poddy

English

Poddy lambs feeding

Etymology

From pod ‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

poddy (comparative poddier, superlative poddiest)

1. (not comparable) Of or pertaining to a pod or pods.
   • 1944, New Mexico State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin of the Agricultural Experiment Station, New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, Issues 318-329, page 88,

     […] the second cutting each season was allowed to become poddy, i.e., to set seed pods.

2. Fat, corpulent.
3. (not comparable, Australia, of a young animal) Fed by hand.
   • 1901, Miles Franklin, “The 3rd of December 1898”, in My Brilliant Career, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 292:

     One of my half-starved poddy calves was very ill, and I went out to doctor it previous to bathing and tidying myself for my finishing household duties.

   • 1964, New South Wales Department of Agriculture, The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, Volume 74, page 646,

     Constant handling will cause mis-mothering, leading to deaths and a number of poddy lambs. Poddy lambs are slow to grow and often fail to reach marketable weight under eight months of age.

   • 2008, Barry Heard, The View from Connor′s Hill, page 56:

     The first really positive change came about when Mum arrived home with a poddy lamb.

Noun

poddy (plural poddies)

1. (Australia) An unbranded calf.
2. (Australia) A hand-fed calf or lamb (a young animal needing milk or milk-substitute).
   • 1901, Miles Franklin, My Brilliant Career, page 207:

     I did not turn to ascertain who it might be, but trusted it was no one of importance, as the poddy and I presented rather a grotesque appearance.

   • 1904, Bush Courtin′: Australian Ballads & Short Stories, Penguin, published 2003, page 268:

     When the milkin′ music′s ended, and the big cans stacked away, / An′ the poddies have done drinkin′, an′ the neddies chew their hay

   • 2011, Ali Lewis, Everybody Jam, unnumbered page:

     She said I had to show Liz how to feed the poddies, the pigs and Buzz.

3. (Australia, Victoria) An immature mullet.

Usage notes

A poddy calf is always a hand-fed one.

Synonyms

• (unbranded calf):
• (hand-fed young animal):

Derived terms

• poddy-dodger

See also

• dogie, placer

Verb

poddy (third-person singular simple present poddies, present participle poddying, simple past and past participle poddied)

1. (Australia) To hand-feed (a young animal).
   • 1907, Barbara Baynton, Human Toll, 2007, Echo Library, page 110,

     ‘Ell ov a trouble t′ poddy, miss, them lambs, but Queeby used t′ poddy any Gord′s quantity’ remarked Nungi.

References

• The Oxford Paperback Dictionary