bush telegraph
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In eaffy Australian slang, one who informed the bushrangers (q.v.) of police movements; now widespread to indicate any unofficial and mysterious source of information.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bush telegraph” mean?
In eaffy Australian slang, one who informed the bushrangers (q.v.) of police movements; now widespread to indicate any unofficial and mysterious source of information.
Is “bush telegraph” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.