l water. If for tea, the leaves are added into the billy itself;
the billy may be swung ('to make the leaves settle') or a eucalyptus
twig place across the top, more ritual than pragmatic.
These stories are supposedly told while the billy is suspended over
the fire at night, at the end of a tramp.
(Also used in want of other things, for cooking)
blackfellow (also, blackman): condescending for Australian Aboriginal
blackleg: someone who is employed to cross a union picket line to
break a workers' strike. As Molly Ivins said, she was brought up
on the three great commandments: do not lie; do not steal; never
cross a picket line. Also scab.
blanky or ---: Fill in your own favourite word. Usually however used
for "bloody"
blucher: a kind of half-boot (named after Austrian general)
blued: of a wages cheque: all spent extravagantly--and rapidly.
bluey: swag. Supposedly because blankets were mostly blue (so Lawson)
boggabri: never heard of it. It is a town in NSW: the dictionaries
seem to suggest that it is a plant, which fits context. What then is
a 'tater-marrer' (potato-marrow?). Any help?
bowyangs: ties (cord, rope, cloth) put around trouser legs below knee
bullocky: Bullock driver. A man who drove teams of bullocks yoked to
wagons carrying e.g. wool bales or provisions. Proverbially rough and
foul mouthed.
bush: originally referred to the low tangled scrubs of the semi-desert
regions ('mulga' and 'mallee'), and hence equivalent to
"outback". Now used generally for remote rural areas ("the
bush") and scrubby forest.
bushfire: wild fires: whether forest fires or grass fires.
bushman/bushwoman: someone who lives an isolated existence, far from
cities, "in the bush". (today: a "bushy")
bushranger: an Australian "highwayman", who lived in the 'bush'--
scrub--and attacked especially gold carrying coaches and banks.
Romanticised as anti-authoritarian Robin Hood figures--cf. Ned
Kelly--but usually very violent.

cheque: wages for a full season of sheep-shearing; meant to last until
the next year, including a family, but often "blued' in a 'spree'
chyack: (chy-ike) like chaffing; to tease, mildly abuse
cocky: a farmer, esp. dairy farmers (='cow-cockies')
cubby-house: or cubby. Children's playhouse ("Wendy house" is
commercial form))

Darlinghurst: Sydney suburb--where the gaol was in those days
dead marine: empty beer bottle
dossing: