sheep

sheep
: on the sheep's back A reference to the wool industry as the source of Australia's prosperity, first recorded in 1894. For much of its history Australia depended on wool as its main export, and so the notion arose that Australia was 'riding on the sheep's back'. Although wool is now less important as an export, the phrase still evokes a sense of the importance of the agricultural industry to the country's wealth.

Australian idioms. 2014.

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  • Sheep — Sheep, n. sing. & pl. [OE. shep, scheep, AS. sc?p, sce[ a]p; akin to OFries. sk?p, LG. & D. schaap, G. schaf, OHG. sc[=a]f, Skr. ch[=a]ga. [root]295. Cf. {Sheepherd}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several species of ruminants of the genus {Ovis},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sheep — W3S2 [ʃi:p] n plural sheep [: Old English; Origin: sceap] 1.) a farm animal that is kept for its wool and its meat ▪ Sheep were grazing on the hillside. ▪ a sheep farmer flock of sheep (=a group of sheep) →↑lamb1 …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sheep — sheep·berry; sheep; sheep·cote; sheep·faced; sheep·ish; sheep·less; sheep·man; sheep·cot; sheep·faced·ly; sheep·faced·ness; sheep·ish·ly; sheep·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • sheep — [ ʃip ] (plural sheep) noun count ** 1. ) an animal kept by farmers for its wool or meat. The male sheep is called a ram and the female is a ewe. A young sheep is called a lamb. Meat from a young sheep is called lamb and from an older sheep is… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sheep — [shēp] n. pl. sheep [ME schep < OE sceap, scæp, akin to Ger schaf: known only in WGmc] 1. any of a wide variety of bovid ruminants, with horns in both sexes; esp., the domesticated sheep (Ovis aries), having heavy wool, edible flesh called… …   English World dictionary

  • Sheep — Chanson par Pink Floyd extrait de l’album Animals Pays  Royaume Uni Sortie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • sheep — (n.) O.E. sceap, scep, from W.Gmc. *skæpan (Cf. O.S. scap, O.Fris. skep, M.L.G. schap, M.Du. scaep, Du. schaap, O.H.G. scaf, Ger. Schaf), of unknown origin. Not found in Scandinavian or Gothic, and with no known cognates outside Germanic. The… …   Etymology dictionary

  • sheep|y — «SHEE pee», adjective, sheep|i|er, sheep|i|est. characteristic of or resembling sheep; sheeplike; sheepish: »He called the social English the most sheepy of sheep (Geo …   Useful english dictionary

  • sheep — ► NOUN (pl. same) 1) a domesticated ruminant mammal with a thick woolly coat, kept in flocks for its wool or meat. 2) a person who is too easily influenced or led. 3) a member of a minister s congregation. ● make sheep s eyes at Cf. ↑make sheep s …   English terms dictionary

  • Sheep —    SHEEP, an isle, in the parish of Southend, county of Argyll. This is a small island, lying southward of the peninsula of Cantyre, and close to the island of Sanda. It is well calculated for the pasturage of a small number of sheep, from which… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • SHEEP —    Sheep and goats, which had been reared since the Neolithic in central Italy, continued to form an important component of the agricultural system together with cattle and pigs …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

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