government man

government man

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

government man (plural government men)

1. A representative of the government.
2. A supporter of the government.
3. (Australia, euphemistic, obsolete or historical) A convict.
   • 1888, Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, Gutenberg eBook #1198,

     Whatever it was that had happened to him in the old times when he was a Government man he didn′t talk about.

Usage notes

The term convict was considered an insult in early colonial Australia, government man was the approved euphemism.[1] See convict for other terms.

References

1. 1987, Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore, paperback →ISBN, page xi.