Nunawadding Messiah

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

This was Andrew Fisher, of Nunawadding, Victoria, Australia, who declared himself to be the Messiah, m 1871. His hundred followers were polygamous, he himself having three wives.

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 “Nunawadding Messiah” mean?

This was Andrew Fisher, of Nunawadding, Victoria, Australia, who declared himself to be the Messiah, m 1871. His hundred followers were polygamous, he himself having three wives.

Is “Nunawadding Messiah” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.