"native cat" means: The quoll; any member of the genus of carnivorous marsupials.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
native cat
(Australia) The quoll; any member of the genus of carnivorous marsupials.
Definitions
(Australia) The quoll; any member of the genus of carnivorous marsupials.
1907, New South Wales Department of Agriculture, The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, Volume 17, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=w2wiAQAAIAAJ&q=%22native+cat%22|%22native+cats%22+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&dq=%22native…
"native cat" means: The quoll; any member of the genus of carnivorous marsupials.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"native cat" means: The quoll; any member of the genus of carnivorous marsupials.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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(AU) A tiger quoll ().
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(Australia, obsolete) A koala.
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(AU) Any of several small carnivorous marsupials of the family , especially in the genera and .
- native bear59%
An obsolete Australian common name for the koala, reflecting early European settlers' attempts to classify an unfamiliar animal by analogy with known creatures. The koala is not a bear at all but a marsupial, and the name has long been replaced by 'koala' in all standard usage. The term survives only in historical texts and early colonial natural history writing.
- possum58%
A marsupial of several families of the order , found in Australia and neighboring islands.