Dictionary

mulga wire en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [-ˌwɑeə] (Australia)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmʌlɡə ˌwaɪ(ə)ɹ/ (General-American)
• /ˈmɐlɡə ˌwaɪə/ (Australia)
• /ˈmʌlɡə ˌwaɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From 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.

Meanings

1. (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).
   • "How did he receive word about the sick lubra?" / "I don't know. Mulga wire, I suppose." 1938, Arthur Upfield, “A Stranger to Opal Town”, in The Bone is Pointed, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clio Press, published 1993, →ISBN, page 36:
   • ‘The mulga-wire’s not working too good,’ he said by way of greeting. ‘I had no idea. When did you get back?’ 2007, Kerry McGinnis, The Waddi Tree, Camberwell, Vic.: Penguin Group Australia, →ISBN:
   • There is a really good sketch of Micky, the lonely boundary rider, whose wonderful stock of news comes by "the mulga wires," who is full of scandal about the squatter's rams, and is "follered" by a phantom hut of leopard-wood slabs. 1899 December 30, “An Australian Pastoral: ‘The Well-Sinkers: An Australian Pastoral.’ By Edith Quin. London: Fisher Unwin. [Over-Seas Library.] 2s. 6d. [book review]”, in The Outlook: In Life, Politics, Finance, Letters, and the Arts, volume IV, number 100, London: Outlook Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 724, column 1:
   • Lumps of silver as big as your head they're picking up. So the mulga wires say. 1937, Ion L[lewellyn] Idriess, The Cattle King: The Story of Sir Sidney Kidman, Sydney, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson, →OCLC, page 82:
   • In the meantime, I had been receiving worrying reports about Nancy by mulga wire but could not find out for sure what was wrong. 1990, Lennie Wallace, “Christmas on the Road”, in Bow Waves in the Bull Dust […], 3rd edition, Brisbane, Qld.: Boolarong Press, published 2012, →ISBN, page 139:
   • That night, diggers from all over the field, having learnt by ‘mulga wire’ that one of their number had married Harry Albury's girl, gathered round the hut making cacophonous celebration […] 1987, Brian Ernest Matthews, Louisa, St. Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press, published 1998, →ISBN, page 72:
2. (Australia, New-Zealand, countable, uncountable) A message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information.
   • "What else did Nero say?" / "Nothin'. Only to tell you when you came home. Wandin sent him the mulga wire, I suppose." 1938, Arthur Upfield, “Beside a Little Fire”, in The Bone is Pointed, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clio Press, published 1993, →ISBN, page 72:
   • Tom had been been out early, or had got what we call a bush telegraphy or mulga wire, for when they reached the Four Lanes he said—[…] 1913, Henry Lawson, “The Little Man with the Smile”, in Triangles of Life and Other Stories, Melbourne, Vic.; Sydney, N.S.W.: Lothian Book Publishing Co, published 1984, →OCLC, page 90:
3. (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.

Forms

Synonyms

mulga · grapevine · bush telegraph · jungle telegraph

Translations (5)

fi kuulopuhe (message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information) · mk гла́сина (message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information) · mk слух (message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information) · fi huhu (message or story transmitted through such an informal network, especially one containing false information) · fi savumerkit (system for long-distance communication used by Aboriginal Australians, chiefly using smoke signals; a message or signal sent using such a system)