budgie smugglers

English

WOTD – 23 August 2015

Alternative forms

(swimming costume): budgie-smugglers

Etymology

(swimming costume): A jocular reference to a man's tight-fitting swimming costume or swimsuit appearing as if he has a budgerigar concealed inside it, ie. his bulging genitals.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)
Audio (AUS) (file)

Noun

budgie smugglers

(Australia, New Zealand, informal, plural only) A style of tightfitting men's swimming costume cut like underwear briefs that covers the buttocks and groin but not the legs and reveals the bulge of the genitals; especially worn in surf lifesaving and in swimming races.
- 2006 July 9, Annabel Crabb, “UK learns rules of Texas hold 'em”, in The Sydney Morning Herald‎:
  Roughly, the rule goes: if you have just swum, are planning to swim soon or are reasonably proximate to a place where others are swimming, then your budgie smugglers are perfectly acceptable.
- 2006 November 23, Stuart Rintoul, “Bracks's walk was on the wild side”, in The Australian‎:
  "Mr Baillieu has popped out of the water in his budgie-smugglers, but he doesn't reckon that climate change is a problem," Garrett scoffed. "I mean, give me a break."
- 2012 January 11, Amy Findlay, “Awesome Ironman!”, in Milton Ulladulla Times‎:
  “If you think that men in budgie smugglers don’t look good, well all the blokes in this race still have it and they looked great,” she joked.
- 2012 January 12, Kate Starke, “Smuggler hid illegal abalone in underpants”, in Herald Sun‎:
  A MAN has been fined and banned from recreational fishing in Victoria after confusing his budgie smugglers for abalone smugglers.
plural of budgie smuggler

Synonyms

(swimming costume): See also Thesaurus:swim briefs.