An Australian exclamation of surprise or astonishment — the local equivalent of 'well, I'll be darned' or 'blow me down.' The gum tree (eucalyptus) is so embedded in Australian cultural identity that it makes perfect sense as the backdrop for a colourful oath.
An Australian exclamation of surprise or astonishment — the local equivalent of 'well, I'll be darned' or 'blow me down.' The gum tree (eucalyptus) is so embedded in Australian cultural identity that it makes perfect sense as the backdrop for a colourful oath. The phrase has an old-fashioned, bush-era quality to it now, but it captures the Australian tradition of inventive, nature-infused expressions for everyday emotions.
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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.
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(idiomatic, Australia) Of a person, on the edge of death.
(AU) Any of various eucalypts of eastern Australia known for their hard wood.
(AU) Any of various eucalypts having brittle timber, including , and .
(AU) Any of various eucalypts, especially the Tasmanian tree , which has a sweet, drinkable sap.
When he pulled out the old photograph and showed her, she gasped and said, 'Strike me up a gum tree — that's my grandfather!'
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(AU, informal) Expressing astonishment.
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