shiralee

English - English

Definition of shiralee in English English dictionary

A type of swag shaped roughly like a leg of mutton when rolled up, carried over the shoulder usually with some other load on the chest to balance it. (Reference: D'Arcy Niland in the Aboriginalities section of The Bulletin magazine, 27 September 1957. Quoted by Bill Wannan, Australian Folklore, Lansdowne Press, 1970, reprint 1979 ISBN 0-7018-1309-1, under "Shiralee", page 475.)

burden, load

A type of swag shaped roughly like a leg of mutton when rolled up, carried over the shoulder usually with some other load on the chest to balance it

Hyphenation

shi·ra·lee

Etymology

() From one of the Australian Aboriginal languages. D'Arcy Niland's novel The Shiralee (also made into two films) has kept the word alive, even if it's actual meaning is not well known.