Additions to the Australian Lexicographical Record

James Lambert

In terms of Australian lexicography there have only been a few works on historical principles. The first of these was Morris' Austral English of 1898 – much of which was incorporated into the Oxford English Dictionary and its supplements, which for many years was the primary source for historical lexical information regarding the Australian idiom. Then came Wilkes' Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms in 1978 (and now into its fourth edition). All of these were largely superseded by Ramson's Australian National Dictionary in 1988. This is now the primary source, though it still needs to be supplemented by the various editions of Wilkes, who draws his boundaries for what an "Australianism" is with a different pen. In addition to these Gary Simes' Dictionary of Australian Underworld Slang of 1993 provided numerous predatings as well as well-researched entries on a number of terms hitherto unrecognised as Australian in origin.

During 2003-4 I was engaged upon writing the Australian entries for the New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (forthcoming 2005) for the publishers Routledge. This required 4000 entries with date of first occurrence and supporting citations. Only words that were in use after 1945 were of interest; terms that had dropped out of usage before that time were not included. In order to do this I embarked on a reading program and amassed a citation collection of over 35000 records, upon which I could base my entries. As would be expected I happened upon a number of odd pieces of information that can be added to that which is represented in the various historical works mentioned above.

I was fortunate enough to "inherit" a handwritten citation collection from Ted Hartley. In 1944 Hartley authored a glossary of prison slang which was discovered amongst the papers of Kylie Tennant by Gary Simes. This glossary was reproduced, along with another, in Simes' Dictionary of Australian Underworld Slang (1993). However, Hartley had also read widely in Australian literature and had his own citation collection based on this reading. When Hartley passed away in 2001 this citation collection was only one small item of a large collection of material that was to be sold off by the executor of his will. It was offered to a book dealer named Peter Tinslay who declined to take it on the grounds that he could not envisage any commercial value for it. As luck would have it Peter was a personal friend of mine and so was able to say that he knew of a person who might be interested in taking the citation cards. My oath he did! In fact, as the executor explained to me, since he hadn't been able to sell the collection, if I had not taken them then they would have been consigned to the tip! The thought of all those citations, collected by a true enthusiast, selected by a true blue Aussie slang speaker, painstakingly handwritten and diligently maintained over a period of years, ending up as landfill – well, it doesn't bear thinking about.

The Hartley collection does have some drawbacks. Firstly, Hartley's handwriting is chicken scratch of the highest order, and deciphering it is a type of torture. My own hand is pretty poor, and far be it from me to judge too harshly, but, it really has to be seen to be believed. Secondly, Hartley did not include on his citation cards the year of the edition he used. This means that the page numbers given are a bit iffy. That is, if you happen to have the same edition, then all is okay, but if not, then the page numbers most probably won't match up. I assume that Hartley had the necessary information either written down somewhere, or that he still had the books themselves, but alas, the information did not come down to me. This is of course only a minor problem – anyone who really wants to track down one of Hartley's citations can guesstimate for the edition they have, search through different editions, or simply read the entire text.

I have since passed the Hartley collection onto the Australian National Dictionary Centre where it will be kept as a separate collection.

In some ways the Australian National Dictionary has become the central repository of lexicographical quotations for Australianisms. No doubt the next edition will incorporate all new findings revealed in Simes' work, and also those appearing in the later editions of Wilkes. So much the better if all relevant information is available in one reference work.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Aboriginal Act n. any of various legislative acts concerning the control of the Aboriginal population by government.

1975 Xavier Herbert Poor Fellow My Country 184 'You're well aware that no Aboriginal person is allowed to go anywhere without the permission of a Protector. By transporting the boy without that permission, you've committed an offence under the Aboriginal Act.'

1978 M.J. 'Chap' Burton Bush Pub (1983) iii. 24 [S]erving or permitting to be served a native Aboriginal, a person under the Aboriginal Act, or a drunken person, or a person under the age of twenty-one, all figured on a list of traps for the unwary publican.

1994 Herb Wharton Cattle Camp 183 Lotta them black fellas they had there under the Aboriginal Act worked for nothing, almost.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

Act, the n. the Aboriginal Act.

1963 Wal Watkins Race the Lazy River (1972) i. 17 'He ought to be put under the Act, so he can't buy a drink.'

1994 Herb Wharton Cattle Camp 4 If an Aborigine was placed under the Act, it meant that they were totally controlled by the government's local agent.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

Anglo adj. of Anglo-Australian heritage.

1982 The Australian Children's Folklore Newsletter #3 4/2 For a long time Anglo dominance in the playground seems to have been the norm[.]

1983 Robert Drewe The Bodysurfers 52 [H]e was regarded by the school's Latino and black drug and weaponry entrepreneurs as an egregiously unhip Anglo novelty.

1985 Alma Aldrette in Joseph's Coat 34 Mrs Castellanos thought that these Anglo girls were young and cheap.

1992 Sydney Star Observer 21 Feb 7 Material in the campaign includes photographs of a muscle man with a drag queen on a motorbike, an Anglo leatherman carrying a young Asian man[.]

1993 Sun-Herald 19 Sep 119 But my family moved to an Anglo suburb when I was 10.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

Anglo n. a person of Anglo-Australian heritage. Hence, the English language.

1982 Gerald Sweeney Invasion 139 No one seemed to notice the bulk exodus of Australian Anglos.

ibid., 115 'To this day, they actually think we give a damn about them. Because they're white and speak Anglo.

1985 Alma Aldrette in Joseph's Coat 21 To be equal to or better than the Anglos.

1987 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Aug 1 At her children's school, the Greek boys congregated in opposition to the so-called 'Anglos'.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

arse n. a fool; a 'dickhead'.

1944 Lawson Glassop We Were The Rats III. xl. 231 'You mean you'll act the silly arse and go out and get yourself killed?'

1988 Clive Galea Slipper xxi. 145 'I've fallen for the oldest worn-out trick in the book and if it hadn't been for Greek Tommy I'd have gone on making a complete arse of myself,' he realised, as he tossed and turned.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

ash v.t. to rid (a cigar or cigarette) of ash. Also, v.i., to drop cigar or cigarette ash (onto something).

1930 Lennie Lower Here's Luck viii. 38 'Gee! I remember once,' she said, ashing her cigarette on my coat-sleeve, 'he blew up a balloon and sat on it.'

1935 Frederick J. Thwaites The Melody Lingers xvii 256 Dale was silent for a moment, then he ashed his cigarette with a hand that trembled slightly.

1953 [C.A. Wright] Caddie: A Sydney Barmaid (1966) x. 43 He walked slowly over to the grate and ashed his cigarette.

1961 Kenneth Cook Wake in Fright ii. 52 He realized that he was standing staring at her and he sat down quickly, making a business of ashing his cigarette.

1969 Frank Moorhouse Futility and other animals 19 I carefully ashed my cigarette on the bed post, wondering what to say.

1978 C.J. Koch The Year Of Living Dangerously ii. 35 Hamilton ashed his cigar, and studied the end of it for some moments without speaking.

1989 'Dame Edna Everage' My Gorgeous Life 98 'Roy, get our coronation ashtray for Leslie prithee, or he'll be ashing all over the carpet.'

1990 Ignatius Jones True Hip 127 Women whose clothes are obviously Works of Art - Heaven help you if you laugh hysterically when someone ashes on them and they catch fire.

1996 Sponge Magazine (Sydney) [32]/2 She wanted a cigarette just so she could ash on the deodorant.

2003 The Chaser (Sydney) Nov 3/4 It has now been revealed Melbourne was only awarded the Games after the Australian representative ashed his cigar in the eight hour of the otherwise silent Bidding Auction.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. This seems a strange word to be an Australianism since it is not slang, and the practice itself is in no way unique, nevertheless, it appears that this verbal use is not present in other Englishes.

the Ashes n. the trophy played for by Australian and England in test cricket.

1882 Bulletin 9 Dec 13 [Ivo Bligh] hoped before concluding their tour, to be able to regain the revered ashes of English cricket which had been laid on the shelf in England by the Australian Eleven.

Notes: Predating AND 1883.

Aussie n. a pizza with bacon (or ham) and eggs.

1992 Casa Cordobes Pizzeria menu (Sydney) aussie ..... $12.90 $15.90 $18.90 (Bacon and Egg).

2004 Eat-A-Pizza menu (Darwin) aussie: Onion, Bacon & Egg.

2004 La Venezia Pizza menu (Kingston) aussi: [sic] bacon, eggs, onion, tomato & cheese.

2004 Mojo's Weird Pizza menu (Melbourne) aussie: Ham & Egg.

2004 Pedro's Pit menu (Melbourne) aussie: tomato, cheese, ham, bacon & egg.

2004 John's Pizza menu (Coober Pedy, SA) aussie: Tomato, cheese, ham, egg, bacon.

Notes: Although a standard item of pizzeria cuisine throughout the entire country, this little gem seems to have entirely escaped the notice of lexicographers.

Australian n. a pizza with bacon (or ham) and eggs.

1992 Cyclopes Pizza menu(Sydney) australian ..... $8.50 $11.00 $13.70 Tomato, Cheese, Ham, Egg, Onions.

1992 Dulwich Hill Pizza menu (Sydney) australian: Ham, Onion, Egg, Double Cheese.

2004 Normanville Fish Shop & Pizza menu (SA) australian: Ham, Bacon & Cheese.

Notes: See above.

Australiana n. a pizza with bacon (or ham) and eggs.

1992 Torino Pizzeria menu (Sydney) australiana: Bacon, Egg, $8.60 $9.40 $12.00.

1992 Benito Pizza menu (Sydney) 5 Australiana: Bacon, Onion, Egg.

2004 Crows Nest Pizzeria, Kebabs & Pasta menu (Sydney) australiana: Ham, onion and eggs.

2004 Pizzeria Rio menu (Sydney) Australiana: Ham, bacon, onion & egg.

Notes: Mock-Italian; see above.

Australianese n. Australian English or slanguage.

1978 Patsy Adam-Smith The ANZACS x. 102 Anzac burial parties greeted the enemy with odds and ends of Arabic phrases, and with Australianese that must have been incomprehensible to them.

Notes: Postdating AND 1965.

babbling brook n. a cook.

1905 Duke Tritton in John Meredith Learn To Talk Old Jack Lang 15 No doubt about it, my Mary is a bottling babbling brook.

Notes: Predating AND 1913.

back of beyond n. remote area.

1879Catherine Helen Spence Handfasted V. vii. 320 'No but I mean the finding out of relatives and friends at what Papa would call "the back of beyond". That was quite a new experience.'

Notes: Predating AND 1888.

bag of fruit n. rhyming slang for 'suit'.

1924 Gilbert H. Lawson A Dictionary of Australian Words and Terms 11 bag of fruit – A suit.

1965 John O'Grady Aussie English 13 bag of fruit. A suit. An abomination which, with a tie, is still worn in Australia, even in summer. But the further north you go, the fewer will you see. And right up 'the top end', it would be difficult to find a man who owns one.

1984 'Ken Oathe' The Real Australian Bloke's Guide To Survival 19 For weddings, christenings and funerals he's got the maroon bag of fruit and the shiny, copper-coloured Raoul Merton lace-ups

1991 Rex Mossop The Moose That Roared xi. 137 Imagine the problems he presented to the French who were trying to make some sense of 'tip the bucket', 'bag of fruit' and 'tit for tat'.

1994 Rex Hunt Tall Tales - and True 94 'I had to wear this bag of fruit to get into the member's,' I told them.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

bagman n. a bookmaker.

1953 T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake vi. 98 'If I meet any bagmen on the way, I'll themm 'em where to come.'

1956 Vince Kelly The Bogeyman xiv. 182 They had worked up a good connection with punters, who were enticed by the offer generally of a point above the odds being shouted in the ring by the registered bagmen.

1966 James Holledge The Great Australian Gamble xiv. 140 At the end of the day Mr. Wilson, who had kept betting and doubling up, had accumulated liabilities of £2000 with the bagman.

1981 Gerald Sweeney The Plunge xiii. 173 'They will want specimen original signatures of the bagmen.'

1995 Crackers Keenan Australia's Funniest Racing Yarns (2003) xvii. 113 One thing about the bagmen, they'll always tell you when they've lost.

Notes: Not in AND – except as bracketed citation 1972. The AND does record the other meaning of "bookmaker's clerk".

bags v.t. to reserve by making the first claim.

[1924 Mary Grant Bruce Billabong's Daughter ii. 45 'Jim wanted to tell you, but I said it wasn't fair,' said Wally laughing. 'It's quite enough for you two to own him, so I bagged telling the story.']

1944 Lawson Glassop We Were The Rats III. xxxv. 198 'To show you I trust them I'll go first.' 'No, you won't,' said Eddie quickly. 'I bags first.'

1965 Randolph Stow The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea vi. 76 'I bags going in the transport,' he shouted, listening still to the sea, distantly praying.

1974 Phillip Adams The Unspeakable Adams 53 Bags: Not to be confused with school bag; a method of staking a claim as in 'I bags that'.

1976 David Ireland The Glass Canoe 103 'Bag's first shot.'

1981 Weekend Australian 7-8 Mar Magazine 4 Someone must tell him the only thing wrong with Gunston's Australia is Gunston. Bags you do it.

1998 Phillip Gwynne Deadly Unna? xv. 114 'Didn't think you was coming,' said Dumby. 'But I bagsed you this chair just in case.'

2003 Sydney Morning Herald 15 Mar Good Weekend 13/2 In our house, whoever got a chair first could keep it for the whole night provided they said 'I bags this' if they went to the toilet or answered the door.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

bar, it's all over ~ the shouting phr. it is over for all practical purposes.

1951 Dal Stivens Jimmy Brockett 76 Just as I thought, it was all over bar the shouting.

1953 Nevil Shute In the Wet 321 'Iorwerth Jones' Government has resigned,' she said, 'or it's resigning now. It's all over bar the shouting.'

1969 Alexander Buzo Norm and Ahmed (1973) 12 'I always played fair, but if they ever mucked me about, biff! Send for the cleaners. All over bar the shouting.'

1971 Frank Hardy The Outcasts of Foolgarah xii. 166 It was all over bar the shouting, but they wrangled on until late afternoon.

1973 Kit Denton The Breaker 246 'Well, it's all over bar the shouting, you fellows. What are you going to do when they've apologized and let you out?'

1975 Xavier Herbert Poor Fellow My Country 1253 'Looks as if it's all over bar the shouting.'

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

beaut adv. excellently, splendidly.

1969 Geoff Wyatt Saltwater Saints v. 105 She danced real beaut, as Danny said, and had a certain flair for challenging looks, which are there to be challenged.

1981 Paul Radley Jack Rivers and Me 162 'You sang beaut tonight, Muriel. Better'n Maureen.'

1982 Nicholas Hasluck The Hand That Feeds You 156 'Picture frames burn beaut', he said.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

beaut int. excellent!

[1953 Nourma Handford Carcoola Holiday ix. 146 'That's gidgee, not bad. I must get you some ring gidgee. I know a bloke in town who can make anything out of it. Beaut. You'll like it.']

1971 Frank Hardy The Outcasts of Foolgarah 89 'Beaut, Florrie, you always were handy with the pen. Who'll we send it to?'

1985 Barry Dickins What the Dickins 140 You check the lamb; done to a turn. Cut off a bit. Beaut, beaut. It's ready now.

1991 Tim Winton Cloudstreet 287 Rose felt her cheeks glowing. Beaut!

Notes: The AND notes that beaut can be used as an exclamation, but its earliest citation is from 1981.

billy n. a bong for smoking marijuana.

1994 Ad News 28 Jan 19 Billy - Vessel for marijuana consumption.

1996 Underground Surf Aut 14 Most surfers don't choose these destructive options: in fact, we're a pretty mellow crew who rarely indulge in anything more than the occasional beer or billy.

1996 Revolver (Sydney) 12 Nov 21/1 Where's the remote, pass me the billy.

Notes: A new application of this classic Australianism.

black guts n. the stomach.

1978 Robbie Cass High Jinks Down Under 124 I better shoot through quick. Those creeps might get a few more beers into their black guts and decide to come back for another go.

1979 Derek Maitland Breaking Out 304 'Cheers! "Get it into your black guts", as my father used to say when he partook of alcoholic beverages.'

1986 Frank Hardy Hardy's People 86 He pulled two tinnies out of his Esky, opened them and gave me one. 'Get that into your black guts,' he demanded.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. I suspect that this is probably quite a bit older, possibly dating back to the 1950s.

black stump n. remote area.

1953 Nourma Handford Carcoola Holiday 207 'I reckon a boss gets his reputation in depression times and every crow and every water carrier this side of the Black Stump knows old McCairn's not a bad bloke.'

Notes: Predating AND 1957.

blowey n. a blowfly.

1902 Barbara Baynton Bush Studies 78 'No blowey carn't get in there, eh?' the dog looked at the meat uncritically, but critically noted the resting place of two disturbed 'bloweys'.

Notes: Predating AND 1916.

blue v.i. to fight.

1962 Criena Rohan The Delinquents 85 'Shit! you're a mess, kid,' she said. 'You can go. I'll give you that; but you have to spot too much weight. You're too titchy to blue on.'

Notes: Predating AND 1969.

blue v.t. to squander.

1874 Marcus Clarke His Natural Life 50 'Vater!' cried the little cockney. 'Give us a drop o' vater, for mercy's sake. I haven't moist'ned my chaffer this blessed day.' 'Half a gallon a day, bo', and no more,' says a sailor next him. 'Yes, what have yer done with yer half-gallon, eh?' asked the Crow derisively. 'Someone stole it,' said the sufferer. 'He's been an' blued it,' squealed someone. 'Been an' blued it to buy a Sunday veskit with! Oh, ain't he a vicked young man?'

Notes: Predating AND 1881.

bolt n. an escape, a flight.

1812 James Hardy Vaux glossary: A sudden escape of one or more prisoners from a place of confinement is termed a bolt.

Notes: Predating AND 1838.

boggabri n. any of various plants.

1907 Barbara Baynton Human Toll (in The Portable Barbara Baynton) xiv. 273 'She wants me t' go 'untin' fer boggabri down on ther billabongs,' she complained to Ursula.

Notes: Interdating AND 1893 <> 1959.

Bondi cigar n. a piece of human excrement floating in the water.

1996 Tracks (Sydney) Jun 35/1 Out in the surf, discretely sprinkle a handful of Imitation Turd Pellets around the take-off and watch the reaction of your fellow surfers as the pellets expand into realistic-looking Bondi cigars!

1997 Sydney Morning Herald 8 Nov Good Weekend 31 Australians outside the brown zone of the Bondi cigar seem remarkably sanguine about the continued pumping of sewage and domestic waste water into our seaways.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

bonza noun a variety of apple.

1999 Sun-Herald 28 Feb Tempo 20 She'll be apples! [heading] ...Bonza: Good eating, crisp, red apple. Harvested April-May.

2001 Sun-Herald 21 Jan Tempo 12 There are around 7,000 different types of apples grown around the globe and in Australia the most popular varieties are red delicious, jonathan, braeburn, bonza, pink lady, golden delicious, fuji, gala and granny smith.

2004 www.batlowapples.com.au/barrel/body.asp The Bonza apple originated in Batlow and was cultivated by chance over 25 years ago . The Bonza variety has a green/cream background colour with a 50-60% red blush. The variety is characterised by a very white firm flesh with a sweet flavour, and is particularly good for cutting and in salads as it tends to keep its colour after being cut. Bonzas are available from early March through to early September.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

boofhead n. a person with an oversized head; hence, a fool, idiot, dimwit.

1941 Baker

Notes: Predating AND which quotes Baker 1945. A number of examples of this nature – where a term is recorded earliest in Baker, but it appears in an earlier edition of Baker – are recorded in this paper, and some have been noted by Simes.

boofheaded adj. fat-headed; dimwitted.

1942 Lennie Lower Lennie Lower's Annual: A Side Splitter 9 I could have thought of three or four snappy comebacks to a boof headed remark like that.

Notes: Predating AND 1965.

booze hound n. a drunkard.

1905 Duke Tritton in John Meredith Learn To Talk Old Jack Lang 14 I can go into the rubbity dub and have a lemonade, breasting the near and far with booze hounds drinking Tom Thumb, young and frisky, oh my dear, or Huckleberry Finn[.]

Notes: Predating earliest US usage in Lighter 1911.

boss n. the owner or man in charge of a large rural property

1895 A.B. Paterson in Collected Verse 42 'We will show the boss how a shear blade shines / When we reach those ewes,' said the two Devines.

1902 A.B. Paterson Rio Grande and Other Verses 84 But, Boss, you'd better not fight with me – it wouldn't be fair nor right.

1902 Barbara Baynton Bush Studies 105 'Boss in, Lizer?'

1905 in Stewart and Keesing Old Bush Songs 181 The boss is expected home by the next mail / And the missus, confound her and dang her, / Of course with her husband is sure to prevail; / What woman could not in her anger?

1925 Erle Cox Out of the Silence 253 'So I pipes up and asks if the boss is at 'ome.'

1936 John C. Downie Galloping Hoofs vii. 145 Mildred and Bill were going with the Boss and Missus by car[.]

1938 Xavier Herbert Capricornia 149 When Morris Hughes came in with the news he merely said, 'Big fella war him finis, Boss. Missus him say you come longa house for makim friend.'

1947 Ion L. Idriess Over the Range i. 5 Above all, she must not tell the boss of any little irregularity she may see.

1959 Arthur Upfield Bony and the Mouse (1961) vi. 50 'Look, the boss is all right.'

1962 Joan Lindsay Time Without Clocks (1979) 61 The man who came to fix the tank or to see the Boss about the sawbench or the dog tax ended up with tea at the large wooden table.

1965 Frank Dalby Davidson Wells of Beersheba 179 Mrs Vachell came to the door. 'G'day, missus,' said Tom, friendlily. 'Where's the boss?' It was the time-honoured salutation and question.

1978 M.J. 'Chap' Burton Bush Pub (1983) xi. 104 'The boss came in about six o'clock and seemed quite happy for me to stay for a meal.'

1982 Les A. Murray The Vernacular Republic 75 'The boss at home, Missus?'

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Country properties are generally run by the "missus", who has control of the homestead, and the "boss", who has control of everything else. I believe it to be a particularly Australian application of both of these words.

bowlo n. a bowling club.

1986 Tracks (Sydney) Feb 3/4 Next, it's off to the local, pub or bowlo[.]

2004 LGnet - Local Government Network website (www.lgnet.com.au) Some people reckon the Queen shouldn't run the country because they never see her down at the Beresfield Bowling Club. But if the Queen lived in Australia, she would spent every night down at the Bero Bowlo and she would win heaps of meat trays.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

bowyang n. used as a symbol for manual labour.

1944 Sunday Telegraph 13 Feb 4 Mr Taylor said yesterday that the Labor Party had progressed to the stage where brains, and not bowyangs, should be regarded as the badge of the workers' representatives.

Notes: Predating AND 1951.

breast v.t. to approach (a bar).

1905 Duke Tritton in John Meredith Learn To Talk Old Jack Lang 15 I can go into the rubbity dub and have a lemonade, breasting the near and far with booze hounds drinking Tom Thumb, young and frisky, oh my dear, or Huckleberry Finn[.]

Notes: Predating AND 1909.

Brisso n. Brisbane, Qld; a person from Brisbane. Also, Briso, Brizzo.

1972 John O'Grady It's Your Shout, Mate! vi. 69 'Was you in Brizzo when that Melbourne mob took it over?'

1984 Sandra Jobson Blokes 66 'G'day there, Briso Wankas!'

1985 Phil Jarratt Surfing Dictionary 12 Brizzoes are actively discouraged from leaving the city limits on weekends by such measures as slashing the tyres of their panel vans.

1985 Tracks (Sydney) Oct 5 Firstly, to mother fucker fraud fighter from Brisso (what a dump)[.]

1987 Tracks (Sydney) Dec 5/1 Well, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts have their 'Brisoes', Sydney has their 'Westies'.

1996 Underground Surf Aut 20/3 Call your macho festival 'Brissos suck more piss than Bondi backpackers' and get XXXX to sponsor the whole bash.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. When referring to a person this is a common derogatory term used by Sunshine and Gold Coast residents who resent Brisbanites visiting their local areas.

Brissy n. Brisbane.

1960 J.E. Macdonnell Don't Gimme the Ships v. 75 'Did I ever tell yer,' Splinter asked, 'about that night in Brissy when me an' the Baron crashed the wardroom party...?'

1966 Sidney J. Baker The Australian Language (2^nd ed.) iv. 90 Thus, although Brissie is

the common spelling of the hypocorism for Brisbane it is always pronounced as though the spelling were Brizzie.

1974 Thea Astley A Kindness Cup 78 'She's made me a grand-dad three times over. In Brissy now, happily married and all.'

1990 Sam Watson The Kadaitcha Sung 16 'All we do know is that old Ed just keeps telling the doctors in Brissie that he's got a burn that won't go away.'

1996 Slam Apr 26 Of course, Brissy's not everyone's cup of tea.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

brown n. a brown snake.

1978 M.J. 'Chap' Burton Bush Pub x. 88 'Besides you need some plonk about the place, especially in the summer when them tigers and browns are about.'

1981 Jack Bennett Gallipoli iii. 65 'Tigers, browns, death adders,' said Archy[.]

2004 The Age (Melbourne) 19 Aug Green Guide 3/4 I have pulled really great hormone growth gear from a deadly brown I have tethered to the Hills Hoist in the backyard.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. The AND covers the elliptical usage of tiger = tiger snake (see tiger below), but not the brown.

bungy adj. in ill health.

1902 Barbara Baynton Bush Studies 57 She'd have bungy eyes, if she didn't. If she was asleep, why did she not close them?

1907 Barbara Baynton Human Toll (in The Portable Barbara Baynton) xiv. 265 'Missus, if you was t' cut 'ome like blazes, and clap a bit er raw meat on your eyes, they woulden' go black nur bungy.'

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND – but is it just a Bayntonism?

burn n. a cigarette.

1960 J.E. Macdonnell Don't Gimme the Ships ix. 132 'Hiya, cobber. Have a burn?' Windy shook his head at the proffered packet.

Notes: Predating US usage in Lighter 1971.

bush woman n. a woman who lives in the bush; a woman accustomed to the harsh life of the bush.

1898 Edward Dyson Below And On Top 'The Whim Boy' [Project Gutenberg] This meant a walk back of eleven miles 'by moonlight alone,' but Jem was superior to all feminine weaknesses, and too thorough a bush-woman to let a trifle like that trouble her.

1901 Henry Lawson Joe Wilson and His Mates 'Water Them Geraniums' 69 Most bush-women get the nagging habit.

1917 Barbara Baynton Trooper Jim Tasman (in The Portable Barbara Baynton) 92 I saw all those silent bush women. Early pioneers, who had left father and mother, and sister and brother and friends, to face the great unknown as mate to their man[.]

1936 John C. Downie Galloping Hoofs 124 Many bush women are left at the little boundary camps, hundreds of miles from their nearest neighbour, while their menfolk are away for weeks or even months, on end, working cattle or prospecting for gold.

1959 Mary Durack Kings in Grass Castles xii. 123 Grandmother considered herself lucky to have had a white woman with her at a time when many bush women had no help at all.

1975 Xavier Herbert Poor Fellow My Country 495 'I presume you meant he wants just a bush-woman for a wife. They do say, you know, that the trouble between him and his ex-wife was that she wanted to be the lady, and he wouldn't be in it.'

1983 Rocky Marshall in New Axe Handle 79 Grandmother was reared in the bush under primitive pioneering conditions. Dad chided that she had cut her teeth on stirrup leather. She was a top rate horse handler and bushwoman.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

but adv though.

1898 Edward Dyson 'A Visit To Scrubby Gully' in Below and On Top [H]e worked on steadily, uncomplainingly, till the boy with the unique freckles came hurrying in with the intelligence that the old horse was 'havin' a fit'r somethin'.' Jeans did not swear. He said 'Is he but?' and put aside his harness, and went out, like a man for whom life has no surprises.

Notes: AND first two citations are 1853 then 1938 – which is a big gap, over 80 years. However there is some dubiety about the 1853 cite since it is unquestionably ambiguous. The text runs "The hero of (not a hundred fights, but) Whitechapel..." which can obviously be read two ways. This Dyson citation from 1898 is unambiguous, plugs the gap a bit, and lends some support to the 1853.

cactus, in the phr. in a bad way.

1941 Baker

Notes: Predating AND (citing Baker 1943). See note at boofhead.

Calcutta sweep(s) n. a type of sweepstakes run on horseraces. See first citation for explanation.

1896 Nat Gould Town and Bush xiv. 223 Calcutta sweeps are often drawn on the race, at the principle hotel in town, the night before the event is run. The names of the horses are drawn by the chairman, each subscriber having put in a pound share. The horses are then put up for auction. Suppose a man draws Daylight; he has paid a pound into the sweep; if Daylight is favourite for the race, perhaps he will be run up to ten pounds more before he can buy his horse in, or he may let it go if he so desires. If Daylight is a rank outsider, the drawer may feel inclined to sell at any price in order to get rid of it.

1933 Samuel Griffiths A Rolling Stone on the Turf vii. 113 At that time most of the betting on races was done through the Calcutta sweeps held over-night on all of the events to be decided next day. These sweeps each ran into thousands of rupees, and the owners naturally tried to buy their horses at the best possible price.

ibid. xii. 199 If you should receive a circular relating to a 'Calcutta sweep' on the Viceroy's Cup or English Derby, addressed from 'Chandernagore, India', the best thing you can do with it is to promptly consign it to the waste-paper basket.

1933 Raymond Spargo Betting systems Analysed 56 Who among us – even the greatest antagonist of gambling – could resist the first prize ticket in "a certain Tasmanian consultation," the Golden Casket, State lotteries or the colossal Calcutta sweep?

1977 Hugh Buggy The Real John Wren 147 About this time, by a decision of justice Hood, Calcutta sweeps were made illegal in Melbourne, while Police Inspector Laurence Gleeson startled the righteous by declaring that the big racecourses were infinitely worse in fostering gambling than the pony courses.

1981 Murray Pioneer 25 June 6 Mr. Pfeiffer said other major projects included raising $765 from a Golf Day; $830 from a Calcutta Sweep and the erection of SA, Victorian and NSW border signs on the river bank.

1982 Joe Andersen Winners Can Laugh viii. 115 The Bellbird Gold Cup was run in two divisions and it was decided to run two Calcutta Sweeps on them.

1995 Crackers Keenan Australia's Funniest Racing Yarns (2003) xvi. 102 So I went back up the bush but my step-uncle had organised a Calcutta on Cup Eve[.]

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. As the citations from Samuel Griffiths show, this practice originated in India during the British occupation, but according to Kingsley Bolton's Accent database, which has 25 million words of the Times of India, the term is no longer used there. Commonly shortened to Calcutta.

captain n. the person shouting drinks.

1953 Sidney J. Baker Australia Speaks 137 captain, the leader of a company of drinkers, especially one who assumes the privilege of paying for others' drinks.

Notes: Predating AND 1961. See note at boofhead.

carol v.i. of the Australian magpie, to make its characteristic call. Hence, the verbal noun, carolling.

1932 Ion L. Idriess Flynn of the Inland vii. 55 [A] magpie carolled joyously: crickets were
singing their hearts out.

1933 G.B. Lancaster Pageant I. vii. 120 Coming home through a dewy morning of bush scents and magpie carolling Mab had been stimulated into a decision.

1954 Judah Waten The Unbending 22 Birds called and magpies carolled and quarrelled.

1955 Alan Marshall I Can Jump Puddles v. 47 Sometimes it raised its head and bellowed hoarsely, and carolling magpies ceased their song and flew hurriedly away.

1960 Sutton Woodfield A for Artemis xvii. 168 Only the big river gum had birds in its hair; the carolling magpies who love the wind and high weather.

1965 Frank Dalby Davison The Wells of Beersheba 229 A magpie carolling from the top of a dead gumtree.

1975 Xavier Herbert Poor Fellow My Country 977 The sound of the water was like laughter, in which was faintly mingled music, which was the carolling of butcher-birds somewhere back amidst the limestone masses.

1977 Helen Garner Monkey Grip 245 The absent-minded carolling of magpies dropped out of the pine trees half a mile away.

1983 in New Axe Handle 43 From the lofty branches of a gum tree a pair of magpies carolled their greeting.

1985 Hyllus Maris and Sonia Borg Women of the Sun 167 Magpies were carolling; a kookaburra sat perched on the lowest branch of a tall tree and studied her, head cocked to one side.

1987 Rodney Hall Kisses of the Enemy IV. lxxxii. 477 Magpies carolled mocking Amens.

2000 Michael Morcombe Field Guide to Australian Birds 312 Australian Magpie...Voice: strong rich and varied carolling, with notes ranging from high and clear to deep and mellow.

2004 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Sept 14/4 Along with their distinctive appearance and cheeky nature, magpies are most famous for their calls, especially their carolling which has been measured by Kaplan at up to 127 decibels – similar in noise to a motorcycle in full pelt. Carolling is the magpie's answer to almost every property dispute.

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. The Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, has a wide variety of calls, including alarm signals and subdued sub-songs – however, the term carol is reserved for its well-known beautiful vocalisations commonly heard at dawn and dusk. As lovely as they sound to humans, to other magpies they are a territorial warning. The use by Xavier Herbert for the grey butcherbird's call is probably a once-off.

centre n. (in two-up) the bets placed with the person spinning the coins.

1911 Louis Stone Jonah 160 He threw the kip and the pennies into the centre, and took his place on a low seat at the head of the ring.

Notes: Predating AND 1931.

Chinaman, must have killed a phr. a phrase noting bad luck.

[1910 Henry Lawson The Rising of the Court 299 'What have I been up to?' 'Killin' a Chinaman. Go to sleep.']

1930 Vance Palmer The Passage 272 'But my luck's out – I must have run over a Chinaman some time or other.'

1951 Dal Stivens Jimmy Brockett 184 'You're restless, Jimmy,' Nan said, teasing me. 'Have you killed a Chinaman?'

1982 Joe Andersen Winners Can Laugh v. 58 Superstition plays an important part in the life of the racing fraternity. The sighting of an oriental person before, during or after placing a bet is always regarded as a sure sign that fortune will smile on you. (A run of bad luck is usually attributed to the killing of one by the unlucky punter.)

1995 Paul Vautin Turn It Up! 62 'You've heard the expression, 'You must have killed a Chinaman,' well I'm so out of luck that I reckon in a past life I must have been a tank driver in Tiananmen Square or something because I must have got dozens of 'em.'

1996 Tracks (Sydney) Jun 81/4 Young American Hank Mills wins the Rip Curl Pro Trials from Chris Davidson and the luckless Nick 'I killed a Chinaman' Wood.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

chock-a-block adv (of a man) in flagrante delicto.

1969 Alexander Buzo Rooted 85 Bentley: How do I know? I walked in on them, mate. Richard: And Simmo was... Bentley: Chock-a-block.

Notes: Predating AND 1971.

choof off v.i. to leave.

1972 Arthur Chipper The Aussie Swearer's Guide 77 get off my back: Like choof off, this is a good dismissal phrase when someone is rubbishing or poking borak or slinging off at you.

Notes: Predating AND 1977.

chook raffle n. a raffling of a chicken for fundraising.

1971 Sunday Australian 28 Feb 23/10 Chook raffles in pubs – and clubs – are the basic means of finance; at a profit of no more than $2.20 a raffle, a lot of chooks are won and lost to provide a club with the bulk of it's income.

Notes: Predating AND 1979.

chunder n. vomit.

1953 Sidney J. Baker Australia Speaks 169 chunder, a noun, vomit.

Notes: Predating AND 1960. See note at boofhead.

clacker n. the anus; the backside.

1960 J.E. MacDonnell Don't Gimme the Ships ix. 135 'Come on then up there, off your clackers!'

1994 Rex Hunt Tall Tales - and True 79 And it still hurts to think of his size 12 boots right up my clacker.

1995 Paul Vautin Turn It Up! 95 Someone tell me one thing that's good about sand. It gets so hot sometimes you can't even walk on it, it gets into your eyes when it's blowy, it gets stuck to the hairs on my back, it gets up your nose, in your ears and of course, worst of all, it gets up your clacker.

2001 Sydney Scope Magazine Feb 2/2 [S]he relentlessly interrogates notions of immutable identity AND takes a great big red ribbon out of her clacker.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Probably from the clacking sound when farting.

clock n. a one year prison sentence.

1941 Baker

Notes: Predating AND 1950. See note at boofhead.

cockroach n. a lump of brown sugar.

1907 Barbara Baynton Human Toll (in The Portable Barbara Baynton) iii. 163 'I will, for if she done a thing like that she deserves a real good cockroach,' said Fanny, groping in the sugar basin for a lump.

Notes: Interdating AND 1903 <> 1921. I should add that both my mother and my grandmother used this term and I remember being given a cockroach in the 1970s. Such lumps are rarely found these days – the art of sugar refining must have progressed over the last few decades.

connie (agate) n. a type of playing marble made from agate.

1894 Ethel Turner Seven Little Australians vii. 101 He lost ten, exclusive of his best agate, fought a boy who had unlawfully possessed himself of his most cherished 'conny,' and returned home with saddened spirits an hour later, only to find as he went through the gate that he had lost Aldith's dainty little note.

1916 Norman Lindsay in The Comic Art of Norman Lindsay 211 Teacher: 'Well, what's the matter now?' Small Boy: 'Please, I've swallered Brown's conny agate, an' he wants it back.'

1948 Ruth Park The Harp In The South xxi. 215 'And you had three marbles in a flour bag, a yeller connie, and a sort of stripy white one, and a big clay one[.]'

1976 David Ireland The Glass Canoe 103 'Mine's the blood alley.' 'No it's not, yours is the connie agate.'

1980 Clive James Unreliable Memoirs ii. 19 My collection of marbles consisted mainly of priceless connie agates handed down by Grandpa.

ibid. Years older than I, Mick dated up clay-dabs against my connies.

Notes: Predating AND 1966 (citing Baker). Plus some extra evidence. These marbles were generally considered to be the premier marbles.

cracker, not worth a phr. entirely worthless.

1942 Gavin Casey It's Harder for Girls 126 'He's got guts, anyway,' said Sayers. 'I didn't think he was worth a cracker.'

Notes: Predating AND 1953.

crib v.i. to cheat by encroaching over the line when shooting in marbles. Hence, the verbal noun, cribbing.

1974 Phillip Adams The Unspeakable Adams 50 Fannany-wacking: Cribbing at alleys.

1985 Cathy Hope Themes from the Playground 3 Our rules included no 'fananny wacking', fudging or cribbing. Fananny wacking is pushing your hand forward as you fire. You have to keep your hand still. You weren't allowed to 'crib' over the line.

2004 Australian Word Map (www.abc.net.au/wordmap) Part of the litany at the beginning of a game in primary school in Melbourne in the early 60s. You'd warn the opposing player by saying 'No cribs' or 'No cribbing'.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

crook adv. badly.

1959 Arthur Upfield Bony and the Mouse vi. 48 'He was in my hair, but not that crook that I'd bump him.'

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

dart n. a scheme or idea.

1947 Norman Lindsay Halfway to Anywhere v. 79 'Trucking's my dart too.'

Notes: Postdating AND 1918 – but referring to late 19th century.

day int. an abbreviated form of G'day.

1902 Barbara Baynton Bush Studies 118 'D'y ter yous,' said Alick, blinking his bungy eyes, and smiling good-naturedly at the parson and at the grazier.

1903 Joseph Furphy Such Is Life 9 ''Day, chaps,' said Rufus, as he joined us.

1903 'Steele Rudd' Our New Selection (1984) 182 'G' day,' Dad said. ''Day.'

1907 Barbara Baynton Human Toll (in The Portable Barbara Baynton) vi. 188 The again he smiled, till a dusty swagman dumped down his heavy swag beside the bar, and fixed his seeing eye steadfastly on the rotund proprietor, then greeted, 'Day, mate.'

1938 Norman Lindsay Age of Consent iii. 19 'Day,' he said, to break the suspense of being looked at. 'Day to you,' said the trooper.

1957 'Nino Culotta' They're A Weird Mob viii. 107 'Gooday,' Joe said. 'Day.'

1959 Arthur Upfield Bony and the Mouse (1961) vi. 45 'Day, Nat,' he greeted Bony[.]

1966 Graham McInnes Humping My Bluey 140 'Day, Young,' he said. 'How about a cuppa for me?'

1975 Xavier Herbert Poor Fellow My Country 159 ''Day, Ned...'Day, Missus...Well, here she is, Lady Lindbrooke-Esk, Lord Vaisey's intended.'

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

deadshit n. an objectionable person; a fuckwit.

1961 Geoff Mill Nobody Dies But Me (2003) 122 'And you can tell him if he don't come up with some cash I'll trace the deadshit through the Red Cross and leave a little bundle of bloody joy on his doorstep, quickfuckinsmart.'

1971 Alex Buzo Macquarie 58 'The revolution, you dead shit.'

1979 Derek Maitland Breaking Out 83 'Ratbags!' Bert drawled. 'dead-shits, the bloody lot of you.'

1983 Helen Garner & Jennifer Giles Moving Out 113 'Jesus, what a pack of dead shits', she said, in disgust.

1987 Kathy Lette, Girls' Night Out (1995) 106 As I slammed the drawers of the filing cabinet, I told Aussie where I kept him filed – under D for deadshit.

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

dead 'un n. a horse deliberately ridden to lose.

1877 J.S. James The Vagabond Papers (2nd series) 128 There were outlawed black-legs, men who subsist by getting up sham 'sweeps', or laying against 'dead 'uns'; amongst their number, some who have broken all laws human and divine, and should be hounded from society of even ordinary vicious men.

Notes: Predating AND 1896.

death adder, to have ~ in your pockets phr. to be stingy.

1944 Lawson Glassop We Were The Rats II. xx. 118 'Why doancher buy a drink? Get them death adders outa ya pockets.'

1951 Dal Stivens Jimmy Brockett 230 Fuller was meaner than Dargan, if that was possible. He had death adders in his pocket.

1965 John O'Grady Aussie English 53 If you won't put your hand in your pocket, you have 'death adders in your kick', and are afraid of being bitten. Characters with death adders in their kicks are 'lousy bastards'.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

dickhead n. a fool.

1974 Barry Humphries A Nice Night's Entertainment 147 They'll stitch you up, stick it up you and take you for a dead-set dickhead.

Notes: Predating AND 1976. Note however that since AND was published in 1988 this term has been further pushed back in the US to 1962, as recorded in Jonathan Lighter The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, and thus is probably not an original Australianism.

Dickless Tracy n. a female cop.

1977 Jim Ramsey Cop It Sweet! 28 dickless tracy: Woman policeman.

Notes: Predating AND 1980.

dilly n. an aboriginal traditional bag.

1828 Journal of Charles Frazer in Aboriginal Pathways (1983) 77 [A] DILLY or luggage-bag such as females carry, made of leaves of XANTHORRHAEA, and strong enough to bear any weight.

Notes: Predating AND 1830. From an unverified citation card of Ted Hartley's.

dinky adj. fair, reasonable; dinkum.

1942 Sun 17 Feb 4/3 Smith, on being sentenced to three months gaol, said: 'If the Japs come a man might get a fair, dinky go.'

Notes: This uncommon abbreviated variant of dinky-di is not recorded elsewhere.

dip your eye phr. piss off, get fucked.

1952 T.A.G. Hungerford The Ridge and the River 175 'I might go back to it for a while. I'll wait till some rich old harlot trots in and starts to chuck her weight around, and then I'll just key her up, good and hard. I'll say, "Listen, missus; you go and dip your eye!" and then I'll blow. Oh boy, can't you see her?'

1953 T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake ii. 23 'Dip your eye!' Charlesworth called after them as they walked away.

1954 T.A.G. Hungerford Sowers of the Wind xvi. 187 'Oh, dip your eye!' Stewart told him testily.

1972 Bruce Beresford and Barry Humphries The Adventures of Barry McKenzie [film] 'Go and dip your left eye in hot cocky cack.'

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Despite the fact that most of the evidence presented here is from T.A.G. Hungerford, I believe this to be a genuine Australian expression.

do v.t. to drink an alcoholic drink.

1911 Louis Stone Jonah 41 'Gawd, I'm dry,' said Chook, yawning. 'I could do a beer.'

1979 Sam Weller Old Bastards I Have Met 22 'Could you do a cold stubbie?'

Notes: Postdating AND 1899. Note that AND also labels this obsolete – which is incorrect. It is very much still alive colloquially.

dob in v.t. to inform against someone.

1954 Eric Lambert The Veterans xiv. 206 'It'll do no good abusing Lucky, or dobbing him in.'

Notes: Predating AND 1955.

Domainiac n. a vagrant of Sydney's Domain.

1933 Ernest O'Ferrall Stories by "Kodak" 78 'I remember an abject jobbing gardener (he was a partially reformed Domainiac) who used to infest the garden of a friend's house[.]'

Notes: Postdating AND 1903.

doodlem-buck n. See citation at toodlembuck.

doof n. pumping dance music.

1996 3-D World (Sydney) 1 Apr 44/1 'It also gives me a chance to put music together in a way where there's room for space and atmospherics instead of relentless 'doof'.'

1998 Sydney Morning Herald 27 Mar 14 'Doof ' is a sound and a culture, not just some nerdy fashion statement. How could you miss the sonic origins of the word 'doof '? Try saying 'doof doof doof doof ' out loud to yourself and you'll get the beat. Anyone who knows that joyously anarchic, energising, trance-ey sound which reverberates periodically throughout inner-city warehouses and brickpits, and at various rural haunts, can attest to doof's rhythmic and spiritual dimensions.

1998 Sydney Morning Herald 21 Jun 17 Sharing a house are 'clubber' Mark McKenna, 22, 'Goth' Steven Haynes, 19, and 'doof feral' Leiziah Restall, 21.

ibid. Doofs are another term for dance-club ravers, goths dress like members of the Addams Family and crusties are also known as ferals, or New Age hippies.

1998 The Big Issue 7 Sep 6/2 Over the past few years, 'doof' (as in techno: 'doof, doof, doof') music has begun to feature.

1999 Three D World (Sydney) 17 May 64 What's the best thing about Sydney? The Doof scene keeps getting bigger.

2001 Sydney Scope Magazine Feb 2/1 Scope sunnily affirms that Gras province populated by rhinestones, daquiri fuelled parody and too-convivial doof.

Notes: A new Australianism. Occasionally does service to mean 'a clubber' – but this is not the common meaning.

doofer n. a dance music aficionado.

1998 Sydney Morning Herald 27 Mar 14 Doof crew are a motley crew, but many doofers' passions are directed as much at social and environmental transformation, as at the pursuit of funky clothing which is apparently doof's most visible attribute.

Notes: A new Australianism. Rare.

drey n. the nest constructed in the branches of a tree by the common ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus pereginus.

1981 RGB Morrison A field guide to tracks and traces of Australian animals 154 Ringtails build large breeding nests called dreys in trees.

1994 Northern Herald 15 Sep 23 'It's not an empty bird's nest, it's actually what we call a drey and that's where they live.'

2001 Peter Menkhorst and Frank Knight A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia 96 [I]n s. of range shelters in large spherical drey constructed of shredded bark, leaves and twigs in dense shrubbery[.]

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Local application of the term for the nest of a squirrel. Although the structures are essentially similar in construction and use, this is merely the result convergent adaptation to similar conditions – squirrels are placental rodents, and possums are marsupials. Ringtails also commonly nest in tree hollows lined with leaves. Presumably citational evidence dating back some decades should be able to be found.

drug-fucked adj. severely affected by drugs.

1996 Captial Q Weekly (Sydney) 29 Mar 11/1 Three hundred drug-fucked and horny gay men, 200 of them visiting Americans, are invading Club Med[.]

1996 Captial Q Weekly (Sydney) 21 Jun 9/3 If you're really drunk or drug-fucked, this is all going to be a very expensive blur.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

drum, run a phr. (of a racehorse) to run a winning race, as tipped or expected.

1933 Raymond Spargo Betting Systems Analysed 44 'Wot did I tell yer! Wasn't it a put up job the last time? Couldn't run a drum in a field o' goats an' now 'e licks class company!'

Notes: Predating AND 1942.

duck's guts n. something superlative.

1994 Senate Hansard 9 Nov Senator Ellison: This is the ducks guts, as we term it in Western Australia.

2000 June Factor Kidspeak 65 This new gadget's just the duck's guts.

2002 Larry's Aussie Slang and Phrase Dictionary (www.angelescity.com/aussie_slang.html) the Ducks guts - some things really great (don't ask me why).

2004 Uteman website (www.uteman.com.au) Anyone interested joining a ute club with a base in Deniliquin.Im thinking about starting one . No yank stuff as stickers or names has to be true blue on the uterus. 'Ducks Guts Ute Club'.

2004 oral citation 23 May 'So this is s'pose to be the duck's guts, is it?'

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. Aussie version of the ant's pants, cat's pyjamas, etc.

duds n. trousers or pants.

1924 Gilbert H. Lawson A Dictionary of Australian Words and Terms 11 duds – Trousers.

1973 Ribald (Sydney) #45 2 'I succeeded in wriggling out of me duds and took off my T-shirt.'

1977 Jim Ramsay Cop It Sweet 33 duds: Trousers.

1981 David Foster Moonlight xviii. 168 By one they are sitting on the coach wearing cabbage tree hats, crimean shirts, moleskin duds, leather belts and blucher boots.

1992 'Roy Slaven' (John Doyle) Five South Coast Seasons 27 'The bloke was sitting in the driver's seat when I got back, duds around the ankles and clearly on the tool – bold as brass.'

Notes: a restriction of sense that appears only in Australia (according to other historical dictionaries at least). Hence as a verb: to pull down someone's pants as a prank; to pants.

1992 'Roy Slaven' (John Doyle) Five South Coast Seasons 64 'So, thinking he was just shy, I thought I'd help him out and dudsed him and linked him up to the train, so to speak.'

dumpty n. a toilet or dunny.

1945 Norman Lindsay The Cousin from Fiji i. 14 'I will say Grandma's pretty good sport, locking herself in dumpties and blurting out all that hot stuff at dinner.'

Notes: Predating AND 1965 (incidentally, also from Norman Lindsay).

dry as a ... phr. of land, arid; of a person, parched.

1946 Kylie Tennant Lost Haven xiv. 218 With a tremendous clattering and roaring they got under way again, and climbing mightily down man-holes and peering about in her midriff, Alec shouted that the "old lady" [the engine of a punt] was as dry "as a stripped cow."

1953 Nourma Handford Carcoola Holiday iii. 42 The pastures, he said, between here and Princess Creek, were over six feet high and as dry as a westerly.

1955 Mary Durack Keep Him My Country 269 'We better shift them cattle, Stan. She's as dry as a bird's arse[.]'

1966 Sidney J. Baker The Australian Language (2^nd ed.) iv. 90 dry as a bird's arse, extremely dry.

ibid. dry as a sunstruck bone, utterly parched.

1968 Barry Humphries The Wonderful World of Barry Mackenzie [71] 'It's just that Mitgi's got more amber fluid than she can use and few of me mates who come from the better class of Australian home are as dry as the proverbial nun's nasty, as they say in the classics!!'

1971 Barry Humphries Bazza Pulls It Off [1] 'Oh Kevie, mein liebling – vot about ein swift frostie for your little disciple? I'm as dry as a nun's nazi!'

ibid. [glossary] kookaburra's khyber, as dry as a. A condition of the throat prior to the ingurgitation of ice cold lager

1972 Bruce Beresford and Barry Humphries The Adventures of Barry McKenzie [film] 'I really needed that, I was as dry as a dead dingo's donger.'

1983 Nadia Wheatley Five Times Dizzy 60 Mureka's throat felt lumpy and buring but all the bubblers in the park were as dry as the Simpson Desert.

1986 [Richard Beckett] The Dinkum Aussie Dictionary 22 Dry as an old lady's talcum powder: The feminist version of an offensive phrase used by males, i.e., 'dry as a nun's nasty'. The bisexual phrase is 'dry as a dead dingo's donger'. All three expressions mean that the person in question is in desperate need of an alcoholic drink.

1986 Bill Hornadge The Australian Slanguage (2^nd ed.) 79 dry as a Pommy's towel.

ibid. 86 Me mouth is as dry as the bottom of a birdcage.

1987 Kathy Lette Girls' Night Out (1995) 120 It's as dry, as he would say, as a Pommy's bath towel.

1989 Sydney Morning Herald 2 Oct (Guide) 9s What is surprising is that not once in this half hour does Lisa utter words such as 'strewth' or 'bonza' or 'I'm as dry as a dead dingo's donger'.

1991 Tim Winton Cloudstreet 34 The room soaked her up and the summer heat worked on her body until its surface was as hard and dry as the crust of a pavlova.

1992 Rod Marsh Two For The Road 31 For a start there's the No. 1 man, the doyen, Richie Benaud. He's got a sense humour about as dry as the throat of a man lost in the Great Sandy Desert for a fortnight.

1994 Sydney Morning Herald 15 Feb 3 A member of the editorial board of the Macquarie Dictionary, Mr David Blair, said that there would be no apology and no removal of the phrases. The offending phrases included 'Dry as a Nun's c---' and 'Dry as a Nun's nasty', and 'Cold as a nun's tits'.

1994 Telegraph Mirror 16 Feb 11 Perhaps the final word belongs to Australian actor and author Barry Humphries, who admitted yesterday to inventing the phrase 'dry as a nun's nasty' for use in the cartoon strip.

Notes: None of these appear in AND. Wilkes records the Pommy's towel/bathmat version from 1981, 1982, 1983. Championed and partially popularised by Barry Humphries. The Tim Winton and Rod Marsh offerings are merely literary and do not exist as independent colloquialisms.

eat, so hungry I could eat ... phr. jokey, hyperbolic, colloquial expressions of hunger.

1948 Joseph Furphy The Buln-Buln and the Brolga [Project Gutenberg] "I spoke up. 'Yes,' says I; 'and at the present moment he could eat a horse, and chase the rider for his life!'"

1972 Frank Hardy Legends From Benson's Valley 160 'Are you hungry?' 'I could eat a maggoty horse, so long as there was sauce on it.'

1982 Nancy Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 118-9 Threatened with such unappetising dishes it is an advantage to be so hungry that. 'I could eat a hollow log full of green ants' (a distinctively northern New South Wales or Queensland expression), or 'I could eat a horse and chase the rider.' 'I could eat the bum out of an elephant' 'I could eat a baby's bottom through a cane chair.'

1985 'Sir Les Patterson' The Traveller's Tool (1986) xii. 79 I've been suddenly that hungry I could eat a baby's bum through a cane chair.

ibid. 78 I could eat the crutch off a low-flying emu.

1993 Hugh Lunn Fred & Olive's Blessed Lino 106 After everyone started the day well with Kinkara tea from Olive's best cups on the front verandah, Uncle Les arrived saying: 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse and chase the rider.'

Notes: These phrases not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

emma – see entry for imma.

euchre v.t. to destroy or ruin; to trounce.

1914 'Lance Corporal Cobber' The Anzac Pilgrim's Progress 14 It's Kaiser Bill that's called the tune – he's sworn to euchre John / By sittin' on the Empire that the sun can't set upon.

1983 T.A.G. Hungerford Stories From Suburban Road 66 The hole you blew the yolk and the white out of had to be as small as possible, and the bigger it was the less the egg was worth to you, or as a swap. Sometimes you blew the whole end out of an egg, and that euchred it, of course.

Notes: Predating and postdating AND 1974. Such an early date is not unreasonable since the adjectival form euchred 'finished, exhausted, fucked' has been dated back to the 1930s.

eyedrop n. a game played with marbles (see citations).

1933 Norman Lindsay Saturdee (1977) iii. 41 Enraged at this proposal to fub off such stuff on honorable milkies, Waldo snatched them up and threw them out of the ring; for which act of valuation Bulljo downed on Waldo's bag, picked out his largest French agate and threw it in the pond. It was done; a crime of the first magnitude. Waldo could not believe his eyes; this flight of a treasure plomp into the centre of the pond. His eyedrop taw, his most priceless possession, gone, gone for ever!

1945 Sidney J. Baker The Australian Language 204 Games played include any-every, big ring, littlering, follow on, eyesie and eyedrop.

1954 in The Australian Children's Folklore Newsletter #22 21/2 EYE DROP ... Draw a ring with marbles in it; drop one marble from eye-height to hit one marble out of the ring.

1992 The Australian Children's Folklore Newsletter #22 11/1 Marbles in season, which came with mysterious regularity and then died away – three games only at Caboolture – 'Ring', 'Holes' and 'Eyedrop'.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. In the Lindsay citation it is presumed that the 'eyedrop taw' is the one used for playing eyedrop.

fair go n. a fair contest in fighting.

1934 Norman Lindsay The Cautious Amorist 177 'Your temper's up and now you're talkin',' approved Pat. 'What the pair of you needs is a fair go face to face will ease your hearts an' feelin's.'

1942 Gavin Casey It's Harder for Girls 169 The chaps in the bar were all yelling out advice, and they all reckoned that if Winch was a man he'd put the pots down and have a fair go.

1961 Frank Hardy The Hard Way 106 Old Sid ran to his car and came back brandishing the cranking handle. Suddenly, the knot of people broke up and scuttled into groups. 'I'll kill the commo bastard,' one of Healy's men shouted, shoving his way towards me. The young man gently lifted his girl's hand from his arm, confronted the would-be basher and said: 'Give him a fair go.' Healy's man threw a punch, the young worker dodged and crashed his fist into his face with a dull crunch.

Notes: Postdating AND 1927. The AND defines this as 'an equitable contest', but I don't think this captures the sense entirely as it specifically refers to fighting.

fanannywhacking n. cheating in various children's games, especially marbles (see citations). Hence, fanannywhacker, a person who cheats.

1974 Phillip Adams The Unspeakable Adams 50 Fannany-wacking: Cribbing at alleys.

1977 Jim Ramsay Cop It Sweet 40 fanannywhacker: A marble.

1982 The Australian Children's Folklore Newsletter #3 4/1 Children would crouch down to make sure there was no 'fenannywackin' as 'cheating' was called[.]

1985 Cathy Hope Themes from the Playground 3 Our rules included no 'fananny wacking', fudging or cribbing. Fananny wacking is pushing your hand forward as you fire. You have to keep your hand still.

2004 Australian Word Map (www.abc.net.au/wordmap) [T]he marble (or 'alley') should be propelled from the stationary fist by a flick of the thumb – fanannywhacking is when the player moves the whole forearm to gain advantage. (Spelling uncertain) (Used at Hartwell State School in the early 1960s): I saw that! You're a fanannywhacker!

ibid. Fanannywhacking was definitely moving the hand while firing, i.e. half-throwing. Cribbing by moving forwards from where the marble should have been was called 'finagling' – Melb. eastern suburbs, 1960s.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND. The 1977 citation could be a poor definition based on a misunderstanding. The highly variable spelling is a result of it being a spoken rather than written word.

fan-tan n. a gambling game.

1951 Dal Stivens Jimmy Brockett 75 It started when we run into a mob of Chinks coming out of a fan-tan joint.

1956 Vince Kelly The Bogeyman xi. 147 'Little tin-pot games of fan-tan and tuen-gow. Not a fine higher than a quid with two bob costs.'

1988 Peter Carey Oscar and Lucinda 298 The second room was where fan-tan was played.

Notes: Postdating AND 1937.

feral n. a New Age, hippie, environmentalist.

1995 Sun-Herald 1 Jan 3 To the ferals, who travel up and down Australia's east coast looking for logging protests to attend, the Federal Government's decision is appalling.

ibid. However, Sophie Whan, 23, and mother of one-year-old Obe, cautioned that such a practice was against the principles of the ferals, or 'forest dwellers', as they prefer to be called.

1996 Underground Surf Aut 62/1 The full ferals and mullheads tend to hang up the bluff more.

1998 Sydney Morning Herald 4 Apr Spectrum 7s Also dubbed Ferals or Travellers, Crusties tend to have no fixed address, which can be a problem at dole time. Crystals hang from their Kombis' rear-view mirrors, and their clothes are usually torn.

1998 Sun-Herald 21 Jun 17 Sharing a house are 'clubber' Mark McKenna, 22, 'Goth' Steven Haynes, 19, and 'doof feral' Leiziah Restall, 21.

ibid. Doofs are another term for dance-club ravers, goths dress like members of the Addams Family and crusties are also known as ferals, or New Age hippies.

1998 The Big Issue 7 Sep 6/2 These parties attracted the Ferals, who live a basic existence on the edge of society.

1998 Shane Maloney Nice Try 129 We still had our rough edges, our greatcoated winos and barefoot ferals, our ferret-faced teenage mothers and lingerie lunches, our dumb-fuck rev-heads and back-lane chop shops.

Notes: A new Australianism.

field v.i. to work as a bookmaker.

1960 Maurice Cavanough and Meurig Davies Cup Day xxviii. 147 He had very little time to celebrate Comedy King's success for within a few minutes he was fielding on the next race.

1966 James Holledge The Great Australian Gamble viii. 81 The suspension was then lifted and Barney Allen was able to don his satchel again and field on the famous courses in Sydney and Melbourne.

1975 Frank Hardy and Athol George Mulley The Needy and the Greedy 37 Grafter Kingsley was fielding at Boolaroo races. His bank was light and when the first three favourites won, he went broke.

1982 Joe Andersen Winners Can Laugh vi. 70 He was a registered AJC bookmaker who regularly fielded at the ARC meetings when the mood took him[.]

1988 Clive Galea Slipper viii. 64 Time seems to have passed Kembla by but at least in the fifties and early sixties the betting ring was very strong with four or five rails bookies from Randwick fielding at each meeting.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

field v.t. to make a book at (a racecourse or meeting).

1981 Gerald Sweeney The Plunge xii. 311 Next Spring, he was bound and determined, his turnover figures, his showy risk-taking, and his exposure in te media, would all combine to see him at Flemington – fielding his first Melbourne Cup on the rails.

Notes: Not in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

fifty n. half old, half new beer

1965 John O'Grady Aussie English 16 In which case, ask for a 'middy of fifty'.

Notes: Predating AND 1971.

fillum n. a film or movie.

1912 Bulletin 4 Apr 14/4 [T]alkin' big, and talkin' fast, and poet-like, and free, / About the noble fillums wot was inside to see!

1932 C.J. Dennis in the The C.J. Dennis Collection 109 i thort ole bills eyes wud drop out of is ed tork about them merikin gangster fillums they was sunday skool picknick cumpared to them 2 blud thursty oprers we seen

1965 D.E. Charlwood All The Green Year (1975) 101 You know – the fillum star, the one in Sins of the Fathers.

1967 Sue Rhodes Now you'll think I'm awful (1968) 71 'Saw a beaut fillum the other day.'

1985 'Sir Les Patterson' (Barry Humphries) The Traveller's Tool (1986) iii. 19 Unfortunately, thanks to a few snooping accountants and the odd ten million dollar Oz epic that was so shithouse it never copped a release, the arse has dropped out of the Australian fillum industry.

1992 Picture (Sydney) 5 Feb 55/3 Heroine fwooar-a-minute hornbag crutch-rubbing Madonna's landed a new fillum role.

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Representing a common Australian (mis)pronunciation, generally used jocularly. The earliest citation here appeared in AND under the headword spruik.

filth adj. excellent, terrific, wonderful.

1987 Tracks (Sydney) Dec 5/1 Ya mag is filth!

1994 Crank (Sydney) Sum 36 With they're [sic] soon to be released filth album an upcoming Australian "Big Day Out" tour.

1995 Australian 16 Mar 12 The trend among surfers until recently was to turn the dichotomy around. 'Filth' (pronounced fiwf), then, applied to anything good, as did 'goin' off (like prawns in the hot sun)'.

1996 Tracks (Sydney) Jun 12/1 It's filth to see Nick Wood and Occy making a comeback.

1996 Sydney Morning Herald 26 Aug Agenda 10 After a particularly good wave, they'll say 'filth' (pronounced fiwf), or they might describe themselves as being 'stoked'.

1998 Underground Surf Crossover (Sydney) #2 35 You could say – mmm, awesome, faaark! Stoked, too good, unreal, buuullshit, or filth, mate!

ibid. 48 Nick was doing backside snaps and getting a few cool pits and it was young Sammy who got a filth no-hand backside pit.

Notes: A new Australianism, modelled on the US wicked and sick, both of which became popular here in the 1980s.

filthy¹ adj. excellent, terrific, wonderful; magnificent.

1987 Tracks (Sydney) Dec 5/1 Quote of the month goes to Vic Hislop for the description of the filthy noah he caught: "It's like a couple of bull stuck together." Awesome.

1987 Kathy Lette Girls' Night Out (1995) 188 'Filthy waves,' agreed Bodge. 'Classic.'

1989 Sydney Morning Herald 30 Jun 3 'Filthy' doesn't mean 'disgustingly dirty' anymore. It means great or excellent, as in 'that's a really filthy surfboard', or it was a really 'filthy day'.

1994 Crank (Sydney) Sum 22/3 Where are the filthiest chicks in the world?

1996 Tracks (Sydney) Jun 9/1 Anyway the crew of Surfrider Foundation put on a filthy day with lots of live music and a BBQ.

1998 Sun-Herald 18 Jan 29 The talent was filthy, the babes were lush and the mosh pit was going off.

Notes: A new Australianism, modelled on the US wicked and sick, both of which became popular here in the 1980s.

filthy² adj. upset, enraged. Thus, filthy on, upset with.

1992 Robert G. Barrett Davo's Little Something 98 He realised that even though he was filthy on the world and screaming inside he was going to have to be a little more polite to people as time went by[.]

1995 Fatty Vautin Turn It Up! 58 Don't they get disappointed and filthy?

1995 Crackers Keenan Australia's Funniest Racing Yarns xvi. 105 Mick was filthy and served up to him in retaliation and they had a fist fight in the jockeys' room afterwards.

1997 Australian Financial Review 15-16 Nov Weekend 9 We have dirty on, but not filthy on.

Notes: A variant of the usual dirty. both of which probably owe their origin to the earlier collocations dirty look and filthy look. Although I have only collected citations from the 1990s, I am sure it is much older – I seem to recollect it from the 1970s.

fisho n. a fisherman or fisherwoman.

1971 Frank Hardy The Outcasts of Foolgarah 241 Hardy took as his text an unfinished poem, not perhaps entirely original but most apposite, which he understood had been written by the Manly poet, Scoopydoop Wilson, the oracle of the Fisho's Club.

1982 Bob Staines What a Whopper 45 The fishos were told their tackle would be returned to them at their local police station on the payment of a small fine.

Notes: Not recorded in Wilkes, AND.

flatette n. a small flat.

1943 Dominic Healy A Voyage to Venus 23

Notes: Predating AND who cite Baker 1945 (but it was in Baker 1943 as well). See note at boofhead. Unfortunately I have misplaced the text of the citation – a trip to the National Library is needed.

flick pass, get/give the phr. to get/give the sack

1987 Kathy Lette Girls' Night Out 27 Anyway, the bloke who got the low scores made sure we got the flick pass.
1988 Clive Galea Slipper! xxii. 155 'I could see only big trouble for myself if I didn't give them the flick pass.'

Notes: From rhyming slang, flick pass = arse (the sack). Recorded in AND from 1983 as a figurative use of flick pass, but without explanation as to meaning. This is now commonly known in the curtailed form give the flick = to dismiss, reject, get rid of. Here are some additional citations.

1982 National Times 3 Oct 45 He left school at 16, lasted eight months as a fitter and turner, but then 'I give it the flick – the boss was an arsehole.'

1988 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 5 June TV guide 2 Benny Hill fans benefit on Tuesday on TVO when L.A. Law is given the flick for one week only[.]

1988 Sunday Telegraph 4 Dec TV guide 13 The year is 2274 and life in glassdomed city is a perpetual piece of cake for its hedonists. But the fun wheel stops dead on 30, the age for compulsory 'renewal' that, in reality, means the flick.

1990 The Australian Children's Folklore Newsletter #18 11/2 I don't know, you get invited out to duinner on consecutive Sunday nights and return to the radio to find that 'Games we played as kids' has been 'given the flick'.

Notes: Also used as a verb = to dismiss, reject, get rid of. Note that this is quite uncommon.

1988 Clive Galea Slipper! xiii. 93 There had always been plenty of women at the club who fancied him, but he had politely turned them away until lately. Now Joe seemed less keen to flick them. He'd even taken a few out to dinner[.]

floater n. (in two-up) a penny that doesn't spin.

1941 Baker

Notes: Predating AND 1944. See note at boofhead.

fnudge v.i. to cheat at playing marbles. Also, phernudge. Hence, fnudger, one who cheats.

1974 Phillip Adams The Unspeakable Adams 50 A fnudger: A poor stylist at alleys.

1977 Jim Ramsay Cop It Sweet 40 funudger: A marble.

2004 Australian Word Map (www.abc.net.au/wordmap) phernudge: to overstep the mark when shooting at a children's game of marbles; to creep up over the agreed mark from where you play a shot: I saw you phernudge! We said no phernudging!

ibid. [Melbourne informant] I used to use this term a lot when playing marble games. Anyone caught cheating was Phernudging.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. Probably an alteration of fudge (see below). The 1977 citation could be a poor definition based on a misunderstanding (see entry for fanannywhacking, where the same error seems to occur in the same source).

form n. luck.

1957 Ray Lawler Summer of the Seventeenth Doll I.ii. 33 'Yeah. That's just about my form, ain't it?'

1962 John Wynnum Tar Dust vi. 77 'This same bird started pumpin' Toggle and me about getting something on the cheap. How'd you like their rotten form, eh?'

1964 John Wynnum Jiggin' in the Riggin' iii. 36 'What's the chance of picking up a cab this time of day?' 'Knowing my form, not so hot.'

1966 Ray Slattery Mobbs' Mob vi. 121 'How's his flamin' form!'

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND. Baker 1966, records the expression rotten form, but doesn't seem to have noticed that form can be used independently of this collocation. An extension of horseracing parlance where form refers to a racehorse's track record.

fuck knuckle n. a contemptible person; a 'wanker'.

1981 Angelo Loukakis For the Patriarch xv. 155 'You stay outa this fucknuckle!' – he turned on Mawbey who looked as if he was having a heart attack.

1997 Sick Puppy Comix (Sydney) #6 5 'It's been such a long time since I've been to the beach, I've forgotten what an oily, muscle-headed, fuck-knuckle looks like.'
1997 Rants (Sydney) Oct 41 'Come on dickhead, get that shit out of there! Today, fuck knuckle!'

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

fuck truck n. a panel van used for sexual encounters.

1974 Guy (Sydney) 21 Apr 16/4 Sydney: Guy 22 bi, 8" with surf fuck truk [sic.] wants singles, couples for weekend trips up coast or quickies, enjoys adultery.

Notes: Predating AND 1979.

fuckwitted adj. idiotic.

1971 Jack Hibberd A Stretch of the Imagination 40 'You two-timing, fuck-witted mongrel of a slut! Open up or I'll stuff you with a fist full of broken glass!'

Notes: Predating AND 1973.

fudge v.i. to cheat by encroaching over the line when shooting in marbles. Also, as a noun, such a shot. Hence, the verbal noun, fudging.

[1924 Gilbert H. Lawson A Dictionary of Australian Words and Terms 13 fudge – To cheat.]

1945 in Sidney J. Baker Australia Speaks (1953) 109 In his well-known child book, "Smiley" (1945), M. Raymond has made a highly-entrertaining study of the Australian juvenile[.] Although some of the following terms belong to the general pool of Australianisms, here are sundry experssions which "Smiley" and his associates use: big ring, tor, stonks, glassy, chow, fudging, dubs (all of which are, of course, essential items in the vocabulary of any accomplished player of marbles)[.]

1970 J.S. Gunn in English Transported 60 As an example, the game of marbles has given knuckledown, fudging, and the cry of mully grubs to general usage, quite apart from its special references to stinkies, kellies, tors, and connies.

1976 David Ireland The Glass Canoe 103 'Stop fudging!'

ibid. 'Fudge! No fudges.' 'Knuckle down! Look! No fudges.'

1980 Clive James Unreliable Memoirs (1981) 34 The basic rule of marbles is that the taw must be fired from outside the ring. If the firing hand creeps inside the ring before the moment of release, it's a fudge. Mears fudged more blatantly than his helpless opponents would have believed possible.

1985 Cathy Hope Themes from the Playground 3 Our rules included no 'fananny wacking', fudging or cribbing. Fananny wacking is pushing your hand forward as you fire. You have to keep your hand still. You weren't allowed to 'crib' over the line.

1993 Hugh Lunn Fred & Olive's Blessed Lino 24 Jim didn't even have a marble bag, and I felt sorry for him because he was too busy learning ordinary English to ever know all the words you needed for marbles - like having a favourite tor, or fudging, or poison ring, or what a blood alley was.

2004 Australian Word Map (www.abc.net.au/wordmap) In Tassie, you fudged it, got caught fudging or cheating - although associated with playing marbles, also used in other areas, e.g. fudging an exam i.e. cheating in an examination.

ibid. I played marbles in the Southern Riverina in the 1940s and 1950s. We called it 'Fernannick', but knew it as 'fudge' and 'crib' also.

Notes: Not in Wilkes, AND.

fully adv. used as an intensifier.

1994 Crank (Sydney) Sum 4 We want to go tomorrow morning, so yeah, fully.

ibid. 43/2 The end bit on Slater fully reminds you that he is the leader of the pack at the moment, I won't even try to explain it, you need to see it.

1996 Linda Jaivin Rock n Roll Babes from Outer Space 115 'I like the music,' she commented amiably. 'Yeah?' said Jake, inexplicably proud, as though he'd had something to do with it. 'Fully. That's why we're here.'

2004 SBS website (www.sbs.com.au/pizza/new.php3) Pizza boys are back with a fully sick, brand new series.

Notes: A new term common amongst adolescents and young adults.

garbage man n. garbage collector.

1940 Eric Curry Hysterical History of Australia iii. 39 Strange and unbelievable as it may seem, my garbage man appears to know all about this famous letter.

Notes: Predating AND 1944.

gee-gees n. the horseraces; the turf.

1963 Frank Hardy Legends From Benson's Valley 18 'You wanted to fight old Murphy – but... And we done our dough on the gee-gees.'

1966 James Holledge The Great Australian Gamble xiv. 139 '[He] likes nothing better than a little flutter on the gee-gees.'

1979 Lance Peters The Dirty Half-Mile (1989) vi. 39 'I never bet on the gee-gees.'

1988 Peter Carey Oscar and Lucinda 324 It did not matter that Dancer was a card-player
himself, or that he was not beyond a 'something on the gee-gees'.

1997 John Birmingham The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco 243 Michael Duffy (who leaves me alone and only calls to send over cheques, drugs, alcohol, tips on the gee-gees etc)...

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND.

get amongst phr. to get involved in; to engage in or partake of enthusiastically.

1951 Dal Stivens Jimmy Brockett 252 'I've got a girl,' he said, blushing. 'I'm thinking of marrying her.' 'That's good, brother,' I said. 'But you get amongst it, too, don't you?'

ibid. iii. The workmen walked round the puffed-up mound, rolled cigarettes and read some of the inscriptions on the wreaths. 'Jimmy, with love from Helen,' the tall workman read out aloud. 'Bloody girl friend, I suppose.' 'He got amongst it.' 'Here's one with 'Nan' on it.'

1962 John Wynnum Tar Dust ii. 25 'Let's wait until a few more of our mob smell out this bin, then we'll get among 'em.'

1969 Alexander Buzo Rooted (1973) 91 'That's the spirit. Get out there and get amongst it.'

1970 Suzy Jarratt Permissive Australia viii. 154 Exclusive range of bawdy classics available now! Titles include 'The Great Farting Contest' – the battle between Lord Windamere of Britain and Paul Boomer of Australia – and 'Bang Away Lulu.' Get amongst them while they're hot! Be a riot at your next wing ding!

1982 Bob Staines Wot a Whopper 56 One local identity decided he would get amongst them and, armed with a very thick line and live mullet, he heaved it out with all his might.

1990 Sam Watson The Kadaitcha Sung 196 I'm going to get amongst them gumbey in there. I got to get a scrape soon, Boy.

1992 Tracks (Sydney) Oct. 137 Apart from that, quite a few Queenslanders have been doing the traditional winter bolt to Indo to get amongst some tropical juice.

1996 Australian Snowbaording News Apr 6/2 Get amongst 'em Quinnos.

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Rarely in the past tense.

gin around v.i. to muck about.

1979 Sam Weller Old Bastards I Have Met 36 For instance, if some old bomb shack is in the road of progress, stick the dozer in. But if anyone starts ginning around with that little chruch just off King George Square in Brisbane, I'll fight.

1982 Nancy Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 149 In the 1950s a Thursday Island grandmother of
Sri Lankan/Anglo-Saxon descent, who was born at about the turn of the century, had some unusual expressions. To someone 'flapping around' or over-reacting: 'Stop ginning around!' 'You're like a gin in bloomers!'; 'You're carrying on like a gin at a christening!'

2001 James and Robert's personal website (www.jamesandrobert.com) At last, after months of ginning around my secondment to London came through.

2004 Track T'van website (www.carsandcaravans.com.au) From the time, I climbed out of the four wheeler to the time we had the unit fully erected and were ready to hit the hay was less than six minutes! That included, as you'd expect, a bit of ginning around trying to find the right internal pole and figuring out how things were undone or done-up.

Notes: Not recorded in Baker, Wilkes, AND. Based on the typical racial slur that Aboriginal women are inveterate time wasters.

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