Words : bludger

Next time you hear the word bludger or are tempted to use it to describe someone, think about its derivation (now obsolete in usage).

The entry for bludger in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable reads

(Aust.)  Originally (19th century) a pimp, but later any scrounger or one profiting without risk.  In World War I to bludge on the flag meant to slack in the army.

The Australian National University’s Australian National Dictionary Centre has a most comprehensive derivation, description and history of the word bludger.

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