mulga wire
An informal gossip network, especially in a rural area such as the outbackAn informal gossip network, especially in a rural area such as the outback; also, a component in the network (either a person or an imagined wire).
Meaning
3 senses(Australia, New Zealand, countable, uncountable)An informal gossip network, especially in a rural area such as the outback; also, a component in the network (either a person or an imagined wire).
(Australia, New Zealand, countable, uncountable)A message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information.
(Australia, countable, historical, uncountable)A system for long-distance communication used by Aboriginal Australians, chiefly using smoke signals; also, a message or signal sent using such a system.
Origin
From mulga (“any of a number of small acacia trees, especially Acacia aneura, forming densFrom mulga (“any of a number of small acacia trees, especially Acacia aneura, forming dense scrub in dry inland areas of Australia; (by extension) the outback”) + wire (“telecommunication wire or cable”), possibly modelled after bush telegraph.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: mulga wires| Singular | mulga wire |
|---|---|
| Plural | mulga wires |
regular
Synonyms
4 synonymsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.