durry

English

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly (putative obsolete brand of roll-your-own tobacco) + -y (“diminutive suffix”).
From 1940s; evidence of colloquial use from early 20thC.

Alternative forms

• durrie

Noun

durry (plural durries)

1. (Australia, colloquial, slang) A cigarette, especially a roll-your-own. [From 1940s.]
   • 2003, C. C. Saint-Clair, Far from Maddy, page 224,

     “Fire-head lady, you got a smoke?” asks the younger of the two men. “You got a durry. Cigarette.” His timbre is low but void of inflexion. “Come,” he says again, brown hand scooping the air in front of him.

   • 2004, Jay Verney, Percussion, page 118,

     He pulled a tobacco pouch out of his pocket with a plastic bag containing what had to be a mind-altering substance. “You′re welcome to join me in a durry,” he said, rolling himself a cigarette.

   • 2007, Kevin Hallewell, Woop Woop, page 151,

     He thought for a moment as he deftly rolled the paper and tobacco into a durry, licked the edge and stuck it down.

Synonyms

• cancer stick, fag