Today's M-W word-of-the-day is the Aussie gem 'wowser', an obtrusively puritanical person -- which it also gives as origin unknown. Any ideas from down under?

The following is largely from The Oxford Companion To Australian Literature:

Defined by the Macquarie Dictionary as 'a prudish teetotaller' or 'a killjoy' and by C.J. Dennis (read him for heaps of Aussie culture and folklore) as an 'ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'.

A term of uncertain origin, popularly accepted to be an acronym coined by by John Norton, owner of the (bloody marvellous, now defunct newspaper Truth) signifying "We Only Want Social Evils Remedied—or Righted".

Another suggestion is from "rouser" a term for religious fanatics current in Victoria in the 1870s.

The wowser had his heyday from the 1880s to the end of WW1 and was frequently depicted in cartoons as bearded, wearing a small, flat hat or a gimlet, and carrying the universal symbol of a wowser, an umbrella.

Rgds, lusy

Here it is, folks - the definitive (?) Australian slang site, with thanks to

http://www.Google.com

http://goaustralia.about.com/travel/goaustralia/library/weekly/blstrine.htm

here's one that's mystified me ever since I happened upon it -- how did the word bluey come to be the nickname for a redhead?!

Well spotted.
I would give a XXXX for that! It's a bit of a beut.
Yours
A pom

>>I would give a XXXX for that! <<

...thanks - will you come to New Zealand, or will it keep until I visit your part of the Planet?

Tell you what, David--
Jo and I will meet you at paulb's party.
She can bring her XXXX, I'll bring a slab ot two,
and you can introduce us to Adrian Quist!
AnnaS's Jack Daniels would be nice to meet, too,
if she can bring him.

Once again, Tsuwm--thanks for the neat site!

Friday night we attended 'Eric Idle shamelessly exploits Monty Python'; of course, he reprised the Four Bruces sketch, which included the Philosopher's Song...
http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/hum/philosophy/philos_song.html

In reply to:

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The wowser had his heyday from the 1880s to the end of WW1 and was frequently depicted in cartoons as bearded, wearing a small, flat hat or a gimlet, and carrying the universal symbol of a wowser, an umbrella.

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How do you wear a gimlet? Is it the name of the type of hat? I thought a gimlet was a cobbler's tool for making holes in leather.



Bingley

Bingley: SOED, in addition to the tool to which you are referring, also has 'piercing, penetrating' (as of eyes) and a 20th century cocktail (which sounds most unlikely in the circumstances!). Perhaps there's a link with umbrellas here (or screwdrivers -- in the drinks department). An Australian journalist, Keith Dunstan, wrote a book called 'Wowsers' a few years ago. If I can find a copy I'll let you know.

When I saw the word in that context, I was immediately reminded of a hat that used to be known as a "Pork Pie", because of its resemblance. I'm sure that there is a connection, just can't find it.

I'll keep looking!

I can visualise a hat looking like a pork pie, but a hat looking like a gimlet doesn't sound right. I've always thought of a gimlet as looking something like a giant needle, but I must admit I've never actually seen one as far as I know, not being a cobbler.

Bingley