blue gum
See also: bluegum
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
edit- blue + gum
- (person of sub-Saharan African origin): Referring to the blue coloring around their gumline.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
edit- Any of various eucalyptus trees having blueish leaves, especially Eucalyptus globulus. [from 19th c.]
- 1999, JM Coetzee, Disgrace, Vintage, published 2000, page 61:
- Now there are five, solidly built, with concrete bases, galvanized poles and struts, and heavy-gauge mesh, shaded by young bluegum trees.
- 2007, Craig Silvey, Jasper Jones, Allen & Unwin, published 2007, page 95:
- I am hoping, maybe because I am roasting out here, that it is to accommodate some breed of shady tree. Like a bluegum or a paperbark.
- (slang, offensive) A person of sub-Saharan African origin.
Derived terms
edit- Gippsland blue gum
- inland blue gum
- large-fruited blue gum
- mountain blue gum
- round-leaved blue gum
- South Australian blue gum
- southern blue gum
- spotted blue gum
- Sydney blue gum
- Tasmanian blue gum
- Victorian blue gum