cobber
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Uncertain. Perhaps from Yiddish חבֿר (khaver, “friend, comrade”), from Hebrew חבר (ḥāḇēr, “friend”), possibly via Dutch gabber; alternately, perhaps from the British dialectal term cob (“take a liking to”),[1] or a conflation of both. The suggestion that it is a self-referential collective term for convicts and immigrants who departed for Australian shores from the Irish port of Cobh seems chronologically unlikely.
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˈkɒbɚ/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒbə(ɹ)
Noun
[edit]cobber (plural cobbers)
- (Australia, slang, dated) A pal, buddy, mate, friend; often used in direct address by one male to another.
- What's up, cobber?
- G'day cobber!
- 1953, Nevil Shute, In the Wet, published 2010, unnumbered page:
- “He′s a good cobber, even if he is the parson,” he said at last. “He′s a good cobber.”
“That′s right,” said Jim patiently. “He′s a good cobber, and he′s the parson. Now you buzz off and leave him be. We′ve got business to talk here.”
- 1955, Charles McCormac, “You′ll Die in Singapore!”[1], page 181:
- He was the first member of our forces we had seen for five months. “Hi ya, cobber,” muttered Don.
- 2009, George W. Adams, Under the Southern Cross[2], page 137:
- A voice from out of nowhere challenged: “Who is going away cobber?” “Bob!” I shouted. “Boy, am I glad to see you ... Where the hell have you been, my dear bloody cobber?”
- (Australia) A sweet consisting of a small block of hard caramel covered in chocolate.
Synonyms
[edit]- See also Thesaurus:friend
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]Australian: a pal, buddy, mate, friend
References
[edit]Categories:
- English terms with unknown etymologies
- English terms derived from Yiddish
- English terms derived from Hebrew
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɒbə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɒbə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- Australian English
- English slang
- English dated terms
- English terms with quotations
- English endearing terms
- English terms of address