The expression bluey inside the Australian English have different meanings

The most popular ‘s the swag (we.elizabeth. brand new distinctive line of possessions and you may every day necessaries sent by men travelling, usually by foot, on the plant) so-called just like the external level of your own swag try generally a blue blanket (which is also called a good bluey).

There is the new everlasting swaggie together with bluey on the their back whom is actually striking-out getting sundown to the Never ever-never ever track. W.T. Goodge, Attacks! Skits! and you will Jingles

A swaggie instantly searched from the bush, unshaven, which have insane, haunted vision, his bluey and you may billycan toward his back. G. Mix, George and you may Widda-Woman (1981)

One to bluey was afterwards relocated to baggage generally speaking, could very well be not surprising when you look at the an urban area hence romanticises the ‘bush’ traditions:

The earliest evidence to own bluey due to the fact an effective swag are out of 1878 where in actuality the bluey is actually humped whilst is actually from the itinerant plant staff tramping brand new wallaby song planned away from editors such as for instance Henry Lawson and you may Banjo Paterson

a crude overcoat regarding bluish-grey woollen, to get worn by those people carrying out outside really works throughout bad weather. Canberra Minutes (19 Nov. 1982).

The expression has been used in order to signify a separate items off outfits – denim operating jeans or overalls – although admission evidence suggests (the final ticket are 1950) that this use no longer is most recent.

Far more familiar is the usage of bluey to spell it out an excellent summons, particularly for a traffic offense (to start with posted towards the bluish papers):

Possibly the really Australian access to bluey is the curious use of it to spell it out a reddish-headed people (basic registered into the 1906):

1936 An effective.B. Paterson, Shearer’s Colt: ‘Bluey’, given that crowd named your, got found another type of winner. (All red-haired men are titled ‘Bluey’ around australia for some reason or most other.)

1978 R.H. Conquest, Dusty Distances: I consequently found out after he was a local of new Southern area Wales, titled ‘ Bluey on account of his yellow locks – typical Australian reason.

A more literal the means to access bluey in Australian English was its application so you’re able to fauna whose brands start out with bluish and you may that’s mostly bluish inside the colour:

1961 Bulletin 29 May: We call them blue martins. Ornithologists refer to them as some types of wood consume. They might be the ‘blueys’ so you can you.

There are two senses of your own word bodgie inside the Australian English, one another probably deriving regarding an early on (now outdated) word bodger.

The obsolete bodger most likely derives away from British dialect bodge ‘to really works clumsily’. When you look at the Australian English on the 1940s and 1950s bodger meant: ‘Something (otherwise sporadically some one) that’s fake, false, or worthless’. The brand new noun was also made use of adjectivally. Regular spends:

1966 S. Baker, The latest Australian Words: A young underworld and you may Army use of bodger to have something faked, worthless or poor. Such as, a great faked receipt otherwise not the case label.. is actually a beneficial bodger; so try a poor piece of thing marketed by the a home-to-home hawker.

1975 Latch & Hitchings, Mr X: To cease one suspicions however if these were obtained because of the the newest Transport Controls Board, it was decided.. when deciding to take a beneficial ‘bodgy’ acknowledgment into tyres with them.

1978 O. Light, Hushed Arrived at: This bunch try sizzling hot – otherwise why performed they give you it a one-coating sprinkle jobs along the unique light duco and you may repair it having bodgie count dishes?

About 1950s a unique sense of bodgie arose. The word was used to explain a masculine childhood, celebrated of the his compliance to specific fashions off top and you may larrikin behaviour; analogous toward United kingdom ‘teddy boy’:

1950 Weekend Telegraph (Sydney) eight Could possibly get: The new bizarre uniform of your own ‘bodgey’ – belted velvet cable coat, bright bluish recreations layer in place of a wrap, brownish pants narrowed at ankle, shaggy Cornel Wilde haircut.

1951 Questionnaire Morning amerikkalainen mies ja nainen Argentiinalainen Herald 1 March: What that have ‘bodgies’ growing their hair enough time and having doing into the silk tees, and you will ‘weegies’ [get a hold of widgie] cutting their hair brief and you can wearing trousers, confusion seems to be become arising about the sex of a few Australian teens.