wowser \WOW-zer\ noun, chiefly Australian : an obtrusively puritanical person
Example sentence: "I'm no wowser, but I draw the line at abusive, foul-mouthed drunks." (Mike Smithson, [South Australia] _Sunday Mail_, July 2, 2006)
Did you know? "Wowser" is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its ultimate origin is unknown. The word first appeared in print in 1899, in the Australian journal _Truth_, and was instantly popular in Australia. It spread to New Zealand, where it remains in use, and then eventually arrived in England, possibly brought by the Australian troops who served there during World War I. The American writer and editor H. L. Mencken liked "wowser" and attempted to introduce it in the United States. He used the word frequently in _American Mercury_, the literary magazine he edited. Despite Mencken's efforts the term never truly caught on in American English, though it is used occasionally.
2 comments:
I'm Australian. In my experience, this word is used among babyboomers and older to describe people who don't drink. Like teetotallers, but with a party-pooper connotation :D
That is funny. I associate the term with the film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? I believe, that is the first time I'd heard anyone say wowser. I think that is what the announcer keeps yelling as the couples dance. My memory could be faulty.
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