'S' Sack Bed Sack -to get the- To be dismissed from employment Saddle up -to- To get ready for work Saltie -a- A saltwater crocodile Sandgroper Any person who lives in the state of Western Australia Sandscratch To search for surface gold; to be on the lookout for a female companion Sandy blight A form of ophthalmia in which the eyes feel as though there is sand in them Sane Ten; eg "10 months' jail" "10 oz. Tobacco" Sanger -a- A sandwich Sanno A sanitary inspector Satdee Saturday Sayso -a- A leader; a boss Scale -to- To ride on public transport without paying a fare; to steal; to rob a person Scaler One who rides on public transport without paying a fare; a thief or swindler School of arts Usually no more than a combination of meeting hall and rough library found in many rural townships. The first School of Arts was opened in Sydney in 1833 Schooner A 15 oz. glass of beer Scone -your- Your head Scrounge -to- To try and get something for free Scrub Bush; any bush covered area of land Scrub cattle Cattle that have run wild in scrub or bush Scrub cocky A small farmer working rough land or an area largely covered with bush Scrub dangler A wild bullock Scrub dashing Riding through bush or scrub Scrub -to- To reject; to dismiss Scrub up well -you- You look great Scrubber -a- A tough person; a wild character from the bush Scrubbers Cattle or horses that have run wild in the scrub and have deteriorated in condition Scrum A 3d coin Scungies Bathers Secko A person suffering a sexual aberration Seed tick The larval stage of the cattle tick Selector A farmer who took Crown Land and acquired the freehold by annual payments Send her down Hughie An exclamation of approval when rain falls Seppo -a- An American Septic tank -a- An American Settler's matches Long, pendulous strips of bark hanging from eucalypts which are readily ignited and used as kindling Shag -to- To have sex Shagroons Australian squatters who invaded Canterbury, New Zealand in 1851 Shakey isles New Zealand Shanghai A child's catapult Shark -a- A used car salesperson Shark biscuits Novice surfers Sharkbait A swimmer who ventures to far out to sea Sharp shooter A person who mingles with a racecourse crowd round a bookmaker's stand, holds out his hand and demands a ticket for a non-existent bet Shears -off the- Animals that have just been shorn Sheep sick Used to describe pasture which is (temporarily, at least) unsuitable for carrying sheep; land upon which sheep have been grazed too long Sheep station A large property where sheep are grown for wool or meat Sheila A girl or young woman She'll be apples It will be fine; it will work out; don't worry She'll be right It will be fine; it will work out; don't worry Shelf A police informer Shepherd A miner who holds a gold claim, but does not work it Shicer An unproductive gold mine; a swindler or crook; a racecourse welsher Shick Drunk Shicker -to- To drink Shift -to- To travel at great speed; to do a shift; to move Shin off -to- To leave hurriedly Shiner A black eye Shingle short -have a- To be stupid or crazy Shiralee A swag or bluey Shirty -to get- To become angry Shivoo -a- A party; a spree Shong A child's catapult Shonky Not good; not reliable eg "it's shonky workmanship" Shook on To be keen on; interested in; infatuated with Shoot through To decamp; to leave in a hurry Short Silly; stupid Shot ging A child's catapult Shouse A privy Shout -a- A free drink or a free round of drinks Shout -to- To buy drinks for another or for others Shove it A contemptuous ejaculation of dismissal Shove off To depart Shower A dust storm eg "Cobar shower" "Bedourie shower" "Darling shower" "Wilcannia shower" Shyster A crook; a humbug Sick as a blackfellow's dog Extremely ill Sickie To take a day off work, whether sick or not Sidekick A friend, companion or helper Silly season -the- Christmas holidays Silvertail A member of the upper crust; a social climber Sing a bone To jinx; to bring bad luck to someone Sit down To camp or settle at a place Sit up like Jacky To sit up straight and behave with restraint Sixty miler A collier which transports coal from Newcastle to Sydney Skerrick A small amount or small quantity of anything Skite -a- A braggart; a boaster Skite -to- To brag, boast or show off Slab -a- A carton containing 24 cans or bottles of beer Slash -going for a- Going to urinate Sleever A large drink Sling A tip Sling off To depart Sling off at To deride or jeer at a person Slip up A deliberately missed appointment Slippery dip -a- A kids slide Slog Hard work Sloppy Joe -a- A top made from cotton (sweater) Sly grog A place where sly grog is sold Smart Alec Anyone who tries to be clever about something Smoko A short spell from work; a short period of rest Smoodge -to- To make love to; to kiss; to flatter Smoodger A sycophant; a flatterer Snack A certainty; a prospective victim for a swindle or robbery Snags Sausages Snailey A bullock with a slightly twisted horn Snapping log -a- A crocodile Snatch it To leave a job; to abandon a task Snob The last sheep shorn in a day's work in a woolshed Snoot A disagreeable person Snoozer A young child Snork A baby; a sausage Snorkers Sausages Snorter A particularly hot day Snout on -have a- To bear a grudge against a person Soak A depression holding water after rain; a waterhole Soakage As for soak Sod A badly cooked damper Soda A certainty; an easily accomplished task Solid Unfair; unreasonable Sonky Stupid; silly Sook A crybaby Sool on To incite to attack Sool -to- To travel fast Sort A girl or young woman Sort someone out To reprove a person; put him in his place; fight him South -to- To put an object in one's pocket Southerly buster A wild wind or gale from the south; a mixed alcoholic drink Souvenir -to- To steal Spare boy Treacle or golden syrup Sparkie -a- An electrician Sparrowfart Very early in the morning Spear -get the- To be dismissed from a job Speck -the- Tasmania Speed the wombats An exclamation mainly indicating exasperation or surprise Speedos Bathers Speewaa A legendary station of doughty deeds (the original Speewaa was near Swan Hill on the Murray River); a place of "great men and tall tales" Spello A period of rest Spiel Set advice; a wordy explanation Spiel -to- To talk plausibly or glibly with some underhand motive in view Spieler A swindler Spin £ 5 Spine basher A loafer Spinner The man who tosses the coins in two-up; £ 50 Note Spit a bone at To jinx; to bring bad luck to someone Spit in the bag and stand up To seek bets from racecourse punters without the means to pay those bets if they are successful Split A safety match Spot £ 10 Note Spot -to- To choose the best land in a district at the expense of others Spout -being up the- Being pregnant Spridgy A sparrow Sprook -to- To harangue; to appeal with glib tongue to prospective customers or victims Sprooker A speaker; a voluble sideshow man Spuds Potatos Spunk -a- An attractive or sexy person Square dinkum True; vouched for; honest Square off -to- To apologise; explain; set matters right in a misunderstanding Squat To take up land as a squatter Squatter A large land holder in the outback; the owner of a major run or station Squeaker A type of cicada Squib A cowardly person Squib -to- To funk; to evade an issue; to be afraid of some opponent or obstacle Squizz -to- To look at; to inspect Stack on an act To swear luridly; to give way to temper; to complain at length Stag An imperfectly castrated ram; a half-grown bull Staggering bob A calf Standing ground The bottom of a goldmine shaft which needs no timbering Standover man A criminal who exacts toll from other law-breakers or innocents Standover -work the- To act as a standover man Start A job Station While this term for a squatter's property is not originally Australian but it is used far more often here than overseas. The following derivatives are Australian "back station" "head station" "home station" "out station" "outside station" "station hand" "station keeper" Steam Cheap wine Steamed up -to be- To be angry Steamer A dish of stewed kangaroo flavoured with pork Sterks -give one the- To infuriate, annoy or depress Sterling An English born resident in Australia Stew A boxing contest, race or athletic event, the result of which has been pre-arranged Stick An inquisitive person; a two-up kip Stick it A contemptuous ejaculation of dismissal Stick it into To ask someone for a loan Stick up A delay; a hold up; a quandary Stick up -to- Originally to hold up and rob a person on the road or in the bush; to delay; to stop Sticky Curious; inquisitive Sticky beak A nosy person Stiff A summons Stiffen the lizards An exclamation mainly indicating exasperation or surprise Stiffen the snakes An exclamation mainly indicating exasperation or surprise Stiffened -get- To be swindled Sting Dope given to a racehorse in the form of a hypodermic injection Stinko Drunk Stitched Beaten; outwitted Stock Farm animals in general but specially cattle Stoked Being very pleased Stone An intensive as in "stone moral" Stone the crows An exclamation mainly indicating exasperation or surprise Stop laughing This typical example of Australian meiosis means "stop complaining" Stop one To take a drink of alcoholic liquor Stormstick -a- An umbrella Stoush A fight; a brawl; a thrashing; violence Straight oil Correct information; the facts Strap up To obtain goods, specially drinks in a hotel, on credit Strength of -the- The real facts about something Strewth God's truth; meaning an element of surprise Strong of -the- The real facts about something; a full assessment of a person Strongarm -to- To act as a protector for a prostitute; to act in a bullying fashion Stubby -a- A small bottle of beer Stuff -I don't give a- I don't care Stump jumper An Australian farming implement known as a stump-jump plough Stunned mullet -like a- Stupid; silly Sudden Speedy; drastic; brutal towards Suint Dried sweat of a sheep in its wool Sunbeam -a- Any plate which has not been used after finishing a meal, and can be put back into the cupboard without washing Sunday dog A lazy dog of little use to a shepherd or cattle man Sundee Sunday Sundowner A rural tramp or swagman of indolent type who usually dodged working for his food by arriving at a station at sundown Sunshine track -on the- To be on the tramp in the outback Surfacing Searching for gold on the surface of the ground Surfing Swimming in the sea Suss -to- To figure something out Susso The dole; Government sustenance for the unemployed Swag A rolled blanket, within which are wrapped personal effects, carried by a rural tramp or swagman Swaggie A swagman Swagman A rural tramp who carries a swag or bluey Swamp -to- To spend money, mainly on drink Swamper An itinerant in the outback or bush who walked to his destination without his swag, which he entrusted to a teamster to bring on his waggon Swank -it looks- It looks very expensive Swank -to look- To be well dressed Sweat on -to- To wait anxiously for something to happen Sweeper A train which stops at all stations on its route Sweet Ready; prepared; satisfied eg "she's sweet" meaning everything is all right. The "she" has no feminine connotation whatever, either in this phrase or comparable expressions, such as "she's apples" "she's cake" "she's ridge" Swing the gate To be the fastest Shearer in a woolshed, or merely to be a fast Shearer Swy The game of two-up; a florin (two shillings) Sydney blanket A covering used by tramps, made by cutting open a chaff bag or flour sack and hemming it roughly Sydney ducks Australians who went to California in the 1849 gold rush Sydney harbour A barber Sydney or the bush The choice of a final alternative Sydney View A postage stamp issued in New South Wales in 1850, the central feature of which is a copy of the reverse side of the first Great Seal of New South Wales, showing three convicts being freed from their chains Sydneyside Originally that part of New South Wales north of the Murray River; the area in and around Sydney Sydneysider Originally a resident of the northern Sydney side of the Murray in contrast to the southerner or Yarrasider; an inhabitant of Sydney