Scrub turkey means: An Australian term with two meanings. In its more colorful sense, a scrub turkey was slang for a swagman - a wandering bush worker or itinerant laborer who travelled the outback with all their. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
scrub turkey
An Australian term with two meanings.
Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 28, 2026AUS
An Australian term with two meanings. In its more colorful sense, a scrub turkey was slang for a swagman — a wandering bush worker or itinerant laborer who travelled the outback with all their possessions on their back, living rough and working seasonal jobs. The comparison to a scruffy, wild bird is perfectly apt. In its literal sense, it refers to the Australian brush turkey, a large mound-building bird found in the eastern bush. Both uses evoke the rugged, untamed Australian bush landscape.
The old scrub turkey showed up at the station looking for shearing work, same as every year.
Origin: Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
For parents
Scrub turkey means: An Australian term with two meanings. In its more colorful sense, a scrub turkey was slang for a swagman - a wandering bush worker or itinerant laborer who travelled the outback with all their. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
For ESL learners
scrub turkey means: An Australian term with two meanings. In its more colorful sense, a scrub turkey was slang for a swagman - a wandering bush worker or itinerant laborer who travelled the outback. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(AU, colloquial) A swagman.
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Australia
#3·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(AU) A brush turkey.
Cluster: general
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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.
Used in
Australia
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "scrub turkey" (S)
scrub maxxingscrub modescrub oakscrub pilledscrubstonescrub sznscrub upscrubwomanscrufflescrumscrum checkscrum energy
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Semantically related
- scrub bull67%
(AU) A bull living in (or bred in) the wild; a feral bull in the outback.
- scrub dasher66%
(AU) Someone who travels at speed through the scrub, especially chasing wild or lost livestock.
- brigalow scrub64%
(AU) An area thickly covered in brigalow, especially used of arid parts of eastern Australia.