nigger-head

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

n.


1) Name given in New Zealandto hard blackstones found at the Blue Spur and other miningdistricts. They are prized for their effectiveness in aidingcement-washing. The name is applied in America to a roundpiece of basic igneous rock.

2) Name used in Queensland for blocks of coral above water.

1876. Capt. J. Moresby, R. N., `Discoveries and Surveys inNew Guinea,' pp. 2-3:

«The gigantic Barrier Reef is submerged in parts, generally toa shallow depth, and traceable only by the surf that breaks onit, out of which a crowd of `nigger heads,' black points ofcoral rock, peep up in places . . .»

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,'p. 111:

«Abundantly on the Queensland coast, especially on the coralreefs, where all the outstanding blocks of coral (nigger-heads)are covered with them.»

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