yowie
n.— «Defence spokesman Major Klaus Boehme says the sniper’s outfit of hessian bags and appropriate camouflage paint evolved from a British idea of about 35 years ago. It had been developed in the mid-1970s when the Army started training snipers, and did not replace the camouflage uniforms worn when in the field. “Someone said about the first person who wore one that he looked like a “yowie,” and it’s been called that ever since,” he said.…Colonel David Oliver in his “yowie” sniper’s outfit and, above right, as he really looks.» —“Aussie ingenuity keeps our soldiers safely out of sight” by Bruce Hogben Advertiser (Adelaid, Australia) June 17, 1989. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Enthusiastic book recommendations! Martha’s savoring the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19th-century explorer, polymath, and naturalist who revolutionized our understanding of nature and predicted the effects of human activity on...
Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There’s a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the language of hobbyists and enthusiasts: If you’re a beekeeper, perhaps you call yourself a...