wigwam for a goose's bridle

English edit

Noun edit

wigwam for a goose's bridle

  1. (Australia) A notional object put forward as an explanation when asked about something one does not want to tell.
    • 1954, Moore Raymond, Smiley, page 41:
      "Where you goin'?" he called.
      "To git a wigwam for a goose's bridle!" yelled Smiley insolently, recalling one of the sayings of Granny McKinley, the oldest inhabitant.
    • 1989, Di Brown, Angry Women: An Anthology of Australian Women's Writing, page 44:
      When he wasn't at work he was usually off to see a man about a horse or to buy a wigwam for a goose's bridle. But he never brought the horse home like I asked him to, though we had a big enough backyard.
    • 2003, Gwenda Davey, Graham Seal, A Guide to Australian Folklore, page 62:
      A well known 'family saying' is the mysterious 'Wigwam for a goose's bridle', said by adults to curious children who ask once too often 'What are you making?'

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