dump

I.

n.

a small coin formerly used inAustralia and Tasmania. Its history is given in thequotations. In England the word formerly meant a heavyleaden counter; hence the expression, «I don't care a dump.» See Holy Dollar.

1822. `Hobart Town Gazette,' December 14:

«Government Public Notice. – – The Quarter Dollars, or `Dumps,' struck from the centre of the Spanish Dollar, and issued by His Excellency Governor Macquarie, in the year 1813, at One Shilling and Threepence each, will be exchanged for Treasury Bills at Par, or Sterling money.»

1823. `Sydney Gazette,' Jan. ['Century']:

«The small colonial coin denominated dumps have all been calledin. If the dollar passes current for five shillings the dumplays claim to fifteen pence value still in silver money.»

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.p. 44

«He only solicits the loan of a `dump,' on pretence of treatinghis sick gin to a cup of tea.»

Ibid. p. 225:

«The genuine name of an Australian coin, in value1 s. 3 d.»

1852. J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 141:

«Tattered promissory notes, of small amount and doubtfulparentage, fluttered about the colony; dumps, struck out fromdollars, were imitated by a coin prepared without requiringmuch mechanical ingenuity.»

1870. T. H. Braim, `New Homes,' c. iii. p. 131:

«The Spanish dollar was much used. A circular piece was struckout of the centre about the size of a shilling, and it wascalled a `dump.'»

1879. W. J. Barry, `Up and Down,' p. 5:

«The coin current in those days (1829) consisted of ring-dollars and dumps, the dump being the centre of the dollarpunched out to represent a smaller currency.»

1893. `The Daily News' (London), May 11, p. 4:

«The metallic currency was then [1819-25] chiefly Spanishdollars, at that time and before and afterwards the most widelydisseminated coin in the world, and they had the current valueof 5 s. But there were too few of them, and thereforethe centre of them was cut out and circulated under the name of`dumps' at 1 s. 3 d. each, the remainder of thecoin – – called by way of a pun, `holy dollars' – – still retainingits currency value of 5 s.»

II.

v.

to press closely; applied to wool.Bales are often marked «not to be dumped.»

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 98:

«The great object of packing so close is to save carriagethrough the country, for however well you may do it, it isalways re-pressed, or `dumped,' as it is called, by hydraulicpressure on its arrival in port, the force being so great as tocrush two bales into one.»

1875. R. and F. Hill, `What we saw in Australia,' p. 207:

«From the sorting-tables the fleeces are carried to thepacking-shed; there, by the help of machinery, they are pressedinto sacks, and the sacks are then themselves heavily pressedand bound with iron bands, till they become hard cubes. Thisprocess is called `dumping.'»