budgie smugglers

English

WOTD – 23 August 2015

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

budgie smugglers pl (plural only)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, UK, informal) 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.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:swim briefs

   Alternative form: budgie-smugglers

   • 2006 July 9, Annabel Crabb, “UK learns rules of Texas hold 'em”, in The Sydney Morning Herald‎^[1]:

     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^[2]:

     "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^[3]:

     “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^[4]:

     A MAN has been fined and banned from recreational fishing in Victoria after confusing his budgie smugglers for abalone smugglers.

   • 2023 April 21, John Crace, “Psycho goes down raging: the liberal wokerati finally get to Raab”, in The Guardian‎^[5], →ISSN:

     Next, on with his favourite budgie smugglers. His sequined posing pouch. No winky shrinkage for him.

Noun

budgie smugglers

1. plural of budgie smuggler (“small bag attached to the belt”)