wowser

American  

[wou-zer] / ˈwaʊ zər /

noun

Australia and New Zealand.

1. an excessively puritanical person.

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wowser British  

/ ˈwaʊzə /

noun

1. a fanatically puritanical person

2. a teetotaller

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Etymology

Origin of wowser

First recorded in 1895–1900; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Even if “Emancipation” turns out to be a critical wowser, will academy members be eager to vote for a Will Smith star vehicle when his actions will still cast a long shadow over next year’s show?

From New York Times

But it’s a wowser, and it’s about change.

From New York Times

He was the "wowser," strangest beastie of them all.

From Time Magazine Archive

The worst feature of the wowser is that he is not content to spend his Sundays drably in sedate strolls or in solemn indoor sportlessness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even such a wowser as: "Whatever else North Carolinians stand for or do not stand for, immorality by a man in the highest place in an insane asylum or even the suspicion of it brings indignation," is better than a mere laugh; it is, like the whole of the book, as genuine as a thumbprint.

From Time Magazine Archive