The billy is an Australian term for a metal container used for boiling water, making tea or cooking over a fire. By the end of the 19th century the billy had become as natural, widespread and symbolic of bush life as the gum tree, the kangaroo and the wattle.
Etymology. Although there is a suggestion that the word may be associated with the Aboriginal billa (meaning water; cf. Billabong), it is widely accepted that the term billycan is derived from bouilli can, the name given to the empty cannisters used for preserving Soup and bouilli and other foods.
A billy is a small metal can used for boiling water over an open fire. It's short for billycan. It almost always means to 'make tea' but if you are sitting around an open fire (camping for example) and someone says “I'll boil the billy” this can just mean “boil some water” for coffee, tea or washing up water.
Definition of billy
A small cooking pot used to boil water or cook food over a campfire. Some have handles, whereas others are simply made from metal containers. The above is an entry in Campnab's Pretty Darned Useful Glossary of Camping Terms.
Early Australian settlers brewed their tea in a Billy; a metal can with a wire handle, filled. with water and suspended over an open fire. When the water boils, it is removed from. the fire with a forked stick, and a fistful of tea leaves are added.
jumbuck. Jumbuck is an Australian word for a 'sheep'. It is best known from Banjo Paterson's use of it in Waltzing Matilda.
Billabong is a term that derives from the language of the Wiradjuri people in south western New South Wales, and describes a pond or pool of water that is left behind when a river alters course or after floodwaters recede3.
The chefs can use a billy can to cook directly on the coals.
The lightweight pot or billy is used for cooking and heating water. Earlier generations of trampers often stopped for a 'boil-up' or a 'brew'. But it takes time to build a fire, and younger trampers prefer to drink water from bottles or from a stream.
Etymology 1
Of obscure origin. Perhaps from the name Billy, a diminutive of William, or a variant of bully (“companion, mate, comrade”). Compare Scots billie (“a comrade; companion”). Compare also Middle Low German billig (“equitable, reasonable, lawful, fitting, according to natural law, just”).
Aussie Word of the Week
A sheila is a woman. In use since the 1830s, sheila has its origin in a generic use of the common Irish girl's name. As pointed out by former Macquarie Chief Editor Sue Butler, sheila has many meanings that range from neutral to viewing woman as sexual objects or even prostitutes.
noun. shei·la ˈshē-lə Australia and New Zealand. : a girl or young woman.
Australians use a couple of other colloquial words for a hen's egg. The Australian English word googie or goog is an informal term that dates from the 1880s. It derives from British dialect goggy, a child's word for an egg. A closer parallel to the jocular bum nut, however, is the word cackleberry.
Bark troughs
Used to boil water on the open fire (large seas shells were also used for this job). The bark troughs were also employed to help separate seeds from other rubbish that may have been gathered with them (dirt and bark etc).
A club or heavy stick; truncheon, esp.
At a stretch, a tramp more specifically refers to a multi-day hike rather than a day hike. The word 'tramping' seems to be tied to the idea that kiwi's have a specific and exclusively rugged style of on-foot exploring.
The Trail Bum is a revolutionary Ultralight 3-in-1 Backpacking Toilet, Table and Stool.
The magpie goose is a water bird native to northern Australia, with lean meat similar to kangaroo meat but finer in texture. Here Jimmy has prepared them in typical Chinese dumpling style, so you could substitute the goose meat for duck, chicken or even pork.
Add all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix. In a separate bowl Whip egg into the milk, melt butter and stir into the milk and egg. Slowly whisk liquid into the dry ingredients and then knead by hand.
Backwoods cooking is a method of cooking without the use of kitchen utensils like pots and pans. It traditionally takes place over an open fire. This meal is cooked on the embers of a fire, so you need to build the fire leaving enough time for it to die down to embers.
5. Sheila = Girl. Yes, that is the Australian slang for girl.
Trackie dacks are tracksuit trousers, and underdacks are underpants or knickers. To dak someone is to pull their pants down.
Thongs. This one really baffles visitors, especially those from the United States. In the USA a thong is a piece of underwear. In Australia, it's what they call flip-flops. Sometimes they also call them "double-pluggers".