Austral English Part 71

Drafter, n. a man engaged in drafting cattle.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xviii. p. 227:

"They behave better, though all the while keeping the drafters incessantly popping at the fence by truculent charges."

Drafting-gate, n. gate used in separating cattle and sheep into different cla.s.ses or herds.

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 16, p. 4, col. 7:

"But the tent-flap seemed to go up and down quick as a drafting-gate."

Drafting-stick, n. a stick used in drafting cattle.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. x. p. 72:

"We ... armed ourselves with drafting-sticks and resolutely faced it."

Drafting-yard, n. a yard for drafting cattle.

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 16, p. 13, col. 1:

"There were drafting-yards and a tank a hundred yards off, but no garden."

Dray, n. an ordinary cart for goods. See quotation, 1872.

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. i. Intro. p. xlix:

"They send their produce to the market ... receiving supplies for home consumption on the return of their drays or carts from thence."

1872. C. H. Eden, "My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 31:

"A horse dray, as known in Australia, is by no means the enormous thing its name would signify, but simply an ordinary cart on two wheels without springs." [There are also spring-drays.]

1886. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 41:

"One told by camp fires when the station drays Were housed and hidden, forty years ago."

Dromicia, n. the scientific name of the Australian Dormouse Phalangers, or little Opossum- or Flying-Mice, as they are locally called. See Opossum, Opossum-mouse, and Phalanger. They are not really the "Flying"-Mice or Flying-phalanger, as they have only an incipient parachute, but they are nearly related to the Pigmy Petaurists (q.v.) or small Flying-Phalangers. (Grk. dromikos, good at running, or swift.)

Drongo, n. This bird-name was "given by Le Vaillant in the form drongeur to a South African bird afterwards known as the Musical Drongo, Dicrurus musicus, then extended to numerous ... fly-catching, crow-like birds." (`Century.') The name is applied in Australia to Chibia bracteata, Gould, which is called the Spangled Drongo.

1895. W. 0. Legge, `Australasian a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 448:

"There being but one member of the interesting Asiatic genus Drongo in Australia, it was thought best to characterize it simply as the Drongo without any qualifying term."

Drop, n. (Slang.) To "have the drop on" is to forestall, gain advantage over, especially by covering with a revolver.

It is curious that while an American magazine calls this phrase Australian (see quotation), the `Dictionary of Slang'--one editor of which is the distinguished American, G.o.dfrey C. Leland--says it is American. It is in common use in Australia.

1894. `Atlantic Monthly,' Aug., p. 179.

"His terrible wife, if we may borrow a phrase from Australia, `had the drop on him' in every particular."

Drooping Acacia, n. See Acacia.

Drove, v. to drive travelling cattle or sheep.

1890. A. J. Vogan, `Black Police,' p. 334:

"I don't know how you'd be able to get on without the `boys' to muster, track, and drove."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River' [Poem `In the Droving Days'], p. 95:

"For though lie scarcely a trot can raise, He can take me back to the droving days."

Drum, n. a bundle; more usually called a swag (q.v.).

1866. Wm. Starner, `Recollections of a Life of Adventure,'

vol. i. p. 304

"... and `humping his drum' start off for the diggings to seek more gold."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 17:

"They all chaffed us about our swags, or donkeys, or drums, as a bundle of things wrapped in a blanket is indifferently called."

1886. Frank Cowan, `Australia, Charcoal Sketch,' p. 31:

"The Swagman: bed and board upon his back--or, having humped his drum and set out on the wallaby ..."

Drummer, n. a New South Wales name for the fish Girella elevata, Macl., of the same family as the Black-fish (q.v.).

Dry-blowing, n. a Western Australian term in gold-mining.

1894. `The Argus,' March 28, p. 5, col. 5:

"When water is not available, as unfortunately is the case at Coolgardie, `dry blowing' is resorted to. This is done by placing the pounded stuff in one dish, and pouring it slowly at a certain height into the other. If there is any wind blowing it will carry away the powdered stuff; if there is no wind the breath will have to be used. It is not a pleasant way of saving gold, but it is a case of Hobson's choice. The unhealthiness of the method is apparent."

Duboisine, n. an alkaloid derived from the plant Duboisia myoposides, N.O. Sofanaceae, a native of Queensland and New South Wales. It is used in medicine as an application to the eye for the purpose of causing the pupil to dilate, in the same way as atropine, an alkaloid obtained from the belladonna plant in Europe, has long been employed. Duboisine was discovered and introduced into therapeutics by a Brisbane physician.

Duck, n. the well-known English name of the birds of the Anatinae, Fuligulinae, and other series, of which there are about 125 species comprised in about 40 genera.

The Australian genera and species are---

Blue-billed Duck-- Erismatura australis, Gould.

Freckled D.-- Stictonetta naevosa, Gould.

Mountain D. (the Shel-drake, q.v.).