wowser

[ wou-zer ]

noun

, Australia and New Zealand.

1. an excessively puritanical person.

wowser

/ ˈwaʊzə /

noun

1. a fanatically puritanical person
2. a teetotaller

Word History and Origins

Origin of wowser¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of wowser¹

C20: from English dialect wow to whine, complain

Example Sentences

He's a real wowser at one class of knowledge, and doesn't know spit about the others.

From Project Gutenberg

Oxford has made Ginger into a cock-eyed wowser, and Cambridge has turned Beefy into a base-ball looney.

From Project Gutenberg