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swagman

[swag-muh n]
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noun, plural swag·men. Australian.
  1. a tramp, hobo, or vagabond.
  2. anyone who carries a swag while traveling, as a camper or prospector.
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Origin of swagman

First recorded in 1875–80; swag2 + -man
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for swagman

Historical Examples

  • The swagman turned slowly and regarded cabby with a quiet grin.

    While the Billy Boils

    Henry Lawson

  • A swagman who has important private business with me is a rara avis.

  • The existence of the swagman is the happiest vagrant's life in the world.

  • Well, the only thing left to tell you is where the swagman came in.

    A Little Bush Maid

    Mary Grant Bruce

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

British Dictionary definitions for swagman

swagman

noun plural -men
  1. Australian and NZ informal a labourer who carries his personal possessions in a pack or swag while travelling about in search of work; vagrant workerAlso called: swagger, swaggie
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012