Dictionary of Clyde
Explanations about some uncommon words
Words from newspaper reports or about things that are rarely used in our times.


agistment - Agistment happens when land is rented out to cattle or horse owners.  eg "We rent out our land for the Jordan's horses. They pay us a monthly agistment fee

assayer
- someone who tests the quality of metals

Boer War
(1899-1902 ) War in South Africa between Britain and Dutch descended farmers who lived there. (Boer, means farmer in the Dutch language).

brace
- Two foxes, hares or game birds.

breach of promise - until the early 20th century, a man's promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract. If the man were to subsequently change his mind, he would be said to be in "breach" of this promise and subject to litigation for damages

.breach = a breaking of an agreement

broody hen = when a hen has a strong desire to stay sitting on eggs and is unwilling to move

Bunurong - The name given to the tribe of Aborigines that inhabited Clyde. (Most likely pronounced as Boo-ne-rong) Thomas Patterson spelt the name as Boonerang

comminuted
- fractured into multiple fragments of bone.

Crofter
- a person who rented and worked a small farm, especially in Scotland or northern England.


crown land
- Land owned by the government. Originally “crown” meant the king/queen at the time who wore the crown. In Australia the word ‘crown land’ is still used but it means land owned by the government and is not owned by its people

crown allotment
A Crown Allotment is a piece of land that is described by reference to the original subdivision of land undertaken by Crown Land Administration. The title will always contain details of the parish. (Parish of Sherwood or Parish of Cranbourne)

.indemnified – protected, compensated

Indentured labour – Work under a restrictive contract of employment for a fixed period in a foreign country in exchange for payment of passage, accommodation, and food. Indentured labour was the means by which many British people emigrated to Australia.

inst.
- in or of the present month; "your letter of the 10th inst"

jinker - light weight two wheeled cart pulled by a horse
.
L.K.G milking plant- L.K.G. (Lawrence. Kennedy, Gillies) milking machine. These were worked by steam expelled from a wood fired boiler, creating a vacuum. At times the suction would drop off and so would the milking machines! However they were moderately successful although the cows had to be stripped by hand afterwards

Mesdames - A group of married women listed by their family names
Married women were often know as Mrs Graham Smith /Mrs G Smith rather than Mrs Muriel Smith.  Mrs T Twyford was actually Mrs Florence Twyford the wife of Thomas Twyford.
In everyday life married people were referred to as Mr Jones, Mrs Smith.
eg Q: " Which Mrs Smith do you mean? A: "Mrs Graham Smith"


Messrs – A group of adult men- including both single and married men.

Misses
– group of single unmarried women

mia mia - simple shelter made of branches and leaves built by aboriginals

midden -
heap of shells and bones left at aboriginal camp or feasting site

phaeton - is the early 19th-century term for a sporty open carriage drawn by a single horse or a pair, typically with four extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous. It usually had no sidepieces in front of the seats. The name Phaeton refers to the disastrous ride of mythical Phaëton, son of Helios, who set the earth on fire while attempting to drive the chariot of the sun. (Wikipedia)

plaintiff - the person with the complaint against another

pound
- a place for putting lost farm animals that are wandering outside their properties. To claim these animals the farmer has to pay a fine to the council officers who have looked after these animals. Pound Road was the border between two shires.

prothonotary
= principle clerk of a court ( the first of the recorders in the court)

run - land on which animals could run free. A squatter would claim land for his own use and give his run a name eg Garem Gam

sharper
- A sharper is an older term, common since the seventeenth-century, for thieves who use trickery to part an owner with his or her money possessions.

squatter
- In Australia a squatter could use the land on easy terms, that is without paying much to the government

squatter's pre-emptive right
- when the government's land was up for sale, the squatter already using the land, would be given first option to buy the land.

stook- shock of hay, bundle of hay

temperance movement or society
- a group of people who refrain from drinking alcohol

watercourse
- brook or a stream, drain for the flow of water

wattle and daub - when mud or clay is plastered on walls of huts
wattle- a framework made by weaving thin sticks through thick sticks which is used for making fences and walls.
daub - a substance such as mud or clay that is spread on a rough surface.

watershed
- line of separation between waters flowing to different rivers or basins or seas.














A request for primary school students
Have you found new words in this website? Did you check out the meaning in a school dictionary?
Please tell me, the Clyde History website administrator, about this. I will add these new words and their meanings to the "Dictionary of Clyde".
My email address is clydehistory@gmail.com