swagman

American  

[swag-muhn] / ˈswæg mən /

noun

Australian.

swagmen plural

1. a tramp, hobo, or vagabond.

2. anyone who carries a swag while traveling, as a camper or prospector.

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swagman British  

/ ˈswæɡˌmæn, -mən /

noun

1. Also called: swagger.   swaggie.  informal a labourer who carries his personal possessions in a pack or swag while travelling about in search of work; vagrant worker

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• swagmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of swagman

First recorded in 1875–80; swag ² + -man

Example Sentences

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong, Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Australians, to whom this enthusiasm was second nature, roared into Bardia singing: Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong Under the shade of a coolibah tree.

From Time Magazine Archive

Macauley, at 35, was a proud and able swagman, i.e., itinerant sheep-station hand, who hated cities, where you always need "a penny for the slot and a key for the door."

From Time Magazine Archive

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong, "You'll never take me alive," said he.

From Time Magazine Archive

A swagman had happened to call at the station that morning; he asked for work and then for tucker.

From Children of the Bush by Lawson, Henry