Dictionary

brickfielder en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From the location name Brickfield Hill, after the hill in Surry Hills (now in inner Sydney) from the direction of which a hot wind blew into Sydney in its early days. The term spread to Melbourne by circa 1850, and to central Australia by circa 1900, then to Western Australia.

Meanings

1. (Australia) A hot, dry, dusty wind of southern or central Australia.
   • Then he had to concentrate his efforts on a smooth descent through the swirling gusts of the brickfielder. 1986, Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, volume 106, numbers 1-4, page 60:
   • A southerly buster would blow — a Sydney brickfielder;[…]. 1914, Henry Mills Alden, Thomas Bucklin Wells, Harper's Magazine, volume 129, page 508:
   • Returning home, he discovers that the house is full of sand ; that the brickfielder has even insinuated itself between the leaves of his books ; that at dinner he will probably find that his favourite dish has been spoiled by the brickfielder. 1845, J. O. Balfour, A Sketch of New South Wales, page 5:
   • Hot spells many days in duration, with temperatures daily exceeding 100°F. (38°C), often take place while the brickfielder blows. 2005, Ajay Kumar Ghosh, Dictionary of Geography, page 45:

Forms