bush

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

I.


n.

Not originally an Australianapplication. «Recent, and probably a direct adoption of theDutch Bosch, in colonies originally Dutch» (`O.E.D.'),[quoting (1780) Forster, in `Phil. Trans.' lxxi. 2, «The commonBush-cat of the Cape;» and (1818) Scott, `Tapestr. Chamber,'«When I was in the Bush, as the Virginians call it» ].«Woodland, country more or less covered with natural woodapplied to the uncleared or untitled districts in the BritishColonies which are still in a state of nature, or largely so,even though not wooded; and by extension to the country asopposed to the towns.» (`O.E.D.')

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 48:

«I have spent a good deal of my time in the woods, or bush, asit is called here.'

1836. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 85:

«With the exception of two or three little farms, comprisingabout 20 or 30 acres of cultivation, all was `bush' as it iscolonially called. The undergrowth was mostly clear, beingcovered only with grass or herbs, with here and there some lowshrubs.»

1837. J. D. Lang, `New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 253:

«His house was well enough for the bush, as the country isgenerally termed in the colony.»

1855. From a letter quoted in Wathen's `The Golden Colony,'p. 117:

«`The Bush,' when the word is used in the towns, means all theuninclosed and uncultivated country . . . when in the country,`the Bush' means more especially the forest. The word itselfhas been borrowed from the Cape, and is of Dutch origin.»

1857. `The Argus,' Dec. 14, p. 5, col. 7:

«`Give us something to do in or about Melbourne, not away inthe bush,' says the deputation of the unemployed.»

1861. T. McCombie,' Australian Sketches,' p. 123:

«At first the eternal silence of the bush is oppressive, but ashort sojourn is sufficient to accustom a neophyte to the newscene, and he speedily becomes enamoured of it.»

1865. J. F. Mortlock, `Experiences of a Convict,' p. 83:

«The `bush,' a generic term synonymous with `forest' or`jungle,' applied to all land in its primaeval condition,whether occupied by herds or not.»

1872. A. McFarland, `Illawarra and Manaro,' p. 113:

«All the advantages of civilized life have been surrenderedfor the bush, its blanket and gunyah.»

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,'vol. i. p. 250:

«The technical meaning of the word `bush.' The bush is thegum-tree forest, with which so great a part of Australia iscovered, that folk who follow a country life are invariablysaid to live in the bush. Squatters who look after their ownruns always live in the bush, even though their sheep arepastured on plains. Instead of a town mouse and a countrymouse in Australia, there would be a town mouse and a bushmouse; but mice living in the small country towns would stillbe bush mice.»

Ibid. c. xx. p. 299:

«Nearly every place beyond the influence of the big towns iscalled `bush,' even though there should not be a tree to beseen around.»

1883. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 67, n.:

«Bush was a general term for the interior. It might be thickbush, open bush, bush forest, or scrubby bushterms whichexplain themselves.»

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 40:

«The first thing that strikes me is the lifeless solitude ofthe bush. . . . There is a deep fascination about the freedomof the bush.»

1890. E. W. Hornung [Title]:

«A Bride from the Bush.»

1896. `Otago Daily Times,' Jan. 27, p. 2, col. 5:

«Almost the whole of New South Wales is covered with bush.It is not the bush as known in New Zealand. It is rathera park-like expanse, where the trees stand widely apart,and where there is grass on the soil between them.»

II.

adj. or in composition

not alwayseasy to distinguish, the hyphen depending on the fancy of thewriter.

1836. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 75:

«The round trundling of our cart wheels, it is well known, doesnot always improve the labours of Macadam, much less a bushroad.»

1848. Letter by Mrs. Perry, given in Canon Goodman's `Churchin Victoria, during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,'p. 75:

«A hard bush sofa, without back or ends.»

1849. J. Sidney, `Emigrants' Journal, and Travellers'Magazine,' p. 40 (Letter from Caroline Chisholm):

«What I would particularly recommend to new settlers is` Bush Partnership' – – Let two friends or neighbours agreeto work together, until three acres are cropped, dividing thework, the expense, and the produce – – this partnership will growapace; I have made numerous bush agreements of this kind . . .I never knew any quarrel or bad feeling result from thesepartnerships, on the contrary, I believe them calculated topromote much neighbourly good will; but in the association of alarge number of strangers, for an indefinite period, I have noconfidence.»

1857. W. Westgarth, `Victoria,' c. xi. p. 250:

«The gloomy antithesis of good bushranging and bad bush-roads.»

[Bush-road, however, does not usually mean a made-road throughthe bush, but a road which has not been formed, and is in astate of nature except for the wear of vehicles upon it, andperhaps the clearing of trees and scrub.]

1864. `The Reader,' April 2, p. 40, col. 1 (`O.E.D.'):

«The roads from the nascent metropolis still partook mainly ofthe random character of `bush tracks.'»

1865. W. Hewitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 211:

«Dr. Wills offered to go himself in the absence of any moreyouthful and, through bush seasoning, qualified person.»

1880. `Blackwood's Magazine,' Feb., p. 169 [Title]:

«Bush-Life in Queensland.»

1881. R. M. Praed, `Policy and Passion,' c. i. p. 59:

«The driver paused before a bush inn.»

[In Australia the word «inn» is now rare. The word «hotel» has supplanted it.]

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv.p. 3:

«Not as bush roads go. The Australian habit is here followedof using `bush' for country, though no word could be moreludicrously inapplicable, for there is hardly anything on theway that can really be called a bush.»

1894. `Sydney Morning Herald' (exact date lost):

«Canada, Cape Colony, and Australia have preserved the oldsignificance of Bush – – Chaucer has it so – – as a territory onwhich there are trees; it is a simple but, after all, a kindlydevelopment that when a territory is so unlucky as to have notrees, sometimes, indeed, to be bald of any growth whatever,it should still be spoken of as if it had them.»

1896. Rolf Boldrewood, in preface to `The Man from SnowyRiver':

«It is not easy to write ballads descriptive of the bushlandof Australia, as on light consideration would appear.»

1896. H. Lawson, `While the Billy boils,' p. 104:

«About Byrock we met the bush liar in all his glory. He wasdressed like – – like a bush larrikin. His name was Jim.»

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

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