But there were too few of them, and therefore
the centre of them was cut out and circulated under the name of
'dumps' at 1s. 3d. each, the remainder of the
coin--called by way of a pun, 'holy dollars'--still retaining
its currency value of 5s."
Dump, v. to press closely; applied to wool.
Bales are often marked "not to be dumped."
1872. C. H. Eden, 'My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 98:
"The great object of packing so close is to save carriage
through the country, for however well you may do it, it is
always re-pressed, or 'dumped,' as it is called, by hydraulic
pressure on its arrival in port, the force being so great as to
crush two bales into one."
1875. R. and F. Hill, 'What we saw in Australia,' p. 207:
"From the sorting-tables the fleeces are carried to the
packing-shed; there, by the help of machinery, they are pressed
into sacks, and the sacks are then themselves heavily pressed
and bound with iron bands, till they become hard cubes. This
process is called 'dumping.'"
Dumplings, n. i.q. Apple-berry (q.v.).
Dundathee, or Dundathu Pine, n. the
Queensland species (Agathis robusta, Sal.) of the
Kauri Pine (q.v.); and see Pine.
Dungaree-Settler, n. Now obsolete. See
quotation.
1852. Anon, 'Settlers and Convicts; or, Recollections of
Sixteen Years' Labour in the Australian Backwoods,' p. 11:
"The poor Australian settler (or, according to colonist
phraseology, the Dungaree-settler; so called from their
frequently clothing themselves, their wives, and children
in that blue Indian manufacture of cotton known as
Dungaree) sells his wheat crop."
Dunite, n. an ore in New Zealand, so called
from Dun mountain, near Nelson.
1883. J. Hector, 'Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 56:
"Chrome ore. This ore, which is a mixture of chromic iron and
alumina, is chiefly associated with magnesian rock, resembling
olivine in composition, named Dunite by Dr. Hochstetter."
Dust, n. slang for flour.
1893. Dec. 12, 'A Traveller's Note':
"A bush cook said to me to-day, we gave each sundowner a
pannikin of dust."
Dwarf-box, n. Eucalyptus microtheca,
F. v. M. See Box. This tree has also many other names.
See Maiden's 'Useful Native Plants,' p. 495.
1833. C. Sturt, 'Southern Australia,' vol. i. c. i. p. 22:
"Dwarf-box and the acacia pendula prevailed along the plains."
E
Eagle, n. There are nine species of the true
Eagle, all confined to the genus Haliaetus, such as the
Baldheaded Eagle (H. leucocephalus), the national emblem
of the United States. ('Century.') In Australia the name is
assigned to--
Little Eagle--
Aquila morphnoides, Gould.
Wedge-tailed E. (Eagle-hawk)--
A. audax, Lath.
Whistling E.--
Haliaetus sphenurus, Vieill.
White-bellied Sea E.--
H. leucogaster, Gmel.
White-headed Sea E.--
Haliaster girrenera, Vieill.
Eaglehawk, n. an Australian name for the bird
Uroaetus, or Aquila audax, Lath. The name was
applied to the bird by the early colonists of New South Wales,
and has persisted. In 'O.E.D.' it is shown that the name was
used in Griffith's translation (1829) of Cuvier's 'Regne
Animal' as a translation of the French aigle-autour,
Cuvier's name for a South American bird of prey of the genus
Morphnus, called Spizaetus by Vieillot; but it is
added that the word never came into English use. See
Eagle. There is a town in Victoria called Eaglehawk.
The Bendigo cabmen make the name a monosyllable, "Glawk."
1834. L. E. Threlkeld, 'Australian Grammar, p. 56:
"The large eaglehawk, which devours young kangaroos, lambs,
etc."
1848. J. Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. i. pl. 1:
"Aquila Fucosa, Cuv., [now A. audax, Lath.]
Wedge-tailed eagle. Eaglehawk, Colonists of New South Wales."
1863. B. A. Heywood, 'Vacation Tour at the Antipodes,' p. 106:
"We knew it was dying, as two large eaglehawks were hovering
about over it."
1880. Fison and Howitt, 'Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 251:
"The hair of a person is tied on the end of the throwing-stick,
together with the feathers of the eagle hawk."
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, 'Advance Australia', p. 106:
"Since the destruction of native dogs and eagle-hawks by the
squa